EastWest Hollywood Strings 2 (Serial Nr + Download)
$612.00 AUD$765.00 AUD
THE MOST DETAILED STRING LIBRARY YET. PERIOD.
The long-awaited sequel to Hollywood Strings has finally arrived. But this time, we made a hard pivot: Instead of going bigger, we recorded a tight 21-piece chamber strings ensemble inEastWest Studio 2for our most nuanced string library yet — smaller room, same production team, no less cinematic. You’ll find all the essential articulations, including legato, detache, pizzicato, staccato, spiccato, marcato, col legno, and even rare textural styles like flautando, each with up to four dynamics, ensuring an unparalleled level of expressiveness and realism. From the delicate intimacy of pianissimo to the commanding authority of fortissimo, and everything in between, articulations are captured with exacting detail by an extensive array of microphones, giving you unprecedented control over the performance and sound of the strings.
EMOTIONAL. INTIMATE. RAW.
We close-mic’d every instrument closer than we ever have before, capturing the grit, depth, and air of every note in the finest detail possible. You can independently control 3 separate close mic positions (including mics attached directly to the instruments), plus main, mid-field, and surround mics. There’s no limit to the depth you can create — Hollywood Strings 2 is even Atmos-ready, so you can create Atmos mixes in DAWs that support Atmos. Epic arrangements are great, but there’s more to strings than scale alone... and while its predecessor is indeed epic, Hollywood Strings 2 goes even further, molding itself to any task.
NEW STRINGS, NEW ROOM & A RICH HISTORY
Hollywood Strings 2 was recorded in EastWest’s ownStudio 2, just like the themes to The Beverly Hillbillies, Hawaii Five-O, and the soundtracks to Encanto and A Star is Born. The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Green Day, Weezer, and Metallica also selectedStudio 2for its tight and punchy sound! It’s only fitting that these strings suit cinematic metal or heavy rock as well as they would an epic film cue. If you’ve had your fill of massive ensembles and need focus and precision, you won’t find a more intimate string library anywhere else. Even if you already have them all.
WHAT'S INCLUDED?
Hollywood Strings 2 boasts an extensive library of 148 meticulously crafted instruments, offering an unparalleled range of sonic possibilities, including the best ever recorded playable trills and runs. With over 160 gigabytes of extensively sampled sounds, every note resonates with unparalleled authenticity, capturing the essence of each instrument with breathtaking detail. And powered with our state of the art OPUS engine, you can instantly download just the individual instruments you need for instant access or download them all, it's your choice.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Below are the minimum and recommended hardware and software specifications for using Opus 1.5.0 (required for HS Strings 2) on Windows and MacOS systems.
MINIMUM SYSTEM
CPU: Quad-core (four cores), running at 2.7 GHz (or above)
RAM: 16 GB
OS: macOS 10.15 (or later); Windows 10 with ASIO sound drivers
Drive: HDD (7200 rpm, non-energy saving)
RECOMMENDED SYSTEM
CPU: Octa-core (eight cores), running at 2.7 GHz (or above)
RAM: 32 GB or more
OS: macOS 10.15 (or later); Windows 10 with ASIO sound drivers
Drive: SSD (SATA or PCIe)
The chart below outlines the MacOS and Windows 64-bit operating systems and sequencers that are officially supported and fully tested with the latest version of Opus. Please note that while most Sequencers / DAWs are VST 2, VST 3, AU and AAX plug-in format compatible, only those listed in the chart below are officially supported.
Product
Version
MacOS (10.15+)
Windows 10
EW Opus Stand-Alone
1.5.0+
YES
YES
Ableton Live
10.1.2+
YES
YES
Apple Logic Pro
10.7.9+
YES
-
Apple Garageband
10.4.9+
YES
-
Avid Pro Tools
2019.12+
YES
YES
Bitwig Studio
3.1.3+
YES
YES
Cockos Reaper
6.0+
YES
YES
Image-Line FL Studio
20.6+
YES
YES
Motu Digital Performer
10.11+
YES
YES
Steinberg Cubase(1)
10.0.5+
YES
YES
Steinberg Nuendo(1)
10.2+
YES
YES
Presonus Studio One
4.5.4+
YES
YES
VSL Vienna Ensemble Pro
7.0+
YES
YES
Notation Software(2)
Version
Avid Sibelius
2019.9+
YES
YES
MakeMusic Finale
26.1+
YES
YES
Steinberg Dorico
3.0.10+
YES
YES
(1) VST3 usage is recommended
(2)Sibelius/Finale/Doriconotation programs work with Opus, but do not support the full feature set of some Opus/Play Libraries, such as those that use WordBuilder. Please contact support for details.
Great idea, but the execution is just not musical enough
I really want to love this for my daughter. She loves playing with my Synthstrom Deluge and my Push 2 when it's plugged in and she sits in my lap.
On paper this is perfect. A tiny-hand friendly 'groovebox' that my 2yo (and myself) can fiddle with and watch the pretty lights change and hear the parameters sculpt the synth tone.
The problem is all the synth patches are decidedly in the acid and squelch realm. For the life of me I can't get a decent, lush patch. I understand the point is to let my child explore and just find and discover sounds but it all sounds so abrasive. If I zero out all the depth and LFO dials and listen to what I assume is an unmodulated, relatively clean patch it's still really atonal. There's none of the sweet subtractive sound I was expecting. Perhaps that's on me and my expectations.
There are no parameter clamps so your LFOs range from what sounds like .01hz to way up to 240hz. When these values are applied to modulation it's either unnoticeable or so full on that it mangles the sound. Yep, you need to keep the dial in the sweet spot, but clamping would solve this and keep the parameters in a much more musical range.
Speaking of modulation, by ear I often can't tell what the two mod dials are doing. That's partially on me, I need to do some manual diving, but I'm pretty experienced with synths and can usually tell the modulation in effect. And even then adjusting the depth usually doesn't do anything except make the sound even more abrasive. Sometimes it feels like it's delayed and only applies your modulation changes at the next sequence start, other times it's clearly real time.
So yeah. I love the idea of this and I'll keep it and see if I can't get any palatable sound out of it via MIDI, but as it stands I really don't think my daughter - who again, loves playing with other synths/devices when there's a decent sounding patch loaded - will be getting much use our of it.
There is one “small” problem with the Artiphon Orba travel case: the Artiphon Orba does not fit in it if you have dressed your Orba in the Artiphon Orba silicone skin. Otherwise it’s fine
