Fragile String Evolutions
by Spitfire Audio · Instrument · Evolving chamber strings library
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A chamber strings library of 48 slowly evolving textures played by 14 progressive string players at Air Edel Studios in London.
It uses Spitfire's Evo Grid to combine avant-garde techniques, has 23 presets and costs $299.
Best for: Acoustic Instruments, Sound Design. Genres: Ambient & Cinematic.
Keywords: strings, evolving, subtle, experimental, textures, vintage, eerie, cinematic, film & game audio, analog, British console, hardware emulation, heavy, 70s, inspired by, intimate, randomize, simple, skeuomorphic, sound design, subtractive, tight.
What it does
Fragile String Evolutions is a library of long, evolving string phrases played by a 14-player group at Air Edel Studios in London. Spitfire built it around avant-garde playing techniques to capture the "more delicate, subtle aspects" of strings rather than a standard section sound.
- Recording: tracked to tape by engineer Nick Taylor through vintage microphones, Neve preamps and a vintage Cadac console.
- 48 evolutions: long samples that change as they play, sorted into three groups: Traditional (24, such as Fragile, Gossamer, muted, sirens, shimmer, bow pulses and overtones), Episodic (9, such as harmonic and overtone wisps, shudders, flickers and ricochets) and Extreme (15, such as heavy overtones, glissandi, madness effects and heavy ricochet pulses).
- Evo Grid: a 12 by 48 grid inspired by the EMS VCS3 synth. You place pegs to assign evolutions to the 12 intervals, which gives a near-endless set of combinations; a Feeling Lucky button randomises the grid.
- Presets: 23 presets, 15 Simple (ambient, building, harmonic and pad ideas) and 8 Intense (trills, distorted pans and ricochet effects).
- Signals: Close (tight and dry), Tweaked (compressed Close with glitches), Ambient, Distorted, and two stretched versions, x2 and x8, that slow the evolutions down.
- Playing: the mod wheel (CC1) controls dynamics and CC11 controls expression, with effects on the front panel.
It began as the Kontakt library Evo Grid 2 and moved to Spitfire's dedicated plugin in 2019, when 13 presets were added.
Source: Spitfire Audio product page
When to use it
Fragile String Evolutions is the better pick when you want soft, uneasy string beds that move on their own from a single held chord. Compared with Berlin Strings or BBC Symphony Orchestra Core, it gives up note-by-note writing and normal articulations in exchange for recorded avant-garde phrases you cannot easily program yourself. Next to its sibling Angular String Evolutions it feels more intimate and detailed, and it goes further into chaos at the Extreme end. Unlike Augmented STRINGS, it does not turn strings into synth sounds; it stays acoustic and leans on real playing techniques.
- Best for: quiet tension, eerie underscore and tender string textures for film, TV, trailers, adverts and games.
- Genres: cinematic, ambient and horror scoring.
- Look elsewhere if: you want to write your own string lines; Berlin Strings or BBC Symphony Orchestra Core are the better fit, and Spitfire Symphonic Motions covers rhythmic string movement.
- Tip: layer it quietly under a conventional orchestral string patch to add a human, moving texture.
What producers say
Reviewers liked its delicate, creepy character; the main reservation was about Spitfire's move to separate plugins rather than the sound.
- Sample Library Review (Sam Burt) praised its "more intimate and detailed feel" than Angular String and the nuanced vibrato of the Traditional evolutions, and said the Extreme group runs from fairly calm to "pure chaos".
- SonicScoop (Matthew Wang, 2019) singled out the Overtone Shudders and said the subtle pitch movement "gives off a delightfully creepy vibe".
- Criticisms: SonicScoop worried that moving from Kontakt to many dedicated plugins makes Spitfire's range harder to manage.
Where to buy
- Spitfire Audio: $299
- PluginFox: $299
Tutorials and reviews
- Walkthrough: Fragile String Evolutions
- How it Works - Fragile String Evolutions
- Demonstrating the Unique Edge of Spitfire Audio's Fragile String Evolutions - A Deep Dive Review
- Composing Music With Spitfire Audio: Fragile String Evolutions, BT Phobos, Ambient Guitars
- Spitfire Audio Evolutions Strings Comparison: Olafur Arnalds, Fragile, Angular, Symphonic
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