Thank you so much!!! I really appreciate that, and it might help people a lot, learning about dynamics and realism.
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Itās absolutely my pleasure 
a lot of it is about flow. Use the expanse of the dynamic range with subtle accents to starts of notes and phrases and you can got too wrong
One other note. In the strings for the studio I didnāt add automation for the vibrato because it would have been unfair, if I had the strings would sound even better. Vibrato is mainly used at the end of phrases or long notesā¦ the best way to see where itās most natural to add vib on your strings is to sing the phrase to yourself a see where you sustain without vib and where you add vib and imitate that. This tip wonāt cost you anything for a performer because you can do it yourself. 
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great tip indeed!
I love vibrato sounds on strings. Getting to know where to set which articulation, that it sounds realistic, is another big point im dealing with. very hard to improve there and to gain experienceā¦
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Articulations are just the players expressiveness, nothing more. The big ones to understand are
Longs - self explanatory.
Shorts (staccato) - just donāt try getting away with a long patch playing short notesā¦ it never sounds real.
Spiccato - exactly the sams as previous bug itās when the player bounces the bow on the string. In epic music theyāre used a lot because they sample really well as thereās a slight attack on the front end of the note. But Iām a real piece youād tell the player to play āstaccatos espressivoā which is so much more realistic.
Pizz - we all know how to use these (playful, great for comedy or accenting notes).
Sul pont - just has a slight accent at the start giving the note āfeelingā, which is where the player plays closer to the bridgeā¦ this thins out the sound so youād use this in conjunction with lower notes on a violin or viola
Sul G or C or A or D - play on the notes string. This encourages players to slide to notesā¦ in samples this isnāt expressed well at all so I generally only use sul G on violins as itās a thicker string so the sound is a bit thicker, lithos is great for full melodies. Keep in mind that the samples only show a small amount of realism though, they donāt reflect the real thing. One day I hope they will.
Harmonics - I just use these the double violin 1. Throw a load of reverb on them and it makes your melody soar even further.
Iāve mainly focussed on string writing articulations but thereās also triple tonguing and double tonguing on woods and brass which is great for realistic lines in samples. You can hear them being used on the competition track I submitted. Think I had them in the bit where the guy is spacing out in the car. They add excitement.
Hope this clarifies stuff for you.
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this a great overview Geoff. i need to try that later on after work in my dawā¦
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Michael, did you take any of my courses on Udemy on music composition? Not selling, just asking.
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No worries. Perhaps Mikael a course could be good for you? sounds like youād benefit from a little but of guidance 
donāt forget to let me know how you get on playing with articulations after you finish work. Would love to know.
I will show you for sure, i use my current track to work on that.
Sounded like you remembered i used a wrong articulation patch on my ostinato track. I happens sometimes, when i shift some elements in my daw from one track to another without paying attention. but its still in work stateā¦
Yeah some guidance would be helpful, but i cant and i wouldnt spend money on that, my wife would kill me just kidding
Take a listen to mendellsholns violin concerto in Em. All of those articulations are used in the solo violin. Thereās a fantastic codetta in the middle too, which has always inspired me!
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