Violin Runs Is A FREE Instrument By Vienna Symphonic Library

Vienna Symphonic Library releases Violin Runs, a FREE library for macOS and Windows.

Violin Runs is the fifth free virtual instrument from Vienna Symphonic Library, and I hope there are more to come.

If you’ve spent time with string/orchestral libraries, you’ll know that convincing articulation is usually the biggest challenge. Legato and flautando playing sound great in most decent libraries, but shorter articulations, especially in transitions, are more challenging to get right.

Watching demos of VSL, Spitfire Audio, or EastWest libraries (or if you’ve spent time manually tweaking articulations) tells you it’s not impossible, and the results can be incredible. But, fast runs often sound disjointed and inconsistent even after some tweaking.

Violin Runs is a collection of octave runs recorded by a 14-piece violin ensemble. The runs are available in all scales and modes featured in the Vienna Synchron Player (You’ll need the free Synchron Player to run the library).

As well as being available in a vast selection of scales/modes, you can play the runs forwards, backward, and with two style variations: Fixed Runs and Perform Runs.

Fixed Runs trigger a fast run that lands one octave higher or lower when you hit a key. Perform Run allows you to hold a sustained note and start the run only when you hit a key one octave higher/lower. Using Perform Run gives you more control over timing and phrasing to an extent.

The combination of scales, modes, varied directions, and style variations provide ample opportunity to create something unique.

These runs can sound whimsical and playful, but you can make them much darker if necessary. The great thing about fast violin runs is that they serve many purposes. They are great as accents, either throughout a section or used sparingly, but transitioning between sections is where I like them most.

Using a fast violin run over a transition adds more life to your strings and can sound more authentic. I’ve used Native Instruments Action Strings in the past to smooth over gaps that way.

It’s a good time for orchestral freebies; you can still grab VSL’s Soft Imperial Grand Piano and Fujara Flute. And, even though I say it often, I don’t think it gets the credit it deserves, so check out the free LABS instruments from Spitfire Audio.

Violin Runs is available via the Vienna Synchron Player (AU, VST, VST3, AAX) for macOS (10.13 upwards) and Windows (8.1 to 11).

Download: Violin Runs

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