@Another User said:

think I will withdraw from these discussions now....too complex, too many variables, too many opinions...in the end everybody has to decide on their own of they want to cough up $6G's for 500GB of sounds which they will only be able to use together if they have multiple machines...

Most user have multiple machines anyway, and as i understand it this is the case for other large sample libraries too. In fact, according to the information we've been given so far, VSL's VI will give the single machine/external hard drive users a great chance to hear everything, without having to freeze the house, or throw the pc in the fridge. The Romtimiser enables a lot more to be heard without dropout, and with auto articulation you get it done in a vastly reduced time, freeing up more musically creative ideas and the chance to get them in quick before they dissapear.

You've consistently ignored all the facts and cherry picked the ones that old Uncle Doug would be proud of.

Objectively speaking of course.

Alex.

Ram limit... Sure 450MB is a lot, but we're going into a 64-bit world... If the loading process is as fast as the VSL people say it is there are possibilities... Another idea. Let's say if the VI automatically could disable the memory optimization when a corresponding midi track was armed. This would make the entire instrument available for every change. When disarming the track is should of course turn on optimization again automatically. This way only one full instrument would have to stay fully loaded at any given time. What I'm trying to say is that we know too little about the functionality at the moment to dismiss it. The only thing we really can say is that it looks and sounds great.

Usability...yup, the load time is a potential problem no doubt. As the VIs use a proprietary file format and know everything about every single sample that is to be loaded they have an excellent opportunity to gain performance on these types of operations. Time will tell. The load time issue when switching between cues is equally there with the other Kompakt-based product Doug likes better [[:)]] unless you're running it standalone or in a standalone host on a slave machine. On the other hand you can do the very same with VI. The midi programming will be way faster though.

Room sound...of course it's there and I actually think that's a good thing as recording the instruments completely dry would have ruined the sound. The room is just not as dominating as if the samples were recorded in a concert hall. For me the small room gives more possibilities as I'm also using VSL for other things like pop etc where a concert hall ambience just wouldn't work as well (In My Very Humble Opinion). [[:)]]

We're both still just speculating (just like doug btw...except for the fact that he quite possibly has another purpose for dissing VSL of course).

/Mattias

@Mattias Henningson said:

Room sound...of course it's there and I actually think that's a good thing as recording the instruments completely dry would have ruined the sound. The room is just not as dominating as if the samples were recorded in a concert hall. For me the small room gives more possibilities as I'm also using VSL for other things like pop etc where a concert hall ambience just wouldn't work as well (In My Very Humble Opinion). [:)]

/Mattias

Actually this was the selling point for me. When a sample is recorded in a reverberant acoustic then that is the sound you will always get. What I like about VSL is that I can make it sound big, small, reverby (is that a word?) or dry. It's up to me.

DG

@DG said:

reverby (is that a word?)

Definitely. Especially since Alex just created romtimised and unromtimised [:)]

/Mattias

... which leads us to other possibilties like "ramptimise", too! [:D]

@Thor said:

Room sound...its not a matter of taste, its a fact - its there ! It's a matter of taste if you like it or not...but its there. At this point I have found EQ and reverb settings to deal with it but it can be annoying

if you're concerned about room sound, then EWQLSO would certainly not be for you - it's bigger, much bigger and it stops me from getting the more intimate sounds I need at times for more modern scores. Whereas, with Altiverb etc. we are able to place VSL in any space we choose.

So, mighty Thor, tell us how I should eliminate the room sound from QLSO?

You must have a 'tweak' for that? [[;)]]

@cwillsher said:

So, mighty Thor, tell us how I should eliminate the room sound from QLSO?
You must have a 'tweak' for that? [[;)]]

Which one was mighty Thor - the tweakhead or the dickhead? In all this excitement, I forget how many shots I fired.

Spartacus.

Check your weapon!

Regards,


Alex.

[H]

@Mattias Henningson said:

Another idea. Let's say if the VI automatically could disable the memory optimization when a corresponding midi track was armed. This would make the entire instrument available for every change. When disarming the track is should of course turn on optimization again automatically. This way only one full instrument would have to stay fully loaded at any given time./Mattias

Briliant idea which I hope we see sooner rather than later.

@Thor said:

Room sound...its not a matter of taste, its a fact - its there ! It's a matter of taste if you like it or not...but its there. At this point I have found EQ and reverb settings to deal with it but it can be annoying - It all depends on how critical you are and much exposure you have with real sounding orchestras...sometimes when you work for hours on your midi mockup you think _ wow THIS SOUNDS REAL...until you A/B it with the real thing...and you start crying...
its tough to judge this kind of stuff out of context...I have heard mockups done with the old Roland samples that sounded great...until you heard the recording of the real orchestra and you go "Ahh,...that's how it really sounds.."

I don't know if this makes any sense to you.

Makes sense to me. Trouble is, in a different way. Thing i like about VSL IS the sound. The precision is extraordinary. And the room aspect of the sound is for me, the best of both worlds. The ability to manipulate tjhe aural picture is far wider in scope dependant on what you want than anything else, and with the arrival of MIR, the combination will give us a new dimension in control.
This is personal taste of course, and i noticed in another post the inevitable comparison between VSL and that 'other' library that is touted to be near the same league. For me it's not, and never will be. VSL's recording sense is precise, accurate, and with the room aspect, almost infintely variable.
'
For me, the 'sound' of that other' library is more akin to a belligerently psychotic hamster being lowered kicking and screaming into an empty 44 gallon drum.

There's just no comparison.

Regards,

Alex.

[H]

@hermitage59 said:

Spartacus.
Check your weapon!
Regards,
Alex.
[H]

Sorry - that was Dirty Harry actually. Right State - wrong city. [:O]ops: [:'(]

Mighty Thor is leaving out the main point concerning room tone in VSL vs. EW - of course VSL has room tone since it is physically impossible not to, however it is a minimized or dry one, which can be covered or altered by reverb. Unlike EW which has it as a main feature and is "Frozen" within it..

@cwillsher said:

So, mighty Thor, tell us how I should eliminate the room sound from QLSO?
You must have a 'tweak' for that? [[;)]]

Which one was mighty Thor - the tweakhead or the dickhead? In all this excitement, I forget how many shots I fired.

#1 Tweakhead or Dickhead ? Can I be both PaulyBoy ? I guess since I am critical that would make me a dickhead...sounds like you should just buy the upgrade and be happy...

#2 I don't own QLSO because I think the sound sucks...but what Doug (again I am not a fan of his, he is a dickhead just like myself) said in his forum was very spot on, if you like it or not.

#3 I am happy that Pauly works on projects that require dry Orchestras ...good for you ! When I use Orchestras I usually try to make them sound like...ah...AN ORCHESTRA and I don't think I have yet to be asked to deliver an Orchestra with a Livingroom as a space - I bet you that most of you use Altiverb Concertgebouw or similar Reverbs everytime you work , so why not have a nice roomsound within the sample - trust me, a big part of the warm orchestra sound (that vsl is missing) has to do with the Hall its recorded in and you cannot make that up afterwards !!! If you can - post a demo - I haven't heard one on this forum.

@William said:

Mighty Thor is leaving out the main point concerning room tone in VSL vs. EW - of course VSL has room tone since it is physically impossible not to, however it is a minimized or dry one, which can be covered or altered by reverb. Unlike EW which has it as a main feature and is "Frozen" within it..

well, how many times do you need an Orchestra with no Hall sound - are you gonna record 80 people in your bathroom - come on !!

@Thor said:

Room sound...its not a matter of taste, its a fact - its there ! It's a matter of taste if you like it or not...but its there. At this point I have found EQ and reverb settings to deal with it but it can be annoying

if you're concerned about room sound, then EWQLSO would certainly not be for you - it's bigger, much bigger and it stops me from getting the more intimate sounds I need at times for more modern scores. Whereas, with Altiverb etc. we are able to place VSL in any space we choose.

So, mighty Thor, tell us how I should eliminate the room sound from QLSO?

You must have a 'tweak' for that? [[[;)]]]



WOW ! All you guys all want Orchestras with no Room - Next time I record an Orchestra - I will ask them to be in my livingroom, so that I can add my own reverb later...

Come on guys - we are not talking about gtrs or perc or drums....we are talking about an Orchestra...think about the funtionality !!

And as far as I understand, QLSO has 3 different mic positions, right ?? If that doesn't give you any flexibilty....


But hey why is everybody going so crazy over that remark - Doug had some good points that make sense to anybody that actual is working as a composer...

[[[;)]]]

@Mattias Henningson said:

Room sound...of course it's there and I actually think that's a good thing as recording the instruments completely dry would have ruined the sound. The room is just not as dominating as if the samples were recorded in a concert hall. For me the small room gives more possibilities as I'm also using VSL for other things like pop etc where a concert hall ambience just wouldn't work as well (In My Very Humble Opinion). [:)]

/Mattias

Actually this was the selling point for me. When a sample is recorded in a reverberant acoustic then that is the sound you will always get. What I like about VSL is that I can make it sound big, small, reverby (is that a word?) or dry. It's up to me.
DG


I'd like to hear your Big sound - !! The VSL is great at smaller classical sounding stuff...but big ?? no way - From all the demos on this forum not one of them sounds like a big/warm orchestra like the LSO...and its good that way.

[:D]

... time will tell if it actually holds up...and also, you can't make everybody happy. Look at my first post - I agreed with somethin Doug had said and next thing you know, I am called a Dickhead...

The first one to get VI will report - either smiling or crying...

Like I said in another post - I think this new development is a great step forward and will lay groundwork for other great developments that will come in time.
I personally think its not there yet.

And for those of you who like to work step by step, so start with your violin for example...ramtimize it, move on to the next...etc...you clearly haven't been in the position of needing to pump out 20 minutes of produced and mixed music in one week (and address insane changes) - because you simply can't work like that...and for those who are in the position of having to do that, the VI won't work out...unless you dedicate 3 G5's to it, so that you can load everything in.

Price wise...well, I think its too steep. Sue me. I have spend my money on VSL first and Pro and another $6000 (roughly) - Sorry, I can't justify it. And I am not knocking it.

To Dietz and the VSL Team:

I envy the experience of sitting in a chair and reading all these posts...you guys must be laughing all day long...people get soo crazy about this...
I jumped on your library as one of the first, simply because I always felt that you are a great team of confident "know your sh&t" kinda people...and i haven't changed my mind about that.

About my criticism...I am just playing devils advocate but I do have sincere criticism that I constantly discuss with many other prof composers who think very much alike me. In this day and age, anybody that can afford a computer calls himself a composer and posts stuff on the forum - its very hard that way to actually post concrete criticism without loosing the thread after some nitwit throws in his 2 senses and drags the "conversation" to the ground.

I will see you guys at Namm, and you will be able to put a face on this bad boy. And I would love to talk to you a bit about what I think is not so great...I won't tell you what's great, because you hear that all day long - especially at Namm, because you guys will steal the show with the VI - you know that , don't cha ?

Best,

Thor

Since tons and tons of sessions with orchestral instruments (say strings) have been done in Rooms over the last 75 years, VSL is the ideal sounding library for such. I don't know any Frank Sinatra records done with the LSO in large halls. Or Usher for that matter.

Very silly argument. I've done strings arrangements for well known artists and they were completely floored by the sound of VSL's strings: which were not generic pads or high string lines but linear polyphonic full sections. It would be totally inappropriate and unprofessional to deliver the parts married to some hall verb - I mean it just wouldn't work.

@dpcon said:

Since tons and tons of sessions with orchestral instruments (say strings) have been done in Rooms over the last 75 years, VSL is the ideal sounding library for such. I don't know any Frank Sinatra records done with the LSO. Or Usher for that matter.



Very silly argument. I've done strings arrangements for well known artists and they were completely floored by the sound of VSL's strings: which were not generic pads or high string lines but linear polyphonic full sections. It would be totally inappropriate and unprofessional to deliver the parts married to some hall verb - I mean it just wouldn't work.

I do know of LSO sessions for Usher and Brandy, Celine Dion and such...sorry !

So I guess you have also delivered roomy horns...flutes...to those...

I don't think that one library can serve all masters - if you want to do dry sounding stuff...the VSL is great, I agree...but if you want to do Lord of the Rings...the dry sound in fake reverb is not so great and it would be better to use a library that has a hall recorded with it - which is why we all buy every library out there...

A good example is Sonic Implants - they have a great Room sound, still flexible and not too wet - but enough to make the strings and horns sound warm...I know a lot of people that use those in pop and RnB...and they are standart for TV Composers..

@Another User said:

A good example is Sonic Implants - they have a great Room sound, still flexible and not too wet -

SI are nice enough but really don't compare to VSL for the most part. Sometimes they can be laid in to fatten things up but I stopped using them.

VSL is the best library for executing musical ideas that stem from the Classic literature or composers from that school such as Goldsmith or Williams. A big sound may be nice but it's the sound and behavior of the instruments I'm interested in. A good engineer won't have any problems placing them in any number of environments - why be limited to 1 2 or 3?