Hey bruce-rez
bruce-rez wrote:You can just compare it yourself by loading Live String and any 11 Violin
Ok, well with specifics you have to look at the patches themselves and you are quite correct 11 Violins compared to Live Strings is quieter. I would suggest that this is down to two things:
1) the articulation being played in 11 Violins is a fairly slow attack/long sustain, whereas Live Strings sounds very heavy on the attack (almost
sforzando). Velocity of MIDI note would also play a part in relative levels here and if you are playing a chord you might be introducing voices from the other three string sections in Live Strings as opposed to just violins.
2) On the Live Strings patch there is a compressor as part of the channel which is reducing the dynamic range of the instrument and is really ramping up the volume automatically overall. If you switch the compressor out of the circuit the level gets much closer to that of 11 Violins. Alternatively, if you wind up the 'Comp' on the EQ/Comp processor in the 11 Violins patch, this will bring it up too somewhere near the level of Live Strings, albeit without the biting attack.
It should also be considered that 11 Violins is from MP1 (although it is included in MP2) which was fairly strictly an orchestral pack, where Live Strings could almost be a preset for use in pop arrangements.
So while there are level differences, I think there is more to it than a technical problem. If you think that it is something wrong with your installation I would suggest opening a ticket with Official Support and asking for their advice
https://www.ikmultimedia.com/contact-support/mi/Hope that goes some way to helping.