Oops! Just got your reply, William.
I agree about the rhetoric thrown around in the advertising. It's a little bit much. And unfortunately, the instruments themselves don't sound *that* great. But it is fun to play around with (there's a 15-day demo), and does possess an impressive flexibility, which I sometimes find lacking in standard samples. I think it would really take some time to learn how to use it properly, though...
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Aaack! Just got the next one!
I agree, in part. The thing is that it's only a matter of breaking down the sample into its component parts. All the elements of the sound (at least insomuch as we can perceive them as temporally distinct) are still there, they're just being used differently. I think what would make VSL's use of a similar technology different is that they would share your interest in preserving as much of the original performed quality as possible, only altering it when absolutely necessary (i.e., for making those gliss-to notes longer in the perf-leg_gl instruments). This is really only a matter of the implementation, and the philosophy behind its application. VSL would work to keep their samples intact, whereas this developer basically atomizes his. Again, Melodyne is the best model for comparison. There's a demo available -- give it a try with a few melodies exported from your VSL scores. It will probably blow your mind! The only problem, for me, with Melodyne has been the fact that it comes in a form/interface that I don't find useful for what I do.
I think VSL is doing something huge. My guess is a resynthesis by analysis-based composition program, with all instruments bundled in their analysed form, and all pulled together acoustically by the mysterious MIR... but that's some HEAVY CONJECTURE. It's not too far-fetched, though. It's *entirely* possible to do. And would the fact of it being almost sci-fi advanced ever stop Herb?
J.
I agree about the rhetoric thrown around in the advertising. It's a little bit much. And unfortunately, the instruments themselves don't sound *that* great. But it is fun to play around with (there's a 15-day demo), and does possess an impressive flexibility, which I sometimes find lacking in standard samples. I think it would really take some time to learn how to use it properly, though...
____________________
Aaack! Just got the next one!
I agree, in part. The thing is that it's only a matter of breaking down the sample into its component parts. All the elements of the sound (at least insomuch as we can perceive them as temporally distinct) are still there, they're just being used differently. I think what would make VSL's use of a similar technology different is that they would share your interest in preserving as much of the original performed quality as possible, only altering it when absolutely necessary (i.e., for making those gliss-to notes longer in the perf-leg_gl instruments). This is really only a matter of the implementation, and the philosophy behind its application. VSL would work to keep their samples intact, whereas this developer basically atomizes his. Again, Melodyne is the best model for comparison. There's a demo available -- give it a try with a few melodies exported from your VSL scores. It will probably blow your mind! The only problem, for me, with Melodyne has been the fact that it comes in a form/interface that I don't find useful for what I do.
I think VSL is doing something huge. My guess is a resynthesis by analysis-based composition program, with all instruments bundled in their analysed form, and all pulled together acoustically by the mysterious MIR... but that's some HEAVY CONJECTURE. It's not too far-fetched, though. It's *entirely* possible to do. And would the fact of it being almost sci-fi advanced ever stop Herb?
J.