Studio Dimension Strings I

Name: Studio Dimension Strings I
Price: 559 USD
Author: Vienna Symphonic Library

by Vienna Symphonic Library · Instrument · Sampled divisi string sections

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A 32-player string library (8/8/6/6/4) where each musician was recorded on an individual mic, so you can play the full section or any single voice.

Humanize presets add natural timing and pitch variation, and per-player impulse responses place each musician in the Synchron Stage Vienna, for €499 (about $567).

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

Keywords: strings, monophonic, sample-based, cinematic, steep learning curve, warm.

What it does

Studio Dimension Strings I is Vienna Symphonic Library's 32-player string orchestra in which every musician was recorded separately, so you can play the full section or any single player inside it. It is the Synchron Player edition of the original Vienna Dimension Strings I, with a re-edited and expanded sample set.

Sections: 8 first violins, 8 second violins, 6 violas, 6 cellos and 4 double basses.
Individual voices: each player has their own mic and can be played, muted or panned alone, so you can build any section size or true divisi, by hand or automatically.
Humanize presets: add the small timing and pitch imperfections of a live section, scalable in real time.
String control: avoid or force open strings, and "sul" patches that fix which string a passage is played on.
Legato and dynamics: release-sample technology for the legato and dynamic patches.
Placement: individual impulse responses from the Synchron Stage Vienna for every musician, added in real time; NKS support.

The library holds 832,908 samples. The Studio Series titles were previously sold as SYNCHRON-ized libraries. It runs in the Vienna Synchron Player, and is also available in the Studio Dimension Strings Bundle.

Source: Vienna Symphonic Library product page

When to use it

Studio Dimension Strings I is the pick for composers who want to shape a string section player by player. Compared with BBC Symphony Orchestra Core and Hollywood Orchestra Opus Edition, it gives no full orchestra, but it does real divisi: split the eight first violins into two groups of four and each half sounds like a real smaller section, not a quieter copy of the whole. Compared with Berlin Strings, it is far more flexible in section size and tuning spread, but it takes more setup. Within VSL's Studio range it is the detailed option, where Appassionata and Orchestral Strings give fixed, ready sections.

Best for: detailed orchestral mockups with real divisi, string-quartet-to-section writing, and composers who program strings closely.
Genres: classical and cinematic.
Look elsewhere if: you want a quick, one-patch string sound (Studio Appassionata Strings or Berlin Strings).
Tip: Sound On Sound suggested using Humanize sparingly, to widen section tuning, add chorusing or spread pizzicato attacks.

What producers say

Reviewers of the original edition called it a landmark for string programming; buyer ratings for the Synchron edition are fewer and mixed.

MusicRadar (2013, original edition) called it "a tour de force for string programmers" and listed nothing under reasons to avoid.
Sound On Sound (2013, violin section of the original) praised the individual player control, warm, focused tone and strong legatos and portamentos, but noted no glissandi or special effects and a learning curve.
Best Service users rate the Studio edition 4.0 out of 5 from 2 reviews: one five-star, and one three-star that called the product mediocre.
Tip (Sound On Sound): if unison divisi parts phase, switch to a different mapping or articulation variation.

Where to buy

PluginFox: $559
Vienna Symphonic Library: $566.61 (Listed at €499; converted at €1 = $1.1355 (ECB rate, 29 Sep 2026))

Tutorials and reviews

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