| Feature | Sonokinetic Sultan Strings | CSS / Spitfire Chamber / BBCSO | |--------|---------------------------|--------------------------------| | Western intonation | ❌ No (microtonal focus) | ✅ Yes | | Legato | ❌ No true legato | ✅ Excellent legato | | Arabic/Turkish maqam | ✅ Excellent | ❌ Not possible | | Playable patterns | ✅ Built‑in engine | ❌ No | | Price | $$ (mid‑range) | $$$–$$$$ | | Kontakt Full required | ✅ Yes | Varies |
Standard string libraries sound out of tune when writing Middle Eastern or Ottoman music. That is a fact. Western 12-tone equal temperament lacks the quarter tones (or 50-cent intervals) that define Maqam music.
Sonokinetic Sultan Strings is better because it is built for these intervals.
The library was recorded with players who instinctively bend into Hicaz, Uşşak, and Rast scales. The phrase engine intelligently maps these microtonal inflections to your keyboard. You don’t need to manually pitch-bend every note or buy a $2,000 Lumatone keyboard. sonokinetic sultan strings kontakt library better
Real-world test: Load a traditional string library. Write a melodic line in D-Hicaz (D, Eb half-flat, F#, G, A, Bb half-flat, C). It sounds like a wounded accordion. Load Sultan Strings. Write the same line. It sounds like a film score for Dune meets The Last Emperor. That single difference makes it better for 90% of world/cinematic composers.
Unlike standard string libraries where you press a key and hear a sustain, Sultan Strings is a phrase-based engine. The library recorded the Izmir String Ensemble (12 Violins, 6 Violas, 6 Cellos) performing specific "moves."
1. Authentic Phrasing & Ornaments
Most string libraries give you sustain, legato, and spiccato – but they sound Western. Sultan Strings includes kamancheh (spiked fiddle), joseh (high-pitched bowed instrument), and cello, all recorded with traditional microtonal ornaments, slides (glissandi), trills, and vibrato styles. The legato transitions specifically follow Middle Eastern maqam scales. This is impossible to fake with pitch bend alone. | Feature | Sonokinetic Sultan Strings | CSS
2. Instant Playability for Ethnic Melodies
The library is built around phrases and phrases-based articulation switching. You can play slow, expressive lines or fast improvisations. The “Adaptive Legato” engine intelligently chooses between portamento, glissando, or plain fingered legato based on your playing speed. Result: less tweaking, more performing.
3. Phrase Library – A Time-Saver
Over 300 pre-recorded phrases (short melodic runs, slow taqsim-style intros, fast syncopated rhythms) are included. You can drag MIDI into your DAO or trigger phrases from keys. For underscoring chase scenes or desert landscapes, these phrases beat programming note-by-note.
4. Sound Design & Mix-Ready Tone
Recorded in a dry studio (not a huge hall), Sultan Strings cuts through dense mixes without mud. The built-in mixer has close, stage, and ambient mics. The “Sultan FX” rack includes a tape saturator, algorithmic reverb, and delay – perfect for scoring dune-like or mystical scenes without extra plugins. Standard string libraries sound out of tune when
5. Kontakt Implementation
Light on CPU, fast to load, and NKS-ready. The interface is clear: big articulation keyswitches, phrase browser, and a scale quantizer that snaps MIDI to any maqam scale (Rast, Bayati, Hijaz, etc.). This alone makes it better than trying to manually detune notes in a regular library.
Overall rating: 8.5/10
Best for: Middle Eastern, cinematic, ethnic fusion, trailer music, and composers needing authentic phrasing
No review is honest without acknowledging weaknesses. Sultan Strings is not better for everything.
The counter-argument: These are not flaws; they are design constraints. You wouldn't complain that a hammer is bad at cutting wood. Sultan Strings is a specialist. And for that specialist task, it is the best on the market, period.
Sultan Strings excels at rhythmic ostinatos and runs, but sometimes you need sustained notes to fill out the harmony.