Bite Solo Strings — Technical Specifications

• Name: Bite Solo Strings — Performed Staccatos
• Instruments: Bass, Cello, Viola, Violin (all solo)
• Publisher: Cinematic Composing
• Format: CC-Sampler Plugin (VST3, AU, CLAP, Standalone)
• Platform: macOS & Windows
• Kontakt: Not required — CC-Sampler is an independent plugin engine

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The Instrument

Bite Solo Strings is a performed solo staccato library featuring Bass, Cello, Viola, and Violin. It runs on CC-Sampler — a custom plugin that installs directly in your DAW without requiring Kontakt or any other sample player.

Samples were recorded as continuous musical performances, not isolated single hits. Each sample preserves the natural transition between notes, resulting in fluid, connected phrasing even in fast staccato passages. All samples are aligned to their rhythmic peak for immediate quantization accuracy.

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The Recording Approach

Solo strings layered under ensemble typically add character, but they also tend to make the ensemble sound smaller — especially at higher volumes. The cinematic size gets lost. Or they add mud instead of clarity. This usually comes down to three things about how solo strings are recorded.

The room. BSS was recorded in a massive room. The acoustic size is real — captured naturally, not a medium room with boosted far mics trying to simulate a bigger space. When you layer these solo strings with your ensemble, they tend to match the scale because the room already has the size.

The mics. Ensemble string libraries typically use mics optimized for blending, which makes sense — you want the ensemble to melt together. But for solo strings, where you want presence and character, that kind of micing smooths out the quality you’re trying to capture. BSS uses a different micing technique — chosen to extract presence, character, and bite from solo instruments. Different purpose, different approach.

The reverb. Instead of relying on ultra-far room mics for hall character, BSS uses a curated algorithmic reverb tail. The sound is pre-filtered before entering the reverb (low cut + high shelf, so unwanted frequencies are removed first), and the reverb output goes through multiband compression that shapes and cleans it. The practical result is that increasing the reverb tends to give you more space and depth rather than more mud.

These production decisions are built into the library. The composer loads it, plays, and the recording and mixing work is already done.

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Sampling Specifications

Each note includes 250 milliseconds of performance information before the rhythmic peak — the natural approach and transition captured during recording sessions. The Sample Start control lets you access anywhere from the full natural attack (-250ms) to the instant rhythmic peak (0ms).

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Microphone Channels

2 independent mic channels with individual volume and on/off controls:

Mic channels and Mix presets (Realistic/Hybrid) are mutually exclusive. Activating a mix preset deactivates all mic channels, and vice versa. Default state: Realistic mix.

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Mix Presets

Two ready-to-use mix presets for different production contexts:

• Realistic: Natural, balanced orchestral sound. Suitable for scoring, orchestral mockups, and acoustic-focused productions.
• Hybrid: Modern, processed sound with added saturation and presence. Designed to cut through dense cinematic and trailer arrangements.

Individual mic channels (Bite, Body) are available for composers who want full mixing control.

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Editions

	A	B	C
LAUNCH PRICE	$29	$29	$32
BITE SOLO STRINGS SAMPLE LIBRARY	✓	✓	✓
DYNAMIC LAYER CONTROL	✓	✓	✓
RHYTHMIC PATTERNS ENGINE	✓	✓	✓
INSTRUMENTS
Bass	✓	✗	✓
Cello	✓	✗	✓
Viola	✗	✓	✓
Violin	✗	✓	✓

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Dynamic Layer Control

Solo string instruments change character across dynamics — a soft solo cello and an aggressive forte cello sound quite different, not just in volume but in timbre. The 3 dynamic layers capture this range: piano (soft), mezzo forte (medium), and forte (loud). Each layer differs in both volume and timbral content.

Dynamic Layer Control provides per-layer shaping of the entire velocity response:

• Velocity Curve Editor: Interactive graph with three modes — Linear, Shelf, and Fixed. Drag to reshape velocity response: make soft velocities more responsive or compress the loud end.
• Zone Boundaries: Draggable split points control where each dynamic layer activates. Adjust where Dyn1→Dyn2 and Dyn2→Dyn3 transitions occur across the velocity range.
• Per-Layer Volume: Independent volume offset for each dynamic layer (-12 to +6 dB). Reduce the forte layer for controlled writing, boost the piano layer for more presence.
• Crossfade Width: Controls the overlap zone between adjacent dynamic layers (0–100%). Wider crossfade produces smoother transitions. Zero produces hard layer switching.

Transitions between layers use equal-power crossfading (cosine/sine gains). At the crossfade midpoint, each layer sits at -3 dB with total power at 0 dB — no volume dips or bumps. All settings can be saved as presets.

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Performance Controls

• Sample Start (-250ms to 0ms): Each sample contains 250ms of natural performance information before the rhythmic peak — the transition between notes as captured during recording. At 0ms you hear the instant rhythmic attack. At -250ms you hear the full natural approach. Two modes: Live snaps to 0ms for latency-free real-time recording. DAW recalls a saved position for playback with the full natural attack.
• Sample Start Offset (-60ms to +60ms): Fine-tune the sample start position in 1ms increments. Allows precise alignment when composing in a DAW.
• Tightness (0.1x – 10.0x): Pitch-independent time-stretching via WSOLA (Window-Synchronized Overlap-Add). Compresses or stretches the sample duration without affecting pitch. At default (1.0x) the engine is bypassed entirely with zero CPU overhead.
• Attack (0 – 4000ms): Shapes the onset of each note. Default: 2ms.
• Release (0 – 4000ms): Controls the fade after key release. Default: 2100ms.

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Convolution Reverb

The reverb is part of the production concept. Pre-filtering removes unwanted frequencies before they enter the reverb, and multiband compression shapes the reverb output. The practical effect is that increasing the reverb tends to add spatial depth rather than muddiness — making it straightforward to position the strings front-to-back in the mix.

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Rhythmic Patterns Engine

A built-in step sequencer that generates rhythmic string patterns in real time. Hold the sustain pedal, play a chord, and the engine outputs a complete rhythmic pattern with correct dynamics and natural note transitions.

• Activation: Sustain pedal (CC64) arms the sequencer. Notes played while the pedal is held trigger the active pattern. Latch mode available for toggle operation.
• Start Modes: Immediate (on the note), Next Beat (quantized to the next quarter note), or Next Bar (quantized to the next bar boundary).
• Chord Detection: Real-time chord identification via lookup table (26 chord templates, handles all inversions). Single notes, intervals, and full chords are all recognized.
• Octave Doubling: Accented steps trigger additional notes 1–2 octaves below the chord root for low-end weight. Velocity offset adjustable (-10 to +20).
• Humanize (0–100%): Applies timing jitter (±5% of step duration) and velocity variation (±10 around target) for natural feel.
• Keyswitch Switching: Assign patterns to MIDI notes via MIDI Learn. Switch patterns mid-performance without stopping playback.
• Pattern Editor: Full visual step editor — draw velocities, toggle accents, adjust gate ratios. Create, save, and load custom patterns.
• Sample Start Override: Sequencer notes automatically use the full -250ms sample start (natural attack with performance transition) regardless of the Sample Start knob position.

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Additional Features

• MIDI Learn: Right-click any control to assign a MIDI CC. Supports continuous (linear 0–127) and toggle (on/off) mapping. Auto-detects mapping type. CC64 reserved for sequencer. Visual feedback during learn mode.
• Presets: [TBD] factory presets plus unlimited user presets. Full plugin state saved per preset. Modified state detection.
• Transpose & Range Expansion: Transpose from -24 to +24 semitones to extend the playable range beyond the sampled notes. Adjustable low and high boundaries define the active range. The built-in keyboard color-codes keys: sampled notes appear bright, transposed (extended) notes appear in a distinct color so you always know which notes are native and which are pitch-shifted.
• Built-in Keyboard: Playable 5-octave MIDI keyboard (C1–C6) with velocity sensitivity, playable range indication, and keyswitch highlighting.

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System Requirements

macOS

• CPU: Apple Silicon (M1 or later, native) or Intel x86_64 — universal binary
• OS: macOS 11 Big Sur, 12 Monterey, 13 Ventura, 14 Sonoma, 15 Sequoia
• RAM: 8 GB minimum (16 GB recommended)
• Disk: 700 MB free space
• Screen: Minimum 1024×768 (1280×1024 or higher recommended)

Windows

• CPU: 64-bit Intel or AMD processor (x86_64)
• OS: Windows 10 (64-bit) or Windows 11
• RAM: 8 GB minimum (16 GB recommended)
• Disk: 700 MB free space
• Screen: Minimum 1024×768 (1280×1024 or higher recommended)

Memory Usage

• Typical (one channel active): [TBD] MB RAM
• All channels loaded: [TBD] MB RAM
• Samples are loaded into RAM from the .cclib archive at library load time

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Supported Plugin Formats

• VST3 — macOS & Windows
• Audio Units (AU) — macOS only
• CLAP — macOS & Windows
• Standalone Application — macOS & Windows (no DAW required)

Note: AAX is not supported. Pro Tools is not compatible with this version.

Install Locations

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Supported Hosts

macOS

• Logic Pro 10.8, 11 (Audio Units)
• Cubase 13, 14 (VST3)
• Nuendo 13 (VST3)
• Ableton Live 12 (Audio Units / VST3)
• Studio One 6, 7 (VST3)
• REAPER 7 (VST3 / CLAP)
• FL Studio 21, 24 (VST3)
• Bitwig Studio 5 (VST3 / CLAP)
• Digital Performer 11 (Audio Units)
• Reason 12.7, 13 (VST3)
• MainStage 3 (Audio Units)
• GarageBand 10.4 (Audio Units)
• Maschine 2, 3 (VST3)
• Komplete Kontrol 3 (VST3)
• Luna 1.6, 1.8 (Audio Units)

Windows

• Cubase 13, 14 (VST3)
• Nuendo 13 (VST3)
• Ableton Live 12 (VST3)
• Studio One 6, 7 (VST3)
• REAPER 7 (VST3 / CLAP)
• FL Studio 21, 24 (VST3)
• Bitwig Studio 5 (VST3 / CLAP)
• Reason 12.7, 13 (VST3)
• Cakewalk Sonar (VST3)
• Maschine 2, 3 (VST3)
• Komplete Kontrol 3 (VST3)
• Luna 1.8 (VST3)

Note: Pro Tools is not supported (AAX format not available). CC-Sampler is compatible with any host that supports VST3, Audio Units, or CLAP instrument plugins.

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Audio Specifications

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What You Get

Option A — Low Strings (Bass + Cello)

• CC-Sampler plugin (VST3, AU, CLAP, Standalone) for macOS & Windows
• Performed solo staccato samples (Bass, Cello)
• 3 dynamic layers with [TBD] round robins and equal-power crossfading
• 2 microphone channels (Bite + Body) + 2 mix presets (Realistic + Hybrid)
• Dynamic Layer Control (velocity curve, per-layer volume, crossfade width, zone boundaries)
• Sample Start control with Live and DAW modes
• Tightness control (WSOLA time-stretching)
• Attack & Release envelope shaping
• True stereo convolution reverb (predelay, time control)
• Rhythmic Patterns Engine with [TBD] professionally composed string patterns
• Chord detection, octave doubling, 8 favorite slots with keyswitches
• MIDI Learn for all controls
• [TBD] factory presets + user preset system
• Transpose and range expansion

Option B — High Strings (Viola + Violin)

• Everything in Option A, with Viola and Violin instead of Bass and Cello

Option C — Full (Bass, Cello, Viola, Violin)

• Everything in Option A, with all four solo string instruments