I’ve always wanted to play cello and write pieces as well. This makes it so easy plus it sounds so good
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Product details
Brand: Spitfire Audio
Our highly advanced Total Performance Solo Cello is available to purchase as a single patch in its own Kontakt Player library. Beautifully performed by world-renowned concert cellist Richard Harwood, this is our most detailed and complete solo cello to date. It contains all the techniques you need to create an ultra-realistic solo performance, including five different types of true legato: fingered legato, bowed legato, portamento legato, runs and arpeggios, as well as spiccato, staccato, tremolo, playable trills, pizzicato, Bartok pizzicato, molto vibrato, progressive vibrato and non-vibrato. The patch enables you to create exquisite musical phrasing without the need for key-switching or 'stitching' together performances, and is programmed to react to playing speed and touch, allowing you to focus entirely on your composition. This instrument can now also be found in our renowned Spitfire Solo Strings library.
All reviews
Its really great sounding, but very heavy on CPU. I could'nt play it with all three mics open. One thing that I really would like to be improved, is the random re-bowing moments. It would be great if that could be controlled or if there would be an infinite bow option. Especially when you're not recording on click.
The sound of this sampling library is excellent. It is also relatively easy to use once you learn how different controllers affect the sound and what MIDI controllers they are mapped to (this info I had to google as it is not provided). What I found a bit lacking is the amount of teaching videos for this library: there is one very short walkthrough on the product page, and another one that I found accidentally in the FAQ for Solo Strings (which is a related product). Both of these videos are short and only scratch the surface. It would be great to have a deeper tutorial that shows how to use the library. Also, there are two strange things: the sound is not centered in the stereofield (which I assume is due to it being a part of Solo Strings library), and I had to push the volume fader all the way to the right to make it sound loud enough; I used it along with some drums and electric piano). In spite of these lack of documentation and strange settings for volume and panning, overall the library has excellent quality and relatively easy to use, even for a person like me, who does not actually play a cello and did not study the theory behind it.
Sometimes I use this over the cello in solo strings because of the smoothness. Solo strings is amazing but this has it's own flavour I could play this library for hours I love the cello.
Truly beautiful sound, installed without any problems. Thee tonal range is amazing. My only misgiving is the fairly large memory load - but I WAS warned! And I really like the variety available from the Vibrato CC. Now if only I could get my Behringer x-touch MIni to play along and allow me to control that Vibrato......
It was an incredibly funny and awkward moment. I was in the park for a nice walk when all of a sudden a beautiful music came into my head, an air that had something melancholy and powerful toghether. I started humming it as I walked briskly back home and in my mind I saw one particular instrument soloing. I saw the strings, I saw the bow movements, I heard the precise sound. When I got home and turned on my DAW I searched for that sound without finding it and then, desperate, I threw myself on the internet looking for the musical instrument I had in my head. I almost immediately stumbled upon Spitfire Audio and when I heard the cello demo ... there was nothing more to do. I was thunderstruck. "Solo Cello" had to be mine! I immediately bought it and immediately installed it. Within half a day I was able to put note upon note, accent on accent and that song that was only in my head before became a 14 minute cello rhapsody. The excellence of the instrument, its dynamics, the harmonics made me "see" once again that musician who suddenly appeared in my dreams. The accuracy of the sound, the warmth of the wood ... everything. You hear everything and it seems to have the instrument in the room next to you. I was so impressed with the quality of "Solo Cello" that I immediately wanted to purchase the complete "Solo Strings" package where I found the same acoustic quality and warmth in the double bass, viola and violin. Awesome! Simply awesome! There's nothing more to say.
another great plugin from Spitfire. I hadn't really understood the 'performance' idea in the videos before buying it but, the automatic switching between articulations and the multi-tasking 'vibrato' wheel/slider really creates an instrument that is usable in a 'live' setting. The sound of the cello is so deep and rich I could listen to in all day.
A few moments with this solo cello and I just had to buy solo strings. Outstanding sounds.
The foundations are there for an off-the-charts virtual instrument. There's a lot to like, but a few points keep me from recommending this instrument to everyone: If you are looking for a virtuosic soloist to play over the symphonic libraries you use, this may be for you. The samples seem really adept at an aggressive style, and are beautiful in many ways at very low velocities. A convincing straight tone for Baroque continuo can be gotten with some work, but using it in simple chamber music or string quartet context at a moderate tempo and medium dynamic is far more hands-on than it needs to be. Keep an ear out for some scratched onsets and muscular, oddly-timed rebows baked in that must be tweaked via a velocity workaround. These might be good colorations to have available, but I didn't expect them to be the default setting of the instrument. I *love* the sound once it's together, and I know I will get more efficient with my process, but it currently takes more energy to "negotiate with the player" than it does to track the parts. To continue with the metaphor: In real life, I'm not sure I'd ask that player back to the next session. A revision with even one second of more time before a rebow would be a welcome and appreciated fix.
Real sound this cello ! Beautiful. I think you have to change all Kontakt’s GUI to your own one’s. You get The sounds. You need the same as GUI.
Best cello plugin ever created! The sound is so perfect no one can tell it’s a plug-in, Works perfect with your keyboard and DAW trust me you’ll be happier than a bird with a french fry with this plug-in :~)
Quite easily my favourite software instrument ever. The amount of depth and control found in Solo Cello is amazing and makes any piece of music stand out from the very first moment it enters the mix.
Love the quality of the samples and the expressiveness features.
Easily the best solo cello library I've ever had! Once you go Spitfire, you can't go back.
Best possible live option I've experienced for a string instrument played on keyboard
The dynamics really give you that authentic feel as if you really did just record an actual Cello inside your PC. It just takes a lot of automation and editing, but in the end, definitely worth the purchase! Thank you once again Spitfire!
This product saved one of my projects. I had a couple of people ask who I hired to play... lol!
Great sound. Plenty of realistic expressions and yet easy to program. Good close-up sound. I would have liked to be able to control the timing of the bow turns though. They sound realistic but sometimes they happen in non musical spots.
Just bought the cello program. Real easy to work with and sounds terrific when mastered.
Amazing product. Most part of Cello's articulations are spot on.