Tokyo Scoring Strings Complete

An Impact Soundworks Instrument

for Kontakt Player 7.8.1+
Instrument Version 2.0.0

Product Manual
Introduction
Tokyo Scoring Strings Complete beautifully captures the perfection and agility of Japan’s
world-renowned Koichiro Muroya Strings, recorded in a legendary studio by an equally-legendary
engineer. While this library is especially well-suited for Japanese-inspired music, it holds its own across
all genres and will let you easily realize virtually any score.

We aimed for this evolution of Tokyo Scoring Strings—Tokyo Scoring Strings 2.0—to be fun, inspiring,
and easy to use, while still being powerful enough to create truly naturalistic, lifelike performances.
We’ve gone to great lengths to polish and perfect our Legato so that it sounds perfectly natural and
real, whether you’re writing expressive lines or rapid passages.

Tokyo Scoring Strings Complete includes everything you need to write score-ready compositions: our
groundbreaking Spectral Fusion System-Powered Legato, an easy-to-use workflow, all available
articulations, four microphone mix perspectives, and three hand-sculpted microphone mixes, all at an
affordable price.

To create this unparalleled family of Japanese libraries, we are honored to have partnered with an
incredible ‘dream team’ of musicians and collaborators in Japan:

Koichiro Muroya Strings, led by Koichiro Muroya: The most in-demand session ensemble in all of
Japan. Their exquisite playing can be heard on countless soundtracks.

Mitsunori Aizawa: Japan’s top engineer, responsible for mixing and recording hundreds of
world-famous scores and albums.

Sound City Recording Studio: A legendary space with over 60 years of history, and among the few
studios in the country capable of delivering a truly authentic orchestral ensemble sound.

Masaru Yokoyama: A renowned composer for Japanese film, anime, and dramas, who brought his
experience recording scores around the world through his companies Plugnote and Miracle Bus.

Crypton Future Media and Sonicwire: Our Japanese distributors, who helped facilitate many aspects of
the project.

With this library, we hope you will feel the passion, emotion, and expression of the incredible Koichiro
Muroya Strings, and that it will inspire your music for years to come.

Please enjoy Tokyo Scoring Strings Complete!

— The Team at Impact Soundworks

2
Installation
1. Download and install the Native Instruments Kontakt Player, which will also install an auxiliary
Kontakt library management software called Native Access:

➔ If your Native Access looks like the above (light or dark mode), you have Native Access
2. Please continue on with the instructions below.
➔ If it does not, you have Native Access 1; please visit the link above to download and
install Native Access 2.
2. Next, install the Pulse Downloader.*
3. Once Pulse is installed, open it and enter your Tokyo Scoring Strings Complete product code,
which is also its serial number (e.g., A1B2C-3D4E5-F6G7H-8I0J1-K2L3M). Follow the instructions to
download and install the library. (If you wish to move the library to an external drive [for
example], then do this before moving on to step 4, below.)
4. Open Native Access, click 'Add a Serial', and input that same product code to activate the
library.
5. Once Native Access has activated your library, in the Library tab, find Tokyo Scoring Strings
Complete in the list and click ‘Locate’.
6. Click ‘Choose a Location’ and navigate to where you (or Pulse) installed Tokyo Scoring Strings
Complete and select the top directory of that library.
7. Freshly open up Kontakt (quit and reopen if needed) and confirm that the library is in the
Libraries tab. This completes the installation process!

* Pulse is a cross-platform desktop app that lets you download and install your libraries with blazing
speed! You’ll need to create a Pulse account, but once you do, you can access your purchases from any
developers using Pulse, anytime, from any computer.

NB: If you would like to see a more detailed installation guide with screenshots, please visit our
installation guide.

3
Library Content
Tokyo Scoring Strings Complete is, in our opinion, the best flagship string library available for Kontakt
Player. In addition to each microphone perspective within a comprehensive set of ‘mic mixer’ NKIs, we
have included three sets of full mixes for you—including not only its industry-leading Spectral
Fusion-Powered Legato but also a bevy of Quality-of-Life improvements (such as Smart Attack [see
page 12], Lookahead Short Mode [see page 10], dedicated Run Legato and Marcato Legato modes [see
pages 16 and 17], an agile Full Ensemble patch per full mix, and Poly Legato Sustain Pedal support [see
page 7]).

Mixes

Anima Mix
A new light and airy mix most suited to agile and intricate writing, originally developed as the personal
mix of Tokyo Scoring Strings’s chief architect, Sarah Mancuso. This mix provides you maximum
flexibility to fit these instruments solidly within any track of your own!

Board Mix
The ‘signature mix’ of Mr. Aizawa, created using his unique blend of outboard processing. Present and
exciting, this is the sound of Japanese media.

Cinema Mix
A new warm and enticing mix most suited to string chorales and ‘western/Hollywood’ writing and
aesthetics, originally developed as the personal mix of Nabeel Ansari, chief programmer at Impact
Soundworks.
NB: A favorite house blend is to use Anima Mix for the high strings and Cinema Mix for the low strings!

Microphone Perspectives

Close
New for Tokyo Scoring Strings 2.0, this is a mono perspective based on a blend of each section’s
respective spot microphones. Use in conjunction with other microphone perspectives to add detail, or
highlight for a ‘poppier’ feel.

Decca
The classic ‘tree’ perspective, this LCR triangle perspective captures the ‘true’ sound of the ensemble
from right above the conductor’s podium. Best used as the foundation for most ‘standard’ custom
microphone mixes.

Side
A Stereo ‘outrigger’ perspective, these microphones exist on the same plane as the Decca
microphones. Often used to add width to a Decca mix.

Back
A Stereo ‘outrigger’ perspective behind the full ensemble. Often used to add depth to a Decca mix.

4
About Our Spectral Fusion System-Powered Legato
The updated and improved Tokyo Scoring Strings 2.0 features stunningly natural, consistent, and
smooth Legato created using our in-house developed Spectral Fusion System. Using proprietary DSP
software, editing, and programming techniques, all 60,000+ Legato samples have been carefully
balanced and matched to all combinations of source and destination notes, including the associated
recorded dynamics.
Normally, this processing would be impossible to achieve through any manual process due to the sheer
number of samples involved. That's why Legato recording, editing, and programming is by far the most
time-consuming part of creating realistic sample libraries, and why results often come up short—lumpy
transitions, rapidly-changing timbre from source to destination, a ‘sucking’ effect that makes the
recording space sound suddenly lifeless (or even disappear completely), and more.
The unprecedented, library-wide balance from the Spectral Fusion System does not compromise the
versatility or range of Legato either. Tokyo Scoring Strings 2.0 includes a total of seven distinct Legato
and Portamento types along with four independent speed profiles which allow stunning and consistent
performances at all dynamics and tempos.

The Spectral Fusion System creates Legato articulations that you can write or perform in multiple ways
depending on your workflow. Read on to learn all about how to use Tokyo Scoring Strings Complete!

5
User Interface
Tab 1: Tokyo Scoring Strings
The Tokyo Scoring Strings page is the central hub of Tokyo Scoring Strings Complete. From here, each
component of each instrument’s NKI can be manipulated and edited in granular detail:

Main

Left

Current Articulation View

Shows the latest-triggered articulation. Release (Natural) pictured above.

Con Sord. Toggle

Toggles simulated Con Sordino, which mutes the higher frequencies of the sound. The EQ curve is
based on true Con Sordino recordings.

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Legato Mode
Toggles between Monophonic (default) and Polyphonic modes. In Monophonic mode, only one voice
may be played at a time, and Legato is triggered by overlapping notes. In Polyphonic mode, multiple
voices can be played, and Legato is detected based on non-overlapping notes played within a ‘latency’
window. The latency window is determined by the Latency knob.
For example: Play notes C3 and E3 simultaneously in Poly mode. Then, within 150ms (or whatever value
the Poly knob is set to) of ending these notes, play D3 and G3. The poly Legato system will intelligently
detect that C3 should transition to D3 and E3 should transition to G3. This system makes it less
cumbersome to write polyphonic Legato parts!
NB: Does not work in Zero Latency mode, for obvious reasons.

Middle

Dynamics
Controls the current Dynamic level from minimum (pp / pianissimo) to maximum (ff / fortissimo). The
arco (Sustain) articulation has five distinct Dynamic recordings; Tremolo has four; Trills have two each;
and Harmonics have one.
Dynamics are continuously blended across the whole knob range. For example, if 127 is maximum
fortissimo, 110 uses mostly fortissimo samples, with a bit of the next-lowest Dynamic (e.g., forte) mixed
in. If true recordings of a Dynamic are not available (for example, as with Harmonics), the knob will
simply control overall output Volume.

Range Slider
Controls the Dynamic range of all articulations. At the default position (100%), the samples are presented
as they were recorded, with about 18 dB of distance between the quietest pianissimo to the loudest
fortissimo. Increasing the Dynamic range (to the right) makes the quietest Dynamic even quieter,
relative to the loudest Dynamic, while reducing the range (to the left) does the opposite. Reducing
Dynamic range may be useful for rock and pop productions, so that the Dynamics knob can be used to
change timbre without making the samples too quiet.

Right

Vibrato
Controls the current amount of Vibrato. This control only applies to Arco. There are three Vibrato levels:
Non Vib (no Vibrato), Vibrato (with Vibrato), and Molto (heavy Vibrato). As with Dynamics, the exact
amount of Vibrato is blended continuously depending on knob position.

Velocity Speed (Legato Speed by Velocity)

When enabled, playing at higher Velocities will automatically switch to faster speed profiles, and lower
Velocities to slower profiles.

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Legato Speed
Switches between four distinct Legato speed profiles: Slow, Medium, Fast, and Very Fast. The Slow
profile uses most of the actual Legato transition sample, which results in a more realistic and true-to-life
performance. However, when playing, this may feel delayed, as the actual pitch transition does not
begin right away. Faster speeds can be used to make the Legato feel more responsive, and are also
appropriate for faster melodies and sections.

Engine

Playback Mode - Zero Latency

When selected, true Legato recordings are disabled and articulations are set to be as snappy as
possible. This is ultimately a less realistic playback mode, since the full sample set is not played back.
However, it is most appropriate for live, zero-latency performance or recording.
NB: The Legato speed controls in the bottom-right corner of the GUI are non-functional in this mode,
for obvious reasons (i.e., Legato requires some amount of latency to function).

Playback Mode - Standard

The default mode which works as virtually all other sample libraries do. Most articulations have a small
amount of inherent ‘preroll’ delay, and Legato samples are played back depending on the Legato mode
& speed.

Playback Mode - Lookahead

A novel innovation created for the original Tokyo Scoring Strings, Lookahead mode simplifies the
process of writing string parts by automatically selecting articulations, adjusting Legato timing, and
articulation offsets, all without ‘nudging’ MIDI data in the DAW. This mode is ideal for writing MIDI in a
piano roll, playing back quantized performances, and using score notation programs.

Tokyo Scoring Strings 2.0 refines this mode even further!

Note that the GUI in the bottom-right corner changes when Lookahead mode is selected—the Legato
speed controls are enabled as with Standard mode, and the lookahead tab itself has two new buttons:

8
Easy Artic
When enabled, this changes the way articulations are triggered during playback to a simple
MIDI-writing paradigm. You can have a lot of fun writing various shorts and polyphonic Legato
passages all within one MIDI track—and all with (almost) no keyswitches!

The way it works is as follows:

Velocity values 1 to 63 are the Legato Region, while Velocity values 64 to 127 are the Basic Region.

Basic Region notes will intelligently select an articulation based on note duration:

➔ MIDI notes 10ms and under are Pizzicato

➔ MIDI notes 11ms to 200ms are Spiccato Secco
➔ MIDI notes 201ms to 300ms are Spiccato
➔ MIDI notes 301ms to 400ms are Staccatissimo
➔ MIDI notes 401ms to 500ms are Staccato
➔ MIDI notes 501ms to 700ms are Decrescendo Short (if at Velocity 127: Sforzando Short)
➔ MIDI notes 701ms to 900ms are Decrescendo Long (if at Velocity 127: Sforzando Long)

➔ Notes above these durations (i.e., 901ms or longer) are Arco by default, unless any other Long
articulations (like Tremolo, Trills, or Harmonics) have been selected via keyswitch; in such a
case, the selected Long articulation will be respected

Legato Region notes select Legato type based on Velocity and Sustain Pedal (CC64) position:

➔ Legato Lyrical triggers between Velocities 1 to 15

➔ Legato Slur triggers between Velocities 16 to 31
➔ Legato Bow triggers between Velocities 32 to 47
➔ Legato Marcato triggers between Velocities 48 to 63

➔ If the Sustain Pedal is pressed (i.e., the CC64 value is 127), the Portamento variants of these four
transitions are used
➔ If the Legato notes last less than 100ms, the system intelligently switches to Legato Runs

NB: Easy Artic will not work when Short Lookahead mode (300ms) is enabled. It is also important to
note that Easy Artic scales input Velocity to the articulations based on the ‘half’ you are working in,
such that in the Legato Region (Velocity values 1 to 63), Velocity 63 is treated like ‘maximum Velocity’
for the sake of playback, Volume behavior, etc; meanwhile, in the Basic Region (Velocity values 64 to
127), Velocity 64 is the ‘minimum Velocity’, so it is the quietest (i.e., pianissimo) version of the selected
short.

Lookahead Legato Speed

Uses time analysis in Lookahead mode in order to ensure maximum-length transition profiles are used
at any given time.
NB: It is highly recommended to use this instead of painstakingly automating your Legato Speed by
hand!

9
Advanced

Niente
Allows the Dynamics to reach full silence (niente) using the Dynamics knob. Unchecked means the
lowest Dynamic is ‘pp’.

AT -> Dynamics
When enabled and when using a compatible MIDI controller with Aftertouch, this will link Dynamics to
Aftertouch.

AT -> Vibrato
When enabled and when using a compatible MIDI controller with Aftertouch, this will link Vibrato
amount to Aftertouch.

UI Parameter Sync
Toggles parameter sync for Lookahead mode.
NB: Settings depend on DAW; try toggling this control if Dynamics and Vibrato automation is mistimed.

Short Mode (300ms)

Toggles a limited (compared to the full 1000ms) Lookahead mode.
NB: Easy Artic is not available in Short Mode.

10
A Brief Note on Understanding the Articulations Tabs (Longs/Legatos/Shorts)

Articulation Tiles

Articulation Name and Technique Notation are purely for informational purposes; they cannot be
interacted with.

The Legato Enabled button can be clicked for certain articulations. When disabled (a … symbol will
appear), that articulation will not trigger Legato or Portamento transitions.

Current Mapping shows how the articulation is currently triggered. Here are the relevant abbreviations:

KS Keyswitch. Press the listed key (in this example, C-2) to trigger the articulation.

(L) Latching. A latching keyswitch does not need to be continually held down to work.

C-2 The MIDI note that will trigger the articulation. (C-2 is the lowest MIDI note, with C3
being middle C.)

Here are some other examples of mapping abbreviations you might see:

Vel 1 - 19 Articulation must be played at MIDI velocities 1 and 19 to trigger.

CC1 12-127 MIDI Controller 1 (CC1) must be between values 12 and 127 for the articulation to
trigger.

PW 1024-8192 The Pitch Wheel controller must be between values 1024 and 8192 to trigger.
(NB: The minimum Pitch Wheel value is -8192.)

Key C4 - C5 The articulation will only trigger on MIDI notes between C4 and C5.
(NB: This is NOT a KS; this refers to actual playable notes that make sound.)

Ped Down / Up The Sustain Pedal (CC64) must be down (or up) for the articulation to trigger.

Selecting an Articulation
To select an articulation, click on its Articulation Tile. The selected articulation is highlighted in red. If
you are using keyswitches for articulation selection (this is the default setting), clicking on an
articulation will also switch your active keyswitch. This functionality is handy for auditioning sounds
quickly.

11
Multi Selection
To select more than one articulation, hold Control^ or Shift⇧ and click the articulations you want to
select. When multiple articulations are selected, adjustments made to the Sound tab at the bottom will
be applied to all of them. Mappings cannot be applied to multiple articulations simultaneously.

Enable / Disable Articulations

An articulation can be disabled or enabled by Alt(Mac:Option⌥)+clicking, or clicking the Power
button in the Sound Tab (see below). Disabled articulations will not trigger, and will be purged from
memory (thereby freeing up RAM).

Sound Tab Options

The Sound Tab has multiple configurations depending on the articulation selected. Some controls—like
Volume, Offset, and the ADSR envelope—are common to all articulations, while others are specific to
certain articulation types.

Volume
Controls the overall Volume of the articulation.

Offset
Controls the sample start offset. When at 0, the sample is played back from its natural beginning. For
values above 0, the early part of the recording will be ‘cut off’ by that number of samples.

Smart Attack
A curated attack overlay system that reacts to Velocity:

➔ The Velocity range 1 to 49 uses the normal articulation attack (i.e., no overlay).
➔ The Velocity range 50 to 79 overlays a sharp (Staccato) attack.
➔ The Velocity range 80 to 127 overlays a sharper (Staccatissimo) attack.

Enabled Toggles whether the Smart Attack overlays are active.

Volume Controls the Volume of the Smart Attack overlays.

Vel > Vol Controls the Velocity sensitivity of the Smart Attack overlays.

ADSR (Volume) Envelope

Controls the Volume (Amp) envelope that is triggered each time the selected articulation is played.

12
Bow Layer Volume
Overlays staccatissimo to increase the perception of marcato ‘attack’. Responds contextually to Velocity
and Legato speed (i.e., the faster or more vigorously you play, the more pronounced the overlay is).

Dynamic Table

For short articulations with multiple recorded dynamics (such as Spiccato, above), this table can be
used to assign the dynamic levels to MIDI velocities. The X axis of the table is the MIDI Velocity, so the
leftmost side is Velocity value 1, and the rightmost side is Velocity value 127. The Y axis is the Dynamic
level, which will automatically ‘snap’ into place depending on the number of available Dynamics.

For example, if you are writing a very quiet piece and do not want to use the loudest Spiccato Dynamic,
you can use the mouse to draw the table so that the 3rd ‘step’ extends all the way to the right, thereby
omitting the fourth, top Dynamic:

Or, if you want the highest Dynamic to require a very hard keypress, you can draw the table something
like this:

13
Map Tab

Rules

Set the conditions under which articulations will be automatically or manually selected. Articulations
may have up to three rules. (See page 10 for more information on what rules may be applied.)

Longs

Arco (Sustain)
A sustained bowing of a single note, recorded with five Dynamics levels (pp, mp, mf, f, ff) and three
Vibrato types (Senza Vibrato, Con Vibrato, Molto Vibrato). Note that the Molto Vibrato type tends to
have a bit more of a natural crescendo at the start of each note, while the other Vibrato types have a
slightly faster natural attack.

14
Tremolo
Repeated, rapid, unmeasured bowing on a single note.

Trills HT (Half Tone) / Trills WT (Whole Tone)

Repeated, rapid, unmeasured bowing between two notes either a half tone (HT) or whole tone (WT)
apart.

Harmonics
Delicate, soft overtones with an ethereal sound.

Release (Natural)
The release tail of a regular sustained, bowed note.
NB: This is the only ‘normal’ Release enabled by default, though you may set up rules to use any or all
of the following Releases.

Release (Excited)
The release tail of a Staccato note.

Release (Staccato)
A Staccato note played from the beginning, useful for ending a note with emphasis.

Release (Decrescendo)
A gentle decrescendo taken from the Decrescendo articulation.

Release (Harmonics)
A delicate release taken from the Harmonics articulation.

15
Legatos

Legato Bow
Performed by changing the finger position to a new note without sliding, while simultaneously
rebowing. We have captured both up and down bow versions of this articulation.

Legato Slur
Performed by changing the finger position to a new note without sliding, and not rebowing (i.e., the note
change is done on the same bow stroke). We have captured both up and down bow versions and three
Dynamic levels.

Rebow
Performed by changing the direction of the bow stroke. This articulation connects two notes of the
same pitch.

Lyrical Legato
A syrupy transition catered to soaring, slow melodics and choral line-writing due to its inclusion of light
Portamento.

Run Legato
A blurry, quick transition optimized for extremely fast, scalar passages.

16
Marcato Legato
An evolution of TSS1's ‘Extra Bow’ toggle, this enhances the transition of the standard Bowed Legato
with a more aggressive attack which reacts to Velocity, Dynamic, and tempo.

Porta Bow
Performed by sliding the fingers to a new note (while also potentially changing hand position or string),
while simultaneously rebowing.

Porta Slur
Performed by sliding the fingers to a new note (while also potentially changing hand position or string),
without rebowing.

Shorts

Sforzando Long / Sforzando Short

An energetic note played with sudden, strong emphasis.

Decrescendo Long / Sforzando Short

A forte note that includes a quick Decrescendo to piano.

17
Staccato
A short, energetic note.

Spiccato
A short note played by quickly bouncing the bow off the strings.

Staccatissimo
An even shorter note with extra emphasis.

Spiccato Secco
A variation on Spiccato using a crisp bow technique.

Pizzicato
A quiet, delicate pluck of the string.

18
Tab 2: Mixer

Tokyo Scoring Strings Complete features an implementation of our modular Console FX Rack & Mixer
script engine used in many other Impact Soundworks products.
For more about Console, please see our standalone Console Manual.

19
Setup & Tweaking
Tips for More Realistic Mockups
As a preface: creating orchestral mockups using sample libraries is an art that can be practiced and
refined. It is also closely related to skills like composition, orchestration, and music theory. We believe
all composers and producers can benefit from studying at least the basic principles of these subjects to
help improve their mockups, regardless of the library used.

That being said, there are some techniques specific to using orchestral sample libraries which may help
improve the realism and quality of your mockups. As with many aspects of music creation, think of
these as guidelines, not hard-and-fast rules that can never be broken!

Consider the Samples While Writing Music

It is generally much easier to ‘write to the samples’ when creating mockups. In other words, rather than
completing a composition and trying to paste the MIDI data across Tokyo Scoring Strings Complete
tracks, you should write with Tokyo Scoring Strings Complete in mind: its available dynamics, playing
styles, and overall sound.

For example:

➔ You may have an ostinato pattern in mind that you intend to be played staccato, but it actually
sounds better with staccatissimo
➔ You may be inspired by the slow Legato of the Violas to rework your orchestration and feature
them more
➔ You may have a complex series of fast runs that sounds better using a short note articulation
instead of Legato (though it might be the other way around if you use our Legato Runs mode!)
➔ You may find the tone of the Violins sections more suited for one melody than another, etc.

Automate Dynamics with CC1 (Mod Wheel)

Even the most epic trailer cues rarely stay at one Dynamic the entire time. Some composers like to use
their right hand to play a phrase on their keyboard while their left hand controls Dynamics; others like to
record the notes in a first pass, then write in Dynamics automation in a later pass.

Whatever method you prefer, most pieces can benefit from a bit of dynamic range!

Don’t Be Afraid to Tweak Articulation Settings

We have carefully tuned and adjusted the default settings of all articulations in Tokyo Scoring Strings
Complete based on our preferences and what we think will work for most users.

However, your music might call for further customization. For example, maybe you need Legato
transitions to be louder (or maybe you even need to automate their Volume throughout the piece). Or
maybe the short notes are not quite short enough and need to have their envelope shortened by
reducing the sustain level and decay time.

20
We have included all of these controls for a reason, and the best mockup artists usually take a little
extra time to tweak patches for their own music. Give it a try!

Recording Live vs. Sequencing

If you have decent keyboard skills, it is a good idea to try performing your string parts one at a time to
record the MIDI data. The natural variations in timing, note length, and expression will often lead to a
better result. If this is what you like to do, and you do not like quantizing notes, you could try Standard
playback mode.

At the same time, we have included many features to make sequencing (writing MIDI notes in a piano
roll or sheet music) sound much better. When sequencing, you can use Lookahead mode to improve the
expression and even articulation choice of your music.

You could even blend the two approaches by recording in Zero Latency mode, then quantizing notes
and switching to Lookahead mode for rendering and playback.

ADVANCED TECHNIQUE: Dive Into the Group Editor

For those who really want to fine-tune the expression and sound of Tokyo Scoring Strings Complete,
we have allowed the NKI patches to be editable (as long as you own the full version of Kontakt). If you
do this, we strongly recommend saving backups first in case you mess something up.

Some examples of things you can adjust within the instrument Group Editor:

➔ The LegDest groups are used for the destination notes after a Legato or Portamento transition.
You can experiment with changing their amplitude envelope or sample start offsets (in the
mapping editor, on a zone level)
➔ The Legato group FX can be adjusted by adding your own EQ or filters; depending on what
Dynamics and Vibrato types you are using, you could darken or brighten the transitions
specifically
➔ In fact, all groups can have their own FX! You could try adding compression to Legato groups to
even out transitions, light saturation for short notes, or filters to sculpt release samples

ADVANCED TECHNIQUE: MIDI Learning Legato Settings

All controls on the articulations tabs (Longs, Legatos, Shorts) can be CC-learned and automated. This
means you can do things like adjust the offset of a Legato or Portamento articulation, or the destination
fade-in time, the transition Volumes, and so on.

Doing this kind of automation is absolutely not necessary to create great-sounding mockups. But we
know composers who use it (especially for articulations like Portamento) to create extra expression and
dynamism throughout their works.

21
Tips for CPU & Memory Optimization
If you experience high CPU and memory usage with Tokyo Scoring Strings Complete, there are a
number of things you can do to mitigate the issue:

Save memory by purging unused articulations

Go to the articulations tabs (Longs, Legatos, Shorts) and use the Power Button to disable any
articulations you are not using. In particular, disabling unused Legato and Portamento types will save
quite a bit of RAM.

Save memory and CPU by using Board Mix or single mics only

The Mic Mixer patches are very powerful, but multiply both RAM and CPU usage. For most purposes,
we recommend using one of the ‘Mix’ patches as a result. If you do use the Mic Mixer patch, consider
using just one mic perspective at a time to keep your voice count under control.

Balance memory and CPU with DFD preload settings

Kontakt does not load all samples fully into memory; it only loads (buffers) a small ‘header’ chunk of
each one. By clicking on the wrench icon at the top-left of the loaded NKI, clicking Instrument
Options, and going to the DFD tab, you can adjust this preload buffer amount.

➔ A higher buffer means less CPU usage but more RAM usage.
➔ A lower buffer means higher CPU usage but less RAM usage.

It is up to you to determine which setting is best for you.

NB: You can also purge dynamic layers in this wrench view!

Save CPU by disabling releases until render time

Depending on how you write, you may be triggering many release noises during playback. These will
use CPU, as they use available voices at the end of every sustain note. You can simply disable release
noises while working on your project, then enable them at render time to make real-time playback
smoother.

Save CPU and memory by quitting unnecessary applications

For experienced users, this may seem obvious, but it can be easy to lose track of how much computing
power is being used by seemingly-innocuous applications. For example, it’s not uncommon to have a
Chrome browser, Discord, Slack, Skype, Zoom, and Dropbox all running at the same time. All of these
not only take up RAM, but can also interfere with real-time audio playback by causing pops & crackles.

So: anytime you work on a very intensive DAW project, it might be a good idea to close all applications
and services you don’t need—even if they are ‘just running in the background’.

22
Avoid pops and crackles with a higher buffer size

This applies to your DAW settings in general. Typically, every DAW’s audio settings allow you to change
the ‘buffer size’ of the playback drivers. Sometimes, this may only be changeable in a separate
application, such as with some RME products.

The buffer size (measured in milliseconds or samples, e.g., 8ms / 512 samples) determines the amount
of latency in DAW output and input, inversely correlated to CPU usage. In other words, lower buffer
sizes are much more demanding on your CPU than higher ones.

Though it feels great to perform and record MIDI at very low buffer sizes, this is also taxing on your
CPU. Consider increasing your buffer size to a more comfortable amount once you move onto the
editing, mixing, and mastering phases of your track.

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Tips for Getting the Most out of the User Interface
➔ NB: As of Kontakt 8, the View menu shows the new Kontakt 8 view by default and hides the
following options. Please enable ‘Classic View’ to follow along with this guide!
➔ Almost all controls can be MIDI-learned by (1) right-clicking the UI and (2) selecting ‘MIDI
Learn’. You will then need to move the control of your choice (i.e., fader, knob, et al.) on your
MIDI control surface or in your DAW to establish the link.

Pro tip: Once you MIDI-learn something, you should save your modified version of that NKI so
you won’t have to do it again!
➔ You can view Help Text by hovering over controls in the Tokyo Scoring Strings Complete UI.
The Help Text will appear at the bottom-left of the Kontakt UI plug-in window. You can go to the
Panels drop-down menu by clicking the VIEW tab at the top-right of the plug-in window and
ensure ‘Info’ has been checked:

➔ The colorful Kontakt virtual keyboard, seen in our videos, is a Kontakt feature and not specific to
Tokyo Scoring Strings Complete. To enable the virtual keyboard, simply press F3 on your
computer (not MIDI!) keyboard. Alternatively, you can go to the Panels drop-down menu by
clicking the VIEW tab at the top-right of the plug-in window and ensure ‘Keyboard’ is checked:

➔ Tokyo Scoring Strings Complete is fully NKS Compatible and features quite a few existing
host-automatable controls. If you have a Komplete Kontrol keyboard or use the Komplete Kontrol
application, you will be able to benefit from this functionality!

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Credits & Acknowledgements
Executive Producer: Andrew Aversa
Product Owner: Sarah Mancuso
Sample Editing: Kent Kercher, Sarah Mancuso
DSP Research & Development: Sarah Mancuso
Programming: Nabeel Ansari, Sarah Mancuso
Patch Design: Mario Krušelj, Sarah Mancuso
Mixing: Nabeel Ansari, Sarah Mancuso
User Interface & Graphic Design: Paulo Nunes, Shane Roberts
Marketing: Lauren Liebowitz
User Manual: Kent Kercher
Quality Assurance: Fredrik Häthén, Shane Roberts
…And a special thanks to our Beta Team!

Tokyo Scoring Strings 1 Credits

Executive Producer: Andrew Aversa
Performance: Koichiro Muroya Strings
Recording Engineer: Mitsunori Aizawa
Remote Recording Production & Score Preparation (Japan): Plugnote, Miracle Bus
Project Lead (Japan): Masaru Yokoyama, Kana Hashiguchi
Production Management (Japan): Mitsuo Iwasaki
Recording Director & Musical Translator (Japan): Rio Sato
Recording Studio: Sound City
Lead Programmer & Software Architect: Nabeel Ansari
User Interface & Graphic Design: Paulo Nunes
Legato Editing & QA: Sarah Mancuso
Additional Programming: Mario Krušelj
Sample Editing: Kent Kercher, Kiril Georgiev, Anthony Mena, Jeff Ball
Composition & Score Preparation (America): Eleanor Aversa, Jeff Ball
Project Consulting: Jeff Ball
Additional Project Coordination & Japan Distribution: Takamichi Koizumi, Ryoma Iwaide, Ryoko Maehana
(Crypton Future Media, Inc./Sonicwire)
Violin Logo Design: Natalie Seki
Marketing: Lauren Liebowitz
Video & Photo Production (Japan): Masanori Morishita

Special Thanks: Masahiro Aoki, Wilbert Roget II, Mason Lieberman, Sam Bobinski, and Jillian Aversa

Troubleshooting
Having trouble with Tokyo Scoring Strings Complete? Use it in a project you want to tell us about? Drop
us a line via our Contact page (but be sure to read the FAQ first!)

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Copyright & License Agreement
License Agreement
The following license is granted non-exclusively to all purchasers of our products. This version
(updated 20 December 2022) supersedes any prior printed or digital versions of our license.

Overview
All sound recordings, performances, scripting and/or code contained in this product is the intellectual
property of Impact Soundworks LLC (‘ISW’) unless otherwise noted, and remains the property of ISW
after the product is purchased. When purchasing an ISW product, you are purchasing a non-exclusive
license to use, edit, perform, or otherwise utilize the contained recordings, performances, scripting
and/or code for commercial and non-commercial purposes as defined below.

Authorized Users
Depending on the type of customer and usage scenario, authorized users of this license will vary.
ALL purchases fall into category A or B:

A. Individual Purchase
This license is extended to customers who are purchasing as the primary user of the product, OR are
purchasing on the behalf of another primary user (i.e. as a gift). The licensee (primary user) MAY install
the product on as many computer systems as they have access to. However, ONLY the licensee may
use the product. No other users are authorized.

B. Corporate/Academic/Institutional Purchase
This license is extended to customers who are purchasing for a multi-user setting, such as a shared
studio, networked workstation, computer lab, etc. In this case, the licensee is the institution and not any
one user. In contrast with individual purchases, an institutional license applies to ONE computer /
workstation. All users of that workstation who belong to the purchasing institution (licensee) shall be
considered ‘authorized users’. However, at no point may multiple authorized users access one license
simultaneously. Multiple licenses must be purchased if the product is to be used by multiple users
simultaneously.

Scope of License (Virtual Instruments, Sample Libraries)

The licensee is entitled to the use and unlimited editing of the Product within the scope of music
production, performance, recording, and composition. This includes both non-commercial and
commercial usage of all types, including, but not limited to, film scores, television scores, music
libraries, video game soundtracks, digital and physical music releases, albums, compilations, etc.

The licensee is entitled to distribute, sub-license, sell, stream, edit, monetize, or otherwise utilize any
music created with the Product.

Exceptions to this scope are listed below.

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The licensee MAY NOT use the Product in the production of any other sample library or virtual
instrument products.

The licensee MAY NOT sell individual sounds from the Product in any audio marketplace (e.g. stock
audio websites, sound effect libraries, etc.)

For clarity: The licensee MAY use sounds from the Product to create individual sound effects (SFX) for
use in film, TV, advertising, and video games. The limitation is strictly on selling individual sounds in a
marketplace, SFX library, or similar.

Ownership, Resale and Transfer

Redistributing, reselling, electronically transmitting, uploading, sharing, or renting the Product in any
way, shape, or form is prohibited by law. The licensee may create a physical backup copy of any
digitally purchased and downloaded Product. This backup copy is subject to the same limitations as the
original copy of the Product, and may not be transferred to any other individual for any reason.

Copyright © 2024 Impact Soundworks, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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