RickeG,

Apparently the sounds that come with LE depends on the package. At least one version comes with the Garritan Pocket Orchestra which some people really like, but I rarely use it. It sounds like you have an ample supply of their dimension multisamples, many of which you aptly described as more appropriate for movie scoring. The strings I think you like are also my favorite, the "full strings" multi (about 130 mb). If you have it, you might want to change out the default bass patch (I think I use the bass legato patch), which gives it a smoother sound.

I only use a fraction of the capability of DimPro (as is true of all of my synths). I would describe myself as an advanced newbie. Thankfully, with over 1,500 presets on my DimPro, there's still plenty to play around with even without knowing much about what you're doing.

Danny,

I really appreciate the feedback. Part of the lack of convention is that I learned with my limited studio stills that I get better results by composing and arranging on the fly. If I write a song ahead of time and have a good idea what I want the recording to sound like, I'm usually disappointed with the results. So I just let the whole thing evolve in the studio. BIAB really helps me generate a lot of ideas quickly. It's a great tool for fueling the creative process.

Mel