MonsterDAW offers Monster Strings, a FREE orchestral strings instrument for macOS and Windows.
Monster Strings is a free orchestral strings instrument with thirteen presets between two categories: Acoustic and Synth. Each category then has two sub-categories, which are Ensemble and Solo.
Some presets are as small as 25MB, which is nothing compared to some industry-standard orchestral libraries.
Monster Strings is very light on RAM too, so you get some very useable sounds in a very lightweight package.
Of course, it doesn’t come with the extensive articulation and expression variations you’d expect from larger libraries, but you don’t always need them.
Sometimes you just need some good strings to be a bed for lead lines or provide a cinematic pad, and after hearing the demos, I’d say Monster Strings can do that.
The quirky-looking GUI shows ADSR controls in the center, with a preset selector above and a keyboard below. There are four more controls, one in each corner: Volume, Reverb Level, Chorus Level, and Delay Level.
As much as I think the Ensemble sounds will be the most used, the Solo sounds are interesting. The first two Solo Presets, Vibrato Violin and Fiddle Around, are surprisingly good.
The GUI has some handy little features, like a quick parameter reset by double-clicking the knob.
In addition to the included presets, the developer (Agus Hardiman) says there are more to come, and updates should come regularly.
We are pretty spoiled for choice now when it comes to free strings, and I love it. Earlier this year, we got Foundations Staccato Strings (Kontakt Player) by Heavyocity, and we have everything orchestral from LABS, like Cello Moods.
Monster Strings is available in 64-bit AU, VST2, and VST3 formats for macOS and Windows. Check the website for more info on the installation process and parameter automation.
Download: Monster Strings
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12 Comments
Big Steve
onI LOVE some of the presets. They kind of remind me of the Nintendo GameCube for some reason, striking a sense of non-realism, but still being recognizable. Instant download from me.
Adam Zero
onSame thing that happened last time; website returns error SSL_ERROR_RX_RECORD_TOO_LONG
It got fixed eventually on the last release, so I’ll keep checking once a day or so.
Agus Hardiman
onThank u BPB for featuring my Monster Strings 😍
James N
onThanks for your Monster Strings, Agus Hardiman!
phil huston
onNothing works on the DL links. AM I missing something?
Alex
onTry right-clicking the link and opening it in a new window. If it says there’s an error, refresh the page, Worked for me.
Neytcev
onWorks for me too! Thanks!
Phil H
onThanks for the tip! Worked for me.
L
onThank you! Nice trick.
Angelo Furlan
onSame here!
ElmoDeFuka
onI LOVE IT. Thank you! Very useful.
Eugene
onThe only strings that have sound I need. But why I couldn’t automate attack, sustain, etc? And why other preferences like pitch, distortion, glide, FX options and many others are hidden? Seriously, there are a lot of options that exist there, but you can’t control them until you disable GUI.