Even with the most carefully recorded string-ensemble samples, producing runs and phrases that sound as though a real orchestra performed them can be difficult. As many sampler owners have woefully discovered, when you trigger a succession of single samples, you lose the nuances that occur when string players connect a group of notes into a passage that should sound like a single fluid gesture.

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The three-disc set (four discs in Akai format) contains ascending and descending diatonic runs, 36 short major and minor Disco Licks, and a pair of brief, slow phrases performed by a 16-member violin section. Each sample is offered at three tempos (100, 120, and 140 bpm) and in all 12 major keys.

The smartest part of Smart Violins is the section devoted to diatonic runs. In addition to straight ascending and descending runs, ascending sawtooth and wavy runs — named after their appearance on paper when notated — move upward in a less direct manner than straight ascending runs. All runs cover at least a two-octave range.

A small collection of runs might not seem like much until you discover that you can begin any run from any diatonic scale degree and choose one of two variants: a run that begins on the selected note or one that ends on the selected note. Because most runs don't begin and end on the same note, those variants let you select the type of run that is most appropriate to the musical context. For example, if you want a run to play on a particular note on the downbeat, you can choose a run that starts on that note; if you want the run to lead up to the downbeat, the other variant is the better choice.

The ability to trigger runs from any scale degree makes Smart Violins a versatile tool for a variety of musical styles. Choose a run in C and hit the D key, and you get a D-Dorian run; hit the A key and you get an A-natural-minor run.

Smart Violins is even more interesting when you combine runs in various ways. For example, if you layer an ascending and a descending run in the same key, you can produce contrary-motion runs that end an octave apart. Play a triad in any key, and you hear three parallel runs that never clash. The tempos are nicely consistent, so layered runs sync beautifully, and they sound quite realistic because each run is derived from a different sample.

The two elegant slow phrases work much like the runs. Recorded at the same three tempos, the phrases can be triggered from any diatonic note over a two-octave range. Although the two-measure phrases are somewhat generic in nature, they sound especially sweet when layered in root-position triads.

The Disco Licks section offers a collection of jaunty single-measure musical fragments. The 36 samples (available in all 12 keys) are mapped across the keyboard in a group. Don't be put off by the section's unfortunate name; these musical building blocks are good for much more than simply adding string-section riffs to dance music. You can connect the measure-long phrases in lots of interesting ways. Several combinations could work well for film or TV soundtracks. Having all of the phrases available at once makes trying different combinations in real time easy.

The rest of the library consists of single-note samples mapped into chromatic multisamples. You can use them to flesh out your string parts by connecting the runs and phrases with your own lines drawn from the same violin section. The samples include sustained (looped) and staccato notes, glissando variations, and repeated detached notes. The set also includes 23 short solo-violin fragments that are looped to create some unusual rhythmic patterns.

With several thousand runs, riffs, phrases, and single-note multisamples, Smart Violins is a versatile string-writing construction kit in a full range of major, minor, and modal keys. The documentation is excellent and includes written examples of the runs and other bits of music, which are a tremendous help in locating and working with the samples.

If you're on a tight budget, Smart Violins is also available in a one-CD Light version that includes the single-note samples and all of the other patches, but only in C, E^b, and B^b. Professionals who do a good deal of arranging, however, should stick with the full version; it offers much more to fiddle around with.

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