Bring Fantasy Worlds To Life with These Iconic Traditional String Instruments
If your arsenal is missing the ancient and traditional folk strings needed to give your orchestrations an authentic edge, with “Hollywood Fantasy Strings” your collection will finally match the limits of your imagination!
Features
- 3 Hardanger Fiddles
- 3 Lutes
- 3 Viola Da Gambas
- Low Strings: 6 Celli, 4 Basses
- High Strings: 8 Violins, 6 Violas
- 3 Mountain Dulcimers
- 2 Hurdy Gurdies
Note: This libraries require you to create a free [iLok Account], however you DO NOT need to own a physical key!
50% off “Hollywood Fantasy Strings” by EastWest
Now You Can Set the Scene With Epic String Arrangements Of Olde
In “Hollywood Fantasy Strings” traditional celli are replaced with a viola da gamba ensemble, violins are replaced with a hardanger fiddle ensemble. Lutes and dulcimers are recorded in trios, creating a beautiful sparkling stereo image that cuts through any mix.
It also includes hurdy gurdies and traditional high and low string ensembles, recorded in octaves for those moments when you need bombast to round out your fantasy sound.
Command The Mood
For every instrument in the “Hollywood Fantasy Strings”, you can choose from 3 Moods – Classic, Soft, and Epic – which will instantly change the mic mix, reverb, and dynamic layer emphasis of that instrument to perfectly match the “mood” your composition needs, giving you full control over the dimension of the sound.
Included Instruments
Build the exact sonic tapestry you’ve been dreaming of with these incredible fantasy-inspired instruments!
3 HARDANGER FIDDLES
Perhaps Norway’s most prized musical contribution, the hardanger fiddle is similar to a violin but with a more vibrant, brilliant quality owing to its body construction and doubled strings – it often sounds like two violinists playing at once!
Some of its most stunning uses in modern music are in Howard Shore’s Rohan theme from Lord of the Rings and Bear McCreary’s traditional string arrangements in God of War. Try it out on brilliant, lyrical melodies and sub it in for violins when you need to add in a Viking flair.
3 LUTES
The lute is famous for its role in Renaissance folk music in the hands of troubadours and singers, functioning much like the 12-string guitar with a greater midrange emphasis and gentler character. It’s been used in countless soundtracks, including The Tudors, Whisper of the Heart, Only Lovers Left Alive, the popular rogue-like game Hades and much more.
This 10-stringed instrument is equally adept at both virtuoso passages and providing a smooth chordal background for the viola da gamba and hardanger fiddle.
3 VIOLA DA GAMBAS
If you’ve ever listened to sonorous, non-vibrato Baroque bowed string music, you’ve probably had a taste of the viola da gamba’s vibrant quality. Similar in shape and sound to a cello, this lush full-spectrum instrument is an ancestor of the modern string ensemble.
It remained in relative obscurity until the film Tous les Matins du Monde brought it back, featuring a traveling viol virtuoso, and has made appearances in scores like Austin Wintory’s soundtrack for The Pathless. Try it out in place of a cello, especially if you want to add in a Baroque chamber feel!
LOW STRINGS – 6 CELLI 4 BASSES
These modern day strings are present for one reason: Power. Before the string bass, there was very little low-end energy in ensembles — energy that modern soundtracks simply can’t live without. This is the perfect way to support your fantasy strings with a consistent style and timbre, extending the range of your entire ensemble instantly.
HIGH STRINGS – 8 VIOLINS 6 VIOLAS
Low strings wouldn’t be complete without their high-end partners, so we’ve also included violin and viola in the mix. They blend perfectly with the other stringed instruments in the collection and provide a strong backing so the other pieces can shine through; no layering or complex production techniques required.
3 MOUNTAIN DULCIMERS
The true origins of the mountain dulcimer lie in the Middle East, after which it evolved in Europe and was brought to the Appalachian Mountains by early Scottish and Irish settlers. It’s now a staple in tons of folk music and has been used by some of the biggest musicians in modern-day history such as The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, and The Beatles.
Its character is similar to the mandolin, and it boasts a rich combination of warm body and a bright, twinkling high end. This is perfect for fast virtuoso passages and doubles beautifully with the hardanger fiddle and lute.
2 HURDY GURDIES
Perhaps the most unique instrument in the collection, the hurdy gurdy is played via a crank that drags a wooden wheel along multiple felt-coated strings for a thick, layered drone with melodic accompaniment.
It’s been utilized in a number of games, movies, and shows like The Witcher, Fringe, The Conjuring, and tons more, but one of its most distinctive uses was in Black Sails — its jagged, “broken” quality is a perfect way to offset the mellow quality of the other pieces in this collection and incorporate a folksy character into any piece.
For more detailed information see the [Full Articulation List].
Welcome To The Opus Player
EastWest’s brand new Opus software replaces Play and has been years in development.
“Many improvements were made to the Play software engine over the last decade but we suddenly had a unique opportunity,” says producer Doug Rogers, “we were able to bring Wolfgang Kundrus in as head of software development. He was the mastermind behind the creation of Cubase, Nuendo, and Studio One”.
“Then we were able to bring in Wolfgang Schneider, the creator of Kontakt. With these two titans of music software development now on our team, we decided it was time to develop a brand new software engine from the ground up. The Opus software engine is the realization of this effort, and will be the launching pad for many exciting new products in the future”.
The Opus software engine is the realization of this effort. Not only is it faster, more powerful, more flexible, and better looking than Play, it comes with some incredible new features such as individual instrument downloads, customized key-switches, new effects for the mixer page, scalable retina GUI upgrades for legacy products, a powerful new script language, and many more features that allow you to completely customize the sound of each instrument.
It’s one of the most exciting developments in the history of EastWest and will be the launching pad for many exciting new products in the future.
Please Note: Opus and Play are two separate software products. Anything you have saved in your projects will still load up inside the saved Play version of the plugins. You can update your current/existing projects to Opus if you so choose, or leave them saved within Play.
Main Features
Below is a brief list of some of the main features of the Opus software engine.
- ON DEMAND DOWNLOADS mean you no longer have to wait hours for large libraries to download. Now instruments can be downloaded individually at the speed of your internet connection. With Audio Previews, audition a sound, download it, and be playing in minutes!
- FAST AND EFFICIENT PERFORMANCE was a top priority as Opus was being developed from the ground up. With an emphasis on achieving the most efficient use of computer resources possible, it is the fastest sample engine on the market. Opus runs natively on Apple’s new M1 processors, and Intel-based Macs, and is compatible with the latest MacOS Monterey and Microsoft Windows 11 operating systems.
- HIGH RESOLUTION USER INTERFACES are now available for all EastWest product’s in Opus. The high resolution (retina) user interfaces are also scalable to any size, providing ultimate flexibility when used with high-resolution computer monitors.
- A POWERFUL SCRIPTING LANGUAGE is an essential part of overall instrument design. It is used to model instrument behavior, implement sonic features not possible to achieve otherwise, and define user interaction. Opus features a brand new, powerful script language called OpusScript developed by Wolfgang Schneider, the creator of Kontakt. It empowers sound designers to express their ideas, and deploy actual functionality and behavior beyond what the underlying software contains.
- CUSTOM KEYSWITCHES allows users to build their own keyswitch instruments, and the ability to create multi-articulation instruments with a variety of options to switch between articulations on the fly. Trigger Options include Keyswitches, Continuous Controllers (CCs), Velocity, Program Changes, and more.
- ADVANCED AUTOMATION options come pre-configured on a per-instrument basis, with custom settings tailored to that instrument or library’s unique features. Users are also free to configure their own automation settings by adding automation parameters and macro parameters, the latter of which controls multiple targets with a single macro. Existing MIDI Controller Mapping assignments can also be re mapped to any freely available MIDI CC assignment you like.
- MULTI-INSTRUMENT SETUPS are easier than ever to manage thanks to a dedicated area of the user interface that handles these ‘Performances’. Use an array of controls and options that allow you to customize how multiple instruments interact with each other, including defining octaves, key ranges, trigger actions, and more.
For more detailed information read the [User Manual].
50% off “Hollywood Fantasy Strings” by EastWest
So What Exactly Can I Do With “Hollywood Fantasy Strings”?
Fire-breathing dragons. Epic battles between kingdoms. Ancient untold magic, casting 1,000 years of darkness upon the land…
No matter how grand the scene you need to set, “Hollywood Fantasy Strings” is equipped with everything you need to make it happen right out of the box and is perfect for:
- Epic Trailer Music
- Cinematic Underscore
- Hybrid Orchestral Music
- Video Game Music
Thanks to the free [Opus] engine, you don’t need to buy the full version of Kontakt or any other software to run it either!
Note: This libraries require you to create a free [iLok Account], however you DO NOT need to own a physical key!
"Hollywood Fantasy Strings" by EastWest
50% off "Hollywood Fantasy Strings" by EastWest
Normally €184 – get it at 50% off before it’s gone!
- 50% off the normal price (normally €184)!
- 3 Hardanger Fiddles: Long, Short, Effects and Legato articulations
- 3 Lutes: Long and Effects articulations
- 3 Viola Da Gambas: Long, Short and Legato articulations
- Low Strings – 6 Celli, 4 Basses: Long, Short, Effects and Legato articulations
- High Strings – 8 Violins, 6 Violas: Long, Short, Effects and Legato articulations
- 3 Mountain Dulcimers: Long and Effects articulations
- 2 Hurdy Gurdies: Long and Effects articulations
- For more detailed information see the [Full Articulation List]
- OPUS ENGINE FEATURES:
- On Demand Downloads – mean you no longer have to wait hours for large libraries to download.
- Fast And Efficient Performance – was a top priority as Opus, it is the fastest sample engine on the market. Opus runs natively on Apple’s new M1 processors, and Intel-based Macs, and is compatible with the latest MacOS Monterey and Microsoft Windows 11 operating systems.
- High Resolution User Interfaces – the high resolution (retina) user interfaces are also scalable to any size, providing ultimate flexibility when used with high-resolution computer monitors.
- A Powerful Scripting Language – Opus features a brand new, powerful script language called OpusScript developed by Wolfgang Schneider, the creator of Kontakt.
- Custom Keyswitches – allows users to build their own keyswitch instruments, and the ability to create multi-articulation instruments with a variety of options to switch between articulations on the fly.
- Advanced Automation – options come pre-configured on a per-instrument basis, with custom settings tailored to that instrument or library’s unique features.
- Multi-instrument Setups – are easier than ever to manage thanks to a dedicated area of the user interface that handles these ‘Performances’.
- SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:
- macOS 10.13 (or later)
- Windows 10 or later with ASIO sound drivers
- CPU: Quad-core (four cores), running at 2.7 GHz (or above) (recommended: CPU: Octa-core (eight cores))
- RAM: 16 GB (recommended: 32GB)
- Drive: HDD (7200 rpm, non-energy saving) (recommended: SSD (SATA or PCIe))
- Here is a complete list of [Compatible DAWS]
- “Hollywood Fantasy Strings” runs in the free [Opus] Engine
- Perfect for Epic Trailer Music, Cinematic Underscore, Hybrid Orchestral Music, Video Game Music and much more!
What People Think About 50% off “Hollywood Fantasy Strings” by EastWest
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"EastWest have knocked it out the park with Fantasy Orchestra. It’s epic in almost every regard. These are big screen (or big game console) ready sounds, and you will undoubtedly be hearing them in many soundtracks. Fantasy Orchestra is simply excellent."
Sound On Sound
Music industry Blog
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"A magical library of truly rare instruments - EastWest’s Hollywood Fantasy Orchestra collection could well become a must-have for any composer looking to add a touch of magic to their score."
Music Tech
Music industry Blog
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"EastWest has created a one stop shop for everything Fantasy based. The orchestra "screams 'fantasy'. As soon as you open it up, the genre is absolutely nailed, the instrument choice is brilliant, the sampling is fantastic."
The Sampleist
Music industry Blog
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"The sound quality is outstanding, as is the amount of content in this package. The concept of providing sections that work like those of a traditional Western orchestra is a complete success. I can see these sounds working in many contexts outside of fantasy music too, so it is even more versatile than the title suggests."
Audio Plugin Guy
Music industry Blog
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"I like that EastWest Fantasy Orchestra gives you that typical fantasy sound right out of the box and that it's not just another orchestral sample library. The Orchestrator is such a huge help, especially when it comes to finding inspiration and to delivering the first sketch to an audio director or film producer."
Alex Pfeffer
Professional Composer
Cesar – :
I am very excited about the addition of these original rare instruments to my sound palette. And they sound great!
Emiliano – :
Very good library with super good quality sounds and a nifty set of articulations, definitively worth at promo price
Sheldon – :
The sounds of these instruments are great, and different articulations are well selected and recorded.