Dr. Tape Strings

The Strings bow a modeled string against a modeled body. Nothing is sampled: the bow’s friction, the bridge, the wood and the player’s left hand are calculated for every note. Velocity becomes bow speed and force, so a loud note is brighter and starts with more scratch, not just more level. Notes that overlap in the piano roll become slurs on one string, long notes change bow direction on their own, vibrato fades in like a hand, and the four open strings ring along underneath. With more than one player, each has their own bowing, tuning and seat.

When to use it

Use a single player for a solo line, a duo for a counter-melody, or four to eight players for a section. The presets are split into Solo (violin, viola, cello and bass), Ensemble (Chamber strings, Silk section) and Character sounds such as At the bridge and Frozen wood. Write slurs by overlapping notes slightly; separate notes re-articulate. Chords never slur.

Controls

Body

Body picks Violin, Viola, Cello or Bass resonances; it changes colour, not pitch, so a cello body on a high line is a legitimate choice. Size moves the wood and air resonances lower or higher. Wood sets how strong the body resonances are. Open strings is the sympathetic ringing of the instrument’s four open strings, heard as a halo under the tone and a soft after-ring when the bow stops.

Bow

Bow is Classic, where velocity is level only, or Responsive, the default, where velocity drives speed, force, brightness, attack time and rosin. Pressure goes from light contact to a firm grip. Bow position nearer the bridge is brighter and more nasal. Brightness damps the upper harmonics. Rosin is the irregular friction noise, loudest as the bow starts.

Movement

Vibrato is the depth in cents and Rate its speed; it fades in after the attack and breathes over a long note. Players sets how many independent players share the part, each with their own onset, tuning and vibrato. Width spreads their seats across the stereo field; one player always sits in the centre. Bow movement adds slow, irregular drift of pressure, position and brightness.

Expression

Attack is the time for the bow to reach speed; loud notes get there faster. Release is how long the string takes to settle after the bow lifts. Output trims the level.

Tips

• For a legato line, extend each note a little into the next in the piano roll. The string glides to the new pitch and a finger noise marks the change.
• Section sounds come from Players, not from effects: four players with Width 0.6 already sit as a group with their own vibrato rates.
• Keep Attack short for the solo player and let Responsive velocity shape the onset; a longer Attack on a section gives the swell of a real ensemble.