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Hans Zimmer Strings revealed by Spitfire Audio

344-piece string library gets its own plug-in — no Kontakt required

Having enjoyed a number of fruitful collaborations in the past, Spitfire Audio and Hans Zimmer have unveiled their most ambitious project yet. While previous Zimmer-helmed Spitfire instruments have focused on the renowned score composer’s signature palette of percussion and piano sounds, this latest effort is an orchestral string library simply titled Hans Zimmer Strings.

It’s an unassuming name for something that sounds like it could be pretty spectacular. Zimmer — who Spitfire describe, with some justification, as “the godfather of orchestral sampling” — has never been afraid to go big, and this library promises to deliver orchestral strings on an unprecedented scale. Recorded at AIR Studios using a staggering 344 players — the biggest string orchestra ever recorded, according to Spitfire — it will allow score composers to command a virtual ensemble that would be effectively impossible to assemble for real.

60 of 120 cellos being recorded in Air Studio's Lyndhurst HallA photo released by Spitfire, taken at one of the recording sessions and showing the entire hall occupied by in excess of 50 cello players, gives us some idea of what’s in store!

From thundering basslines to spine-tingling glassy high notes, it looks like Hans Zimmer Strings will be capable of some serious shock-and-awe, as well as the kind of radical dynamic shifts that have made the man himself so influential.

Of particular interest to those starting out in the world of orchestral libraries, Hans Zimmer Strings has its own VST/AU/AAX plug-in, meaning that you will not need to own a copy of Native Instruments' Kontakt or Kontakt Player.

The British company have brought on board design studio Ustwo (responsible for the award-winning mobile game Monument Valley and the Headspace meditation app) to assist in designing the interface.

Hans Zimmer Strings is on pre-sale now for £549 (normally £699) and is set for delivery at the end of March.

https://www.spitfireaudio.com/shop/a-z/hans-zimmer-strings/

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