: Despite its extensive feature set, Sultan Strings is remarkably user-friendly. The interface is well-organized, making it easy for producers of all skill levels to navigate and find the sounds they need.
Sultan Strings requires the full version of Kontakt 4.2 or higher—it does not work with the free Kontakt Player. This is an important consideration if you haven’t invested in Kontakt yet.
If you are looking for a to bring authentic Middle Eastern flavor to your cinematic scores or world music productions, Sultan Strings is an exceptional choice. Here’s why. 1. Unmatched Authenticity: The Core of Sultan Strings
If you’ve landed on this article, you’re likely asking one question: Is Sultan Strings actually better than my current go-to string library? The short answer is —but not for the reasons you expect. It’s not better because it has more round-robins or a deeper dynamic range. It is better because it solves a problem you didn’t know you had: the agonizing gap between MIDI mockups and orchestral realism for Middle Eastern, cinematic, and world music. sonokinetic sultan strings kontakt library better
If you need a general-purpose orchestral string library for traditional scoring, Sultan Strings isn’t the right choice. As one composer noted about Sonokinetic’s string libraries in general: “for the price, the Sonokinetic strings are very good, just not as exhaustive and deeply sampled as some of the others I mentioned”. For dedicated expressive legato lines, libraries like Cinematic Studio Series offer smoother, more consistent monophonic legato.
: The library excels in playability, offering a natural and responsive playing experience. The samples are carefully edited to replicate the subtleties of human performance, making it difficult to distinguish from a live ensemble.
While it excels at its core mission, Sultan Strings is not a perfect or universal tool. It may not be the "better" option if you require total creative control. 1. Limited Playability (The "Phrase Library" Trap) : Despite its extensive feature set, Sultan Strings
Sonokinetic nailed the positioning. You get five mic positions (Close, Decca, Balcony, Wide, Ambient). To make Sultan Strings sound better than out-of-the-box settings:
Using phrase-based libraries can sometimes feel limiting due to tempo constraints. Sonokinetic utilizes the advanced engine features of Native Instruments Kontakt to solve this issue.
: The library uses a "one-finger" triggering system where complex, tempo-synced phrases are mapped to the keyboard. This allows you to build authentic soundtracks or pop backdrops rapidly without needing deep knowledge of Middle Eastern scales. This is an important consideration if you haven’t
If you are looking for alternatives or trying to see if it’s "better" than modern options, consider these points from KVR Audio and MusicTech: Sultan Drums - Sample libraries and Virtual Instruments
The color-coded Kontakt keyboard cleanly separates phrases, playable zones, and key-switches.