Strings Realism Tips article: Additional Resources

On this page I’ve collected together some additional resources to support my Sound On Sound magazine article about improving the realism of MIDI string-ensemble tracks.

DEMONSTRATION PROJECT DOWNLOAD

Cockos Reaper Project File (56MB ZIP)

Use the link above to download the demonstration DAW project I used to generate the audio examples in the article. The project was created in Cockos Reaper v6.14, and uses only the DAW’s bundled plug-ins, so you should be able to load it in full using the cross-platform, fully functional Reaper demo version. All the project’s audio files are provided in the ZIP archive’s ‘Audio’ folder. The track naming should be fairly self-explanatory, and I’ve bounced down the two reverb effects as audio so that you don’t need to have my specific reverb plug-in to run the project. Please be very careful when playing back this project for the first time, in case your audio setup varies from mine and you get unexpectedly high output levels!

FURTHER READING

• More Recording & Arranging Tips For Strings: Here’s a selection of other Sound On Sound magazine articles that provide more in-depth tips for arranging and recording both solo string instruments and various types of string ensemble:
  • ‘Great String Parts On A Budget And In A Hurry’
  • ‘Session Notes: Writing And Recording Cello Overdubs’
  • ‘Session Notes: Faking A Big-ensemble String Sound’
  • ‘Recording Strings’
  • ‘Recording A String Section’