Not a typical "how to make that sound", but I think maybe this forum category is the best to discuss it.

I'm thinking on making Vivaldi's Four Seasons, Summer, Presto in midi, just to practice orchestration.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL_K5Z1DeCc

What library and what articulations would you use for that?
I have these libraries (but if you have better idea for a library, please let me know):

8Dio Adagietto, Adagio Basses, Adagio Cellos, Adagio Violins
Audiobro LA Scoring Strings 2.0
Cinematic Strings
Dan Dean Productions Solo Strings Advanced
Garritan GPO4 and Instant Orchestra
Orchestral Tools Berlin Strings
ProjectSAM Orchestral Essentials, Symphobia 1, 2, 3
Spitfire Audio Albion 1, 2, 3 and BML Sable Strings Vol 1, 2, 3 and Mural Strings Vol 1
Sonokinetic Da Capo

 

Spitfire (except maybe Sable; especially the fast playing tailored patches), Dan Dean and Adagio are out of the question for this one for me. LASS should be better for layering. CS2 seems quite capable for this one (but you do need divisi...). ProjectSAM... No. Maybe for some layering. I don't know about Da Capo. GPO should do well with accents. Berlin should be able to pull it decently.

 

Hi,
I think the best libs would be VSL Dimension Strings, Adagio/Agitato, or Sable with Mural(Vol1 and vol2). Go to the VSL site and listen to the demos of Guy Bacos and you'll see what I mean. Dimension Strings is fantastic but needs a long practice, it's not a "chord" library.
Good work

 

So your advice would be Berlin Strings, right?

Berlin Strings includes the following sections:
- 1st Violins (8 players)
- 2nd Violins (6 players)
- Violas (5 players)
- Celli (5 players)
- Basses (4 players)

So there is no solo violin.

Anyway, thanks!

 

You can use the LASS violins, Friedlander (maybe), 4Scoring (can go very fast but it's clicky and plastic/not expressive and requires a lot of CC) or the classic Garritan Stradivari (a bit weird to use; especially the dynamics).

With Berlin, you'll probably have to at least double each section. I'm not sure how the sections are divided in the piece but in a quick remake I made by ear I used div a3 at parts... The Berlin sections are pretty much the exact size necessary for doubling (to reach a typical symphonic size section). (You could also use Sable at parts)

LASS has good divisi (a3) but I think it lacks some expression.

Try them all and see which approach you prefer.

 

I think the question is not the library to use for but the technique used and how the strings are played. I asked advice to my son, a great virtuoso cello and he has informed me perfectly. - They used in this piece what is called "Detaché" (technique) meaning notes detached from each other and is achieved by changing the direction of the arc very fast, each note is a small arc in the opposite direction. so it is that the attack is practically zero and the rapid decay by the speed of sixteenth notes in presto. - I think that using a patch without sustain or legato and punchy (Attack 0) articulation can works very well. You can write all the notes and then removes them some long value to ring all disassociated. - I practically have almost all the libraries you name and virtually all may be valid depends on the orchestral color you want to get, of course it is recommended to layers for richer and prural as colorful sounds an orchestra made up of many different instruments all while being strings

 

Thanks, you reply is very useful! I will try to look for this "Detaché technique".
Most of the libraries have staccato and spiccato articulations, what do you suggest? Staccato is Italian for "detached", as I know.

Solo Violin Shoot Out-Staccato (Friedlander v Vienna Special Edition):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CO8HBpGVBU