VSL reminds me of Adobe of a couple of years ago. Great engineers talking to one another, leaving customers out of the conversation. I DO find the website confusing -- try finding a video tutorial easily, for example.
Or try searching for a particular audio demo file. Example: I am interested in their reduced price offer and was trying to find the Schindler's List demo, which I remembered hearing and liking. Try typing "Schindler" into the search field on the top right of their web page. Zip. Nichts. Yes you can find it after several minutes search.
And then we have the Vienna Instrument, a big improvement over the old EXS method of loading instruments in Logic. When VI came out, it was very poorly explained -- I just dropped the idea for a while, not KNOWING WHAT TO DO WITH IT. So VSL has lost sales from me, because they didn't explain what this new product would do for me. Maybe if your expert in MIDI and have been composing for a decade on Logic going back to its German origins, maybe then no explanation is necessary. How many people fit that definition?
And while we are on the subject of explanations, how about the term "Velocity Crossfades"? Sounds like something you do with a Porsche in a turn. Yes, I know that in midi "velocity" is the method by which the speed of striking a keyboard is translated into the loudness or volume of the particular key as it will be recorded -- the quicker the strike, the louder the tone. But how do you "crossfade" loudness, why not just reduce the velocity? Well, what is NOT explained is that instruments have been recorded at different levels of loudness on the same note; their timbre changes with loudness at the same pitch. So we are achieving greater fidelity by changing the layer of the instrument as its loudness changes. That is what "Velocity Crossfades" is about, I think. I figured this out about two months ago. That is what the "VelLay" notation is on the instruments, the number of loudness layers. Do we find this in the manuals? Here is the explanation in the Vienna Instruments manual:
"The Velocity x-fade button switches global velocity crossfading on or off. The Vel xf slider below shows the current status of the controller. These two controllers allow you to switch from normal velocity layer changes (MIDI note-on velocity) to crossfading via controller where you can play at the velocity of your choice regardless of the strength of the keystroke." Why would you bother? Not explained.
We are not told, as far as I have been able to determine, from VSL itself at what point in the 0 - 127 midi scale the switch occurs, so we can see, when we are composing, whether it would make sense to use the cross fade function, or not worry about it, because our notes are not crossing a volume threshold into one of the other volume layers of the instrument. See if the VSL video tutorial on this subject explains this, assuming I am more or less correct in my explanation.
And, again, back at the website, have you tried to watch a VSL video using streaming mode? I am able to watch youtube, bbc, and other news site videos generally fine. Without fail, there are long, LONG waits, pauses and hiccups in the video material coming from VSL. It always seems to stop at the crucial moment of Paul's explanation. Result: you have to download the video file, another long wait. PITA. Perhaps you folks in Austria get a better signal, being close to home. Not good.
They have a great, sophisticated product. Why are they hiding it? Who benefits except an exclusive few?
I go on: Where are the practical tutorials showing step-by-step installation and basic use on popular software platforms like Logic and Pro Tools? "To get up an running, first you do this, then this, etc." They have done as much for their confusing licensing key. You have to dig all this stuff out on use with software like Logic, the best stuff being a few available videos on youtube.
Where is the "Support" section of the website with seachable knowledge documents on technical issues? You have to sort through a forum hoping someone asked the right question and guessing the rights words to search for. True, for those who have the temerity you can send an email to corporate headquarters, and they do respond promptly, to their credit. But it is embarassing to ask, and one really does feel reluctant to occupy the time of some really senior people who answer these emails, with basic questions.
And my last example: there is a podcast that you can get through iTunes called "VSL podcast" Terrific! Except the fellow who runs it stopped broadcasting last year and there are only a lttle more than half a dozen episodes available from iTunes. But here's the example: in one of the most recent episodes, an established composer for films is interviewed. He uses VSL instruments! He is asked about the VSL products he uses. It was the instruments before the Horizon series! This important composer, interviewed on "VSL podcast" in 2009, was unaware of the new 24 bit instrument collection or Vienna Instruments server, or any of the other software tools available from this company. I think the program host was embarassed to let him know he was using old software. You would think the composer would know the latest developments and be part of VSL's marketing group, the way Steinway and Yamaha do with their pianos. Again, customers, ideal customers, in the dark, on VSL's own program.
There are many great, impressive things about VSL, but website and documentation user friendliness is not among them.
End of rant ....
Kind regards, Steve
