Hollywood Strings 2

Name: Hollywood Strings 2
Price: 174 USD
Author: EastWest

by EastWest · Instrument · Chamber string library

Not rated yet

Hollywood Strings 2 is a string library of a 21-piece chamber ensemble recorded in EastWest Studio 2, with 148 instruments and over 160 articulations.

It costs $174 on sale (regular $499) and runs in EastWest's Opus player.

Best for: Acoustic Instruments. Genres: Ambient & Cinematic, Jazz, Acoustic & Classical, Pop.

Keywords: strings, ensemble, intimate, cinematic, sample-based, eerie, monophonic, perpetual licence, subscription.

What it does

Hollywood Strings 2 is EastWest's close-miked chamber string library, built for "in-your-face, emotional moments." It was recorded in EastWest Studio 2 in Los Angeles with engineer Shawn Murphy, and the developer pitches it as a companion to the original Hollywood Strings rather than a replacement.

Ensemble: a 21-piece section of 6 first violins, 4 second violins, 4 violas, 4 cellos and 3 basses, plus full ensemble patches; 148 instruments in all.
Six mic positions: three close mics mounted on the instruments, plus main, mid-field and surround, suited to spatial mixing.
Articulations: over 160, from non-vibrato, vibrato and expressive sustains and détaché to staccato, spiccato, pizzicato, marcato, col legno, Bartók pizzicato, repetitions, flautando, tremolo and harmonics.
Legato types: bow change, portamento, slur, expressive slur, and playable runs and trills.
Moods: Soft for detailed, intimate writing, Classic for a traditional sound and Epic for a larger, cinematic one.
Movie Mixes: a free update with Horror, Drama, Action and Sci-Fi & Fantasy mix profiles, plus a Cinematic Mix that blends with Hollywood Strings 1.

It is a perpetual license, and instruments can be downloaded one at a time. EastWest often runs sales, and it is also part of the ComposerCloud+ subscription.

Source: EastWest product page

When to use it

Hollywood Strings 2 is the pick for a close, dry and detailed string sound with strong attacks. Compared with Berlin Strings or the strings in BBC Symphony Orchestra Core, it is a smaller section recorded much closer, so it suits intimate cues and upfront modern mixes more than big hall writing. Unlike Hollywood Orchestra Opus Edition, it is strings only, but it was designed to sit alongside that library and Hollywood Strings 1. MusicTech found it needs mixing work to blend with other libraries, and at launch it had no Orchestrator support.

Best for: horror and thriller tension, intimate string writing, featured string parts, and pop, rock or metal arrangements that need a precise, close string sound.
Genres: cinematic, horror and thriller scoring, pop, rock and hip-hop.
Look elsewhere if: you want a big hall string sound or a full orchestra; Berlin Strings or BBC Symphony Orchestra Core fit better.
Tip: blend the close mics with the main or surround mics for size and immediacy, or use the dry close mics alone with creative effects for sound design.

What producers say

Reviewers praise its detail and intensity, with the price and its very present sound as the main caveats.

MusicTech (Clovis McEvoy, May 2024) gave it 9/10, praising "incredibly detailed string sounds" and the Détaché and Bartók pizzicato, but found the sound "almost too present at times."
Sound On Sound (John Walden, July 2024) called it a distinct complement to Hollywood Strings 1, with especially clear attacks on short notes and fast passages.
Criticisms: a considerable outlay as a one-off purchase, no Orchestrator integration at launch, and extra mixing work to blend it with other libraries.

Where to buy

Best Service: $174
EastWest: $174 (regular $499)
Plugin Boutique: $174 (regular $299)
PluginFox: $174 (regular $299)
AudioDeluxe: $174 (regular $299)

Tutorials and reviews

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