Benjamin Wallfisch and Orchestral Tools Announce Benjamin Wallfisch Strings Collections
Blockbuster film composer partners with Berlin-based sample library developers to set a new standard for contemporary string libraries
BERLIN, GERMANY, December 14, 2023 — Composer Benjamin Wallfisch has established himself as one of Hollywood’s go-to talents, scoring some of the industry’s biggest films of the last decade including Blade Runner 2049 [with Hans Zimmer], IT Parts 1 and 2, The Flash, Shazam!, and many more. His versatility and ability to blend the sounds of the traditional orchestra with modern elements have also made the BAFTA, Grammy, and Emmy-nominated composer a go-to collaborator for some of the biggest names in the business, including Zimmer, Pharrell Williams, and Adele. For his latest project, Wallfisch has partnered with Berlin-based sample library designers Orchestral Tools to create Benjamin Wallfisch Strings, a collection that redefines contemporary sampled strings for professional composers and sets a new standard for realism and expression. The collaboration has also produced a second collection: Stringscapes by Benjamin Wallfisch. This offers a huge range of complex and innovative string textures and effects that explore the experimental side of contemporary scoring.
Both collections are available as a bundle for a special intro price of €699 (€1,048 sold separately). The two collections are both also on sale—the main collection Benjamin Wallfisch Strings for €599 (€799 regularly) and Stringscapes by Benjamin Wallfisch for €179 (regularly €249). All offers end on Tuesday, January 2, 2024. For more information and to purchase, please click here.
“For the longest time, I’ve wanted a tool that captures the magic of what it’s like to stand in front of a string orchestra—and puts that at your fingertips in a digital instrument,” said Wallfisch. “Hendrik and his Orchestral Tools team were open to this crazy idea of really trying to capture as much of the detail of a live recording as possible, and we’re giving people so much control over things that haven’t really been attempted before. With this library, I want people to feel like they’re sitting in front of musicians the whole time.”
Redefining contemporary cinematic strings libraries
Challenged by Wallfisch to create the ultimate professional string library for the contemporary composer, Orchestral Tools have crafted the most detailed and realistic string collection they have ever created with an unprecedented level of playability and control. The process began with recording a full string orchestra at the Teldex Scoring Stage in Berlin—already familiar to fans of the Berlin Series and Metropolis Ark collections. Benjamin Wallfisch Strings is unique in its implementation of loopless, long-note sustains. Each note is a performance, recorded at unusually long lengths for a completely consistent and natural sound. In addition to this, Benjamin Wallfisch Strings offers true divisi for all sections, five dynamic layers, and a choice of upbow or downbow strokes, for maximum control and realism. This level of detail demanded hundreds of hours of recording, and Benjamin Wallfisch Strings is a large collection—Orchestral Tools’ most complex project to date. But this exceptional level of detail results in expressive and dynamic instruments that create a feeling of playing strings, not samples. And the Teldex ambience, along with additional immersive mic positions for atmos and special mix options curated by Benjamin Wallfisch, deliver not only Hollywood sound out of the box, but an advanced level of detail for shaping and fine-tuning the mix.
Stringscapes by Benjamin Wallfisch explores the experimental side of contemporary string composition, using a full live string orchestra to create complex textures and effects. The 79 patches of Stringscapes are divided into two distinct categories—evolving acoustic performances and complex processed patches. The evolving acoustic performances are evocative textures played by the live orchestra that unfold over time, creating ethereal moods or eerie atmospheres. The complex processed patches were inspired by Wallfisch’s fondness for blending electronic and orchestral elements together, combining the raw elements of the performances with post-processing to create disturbing horror textures or evocative ambient atmospheres.
“Benjamin Wallfisch Strings is truly a leap ahead for professional string libraries and offers a level of sound quality and expressive control that sets a new standard for sampled instruments,” said Orchestral Tools CEO Hendrik Schwarzer. “We are incredibly proud to partner with Ben on this project and create a compositional tool kit that can elevate contemporary scoring, and inspire Hollywood A-listers just as well as the next generation of composers.”
About Benjamin Wallfisch
With over 100 film and TV credits to his name, multi award-winning composer Benjamin Wallfisch comes from a long line of renowned string musicians going back three generations. His movies have made over $4 billion at the international box office and his credits include blockbusters like IT, The Flash, Blade Runner 2049 (with Hans Zimmer), The Invisible Man, Mortal Kombat, Shazam!, Thirteen Lives, and the Academy Award best picture-nominee Hidden Figures.
He has conducted orchestras in concert around the world, including the London Philharmonic, LA Philharmonic, Sydney Symphony, Netherlands Symphony to name a few, and has also collaborated with some of the biggest names in music including Adele, Herbie Hancock, Lang Lang, Pharrell, and Yuja Wang. Benjamin has spent a lifetime studying and learning from mentors from across the spectrum of music, which allows him to embrace multiple genres and disciplines in his own work. His passion for musical extremes and originality, whether for the orchestra or in the realm of electronic sound design, has earned him Golden Globe, BAFTA, Emmy, and two Grammy nominations.
For more information and to purchase Benjamin Wallfisch Strings and Stringscapes, please visit:
https://www.orchestraltools.com/store/collections/benjamin-wallfisch-strings
https://www.orchestraltools.com/store/collections/stringscapes-benjamin-wallfisch
https://www.orchestraltools.com/store/bundles/benjamin-wallfisch-strings-bundle
About Orchestral Tools
Orchestral Tools makes premium-quality sampled instruments for professional composers. Notable libraries include the Berlin Series, Metropolis Ark, Tallinn, Tom Holkenborg’s Brass and Percussion, created in collaboration with composer Tom Holkenborg, and Phoenix Orchestra, created in collaboration with composers Harry Gregson-Williams and Richard Harvey. Originally founded in 2005 by Hendrik Schwarzer, Orchestral Tools operates internationally from its base in Germany, with offices in Freiburg and Berlin.
Steve Bailey
