It’s alive!!! Sinister darkness is swallowing the daylight. You can hear church bells in the distance. Hooded, creepy people are gathered to celebrate a forbidden ritual…. Macabre Solo Strings by Strezov Sampling transports this mood with the imagery of this new string library. The guys at Strezov are presenting a brand new (as far as I know) concept. But more about that later – keep reading. Installation Strezov Sampling now offers a downloader which is a very nice feature. The installation of the downloader runs smoothly, and you can easily download the required files. The only thing I miss is the automatic extraction of the ZIP files that other downloaders offer. The Library You need the full version of KONTAKT 5.3.0+ to run this library. Its features include: 2 different mic positions (close and far) 2 types of expressive True Legato (long form legato and portamento) * Only one patch per instrument triggering different legato styles by velocity Idiomatic instrument ranges (Concert G3-G5 on Violin, Concert C3-C5 on Viola, & Concert G2-G4 on Cello) No compression No external processing Price: $179 *The cello only contains one legato style. The Patches You have three patches: Violin Viola Cello The GUI Yes, I’m busted. I love sinister stuff. So I love the GUI of Macabre Solo Strings. It transports the right mood without lacking usability. Since there isn’t a lot to tweak, there are only a few buttons, which I really like. Dark but clean. The GUI of Macabre Solo Strings. The active Patch/Instrument is on fire. Simple, eh? The Sound The strings were recorded in their first chair position in the Sofia Session Studio. What I really love about this library is the fact that there is almost no tweaking required – just play and it sounds awesome. The concept of having all the notes played in the range of one string seems to be a great way to achieve such a vivid and living sound. It’s a great library for improvisation because you have a “live performance” feel right away. When you play polyphonic parts, the legato and/or portamento make the sound very harmonically rich and (once more) alive. Macabre Solo Strings isn’t made for high speed runs, so go for the slower drama!  There are some tiny noises that are a bit disturbing, though it’s no big deal within a composition. However, the guys at Strezov Sampling have assured me that there will be an update to address any issues. Anyway, have a listen to the demo tracks below: Conclusion I’ve never had a string library that felt as easy to play as Macabre Solo Strings. No keyswitch programming, no extensive “button-workout”. All you have to do is play, and that’s very inspiring. The minimalism of the concept truly pays off. The limitation of the range is in this case a blessing. You can buy and download Macabre Solo Strings for 179$ directly from the Strezov Sampling website.