With more than 35 gigabytes of sample data, the Horizon Series' Solo Strings is the most comprehensive and sophisticated solo string library ever created.

Generations of instrument makers have perfected the construction of the priceless, "regal" instruments featured in this volume. After his many years of cello studies, Herb Tucmandl, the creator of the Vienna Symphonic Library, was well aware of the challenge that sampling solo strings presented. His first test recordings of the double bass took place at the very beginning of the project and after one year of gathering experience from the orchestral library sessions, and selecting the best instrumentalists from Vienna’s wealth of musicians, the solo recording sessions were finally completed. Just as a good string quartet was a kind of "master’s degree" for history’s great composers, Herb wanted to apply the same dedication to create a sample library masterpiece, a perfect virtual image, that would meet today’s composers’ highest standards.

So here they are: violin, viola, cello, and double bass, making full use of Vienna's unique Performance Tool for absolutely authentic legatos, spiccatos, détachés, repetitions and more. And with its in-depth range of articulations, this string quartet is, by any measure, the world’s most comprehensive and authentic solo string collection.

• Instruments:
  Violin
  Viola
  Cello
  Double bass
  

• Articulations:
  Staccato up and down bow
  Short détaché up and down bow
  Long détaché up and down bow (vibrato and no vibrato)
  Long notes sustained (vibrato and no vibrato), various tone lengths (espressivo, marcato, progressive vibrato)
  Dynamics crescendo and diminuendo (vibrato and no vibrato), various tone lengths
  special dynamics (fortepiano, sforzato, sforzatissimo, piano-forte-piano)
  Tremolo sustained, crescendo and diminuendo
  Trills half and whole tone, crescendo and diminuendo, accelerando 
  Pizzicato normal and secco, snap (Bartók)
  Col legno