Performance Samples – Pacific Ensemble Strings

Pacific Ensemble Strings is a gorgeously beautiful and incredibly realistic symphonic strings library. With up to 14 dynamic layers across a collection of standard articulations, Pacific Ensemble Strings feels alive and is likely to become the go-to workhorse string library for many composers.

Thoughts

Pacific Ensemble Strings is a fantastic symphonic string library that is bound to become the go-to workhorse string library for many composers. There is a lot to like here, but the sound…the sound itself is the star of the show. Performance Samples have long been known for a unique sampling method they call “performance-sourced” sampling. This method seeks to create sample libraries whose source material is derived from actual performances rather than static individual notes.

This tends to make Performance Samples libraries feel lively and alive. That is definitely the case with Pacific Ensemble Strings. The editing here is impeccable, as Pacific Ensemble Strings combines up to 14 dynamic layers to seamlessly transition across the dynamic range, from super-soft to FFF. Unlike some string libraries that feel as if the modwheel is simply controlling the volume of the samples played in the exact same way, the dynamics in Pacific Ensemble Strings feel different.

For instance, when you push the modwheel all the way up you can hear not only a louder performance but also a completely different playing style, as the players dig into the instruments to pull out every ounce of loudness possible. This, along with the performance-sourced sampling method leads to this library feeling alive and real. While a couple of things like the lack of a second violins section or staccato patch might turn some off, what Pacific Ensemble Strings brings to the table is fantastic. This is a top-notch library for anyone looking for a bread-and-butter strings workhorse. Fantastic!

Demos of Pacific Ensemble Strings by Performance Samples

Videos of Pacific Ensemble Strings by Performance Samples