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Fractured Strings

Fractured Strings introduces an innovative approach to articulations through intervallic performances, delivering unparalleled depth and realism.

  • Overview
  • Listen
  • Walkthrough
  • What's included
  • Tech specs
  • Refract, bloom, soar

    From AIR Studios, to the edge of the world. We’ve collaborated with Hans Zimmer’s prestigious scoring collective Bleeding Fingers Music (Frozen Planet II, Planet Earth II, Blue Planet II) and London’s finest string players to create a new kind of small ensemble library — featured in BBC’s Frozen Planet II.

    Fractured Strings introduces an innovative approach to articulations that offers inspirational surprises through intervallic performances and new modal colours, delivering unparalleled depth and realism. With these emotive musical gestures and our new Scale Mode technology, this library lends itself perfectly to cellular, ambient, and neoclassical composing — reflecting the intricacies, patterns and contrasts found in natural phenomena.

    Featuring an eight-piece string ensemble and two soloists, these sounds have been brought to life in the unparalleled acoustics of AIR Lyndhurst Hall, complete with 15 signal paths. With infinite intervallic possibilities, you can take these strings anywhere — to places of warmth, grit, darkness or light.

    • Hard drive delivery available at checkout
    • You can buy now and download any time

    Our dedicated plugin

    Compatible with NKS

    8 string instruments

    Evo Grid & Scale Mode

    12 mics / 3 mixes

    Dedicated plugin

    In creating Fractured Strings, we worked closely with the Spitfire team and London’s best players to represent the natural phenomena of splintering ice and the individuality of snowflakes in musical performances — creating a toolkit that became the foundation of our score for the show.

    James Everingham & Adam Lukas

    Composers (Frozen Planet II)

    "The true magic of sampling is creating sounds that are impossible to recreate in reality.” - Bleeding Fingers

    Elevate your scores with Scale Mode

    Introducing our new Scale Mode technology — select from any of the seven diatonic modes or build your own scale by simply clicking the notes you want included. From there, it intelligently selects the right samples that conform to the scale you’ve entered, split by velocity, developing their intervallic string techniques and triggering wider intervals at higher velocities for endless inspiration.

    Fractured Strings GUI

    The vast space of the hall really reflected the extremes that we were scoring in the natural world…

    James Everingham

    Bleeding Fingers Music

    AIR Studios microphones

    Blue Planet II

    2017

    Planet Earth II

    2016

    Frozen Planet II

    2022

    Creating these instruments in partnership with Spitfire Audio is what sets our scores apart on tentpole projects like those for the BBC Natural History Unit.

    Russell Emanuel

    Co-Founder & CEO, Bleeding Fingers Music

    SA x Bleeding Fingers

    What's included

    Instruments

    • 4 Violin
    • 4 Celli
    • Solo Violin
    • Solo Cello


    Features

    NEW — Scale Mode

    Select from any of the seven diatonic modes or build your own scale by simply clicking the notes you want included

    Evo Grid

    Allows the user to map multiple instrument articulations and sounds across the keyboard for ease of use. Use classic evo grid features like ‘randomise’ to discover special accidents


    Articulations

    42 Violin Fractures

    • Orchestral flourishes, covering 10 varieties of chords. Includes a 'Speed' parameter

    54 Violin Techniques

    • 15 Statements: Same note (7) short phrases which resolve to the same note they started with. Up / Down (7) short phrases moving up or down from the centre (played) note 
    • 10 Splinters (Up/Down): Natural harmonics played with up and down variations
    • 14 Rotations (Up/Down): Seven slow trill articulations, extending up from the centre (played) note, tempo synced to 120 bpm
    • 7 Dispersals: Loose ‘aleatoric’ trills with varying speed. Also features a scale mode option
    • 3 Declamatory Shorts: Normale, Sul Pont, Harmonic
    • 2 Pizzicato Strums: Three note chords extending up in 4ths from the played note
    • 3 7th Reaches (tempo-synced): Three Articulations, reaching from root to 7th, with a passing note

    51 Cello Techniques

    • 15 Statements: Same note (7) short phrases which resolve to the same note they started with. Up / Down (7) short phrases moving up or down from the centre (played) note 
    • 10 Splinters (Up/Down): Natural harmonics played with up and down variations
    • 14 Rotations (Up/Down): Seven slow trill articulations, extending up from the centre (played) note, tempo synced to 120 bpm
    • 7 Dispersals: Loose ‘aleatoric’ trills with varying speed. Also features a scale mode option
    • 3 Declamatory Shorts: Normale, Sul Pont, Harmonic
    • 2 Pizzicato Strums: Three note chords extending up in 4ths from the played note

    9 Solo Violin Arps

    • Solo instruments only covering a wide range of chords - tempo synced to 120bpm

    9 Solo Cello Arps

    • Solo instruments only covering a wide range of chords - tempo synced to 120bpm


    12 signal paths

    • Tree
    • Outriggers
    • Ambient
    • Stereo Mix
    • Stereo Ribbon Mix
    • Gallery
    • Close Valve
    • Close Ribbon
    • Close Ultra
    • Close Valve Wide Pan
    • Close Ribbon Wide Pan
    • Close Ultra Wide Pan

    Mixes

    • Big Mix
    • Medium Mix
    • Small Mix


    FAQs

    How does your dedicated plugin work?

    Our dedicated plugin libraries work as standalone instruments in your DAW, meaning that no serial number is provided and the authorisation process happens during your download. We provide an AU, VST2, VST3 and an AAX, so as long as your chosen DAW supports one of those plugin formats, you’re good to go.


    Is this product available with an educational discount?

    Yes, this library will be available with an educational discount. Request your educational discount here. 

    The Educational Discount will apply to the full RRP of the library, not the introductory offer, so any codes received during the promotional period will only “top up” the discount to 30%.


    Is there an available crossgrade on this library? 

    No, the crossgrade offer is no longer available.


    Does the library tempo sync to my DAW?

    The following articulations will sync to your DAW's tempo: 

    • Violins Rotations
    • Violins 7th Reaches
    • Celli Rotations
    • Solo Violin Arps
    • Solo Cello Arps

    Dispersals are loose and aleatoric, so aren’t suited to tempo syncing. Statements function more naturally when not tempo synced.

    Read more FAQs for this product

    Tech specs

    Mac system requirements

    Mac OS X 10.15 to OS 13

    Minimum: 2.8GHz i5 minimum (quad-core), 8GB RAM

    Recommended: 2.8GHz I7 (six-core), 16GB RAM

    Both Intel and Apple Silicon/ARM are supported

    32-bit systems are not supported.

    PC system requirements

    Windows 10 or Windows 11 - (Latest Service Pack, 64-bit)

    Minimum: Intel 2.8 GHz i5 (quad-core) or AMD Ryzen 5, 8GB RAM

    Recommended: Intel Core i7 6th gen and later or AMD Ryzen 7, 16GB RAM

    32-bit systems are not supported.

    File size

    88.1 GB download size

    88.1 GB disk space required during install

    Fractured Strings sounds great with…