Regarding Aftertouch: As far as I can tell, it isn't available in VSL, or for that matter, in many software sample players. The reason for this is that in the MIDI code, aftertouch is NOT a controller message; it's what is called a channel message. All controller messages are another type of channel message; pitch bend another, etc. The only way to use it with VSL as far as I can tell, is if you have a keyboard controller that can remap (change) aftertouch messages to a controller #. I think this is the reason it has sort of fallen by the wayside. Pitchbend is a little more accessible and obviously useful, so it is included, but using aftertouch is a keyboard skill that needs to be developed in order to work well. When skill is gained, and it is programmed beyond bad vibrato presets, it allows an extra expressive parameter to be controlled by the fingers without moving from the keys. 'Not saying it's useful for everybody, and not even easily available. However, I'm a total hacker as a pianist, but also a guy who's used plastic digital keys for 25 years; aftertouch can work well and precisely for me. As example, I'm a brand newbie to VSL but I may try remapping aftertouch (at my keyboard) to velocity xfade for controlling long note swells. btw, I love VSL so far, and the forum is really great!