Part of the Hollywood Fantasy Orchestra series, EastWest Hollywood Fantasy Strings is a virtual instrument that puts five of the most iconic instruments from the Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque eras at your fingertips, alongside brand-new stylized recordings from modern-day orchestral musicians. Powered by the Opus player, it includes true legato, diverse articulations, everything you need to produce the perfect fantasy cue to the highest professional standards—right out of the box. EastWest infused it with the same power and flexibility as Hollywood Strings, with the same microphone placements, in the exact same studio, tailor-made to mix perfectly, so you can rest assured that your string libraries are all up to the task.
Traditional celli are replaced with a viola da gamba ensemble, and 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. Hollywood Fantasy Strings includes hurdy gurdies and massive-sounding traditional string ensembles, recorded in octaves for those moments when you need bombast to round out your fantasy sound. Every instrument is miked the same way as the Hollywood Orchestra series and recorded in the same room (Studio One), the site of countless film, television, and game soundtrack recordings.
- Hollywood Fantasy Strings offers 147 instruments across 6 ensembles and 2 solo instruments with numerous articulations. Every instrument is programmed with three moods, on a scale ranging from most authentic to most cinematic: Classic, Soft, and Epic. You can rotate through these different qualities to create the exact fantasy orchestra sound your production requires.
- You have individual control over the level and pan of four separate mic positions: Close, Mid, Main, and Surround, giving you full control over the dimensionality of the sound.
- Opus is the advanced player engine that powers the Hollywood Fantasy Strings library. Fast and flexible, it comes with incredible features such as individual instrument auditioning and downloads, customized key switches, dozens of new MIDI tools and mixer effects, scalable retina GUI upgrades for legacy products, a powerful script language, and many more options that allow you to completely customize the sound of each instrument.
- 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. Try it out on brilliant lyrical melodies, and sub it in for violins when you need to add in a Viking flair.
- The lute is famous for its role in Renaissance folk music. In the hands of troubadours and singers, it functions much like the 12-string guitar with greater midrange emphasis and gentler character. This 10-stringed instrument is equally great for virtuoso passages and for providing a smooth chordal background for the viola da gamba and hardanger fiddle.
- 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. Try it out in place of a cello, especially if you want to add in a Baroque chamber feel.
- 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, instantly extending the range of your entire ensemble.
- Low strings wouldn’t be complete without their high-end partners, so violin and viola are included in the mix. They blend perfectly with the other stringed instruments in the collection and provide a strong backing so the other parts can shine through—no layering or complex production techniques required.
- The mountain dulcimer's character is similar to the mandolin, with a combination of warm body tone and bright, twinkling high end. It is perfect for fast virtuoso passages and it doubles beautifully with the hardanger fiddle and lute.
- Played with a crank that drags a wooden wheel along felt coated strings, the Hurdy Gurdy evokes cinematic scenes of broken emotions that can liven up mellow productions. This unique instrument alone will take your Hollywood fantasies to new heights.