Vintage Strings by Big Fish Audio Kontakt violin section instrument interface

Vintage Strings: Vintage Violin Section Kontakt Instrument by Big Fish Audio

Rated 4.8/5 on Plugin Boutique (6 ratings)

Vintage Strings is a Kontakt virtual instrument from Big Fish Audio that emulates the violin string sections of 1960s and 1970s R&B, Soul and Funk records. It offers 2-, 6- and 12-violin patches and built-in harmonization.

REQUIRESKontaktHost player sold separately

KontaktWindowsmacOS64-bit

AVAILABLE ATPlugin Boutique

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01Overview

Vintage Strings focuses on the small, close and slightly imperfect violin sound heard on classic Motown and Philly Soul sessions rather than the large, glossy sound of orchestral libraries. Big Fish Audio recorded a six-player violin section in a smaller, less reverberant studio room. The instrument is built for producers who want retro string parts quickly, including arrangers working on a deadline and those with little string-writing experience.

Best for

Motown-style string parts
Soul and R&B arranging
Retro funk string sections
Quick chord-based string writing
Small intimate string textures

Developer: Big Fish Audio
Category: Kontakt Instruments
Requires: Kontakt
Store: Plugin Boutique

02Key features

What you get

Violin section sounds modeled on 1960s and 1970s R&B and Soul records
Recorded with vintage outboard gear, Neumann U-87 and Royer ribbon mics
Three group sizes: 2, 6 and 12 players
11 articulations
Tonal harmonization patches with 2-, 3- and 4-part voicings
Fixed chord and interval patches across 12 keys
Harmonize page for custom interval and chord patches
Main interface with tape saturation, high EQ and reverb
15 hand-selected convolution reverb impulse responses

03In depth

Sound and Character of the Violin Section

Big Fish Audio recorded a six-piece violin section using vintage Neumann U-87 and Royer ribbon microphones, run through an SSL console. The developer used close mics, room mics and string positioning based on session notes from old Motown and Philly Soul recordings.

The playing style is intentionally not classical. The developer aimed to keep the minor imperfections that gave those original sections their character. The result is a more intimate and more human sound than orchestral sampled string libraries.

Three group sizes are included: 2, 6 and 12 players. The 2-violin patches suit smaller sections in the mix, while the 12-violin patches give a bigger section size without the sound of a large recording hall.

Workflow: Harmonization Patches and Controls

Vintage Strings includes tonal harmonization patches with 2-, 3- and 4-part voicings for 2, 6 and 12 violins. Playing a single key can produce intervals, triads or seventh chords. Fixed chord and interval patches cover 12 keys.

The Harmonize page lets you choose the key and scale for the preset patches or build custom interval and chord patches. The main interface provides tape saturation, high EQ and reverb, with 15 custom-selected convolution reverbs.

The library includes 11 articulations and an auto harmonization feature for quick arranging.

04Specs

Will it run?

Formats, systems and requirements as listed by Plugin Boutique. Missing details are left out, not guessed.

Developer	Big Fish Audio
Type	Plugin
Category	Kontakt Instrument
Requires	Kontakt
Formats	Kontakt
Operating systems	Windows, macOS
Architecture	64-bit

05FAQ

Questions, answered

What do I need to run Vintage Strings?

Vintage Strings is a Kontakt instrument and requires Kontakt. It includes Kontakt Player 5, and the library needs about 5.1GB of free hard drive space.

Which operating systems does Vintage Strings support?

Vintage Strings is listed for Windows and macOS and is a 64-bit plugin. Windows 7 and 8 are listed as supported, and macOS 10.7 or later is listed as the minimum for Mac.

Does Vintage Strings sound like an orchestral string library?

No. Big Fish Audio designed it to sound smaller, more intimate and more human than orchestral sampled libraries, reflecting the recording style of classic soul records.