Synchron Duality Strings (ostinato)

NEW Synchron Duality Strings (ostinato)

Repeating patterns that drive momentum, create tension, and push the music forward are a cornerstone of modern composition. They may repeat on paper, but they should never sound repetitive! Often sitting at the center of a piece, they need to be expressive and full of life. And of course, you want the freedom to create your own patterns without being confined by pre-recorded phrases. Synchron Duality Strings (ostinato) delivers exactly that: a new level of flexibility for crafting fluid, driving, and captivating string patterns, shaped entirely by your musical ideas.

Whether you’re performing in Flow Mode or shaping patterns in your sequencer, creating ostinatos has never been easier, more fun, or more satisfying.

Standard vs. Full Library

The Standard Library versions of the VSL Synchron Series products feature an essential set of close mics plus the classic sound of a Decca tree stereo array. The Full Library versions include the same mic assortment plus additional room microphones for a wide variety of stereo and surround possibilities.

Product Overview

Here’s a quick rundown of what’s included:

• Unprecedented flexibility for string patterns
• Staccato, détaché and legato articulations specifically created for ostinatos
• Two acoustically isolated string ensembles performing simultaneously at Vienna Synchron Stage
• Large ensemble recorded on the cinematic Stage A, smaller ensemble recorded in the smaller, drier Stage B
• Seamlessly blend both ensembles
• Flow View for easy, intuitive and effortless playing

Your sound, your pattern, your tempo

The sixth installment in the Duality Strings series was specifically designed for creating captivating string ostinatos. Both ensembles – the large section in Stage A and the more focused group in Stage B – performed extensive ostinato passages together, perfectly in sync. From these recordings, individual notes were meticulously extracted and are now reassembled in real-time by the Vienna Synchron Player, delivering authentic transitions, natural variation, and a realism that feels truly performed rather than programmed. And because you’re working with single notes rather than fixed patterns or locked tempos, every rhythm, tempo, and contour is entirely your own. With short notes, long notes, and expressive legatos at your disposal, you can even go far beyond ostinatos to create everything from driving rhythmic engines to lyrical string passages.

Articulations for natural motion

Every articulation in this library is optimized for ostinato performance:

• Spiccatos with up- and downbows
• Short and long détachés
• Legatos

In total, you’ll find:

• 8 variants of intervals and 8 variants of repetitions for spiccatos and détachés
• 5 variants of intervals and 5 variants of repetitions for legatos

Using the articulation sequences in the Vienna Synchron Player, it’s easy to play different consecutive bowings – from simply alternating between up- and downstrokes to more complex patterns that mix up- and downbow spiccatos with détachés. The Synchron Player provides pre-configured sequences with various patterns, but of course you can easily create your own.

If you have Synchron Duality Strings (regular) installed, you’ll find a combined preset that adds sforzatos, tremolos, trills, pizzicatos, and harmonics – a well-organized, versatile setup for everyday writing and orchestration.

Two ensembles, infinite colors

As with all Duality Strings collections, you can seamlessly blend the spacious, cinematic sound of the large ensemble in Stage A with the articulate, close-mic’d detail of the smaller ensemble in Stage B. Both groups were recorded simultaneously in their respective rooms at Vienna Synchron Stage, with the conductor in Stage A also directing the small ensemble via video monitors. This unique setup allowed the musicians to hear each other across rooms and perform in perfect sync, aligning every aspect of their playing – volume, timbre, note length, and phrasing. Combined with numerous microphone positions, this approach gives you remarkable freedom to sculpt the precise character your ostinato needs: lush and wide, tight and driving, bright and cutting, warm and rounded, intimate and chamber-like, or bold and epic for powerful rhythmic engines. It’s an organic, highly flexible way to merge the resonance of a full ensemble with the immediacy of a smaller group – all inside one musical performance.

Section Sizes

Microphone Setup - Standard & Full Library

The Standard Library and Full Library of Synchron Duality Strings (ostinato) both include the same articulations. The difference lies in the number of provided microphone positions:

The Standard Library and the upgrade to the Full Library (sometimes referred to as the Extended Library) are separate downloads.