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3. Making your own string samples from scratch

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Creating faux-vintage string samples from scratch is a neat way of swerving copyright issues to add the sound of a string section from an old recording to your track. To demonstrate, we’ve started by playing some block chords at a tempo of 100bpm into an instance of Spitfire Audio’s Albion ONE. In the key of D minor,

Bbmaj7 Bb6 we’ve got > > Aaug > A > Dm. 2

For the sake of realism, we’re going to re-record each part to a separate voice. With a new, multi-timbral instance of Albion ONE set up, we refer back to our sketch to work out which notes to play for the 1st violins. They’re the highest notes in

A# our chords: A4, G4, 4, A4 and D4,

A# doubled with a higher octave A5, G5, 5, A5 and D5, so we record these onto our new track. 3

At the same time as we record the notes, we use the hardware faders on our MIDI controller keyboard to vary the expression and vibrato throughout each sustained note. The result should be a curve that looks something like this, making each note ebb and flow in volume as it progresses. Doing this for each part makes a big difference to the final result. 4

We repeat this process for the other four tracks, using our sketch pad as a guide and adding dynamics/expression as we go. Each instrument is played with a new instance of Albion’s Strings.nki on a separate MIDI channel within Kontakt.

C#

This gives us 2nd Violins: D4, 4, A3,

Bb3, Bb2,

Violas: A3, F3, Cellos: A2, D2, and Bb1,

Basses: A1, D1. 5

Since we’re using a single, multitimbral instance of Kontakt to run a multi-rack of Albion instruments, we can now use each instrument’s volume/pan controls to fine tune the stereo balance. We’ve also compressed the output of the plugin slightly, and used a hint of Albion’s Lush reverb so our strings sound like they were all recorded in the same space. 6

To give the final sample an old record sound, we add an instance of Satson CM with the settings shown to add some tape saturation and remove some high and low frequencies, followed by iZotope’s rejuvenated Vinyl plugin to add record crackle, then finish with a BitCrusher plugin to mimic the bit reduction involved in the sampling process. 7

With a final Limiter plugin added to our DAW’s stereo master output to prevent clipping, it’s finally time to do a final stereo bounce of all the parts to a single .wav file. This can then be reimported into a new project, ready to be sampled and manipulated as if lifted from a hidden gem languishing in a dusty crate somewhere in a backstreet store. 8

Drag the exported .wav file into a new project in your DAW to import the audio. Here, we’ve simply dropped it onto Logic’s track header area and elected to import it into QuickSampler. This places the sample across the whole piano keyboard in classic sampler fashion, allowing us to play it from any key at different pitches and relative speeds. 9

A more versatile option is to slice the audio into chunks and replay them in a different order, letting you access the various chord shapes in different parts of the sample. Here we’ve incorporated elements of it in an uptempo pop track and added a splash of EQ, reverb and delay to finish and make the sample sound more at home in this kind of setting.