The guide to Easy Strings

If you ever have the opportunity to attend a recording studio session with real string players, it’s something that needs to be grabbed firmly with both hands. It’s a truly magical experience to hear something that’s been written on a computer brought to life by a living, breathing, emoting group of talented musicians in a great-sounding room – it really does make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, especially if the music is something you’ve penned.

Sadly, though, it’s increasingly rare that even a major record label’s budget will allow for a real string section of up to 60 musicians, not to mention the services of an arranger, a copyist to score out the parts and a fixer who actually books the musicians who turn up on the day. Studios with the capacity and facilities to record real strings are also dwindling in numbers, with many of the large London studios that used to handle