For some decades making a Barber's Adagio for Strings mockup was on my production bucket-list and for long string plugins just didn’t catch up was my experience, next to my lack of DAW skills. Times have changed and I finally went for it, combining Spitfire BBCSO Pro strings and Spitfire Appassionata Strings. These are in fact the only string libraries I have, chosen for their splendid human touch sample recordings. These libraries are pretty though to tweak I think, but I haven't come across a string library that has a better authentic, classical feel and human touch.

The Adagio performance of Leonard Bernstein with the New York Philharmonic string players is my all time favorite cause of it’s intens expression and dynamics. Did my best to ‘conduct’ my digital orchestra with this kinda passion also. I created my mockup using the 1936 original score, with divisé parts, next to having midi files from te score, that lacked the divisé parts though. 
I started this project by creating a Cubase tempo track, lined up with this original recording, resulting in a tempo track with around 300 dots.

I used the following mic settings within Appassionata Strings:
Close Ribbon 35%
Tree 80%
Ambient 35%
Outriggers 80%

And these mic settings within BBCSO Pro strings:
Tree 85%
Outriggers 70%
Leaders 35%
Close Wide 45%
Sides 40%

These 9 mics  in total I rendered seperately per instrument track in Cubase. This way I have complete control over them in the mix. Leaving me up with 45 mic tracks. 
On violins 1, violins 2 and the violas I used EQ automation on all mics for low end roll-off, getting rid of the rumble specially in the high climax part in the Adagio.
As for the blending of the two string libraries I went for taste per individual instrument track, where sometimes Appasionata rules more then BBCSO or vice versa, and that could change per instrument group (violins 1, violins 2, etc.)

This mockup stringorchestra is counting 90 players in total:
Violins 1    - 16 by BBCSO Pro & 8 by Appassionata strings 
Violins 2    - 14 by BBCSO Pro & 6 by Appassionata strings 
Violas        - 12 by BBCSO Pro & 6 by Appassionata strings 
Cellos        - 10 by BBCSO Pro & 6 by Appassionata strings 
Basses        - 8 by BBCSO Pro & 4 by Appassionata strings 

Insert efx plugin chain for both Appassionata bus & BBCSO bus: 
1. FabFilter EQ2 for little low end roll-off, mid pull and high end boost, around 1.5db up
2. Manley Massive Passive EQ for character, warming the low end and little presence
3. Avalon VT-737 EQ for sophistication and charachter also. 
All just a little touch. Where I first dial the knobs up extreme and then dial back to find the right subtle amount.

Send Reverb chain for both Appassionata bus & BBCSO bus: 
1. Scoring Stage - Liquid Sonics - Seventh Heaven - 2.20sec (-7db)
2. Amsterdam Classic Hall, FabFilter Pro-R - 3.30sec (-6db)

Mastering Inserts:
1.Fabfilter EQ2 Low end roll off around 20Hz
2. Fabfilter EQ2 Mids pull
3. Manley Massive Passive EQ for little 47hz and 16k boost 
4. Avalon 747 EQ  for a velvety blanket.
5. FabFilter Compressor -1.5db
6. FabFilter Limiter  -11 LUFS

It took me around 50 hours from start to finish to create this mockup.
Where most of the time went into CC automation and tempo automation.


Be well,
Jeff Hijlkema

Samuel Barber - Adagio For Strings - Mockup with BBCSO Pro & Appassionata Strings

Jeff Hijlkema