Nashville Scoring Strings: A worthy library to get? (2024)

Jackal_King said:

I didn't know anything about Nashville Scoring Strings until a month ago when it was mentioned on a post about string library comparisons to CSS. So, I started looking into their library last week after seeing a lot of positive responses about it and I really like what I'm hearing from Audio Ollie. I know that only having limited legato, no vibrato and no staccato is a thumbs down for some but I can live with what they have/don't have and see if it shows up on their update/expansion. I'm fine with the simplicity of the GUI and all the other articulations sounds really nice and lush.

For those who have NSS, how do you like it now since the release last year? I would like to know more about the patch A and B options as I read that patch B offers more character to the sound of the strings. I'm thinking this may go well with 8Dio Anthology as well as CSS when I get that library in a few months. The music I'm currently making is emotional and dramatic cinematic music that I got inspiration from tracks made by Dos Brains, Ninja Tracks and Olexandr Ignatov.

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The patch B is just transposed by 2 semitones, and eq'd to sound closer to A. It was marketed as a 'second pass' but is not a second set of recordings as that phrase is usually used to mean. It's a useful time saver of an effective trick to estimate double size recordings.

The price of Nashville is fairly unbeatable tbh, but CSS is still just an amazing all-rounder.

gst98 said:

The patch B is just transposed by 2 semitones, and eq'd to sound closer to A. It was marketed as a 'second pass' but is not a second set of recordings as that phrase is usually used to mean. It's a useful time saver of an effective trick to estimate double size recordings.

The price of Nashville is fairly unbeatable tbh, but CSS is still just an amazing all-rounder.

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The price is definitely reasonable for the quality patches they put out. I was about to pull the trigger on 8Dio Century Strings Sordino until I heard this library.

Jackal_King said:

The price is definitely reasonable for the quality patches they put out. I was about to pull the trigger on 8Dio Century Strings Sordino until I heard this library.

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Wasn't all of century strings given out as a free gift on the latest 8dio sale? don't know much about them otherwise other than I think most seem to prefer adagio/anthology to century stings. Nashville was produced by performance samples so you may want to look at Pacific if you want a real flagship library. As a first library, I think CSS is pretty unrivalled in terms of editing quality, value etc. imho CSS remains the gold standard of legatos

gst98 said:

Wasn't all of century strings given out as a free gift on the latest 8dio sale? don't know much about them otherwise other than I think most seem to prefer adagio/anthology to century stings. Nashville was produced by performance samples so you may want to look at Pacific if you want a real flagship library. As a first library, I think CSS is pretty unrivalled in terms of editing quality, value etc. imho CSS remains the gold standard of legatos

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Yeah, they're giving the bundle away with $248+ purchase but I'm not a fan of the sound coming from the regular strings and would benefit more from just having the sordino strings. That and I'm needing to save the GB space for other libraries that I need more and I have almost everything I need from 8Dio other than maybe Insolidus. The bundle is around 287 GB to download.

Jackal_King said:

Yeah, they're giving the bundle away with $248+ purchase but I'm not a fan of the sound coming from the regular strings and would benefit more from just having the sordino strings. That and I'm needing to save the GB space for other libraries that I need more and I have almost everything I need from 8Dio other than maybe Insolidus. The bundle is around 287 GB to download.

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NSS is very size efficient since it comes with two sample sets. Noise reduced and non noise reduced samples, so if you want to just pick one and commit to it you can reduce the library size by half.

Futchibon said:

It should go sale over BF for at least 30% off, which is what I got it for = $209. Great value for that price. Possible deeper discounts during SF for Xmas sales.

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It's 30% off right now. I'm likely going to get it this weekend while the deal is still good.

Zanshin said:

I think you can get right now for 30% off with the coupon on the website.

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NSS isn't too milk toast for you?

Jackal_King said:

It's 30% off right now. I'm likely going to get it this weekend while the deal is still good.

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Sounds like a plan!

Futchibon said:

NSS isn't too milk toast for you?

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Dang I struck a nerve with you? Do you even own MSS?! haha

NSS is tempting but I’ll probably pass for the moment with Pacific and TSS coming out soon.

Zanshin said:

Dang I struck a nerve with you? Do you even own MSS?! haha

NSS is tempting but I’ll probably pass for the moment with Pacific and TSS coming out soon.

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Not yet! But it's number 1 on my BF short list if there's a good deal on it. All good, lol, just teasing, it's funny how different people find different libraries. I'll buy Pacific on day of release but TSS, although nice, doesn't really rock my world. I certainly wouldn't call it milk toast though!

Futchibon said:

Not yet! But it's number 1 on my BF short list if there's a good deal on it. All good, lol, just teasing, it's funny how different people find different libraries. I'll buy Pacific on day of release but TSS, although nice, doesn't really rock my world. I certainly wouldn't call it milk toast though!

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Well if MSS goes cheap enough we’ll both be new owners

It has pros and cons.

The spiccato is great, but there is no staccato or staccatissimo.

There is essentially no tail, almost as if there are no release samples; but a good amount of early reflections. It can lead to a boxy sound.

The violins vibrato is a bit fast, and the legatos in the violins arent my favorite.

The celli are among my favorite all around of any library I own.

If there were more options for vibrato, the attacks of the longs, and shorts, itd be one of my more highly rated libraries.

whinecellar said:

I believe they do license transfers?

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Hmm, I couldn't find their T&Cs in the NSS folder, emails or on the website...

Futchibon said:

Hmm, I couldn't find their T&Cs in the NSS folder, emails or on the website...

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I just sent a note asking about it - will post if it's doable!

They do do license transfers at least as of a month or two ago! One user almost sold me his LAMP and NSS for a screaming deal, now I own and love both but straight from the website.

If you’re planning on one string library ever, CSS is a great way to go. If you like the room sound. Definitely the most flexibility and does some of what NSS does well, well. I don’t (yet????) own it, but I can say on NSS:

- The legato style will lend itself effectively to many styles, and will lean well into emotional and grave music like Vista, but with a firmer, more imposing flavor due to the legato type (detache largely) and the vibrato. May I also introduce you to Vista while it’s on sale for $180, a perfect pairing with NSS for a more sweet but very grave and emotional style of playing due to more slurred than detache legatos. Vista is more soaring, NSS is more restless.
- NSS shorts. Only matched by Jasper Blunk libraries coming in Pacific and Voyage. $679 for Vista + Pacific, $210 for NSS. The shorts are absolutely excellent, top-tier. Limited to Spicc and Col Legno but as I mentioned in another thread, these can be layered and Expansion can be dialed in on the UI for Col Legno to bring its volume and dynamics up only at the very high velocities, and you can get some violent, huge, roaring and incredible shorts sounds.
- Tree mic has little to no tail indeed. The other mics provided will give you space and tail, and the library works insanely well with reverbs otherwise. The close mic is very detailed and juicy as well.
- Should you get NSS or CSS? Or Vista or Pacific? Well, good luck. CSS remains I think the most chameleonic of strings, while retaining a unique, darkened Hollywood scoring stage sound; the legato types allow for excellent realism, emotiveness and other kinds of expression. NSS is more focused in timbre, tighter, brighter (rather, less dark, and more detailed, probably one of the most detailed strings out there), but extremely playable and has an excellent sounding set of instruments and articulations, very well-programmed library just like CSS. It’s tough with two incredible libraries like this on the market.

Don’t hesitate to check out Pacific and Vista. The only reason I’m not snapping up CSS immediately this Black Friday is because there may at this point in my hand be enough overlap between Pacific and NSS (and Vista, which can level with CSS in many mockup shootouts and take apart just about any other string library legato) that despite CSS being one of my favorite libraries, it would find itself redundant much like @whinecellar has found NSS. If I find that not the case, CSS could well end up mine at some point. All are top-tier, best-of-the-best libraries. NSS just happens to bring some of the absolute best down to $210 currently... yep, good luck. Listen to those demos and articulation walkthroughs, and try your best to make a choice.

MSS is great too for a tight sound, but I wouldn’t say as emotive as the other three. More understated and silky, with some kickass aleatorics and detune to boot.

ka00 said:

I see a 25% coupon on the site right now for signing up to the mailing list. Did this get reduced from 30% off in less than a day, or is there a different code?

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