Soundiron Hyperion Strings Solo Violins Review

When it comes to orchestral sample libraries names like Spitfire Audio, Cinesamples, and Orchestral Tools tend to dominate the scene. However, the team over at Soundiron have also consistently proven themselves to be important players. Their Olympus Symphonic Choirs is one of the best on the market and their highly-regarded for their range of niche instruments, which gave us high expectations when it came to their new library: Hyperion Strings Solo Violins.

Hyperion Strings Solo Violins is a solo violin library that promises both high quality and ease of usability. We’ve been lucky enough to receive a copy to review, and over the past couple of days, we’ve been digging deep into it to find out whether it’s worth the investment.

In this review, we’ll cover the product in-depth and offer our honest opinion on its overall quality, as well as go into detail on its level of realism, versatility, and ease of use.

What is Hyperion Strings Solo Violins?

Compatibility: Win, Mac, VST, AU, AUv3, AAX, 64-bit, NKS
Price: $99

It includes both 1st and 2nd violins, with Master, Phrases and True Legato presets, along with a play assist mode and arpeggiator for instant inspiration. There are also built-in audio effects, including eq, filter, compressor, and algorithmic and convolution reverb, allowing you to place the instrument in a virtual space. These come with numerous presets and can be found on the space and effects tab.

Remember, this is a Solo Violins plug-in, so if you’re looking for a full string ensemble, with violas, cellos, double basses, or a full ensemble patch, then you might want to check out Hyperion Strings Elements or the Micro Version instead.

How Does it Sound?

How realistic an orchestral sample library sounds is one of the major factors that separates a good sample library from a bad one, especially when it comes to strings. In the case of Hyperion Strings Solo Violins, we have to say its level of realism is not the greatest for us.

However, we understand that this may be due to our taste, and for the price – the string sounds, sound fantastic. They sound very cinematic and useable for compositions when layered, but on their own, they are a bit sharp.

In our opinion, it’s best to use these along with a mixture of layers to get the most realistic sound.

Like with most string libraries, here the short articulations generally sound better than the long articulations as they are easier to sample. With any sample library, it’s best to play to its strengths, so it’s probably better to use this in more rhythmic and high-intensity tracks, such as action cues since you’re more likely to use short articulations to fit this style.

The long articulations suffer from an extremely sharp, artificial, and harsh sound which we wouldn’t consider appropriate in isolated, emotional, or lyrical moments.

We’d suggest using them as a blending tool with other instruments, or within string pads, to add texture to your tracks. Remember, there can be a big difference in how samples sound on their own compared to within a full mix.

Sound Examples We Put Together

We’ve included some audio examples so you can hear exactly how it sounds out-of-the-box and without any additional processing.

Sound Examples Soundiron Put Together

What Features Do You Get in Hyperion Strings Solo Violins?

There are a lot of features included in this product and we’ll explain them here to help you decide whether it’s for you.

A wide range of articulations

Having a range of different articulations to choose from is crucial to achieving an authentic and interesting sound when writing for strings, and Hyperion Solo Violins ticks this box.

There’s a massive selection of different articulations here, such as the expected sustains, staccatos, tremolo, and pizzicato, but also special articulations like Bartok pizzicato snaps, flautando, ponticello, and col legno. What’s more, you get your sordino (muted) articulations together with crescendo, decrescendo, and swell patches for even more variety in playing styles/sound. The only thing that’s missing are trills, however, these appear in another feature which we’ll go into later.

All your articulations are laid out in what’s called the articulation map, which allows you to load up to 12 articulations at a time. One of my favourite things about this is that you can assign articulations to each slot on the map, so you have just the ones you need and won’t be loading unnecessary ram on samples you don’t plan to use, helping your computer run more smoothly.

Each slot in the articulation map also comes with volume control, so if you want a more consistent level in volume between the different articulations you can easily adjust this here. Furthermore, like many other string libraries, each articulation slot is linked to a moveable key switch control, which are coloured either red, green, or blue on Kontakt’s keyboard.

Fantastic live phrases

Another great feature is the live phrases. These are so impressive that we would highly suggest using these as a basis for your tracks and then adding parts to work around them. The phrases are well recorded, highly expressive and a great way to instigate ideas, plus they sound a lot more realistic than the sustain patches.

There are numerous phrase presets that cover most keys and are split into 70 bpm light, 70bpm dark, 140bpm light, and 140 bpm dark, and within each preset are several playable phrases. You can assign the preset phrases you want to articulation slots in the same way as you would for articulations when using the master presets.

Now, you may be asking “what if I want to use a phrase in a tempo other than 70 or 140bpm?” or “what if I want my phrase to play in a different key to what’s available?”

Don’t worry, there’s a solution to this.

On the left side of the interface, below the articulation map, you’ll find a button called sync which will stretch or compress the sample to fit the host tempo (i.e the tempo in your daw) and there’s also a pitch knob that allows you to change the global pitch in semitones to match the key of your track.

Here are some examples of the phrases so you can hear just how great they sound.

Phrases Sound Examples

You can also use the sequencer function to join phrases from the same phrase set together to create one continuous idea. There’s plenty of customisability here, such as a start/end slider to change the playback length, the ability to change each phrases pitch as well as control to alter the direction of each phrase. Once you crafted your phrases how you like, you can easily trigger the complete sequence by holding down the sequencer key, which is shown as the violet key on the Kontakt keyboard.

True Legato Mode

When using the true legato preset, you can achieve a more realistic sound by capturing the transitions between sustained notes. In the true legato preset, there are four articulations to choose from. These are fingered p, fingered f, glissando, and sordino, but you can also use true legato with the sustained articulations found in the master preset.

In the legato section of the interface, you can control how the true legato patch sounds, by utilising four different controls.

There are 4 different controls to change the legato:

• Legato button – this switches between true legato mode and regular sustain notes
• Response slider – This controls the speed of the transitions between each note when legato mode is switched on. With lower values, the transitions are smoother and more gradual, whilst higher values are more transient and sharp
• Auto-response – When this is switched on, the response slider adjusts itself based on how fast you play. Playing slower gives lower values and playing faster moves to higher values.
• Solo/duet – In solo is the instrument is played monophonically, whereas in duet mode you can play polyphonically. However, it’s not fully polyphonic because you can only play two independent legato melodies if they’re more than 1/2 octave apart.

Play assist and arpeggio features

The play assist feature is a scale mode that locks your keyboard to a selected scale. It deactivates the black keys on your keyboard and instead maps the scale to white notes only, making them easier to play.

You can choose from a selection of different scales from the scale type menu or, if you want more control, you can use the preset tuning sliders to move each note up/down a semi-tone to get the exact scale you want.

Each scale preset is assigned to a key switch, which are highlighted yellow in your Kontakt keyboard and you can assign each scale preset to any key switch between C-2 and B- 1.

In the arpeggio panel, you can create melodic and rhythmic patterns, with plenty of customisation to get the exact sequence you want. There are a lot of features here, so we’ve broken them down for you:

You can control the number of notes the sequencer plays by adjusting the “steps value”. Velocities are adjusted using the velocity graph and note durations (e.g 8th, 16th, 32nd) can be changed in the rhythm menu. The direction menu allows you to control the direction and behaviour of the sequence and the range menu controls the number of repeated steps that will play.

There are three different modes to choose from:

• Trill – Alternates between notes simultaneously within the range of an octave. Unfortunately, this sounds more like two separate notes are being played with re-bows rather than an authentic trill.
• Arpeggio – This cycles between the notes your currently holding down (like an arpeggio) and can be customised using the features mentioned above.
• Run – In this mode, playing a single key will trigger a scale run in the direction you have chosen on the direction menu. By default, the scale will be played chromatically, so you’ll need to use it alongside play assist for it to play the scale you want.

The Technical Stuff

Below we’ll talk about all the technicalities of Hyperion Strings Solo Violins – what you’ll need to run it, how hard it is on the CPU, and how the user interface is.

CPU Usage

You’ll need Kontakt player 6.2.2 or the retail version of Kontakt to run this.

The presets are extremely resource-intensive and can use up a lot of CPU, so it’s recommended to have at least 4GB of ram (however 8GB or more is needed if you’re running this with other plug-ins) as well as a multi-core CPU.

Remember to use the ‘purge samples’ function in Kontakt and to take advantage of the customisable articulation slots so you only load up the samples into your ram as and when you need them.

User Interface (GUI)

One of the best things about Hyperion Solo Violins is its highly intuitive user interface. Within my first use, I quickly learned how to navigate my way around and find all the things I need. I do have a decent amount of experience using VST strings so I knew what kind of things to expect, however, I strongly believe that even a first-time user of a product like this would quickly feel comfortable using it.

At the top of the interface, you’ll notice a controller knob labelled ‘Swell’. This is the modulation wheel, that allows for multi-dynamic sustains and is controlled by the swell knob or the mod wheel on your midi keyboard. Alongside this, you have controls that allow you to shape the envelope of the sound, such as attack, release, and release volume. You can also add more/less body to the sound and control the amount of vibrato as well as the note offset.

Below is the articulation section, where you can see all the currently loaded articulations, which we explained earlier on in this review. Also, there are the legato controls as well as the pitch, sync, and time-stretch parameters.

At the very bottom of the interface are the different tabs, such as the effects panel, the space panel, and the play assist and arpeggio features. If you’re using the phrases preset, however, the play assist and arpeggio tabs are replaced instead by the sequencer tab.

System Requirements

To run Hyperion Strings Solo Violins you will need:

• Kontakt Player 6.2.2 or higher
• MacOS 10.12 or higher
• Windows 7 or higher
• 4GB Ram (Minimum)

How Much Does Hyperion Strings Solo Violins Cost?

Soundiron are known for providing affordable products and the same can be said here.

When compared to other strings libraries, there’s roughly a $100 or more difference. For example, Embertone’s Joshua Bell Violin, arguably the best solo violin money can buy, costs $199, or even higher in cost is Virharmonic’s Bohemian Violin, which is priced at $229.

Is Hyperion Strings Solo Violins Worth It?

The wide range of articulations will help you learn the characteristics and capabilities of a violin. Its features, such as the true legato preset, the swell control, and live phrases will give you a better understanding of orchestral samples and how they can be used.

If realism isn’t of big importance to you and you just want an easy to use violin patch to load up into your tracks, then it’s a decent choice.

There is no denying, however, that this is undoubtedly more suited to beginners and if you’re at all serious about writing orchestral music, then this should be viewed as a stepping stone to learn the essentials and eventually progress onto higher quality and more expensive things, such as cinematic studio solo strings or Spitfire’s chamber strings.

How Does Hyperion Strings Solo Violins Compare To Other Libraries?

For example, although the violins included in the Kontakt factory library may not have as many features or as much choice of articulations, the sound quality between the two isn’t too far apart. And when you remember that it’s included in the Komplete package, alongside pretty much anything and everything you’ll ever need for making music, you might conclude that it’s a more worthwhile investment.

We mentioned earlier the Joshua Bell Violin created by Embertone, which is priced at $199. However, there’s also the elements version that costs $99, the same price as Hyperion Strings Solo Violins. It may be more limited, with fewer articulations and features to choose from, but the quality and realism of sound is miles ahead.

What Others Are Saying About Hyperion Strings Solo Violins

After browsing through online forums, other reviews, and youtube comments, we found a mixed reaction to the product. Many commented positively on the amount of content you get for a relatively low price as well as its highly intuitive GUI, however, there was also a lot of criticism on the quality of the sound, especially concerning the sustain patches.

Verdict

If you’re more advanced and looking for something with a more realistic or modern sound, we’d suggest investing in other libraries or using these for layering. Despite this, we still think that Soundiron have produced another great product, which newcomers to orchestral programming will highly enjoy, and we’re very excited to hopefully see them expand their Hyperion range to include other orchestral instruments.