Auddict Angel Strings Vol. 1 | Bringing The War In Heaven To Earth

A BATTLE RAGING FOR MILLENNIA

Isaiah 14 describes a battle of heavenly proportions, a war that raged even before the beginning of time. It describes Lucifer being cast down from his prominent position after a failed coup attempt to occupy the very throne of Heaven itself. 

This description of Lucifer is characterized by his having stringed instruments, or “viols” as part of his appearance; he was like a self-contained orchestra. After his initial defeat, he did not just go down to Georgia, he went much, much, further down, and the war in Heaven continues to this day. 

Angel Strings Vol. 1 allows us to experience strings in beautiful and dare I say, disturbing ways as we score our next celestial battle.

THE POWER AND FASCINATION WITH STRINGS

The idea of having an entire string orchestra under your fingers is very desirable for a keyboard player. Stringed instruments with their wide range of expressions are sometimes hard to capture. Angel Strings provides a convenient way to bridge the gap when it comes to string libraries.

THE POWER OF 3

Angel Strings Vol. 1 provides three distinct Kontakt NKI patches featuring Longs and Shorts, Bowed Runs and Tremolos, and last but certainly not least, Sound Effects.

TONAL LONGS AND SHORTS

What makes Angel Strings Vol. 1 particularly easy to use, is their decision to give us all of the string sections laid out across the entire keyboard. The sections respond to keyboard velocity, going from sustained longs to short and tight marcatos.

The upper keys allow you to switch between various playing styles. This makes working on ideas virtually effortless, as the basic articulations are at your fingertips.

SYNCED TREMOLO AND BOWED RUNS

The second NKI gives you a very useful set of tools to generate active parts. The Bowed Runs are a special set of samples that are intended to help things sound more connected while playing certain runs and phrases on the keyboard. There is a slider to fine-tune the tightness of how notes connect to one another.

The Synced Tremolo function inside of Angel Strings, provides four slots that work like a step sequencer. You can adjust the number of steps in the pattern, up to eight. Each step can be set to perform a certain dynamic range and can sync to your DAW’s host tempo. Combine this with the ability to switch between the four patterns, you have a great tool to create very dramatic and driving parts right away.

SOUND EFFECTS

Last but not least, the Sound Effects NKI is what sets Angel Strings apart from other string libraries. You will find some of the most unnerving and unusual articulations here; they include risers, dives, and very harsh and compelling tremolos. 

These unusual articulations are especially useful as there are no easy ways to generate this type of organic and in the moment type of effects. You have control over sample start times for some of the more dramatic effects giving you control over timing, adding more versatility. These effects are like the secret sauce for creating soundtracks that not only move you but unnerve you as well.

ALL SECTIONS, ALL THE TIME

The feature I keep coming back to when using Angel Strings is having the entire string section range available to you at all times. This is essential to creating parts just as quickly as the ideas come to you without having to worry about splitting up the individual parts.

SPOT ON

Angel Strings provide several mic positions capturing all the sections at once. The mixes have mics in various configurations, giving you control of the recording space. You even have a mix recorded with a pair of ribbon microphones, for a more vintage atmosphere.

Along with the various room mic mixes, there are individual “spot” microphone channels to isolate each individual section. This allows you to do additional processing on particular sections without affecting the others. Having this additional detail sets Angel Strings apart once more, allowing you to have that little extra control.

Angel Strings has a nice studio sound that is not particularly wet. This helps you to tailor it to fit into your mix. You have an unnamed algorithmic reverb channel that lets you add a touch of extra ambiance. There are a very interesting filter and envelope generator, helping take Angel Strings even more outside of the box. This is ideal for certain sound design situations.

ANGEL STRINGS FOR THE WIN

During my time with Angel Strings I am very impressed at how quickly you can put seemingly complex parts together. The results of recording the entire string section together make for a very pleasant and cohesive experience.

So in your battle to conquer the next challenging project, Angel Strings could be the secret weapon you are looking for to overthrow the powers of darkness forever.