- FRONT ROW VIOLINS is the FIRST sample library providing a full section of 16 players scalable down to a single soloist in ONE instrument.
- Auto-Divisi. No matter how many notes you play in a chord, your chosen number of players will divide themselves among the chord notes.
- Staccato created from any existing articulation. But unlike other staccato articulations or samples, this feature creates a hard "bow stop" at the end of note which is VERY often used in the classical and baroque styles.
- Auto Re-Bow. FRONT ROW VIOLINS detects the way you play and will automatically "connect" repeated notes for a realistic sound. Inversely, FRONT ROW VIOLINS will detect if you play in a "crisp or "sharp" way, and separate the repeated notes. So there is no need to choose these different playing styles. FRONT ROW VIOLINS does the work FOR you.
- Automatic "immediate" legato based on how you play.
- Not only can you control vibrato amount and speed, but we have added a new vibrato "auto fade-in" parameter which is equally important in string playing.
- Selectable immediate vibrato, (VERY important for solo) temporarily overriding any programmed fade-in vibrato on a note-by-note basis. Being able to select immediate vibrato on some notes is very common in string playing and gives a very realistic e ect.
- Control vibrato with velocity, a designated slider or any CC. Additionally, even if you choose velocity or slider to control the vibrato, you can add a CC to "take over". In this way you can very e ectively decrease or increase the vibrato amount and speed after the note has already triggered a certain amount of vibrato.
- Intuitive Playability. FRONT ROW VIOLINS senses your playing style and delivers an amazingly realistic result. It will quite literally "follow" you through bow changes, bow connections, rebow, dynamics, vibrato, and attacks. This drastically reduces the need for keyswitching and MIDI automation.
- Kontakt 5.7.1 FULL version (not the free player version. There is no "add library" process necessary. Authorization and registration are automatic at the kirkhunterstudios.com website.) Click here to read a PDF guide.
- 4GB of hard disk space (2GB for the downloading the compressed library [.rar], and 2GB for extracting the library).
- Once these libraries are discontinued, their download links will no longer be available so PLEASE make a backup after you download.
Make sure that you have 4GB free space where you download these .rar files. The space is needed for both the .rar files, AND the extracted files which will be explained later.
Front Row Violins Installation - Mac (Using UnRarX)
Download all .rar files from your download list.
By defaualt, you will need to download the .rar files manually.
IMPORTANT: Make sure that all of the .rar files are exactly the same size except the last one. If this is not the case, then some kind of error has occurred during the download process.
Now, if you don't already have UnRarX installed on your Mac, it is included in your downloads for Front Row Violins.
Place the UnRarX application into your Applications folder.
Now, navigate back where you downloaded all of the Front Row Violins .rar files. Right-click the first file "Front_Row_Violins.part01.rar". Then choose "Open With" and then select UnRarX.
The files will now automatically start extracting the entire Front Row Violins Library.
PLEASE NOTE: At the end of extraction, you should receive the message "All OK" from UnRarX. If not, then it is likely that an error occurred during the download of the .rar files.
Once the extraction is complete, your Front Row Violins Library folder will be located inside the same folder where your Front Row Violins .rar files are.
You can move your library anywhere you wish. Save the .rar files in the event of losing your extracted library.
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Front Row Violins Installation - Windows (Using WinRar)
Download all .rar files from your download list.
If you have WinRar:
From your windows explorer, navigate to the first .rar file.
Then, right-click it, and choose "Extract Here":
WinRar will then prompt you:
Choose "Yes to All"
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Installation of Front Row Violins for Windows OS without WinRar
Download all .rar files from your download list.
You will need the 7-Zip application which is included in your Front Row library. Make sure you choose the correct version for your system whether 32 bit or 64 bit.
32 bit - 7z1602.exe
64 bit - 7z1602-x64.exe
Once you’ve installed 7-Zip, right-click the first .rar file. Choose to extract the files from the 7-Zip menu item. Note that you only have to choose the first .rar file, and the full library will extract automatically.

| ARTICULATIONS | PLAYING STYLES | ATTACK STYLES |
|---|---|---|
| Arco | Legato | Smooth |
| Tremolo | Sordini | Mezzo-Detaché |
| Half Step Trills | Portamento | Detaché |
| Whole Step Trills | Sul G | Marcato |
| Spiccato | Sul Pont. | Velocity-Marcato |
| Pizzicato | Sul Tasto | |
| Harmonics | Staccato | |
| Arco Slur |
“Kirk… you continually come up with this stuff, better and better. Your Front Row Violins allow me to have the close up presence and realistic features to work with almost any viola/cello/bass library. I can also blend the other’s violins with FRV and get the presence that’s so hard to get in so many other sample libraries. Thank you!!!”
“Front Row Violins is incredibly versatile. Instrument performance options are so straightforward yet very customizable to whatever you need. It makes it easy to write lush legato phrases,
quick staccato lines and everything in between.”
“This library focuses specifically on Violins from an expressive Solo player to a 16 player section. It excels at producing various flavors of vibrato including what the developer calls: Classical, Romantic, Baroque, Celtic, Lush and Western. It features auto-divisi for chords, a “bow-stop” sound at the end staccato notes (used in Classical and Baroque styles), and intuitive playability that allows immediate control over vibrato. It literally senses and follows your playing style to achieve amazing realism in terms of bowing, dynamics and attacks.
The front end has an attractive wooden look with dials that indicate the current Vibrato, Dynamic level and Velocity. Popping the settings hood give you additional control over Key Switches, Envelopes, Attack Style and other features. There is even a way to control vibrato rate via repeated key presses which I have not seen before. The presets cover a range a ensemble textures, but where this instrument really shines is with the Solo Violin sound.”
“Front Row violins really caught me by surprise. The last thing I needed was another string library… or so I thought. The realism and customizability of FRV is outstanding… I finally have a one-stop go-to string library I can turn to for realistic violins. It can handle fast lines AND slow lines with ease…and allow me to choose any number of players I want… from one to sixteen. And I’m having a blast saving my own favorite customized sections. Thanks Kirk!”
UNBELIEVABLE !
FRONT ROW VIOLINS WILL ADD THAT SPECIAL “TOUCH OF REALITY” WHEN YOU USE THEM WITH YOUR FAVORITE STRS LIBRARY…
I HOPE SOON YOU´RE PLANNING TO RELEASE FRONT ROW CELLi, VLAS AND BASSES TOO!!
(ALSO BY ITSELF THIS LIBRARY IT´S AN ABSOLUTE BARGAIN AND SOUNDS BEAUTIFUL, FROM SOLO VLN TO THE SECTION YOU CHOOSE, FROM 2 TO 16 VLNS)
FIVE STARS ABSOLUTELY!
Everything I hoped it would be… a killer addition to my string samples which I didn’t think I needed but did. I love it.