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A Fiddler at Your Fingers

Given the notorious difficult timbre and - relative to a standard violin player - eccentric transitions and staccatos inherent in both fiddles and their players, Insanity Samples (IS) turned me from a skeptic into a fast fan.

Versatile, vibrant performances were captured for this instrument, and the developer's diligence in capturing the real spirit of the "un-violinish" way that fiddlers are able to coax such emotional and playful melodies, legatos, and phrases is truly impressive and incredibly musical. The samples are both raw and detailed, and are of a high-fidelity sonically; and yet, IS has made the interface easily playable and intuitive...devs of simpler virtual instruments - i.e., those less dynamic across timbre, tone, and expressiveness than a fiddle - could also learn a lot here.

To be clear, I hadn't even heard of the developer previously, but once I watched and listened a bit, my curiousity was piqued....and this little gem not only fit the bill and got me out of a bind - but it's inspired me to use the fiddle in different forms in my compositions to great effect thus far. Quick version: if you need a fiddle for a specific project, and are lacking the desire, need, or time to script/automate a performance in to ensure the resulting performance's authenticity and quality...do yourself a favor and pick this up. Cheers to Insanity Samples, and I look forward to more awesome releases like this one!

Matt Fanuele