Which "freely available" string library sounds best/realistic with legato articulations, *and* the samples line up. Modern Scoring Strings 1.1 seems to be the best, but I just can't handle the miss-aligned legato/shorts.

Modern Scoring Strings 1.2 has the look-ahead fixed, but it's not "available" for bottom feeders. I saw we can get performance samples; it doesn't have legato tremolo etc... but if the regular legatos are really good, realistic, and aligned, then maybe that's the best bet. All else being equal I prefer dry over wet, but if a wet library has good legato that can go fast and the timing on notes is correct, then I'd take that.