CON MOTO – VIOLINS A
Expressive Ensemble Strings with Motion
Con Moto – Violins A is a string library recorded with motion in the sustains, legato, and attacks/releases. “Active-bow” sustains offer continuously re-expressed vibrato & emotion, via performance & editing approaches. Responsive note attacks and meticulously-timed release samples – derived from units of musical performance – morph with your playing to allow fluent note-length variation, similar to previous Performance Samples libraries. Much in the same vein as Oceania, Con Moto – Violins A continues along the path of “energetic release samples” and appreciation of performance-sourced phrase endings as a critical element of the toolkit in release-sample functionality. Bow-change legato transitions wrap it all together, and with the entire library recorded con moto and musically-restless, the result is a breathing ensemble with coherence in phrasing, vibrato, and expression.
- Eight violins (primarily soloist and 1st-chair musicians) from the Capellen Orchestra
- Three dynamic layers, from moderately soft to FFF
- Bow-change legato con moto (legato with movement in the bowing and vibrato)
- “Active-bow” sustains (non-static longs that move and evolve while simultaneously maintaining the dynamic/timbre)
- Release samples that respond fluently to note-length variation
- Player positioning: 1st violins
- Recorded in an ambient hall* with multiple mic positions:
- Close 1st-2nd-3rd-Chair
- Close Section
- Decca
- Wide
- 48kHz / 24bit
- NCW-compressed, ~2.81 GB total
- Built for Kontakt 5.8.1 and above – full, retail version of Kontakt required
- Download via Continuata
* the same hall as Caspian, Fluid Shorts, Fluid Shorts II, and Pacific
NOTE ON DELAY: this library has a moderately delayed response when playing (140 ms based on the SC mics) to further the musicality of the legatos and releases. The library is heavily optimized for this delay amount. All the elements of the library (legatos, sustains, attacks, releases, etc) are on the same delay.
This product was re-introduced in July 2022 by popular demand.
Delay
The library is globally delayed at -140 ms (to the SC mic). Set your MIDI track to this number, quantize, and you will be on-time.
Mic Positions
123C – close 1st-2nd-3rd-chair
SC – close section
DC – decca
WD – wide
Legato/Non-Legato
There’s a keyswitch block which allows you to move between legato and and non-legato (polyphonic) playing. These can be assigned to any keys via the “KS” area on the GUI.
Patch List
Con Moto – Violins A.nki
Library Limitations
- There is a small amount of ambience-bleed / “bump” on the attacks if they’re played in standalone isolation or you’re using mostly ambient mics (the wide and, to a lesser extent, the decca). This is a byproduct of pulling samples from connected performances in an ambient room.
- The balance controls for compressing the low/high registers don’t work correctly when legato is on because of how the legato mapping matrix is configured.
Violins A Versus Violins B
Violins B was recorded first, and the players are spread out over 1st violins and 2nd violins seating position. Violins A was recorded after, as an “improvement” on (or replacement of) Violins B and features a different selection of players, solely 1st violins seating position, and most importantly — an improved legato sampling approach.
While Violins A and B weren’t designed as Violins 1 and Violins 2, Violins A is a bit more present and with the 1st violins seating position, is more appropriate as a “1st violins” library (or counter-part to Violins B).
Con Moto – Violins A are entirely new, original recordings – not a re-mixed/reprogrammed Violins B.