Secco Strings

Ben Osterhouse's Secco Strings is a Kontakt-based string sampler that prioritizes rhythmic and textural manipulation over traditional playback. Rather than functioning as a conventional orchestral library, it positions itself as an engine for generative and sequenced string arrangements, drawing samples from viola, violin, cello, and bass across three articulations: pizzicato, peck, and bounce.

The plugin's architecture revolves around three distinct play modes. Single Notes mode operates as an XY-driven step sequencer where up to eight steps can be independently shaped via spatial positioning, controlling volume, panning, reverse, formant, and octave. Rhythm mode sequences steps linearly with adjustable time division and jitter parameters to inject humanistic variation, while also including an arpeggiator function. Texture mode, the most experimental, cycles through up to 15 steps with physics-based movement and can distribute playback across all assigned notes simultaneously, generating everything from orchestral swarms to dense soundscapes.

A notable inclusion is the user sample import functionality - four dedicated slots allow producers to drag their own samples into the Secco engine, available exclusively in Kontakt 6. Beyond the sequencing architecture, the interface includes global attack, decay, low cut, and saturation controls alongside eight convolution reverbs, all presented within a single-page GUI.

Secco Strings appeals most to contemporary composers, sound designers, and producers seeking unconventional string textures rather than realistic orchestral emulation. Its generative capabilities make it particularly suited for film scoring, electronic music production, and experimental composition where rhythmic abstraction and textural density take precedence over traditional articulation.