Making Strings Sound Soft In Reason Options

[Christopher Burk...]

Dear Anyone.

Complete - but improving - noob here. I've got Reason 3 and just the Orkester and Factory refills at present. 1 gig RAM and an M-Audio Audiophile 2496 Soundcard.

Question. How do you make strings sound SOFT in Reason? I'm a wannabe New Age composer - think piano/flute/strings with everything - but the strings always sound like the shower scene in Psycho, nails-on-blackboard jobs! Tried lessening velocity and they just sound like quieter nails-on-blackboards. They don't have that velvet glow you get in romantic movie soundtracks, which is what I'm after. Even when you have mounting-tension strings in movies - I know most movies are using real people but I'm including the low-budget movies that use synths! - the strings are a soft, central bass almost-drone with a mist of higher strings around them. They're not usually drawn with a switchblade, which is what my strings sound like!

Please, what sample(s) do I use and what do I do to them to make them sound soft, buzzy and gentle? Have patience with me, I'm still a noob (though I've learned a lot recentlly).

ulrichburke

[fishboisfo]

I have done this -- and I do it. Here are a few things I have learned with sting and orch. instruments in reason and any other soft for that matter:

1.) Always play with your attack and release knobs.
2.) Be mindful of your use of quantising -- unless you have swing options. Even the best soft synths sound fake when they are perfect -- especially when played together.
3.) With bowed instruments, the human being's ability to draw a bow is limited -- just remember that -- a held G sharp should not be sustained of 20 seconds.
3a.) Make pitch bend your friend !!
4.) Depending on your DAW, if Reason is being used as an instrument in Pro Tools, Live, Logic, etc -- try this -- set up your MIDI and audio to record simultaneously -- continue to play and record both -- as you go, and make any corrections in MIDI -- you can always just simply delete the audio track for each pass. Once you have it where you want it -- use the best compressors and EQ's you can find -- some offer ( blue tubes is one ) -- string pre sets that can help you get into the acoustic ballpark you're looking for.

5.) Garritan is by far and away the best in my book -- I have both violin and cello -- flawless !!

6.) Reason: fun for beats, groovy arps, second to none matrix setups -- not so hot for orchestra unless mated with another DAW with absoulte control over everything.

Hope that helps !!

Best of Luck -- and email me something when you're done !

fishboisfo@mac.com