Mid-sized full orchestra recorded in traditional orchestral positioning with a focus on heavily dynamic sampling (including on legatos), five mics, a wholly new legato approach, more emphasized use of bowing to create movement and expression, improved marcatos in the style of Pacific, sordino sustains with same-note repetitions, tremolos with slower and more granular bowing speed, a new approach to shorts sampling….
I originally recorded Vista II with the intention of it being a full strings library (12 violins, 7 violas, 6 cellos, 5 basses). After the primary string sessions, I ended up recording full percussion for it, piano, harps, solo string legatos and shorts, and then some bonus (and rudimentary) brass and woodwind stuff. This module is the “big module” in the series and is called Vista II – Core.
Then I recorded Vista II – Chamber String Essentials which are small, chamber sections (eight violins, four violins, another set of four violins, three violas, three cellos, another set of three cellos, and three basses). The focus is mostly legatos and shorts/misc material too that can be layered on Vista II – Core.
Aided by the response to the bonus brass/woodwinds in early demos for Vista II – Core, I realized that I needed to do dedicated brass and woodwind modules (separate) with legato and more comprehensive articulations. Those modules are Vista II – Brass and Vista II – Woodwinds. They’re completely new, separate recordings from the Vista II – Core module. Same/similar players though. For what it’s worth, I generally don’t like the idea of re-using my own previous recordings in new libraries. It’s more fun and interesting to re-record and improve it hopefully.
So those are the four main modules which make up Vista II (although admittedly, oftentimes when people are discussing the library they are talking about Vista II – Core specifically). There’s also the Vista II – Solo Cello Legato module that came out, as well as upcoming Vista II – Solo Viola Legato module. These are smaller, focused modules though.
Recordings for Vista II took place in the same room as many previous PS libraries (including the original Vista, Oceania I & II, ABP/AWP, the PerfPerc series, etc) as well as future PS releases like Voyage, Marshland Lite, and Oceania III. This room blends well with the Pacific room, albeit being much smaller. It also takes to external verb quite well.
Released modules:
Unreleased modules:
Here’s the write-up and details for the primary module. Vista II – Core is a forthcoming string library featuring 12 violins, 7 violas, 6 cellos, and 5 basses — alongside a handful of bonus instruments. The idea began as a slightly larger ensemble version of the original Vista, but soon expanded both in terms of dynamics and articulations into a full string library with the intention of making strides on Pacific Ensemble Strings and previous Performance Samples string releases across multiple facets.
The library is still in post-production, so specs/instruments and so forth are subject to change before release. Estimated release date is most likely to be no earlier than Q1/Q2 2025, considering the project scope. Library cost is to-be-announced but will exceed the price of Pacific Ensemble Strings considering the additional content, dynamics on legatos, and so forth. More information on the Pricing / Loyalty tab.
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In terms of dynamics, when you see on the spec sheet that it has 12 dynamics for the legato sustains, that means the sustains have 12 dynamics, the intervals have 12 dynamics, the releases have 12 dynamics, the attacks have 12 dynamics, and the sustain repetitions (same-note legato) have 12 dynamics. All assets have 12 dynamics. Part of the reason for this is because there is a decent sized portion of the legato used (it depends, but it can be 800-1100 ms) and having the timbre match is critical – it’s not just using a little blip. So 12 dynamics means 12 dynamics all ’round.
Bracketed numbers are the dynamics for equivalent (or as close to equivalent as possible) dynamics in Pacific Ensemble Strings, for quick comparison purposes. Also note that some dynamics/specs may change before release, but its not super likely. I may record some more dynamics etc, but nothing is set in stone either at this point.
Document below needs to be updated with the latest new recordings a bit later on in post-pro.
What is the difference between the original Vista and Vista II? What about Pacific Ensemble Strings?
Aside from the room and some of the musicians, there’s not lot of similarity between the original Vista and Vista II. Vista II expands far beyond the original Vista in terms of application and scope, and more than three years between recording sessions means a whole lot of evolution in development. Three years in “sampling years” is a long time.
The original Vista was chamber-sized (5-4-3-3), legato-only and heavy vibrato — rather narrow in applicability. Sometime later, Pacific Ensemble Strings came out, symphonic-sized (16-12-10-8).
In a way, Vista II vs Pacific Ensemble Strings is a more apt comparison than Vista II vs the original Vista (room aside). Pacific Ensemble Strings is symphonic-sized and recorded in a very ambient large hall with a lot of dynamics, except on legatos which have a fairly normal amount (maybe a bit more than usual). The legatos tend to have some players doing slides/position changes on the higher dynamics for larger intervals in particular.
How does Vista II compare to Pacific Ensemble Strings? First of all, Vista II is in the original Vista room, so it’s rather dry (still a bit of ambience, but comparably not much). The mic setup is also more evolved. It’s a decca setup with Neumann M150s, rather than a omni AB setup for the far mics. And there are five mic positions: close, section, decca, outrigger, and far/surround. There’s a clearer imaging with the space. Of course, it’s more of a mid-sized ensemble too: 12 violins, 7 violas, 6 cellos, and 5 basses.
Now, the dynamics are really where Vista II begins to diverge from Pacific Ensemble Strings (and really any previous PS library). The legatos have up to 12 dynamics (on the intervals as well, not just the sustains), versus the four in Pacific (though the Pacific basses had five) and the original Vista. Up to 14 dynamics on the other articulations. Generally more dynamics on Vista II’s articulations than Pacific Ensemble Strings’ — but not in every case. The articulations are fairly closely matched but there are some additional things in Vista II (minus, at least at the point of writing this, the chamber vln overlay). And then there is bonus content like solo string overlays, solo harp (also in Pacific), two harps, and some solo brass.
The legato approach is also wholly new, and not strictly bow-change nor slurring. More information about that is on the left side of the window under “Details.” It’s probably the most usable legato style I’ve built commercially so far, and is based on R&D I was doing years ago that I began revisiting sometime ago. The legatos may feel generally less homogenous/flat (in the bowing) to play as opposed to the original Vista and Pacific Ensemble Strings, perhaps more granular/fragmented/moving. Not everyone will like it. Some may find it a bit too “active.” However for those those who’ve been wanting this kind of thing, it may align well with their sensibilities.
Pacific Ensemble Strings is part of Pacific Orchestra (brass, solo strings, percussion, woodwinds, ensemble strings). I’d say Pacific Ensemble Strings has a bit of a bias towards commercial appeal versus private development sentimentality. Vista II is more of an intentional harkening back to private development in many ways (and I’m really trying and hoping to keep it on this path), although at the same time it’s addressing some of the complaints about Pacific Ensemble Strings (position changes/sliding with the legato) and the original Vista (heavy vibrato). While at the same time incorporating more active movement and expression through bowing, experimental shorts sampling techniques, exploring “chaos layers” of “crescendo fff” dynamics (super high dynamics at the very end of the dynamic range intended for more specific usage that may sound somewhat odd out of context), somewhat lighter noise reduction than Pacific Ensemble Strings’ heavier noise reduction protocol, various iterations/versions/redos of patches (like the forthcoming Voyage project). In fact, being in the same room as Voyage, rather experimental in concepts, inclusive of various iterations/versions of patches and so forth, Vista II almost feels like it could be considered an unofficial “Voyage Symphonic Strings.”
Why are there so many dynamics in this library?
The short answer is I got carried away. The longer answer is that it’s something I’m exploring right now with sampling, at least with strings (and choir, on Marshland Lite anyway). It has more benefits than I could have known before actually exploring it. Without actually putting it into practice over multiple projects and instruments, heavier dynamic sampling is something that is perhaps rather easy to dismiss as a developer. But it is certainly far from the whole picture/solution to a good library. I think one aspect from a user perspective that may be beneficial is being able to sit in certain dynamic areas without infringing on abrasive dynamic areas (from fewer dynamics being recorded and the layer crossfading in). A big ‘downside’ is the recording time, and that one stung with Vista II but ultimately will be worth the experience and education I think. Ultimately it’s something I’m exploring right now but the benefit is generally something I’m leaving up to users to evaluate for themselves based on listening and playing demo patches when applicable. Here’s a session example from Vista II of the gradient near the top of the dynamic range as the players move into truly “crescendo FFF” territory, to get an idea of how far some things go in Vista II.
Are there same-note repetitions / same-note legato?
Absolutely, in the style of Pacific Ensemble Strings, but with a lot more dynamics, more mic control, and a drier, more present room.
What style of legato is in this library?
Please see the “Details” on the right of the page – there’s some information about the legato/bowing in the library.
Why is a piano, harp, and other rather unrelated content included?
It’s mostly to give people some more timbres to write/experiment with and get a sense of the depth of the room / different instruments in tutti in the space. This is actually the same room as Voyage was recorded in (granted, I still want to record more for that project), so in a way it gives an idea of how that full orchestra type sound will be in this space (although Voyage is a smaller string ensemble). Ultimately though, it’s mostly just for fun. The solo strings are the most “functional” bonus, in that they are meant to double the ensembles for extra glue, definition, etc.. but can be used as solos as well although not all the recording versions are equal — I did several passes of legatos (different days/sessions) and so you have access to different “passes” of legato — some worked better than others. All are included.
There were also cases where I recorded something but wasn’t too happy with it for whatever reason so decided to re-record it. Viola pizzicatos was one of those occasions. I didn’t think it got loud enough but didn’t want to just grab the top dynamic because of continuity concerns so I re-recorded it all. Ultimately I’m not sure if the original recording was as lacking as I originally thought, but regardless, both versions are in the library. Same thing with the whisper sustains. I know that sometimes just because I find that something can be lacking doesn’t mean it should just be thrown away, and can still find use as a bonus — so that’s part of the reasoning behind including various versions and attempts in the library (much like in the forthcoming Voyage library).
Are there multiple arco shorts?
There were multiple arco shorts recorded. I did these a little bit differently than how I’ve traditionally done rep sampling in the past. I’m starting to find traditional repetition sampling rather boring, at least for string shorts. It does depend on the players and room, but it can just default to something rather mechanical. I did come up with something I call classical (or motion) shorts on the Voyage sessions back in 2020 (old example here). It’s a tricky concept but I’ve been playing more with it and I did it for the soloists on Fluid Shorts 3, as an example. In this case they were instructed to play staccatissimo. The shorts in this lib are still very work-in-progress and may have some additional recordings as well, so I do plan to have some more demonstrations and so forth coming up.
Multiple mic positions?
There are more mics than usual on this library, and this is what I plan to head towards more. In this case: close, section, decca (Neumann 150s), outrigger, and far/surround.
Estimated release date is most likely to be no earlier than Q1/2 2025 for the larger modules, considering the project scope (it’s still in post-pro). Library cost is to-be-announced but will exceed the price of Pacific Ensemble Strings considering the additional content, dynamics on legatos, and so forth.
Intro period is aimed to be extensive. Planned loyalty intro pricing for owners of Oceania I/II/III (if III is out by then), any Con Moto module, Pacific Ensemble Strings, Fluid Shorts I/II/III, and Vista original owners. More info TBA.
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Harkening Back to Private Development
This library was created with a lot of sentimentality to some of the early private projects and R&D I did years ago, and an attempt at trying to capture (or at least not stripping out) some of the magic that would sometimes come up on those projects. Of course, with the addition of much more emphasis on dynamics as I’ve been exploring recently with Pacific and other projects. Although developing this library with the idea to maintain some of that nostalgia most certainly will limit its’ audience, I think it’ll be what some users have been hoping for, and I do feel like up until this point it’s the most in alignment with my private development of any commercial library I’ve done.
Legato Approach / Bow Movement / Vibrato Restraint
The legato in this library is not strictly slur, nor bow-change. The legato approach was a bit different with this library, layering different types of bowing on the session depending on the chair (dividing up the players and having different players play the legato and bowing differently – a technique I was experimenting with many ago on various private R&D). There are several reasons for this, but the different ossia staves lead to a partial (and intentional) obfuscation of more obvious bowing which creates movement without it being particularly distinct when in context. The intention is for this to be set apart from same-note repetitions (sometimes called same-note legato) which are also in the library and are timed across all dynamics to change at the same time. To make a comparison, whereas Pacific legatos are more “standard” in the performance, these will be more fragmented/moving in the performance.
It must be stated (and perhaps overstated) that Vista II leans in pretty unabashedly and intentionally to the bow movement/expression and might not be the right choice for those who are after something a little less spirited and “active.”
With that said – and as juxtaposition in a way – I pushed for more restraint on vibrato. Certainly this is very subjective, but despite sharing the name “Vista,” there’s no intention of adopting the level of vibrato from the original Vista. That said, there was absolutely focus on dynamic intensity — just without the vibrato getting too out of control. The library doesn’t have vibrato control, but the vibrato tends to taper down with the dynamic.
The legato leans away from having portamento aspects (or particular players sliding), except in cases where it was hard to avoid with the hand position. It’s generally not an overbearing factor in the performance. This is a distinct difference from Pacific Ensemble Strings and was very intentional.
The legato patches also include same-note legato (or same-note repetitions) similar to Pacific Ensemble Strings.
Including R&D / Bonus Material / Multiple Versions
The library is kind of like the forthcoming Voyage in a sense, in that there’s inclusion of re-recordings, original recordings, and so forth. It’s a bit of a smorgasbord. I recorded soloists various times with different techniques and am including them all. There are various stabs at the “classical shorts” approach (originating from Voyage sessions). Various versions of whisper sustains and other things because I thought it could be done differently/better, etc. All versions are included. There is also some bonus material, like the piano rep stuff, repetition-based harp material, solo brass content, and perhaps some more announced content — there’s no real reason I threw these in, mostly just for fun and so there’s more material to write with and have it all in the same space. Why not?