Vienna Symphonic Library Forum
Forum Statistics

200,887 users have contributed to 43,216 threads and 259,147 posts.

In the past 24 hours, we have 2 new thread(s), 9 new post(s) and 59 new user(s).

  1. Home
  2. Sample Libraries
  3. Vienna Instruments Libraries (legacy)
  4. The Basics

  • The Basics

    C
    C
    I just purchased and installed Special Edition. Nothing tells me how to import the samples into Logic Pro (7.2), and Logic Pro isn't any help either - it says refer the VI manual.

    I went through the installer tutorials, including mapping to the folders that hold the VI instruments. I also watched the basic online tutorial on how to use the VI Instruments Standalone (which is no help because I'm trying to import these sounds into Logic, and neither Logic nor the VI manual give you ANY indication how these two pieces of software have any relationship to each other.)

    Classic example of manuals being written from the world view of the informed, instead of thinking what somebody without any background in this would need to know (i.e. the people who actually need the manuals). It's like trying to find the interstate entrance in New England - "If you don't know how to get there, you don't belong there."

    I'm also experiencing all kinds of crackling and latency, having simply installed the samples, without having plugged any of them in to a Logic Pro track - seems like I'm scraping the bottom of my memory without having done ANYTHING yet. (Macbook Pro 1.86 GHz, 2GB DD2 Ram).

    Help?[/img]
  • K
    K
    Hi CF,

    In Logic, go to the track I/O where you'd normally open an instance of EXS24. Click there, and do

    Stereo>AU Instruments>VSL>VIenna Instruments

    That'll open the VI player, and all of your activated instruments will appear in there.

    - Kerry
  • C
    C
    The only option given to me under AU Instruments is DLSMusicDevice. VSL or VI does not appear as an option.
  • D
    D
    Sounds like you didn't install the audio unit version of the product. Check the following folders and see if you have a file called viennainstruments.component in one of them:

    /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components
    ~user/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components

    This file needs to exist before Logic can use it. If it is not there, then reinstall the VI and make sure you install the audio unit.

    If it is there, then run the audio unit validation program which is part of Logic. It will check that it is installed correctly and if not will disable it. There is also a way in Logic to see your list of installed audio units and see if it has disabled any of them. But if you aren't seeing anything but DLSMusicDevice then Logic is not seeing any installed audio units.
  • C
    C
    The VI audio unit version is correctly installed in the folders where you said to look. I cannot find anything in the Logic Pro manuals about running an "audio unit validation program". if there is such a thing, once again they are keeping it a secret.

    Let me know if you know the secret.
  • K
    K
    In Logic's menu bar,

    LOGIC PRO>PREFERENCES>Start AU Manager

    Logic will then scan your audio units. You'll see VI in the tree, and if it doesn't auto-scan it, you need to check its box so that Logic will validate it. Once validated, it will turn up in your track as a possibility if you follow the path that I set in an earlier post. You should be running the AU Manager every time you add a new AU or virtual instrument, it's really not a secret or anything buried deep within Logic.

    Learning Logic, and installing new software or instruments, can be really frustrating -- we've all been there. But this board is a friendly place, with a LOT of really helpful people. As a general rule, you'll attract more flies with honey than with vinegar... so you might want to ratchet up the friendly dial a bit. Good luck with the rest of the install.
  • C
    C
    I am able to open VI's stand alone software and hear the samples.

    I have no idea what the "AU Manager" is and nothing in the Logic Pro manuals give any indication of such a thing (continously curious to me how all these manuals are written for those who don't need them). Can you tell me how to find and run this AU Manager that seems critcial to getting started, since Logic Pro and VI apparently don't seem to think it's necessary to mention it (and yet they tell you to read the manuals cover to cover...)?

    Yes, the Vienna Instruments component is in it's correct folder. I've restarted the computer and all the software a dozen times. The syncrosoft license is installed and operating correctly and is the latest version as of yesterday.

    If you've got other ideas of why this won't work, let me know. I'm burning up a precious weekend on something that ought to be brain-dead easy to do.

    I've also got the MacProvVideo DVD tutorials for Plug-ins and for EXS24 (Martin Sitter's group). What a joke. They explain all about the complex conversion of non-native instruments like AKAI, and completely ignore telling someone how to connect VSL to Logic Pro. Again, assuming it must be too easy (who do they think buys tutorials?).

    Very frustrated over what should be a very simple process.

    Help??
  • C
    C
    Kerry,

    Just saw your post. I'm not frustrated wth people on this forum - you and others are being VERY helpful. But I'm deeply frustrated over manuals that software developes insist that you read cover to cover that have no basis in reality. Example - look in either the paper manual or the online version and type in AU Manager. There isn't a single reference to it - not even in the glossary. No mention of it that I can find in anything related to installing third-party plug-ins either. Yet you're telling me that I should run it every time I install a plug-in. Seems like fundamental information that ought to be part of the "step 1, step 2" process of installing a third-party plug-in. But the Logic Pro manual doesn't mention it (along with dozens of other extremely basic things).

    If I had time, I think I could make good money putting together a tutorial that does not approach the subject of digital music from an expert's view of the world. I thought was the whole point of manuals. Turns out the manuals are there to show newbies how dumb they are, not to actually help them.

    So thank you for standing in the gap and helping me!

    FYI -still no sound after running the AU Manager that Logic Pro secretly hid in the software and made no mention of in their manuals.... [:(]
  • C
    C
    After 7 hours of guesswork (including reading the mahual, doing all the tutorials), I've finally got my new VI Instruments to show up in Logic Pro - nothing in the manual or tutorials seemed to lead me there. I can finally also attach an instrument to a track (again, zero info in the manuals or video tutorials on how to actually plug an instrument in and use it).

    I'm getting sound on about 50% of the time, usually with a lot of crackling. It appears that with just a violin matrix in one track (optimized), a cello in another track (optimized), and the Logic Pro Yamaha Piano in three other tracks, that I'm blowing out the 2 gig of RAM. Is this possible? The VI plug-in manager shows 350MB free.

    Before I bought VSL I read on this forum that someone was doing much more than that on a MacBook Pro with the same configuration (1.86gHZ, 2 gig SDD2 Dram), or I wouldn't have moved ahead. I can't afford three computers to run 10-15 tracks - right now it appears I can't run five tracks with only three separate instruments on one computer.

    Help?[/i][/list]
  • C
    C
    The problem seems to be very specific now. Everything runs perfectly as long as there is no VI Instrument in the project. As soon as I add just one VI instrument the crackling starts and within 5-10 seconds I lose all audio on all tracks. Even removing the VI Instrument deosn't restore it (I'm only using the Bosendorder - optimized at 2MB).

    As soon as I close this project and open any other project without VI Instruments - again - no problems. And the plug-in manager tells me I've got 1074 MB in free RAM.

    Help?! I'm getting killed on my time management. It's 2007 - shouldn't take 16-24 hours to install a piece of software.[/i]
  • D
    D
    Crackling problems are usually solved by increasing the audio buffer size. This increases the latency and gives more time for the software to compute results from your plugins. There is a tradeoff between latency for better playback and latency for better responsiveness to striking the keyboard and hearing that sound in real time. If you are just playing back and don't care about real time responsiveness, then set the buffer size to a large value (say 1024). If you want real time responsiveness then set it to a lower value (e.g., 256). But you need to adjust it depending on your instrument selections and real time performance requirements.
  • C
    C
    My buffer is at 1024. Crackling isn't the only problem. Once the crackling starts (usually 2-10 seconds into the piece), dead silence on all tracks follows within 10 more seconds. Once that happens it is obviously locking up all the memory because even backing out the VI Instrument and replacing it with a Logic Pro piano does not bring back the sound. I have to close out of Logic Pro completely.

    Any project I have that uses only Logic Pro and other third party plug-ins works flawlessly. Once I introduce just one VI Instrument the whole project crackles, then loses sound, even though the plug-in manager is telling me I've got 1075MB of free RAM.

    I appreciate the help - any more suggestions?

    Thanks in advance.
  • D
    D
    Well, I don't understand what is going on with your sound stopping.

    But I also wanted to point out that AU Manager is described in gory detail in the New Features in Logic Pro 7.2.pdf that ships with the Logic Pro 7.2 update.
  • D
    D
    Another thought is maybe disk streaming is causing your problems. Are the VI samples located on your system disk? If so how fast is that disk? And VSL recommends using a fast (7200rpm) external drive for streaming VI samples.
  • C
    C
    My VI Instruments are on an external hard drive (not my system drive) - Western Digital rated at 7200 rpms, 8mb cache.

    BTW - I always assume any "New Features" pdf is for people who already owned the software and wanted to see what has changed since they bought it. I wrongly assumed that any new features would be found in the manual - turns out they're not. I'm not sure that is a bad assumption (why put out an updated software without an update manual?), but it's nice to know I can find the reference. Thanks.

    Any more suggestions or do I cry uncle, get my refund, and go with dripping wet East/West samples? Ugh, would hate to do it, but drippy finished projects are better than no projects at all.
  • D
    D
    The new features aren't in the old manuals because they don't update the printed copies until a major revision (e.g., version 6 to 7). Point updates always get a pdf that describes new features.

    I have no new suggestions.
  • C
    C
    Still having the same problem today. With no Vienna Insturments installed, everything works fine. Plug in just one VI and it freezes up almost instantly.

    Setup - 1.86gHZ Dual processor (MacBook Pro), 2G SDD2 DRAM, Logic Pro hosted on internal drive, VI hosted on external drive (7200 RPM, firewire 400 - 800 is not available with this early version MacBook).

    Following is the system requirements from the VSL.com site. My setup is faster/bigger than all minimum requirements by half.

    Apple G4 1 GHz (G5 or Intel Core Duo processor recommended)
    with Mac OS X 10.4 or higher

    * 1 GB RAM (2 GB recommended)
    * VST (OS X, Win XP) or AU (Mac) compatible host (also works stand-alone)
    * DVD drive for installation
    * Fast separate harddrive with 80 GB free space for Special Edition
    * 88 key master keyboard (highly recommended)
    * ViennaKey (Vienna Symphonic Library USB Protection Device)
    * Syncrosoft License Control Center 5.2.6.4 or higher

    Help?
  • C
    C
    Dont give up yet CF - other people have reported similar problems in this forum and VSL's tech staff have been very helpful. I'm sure they will advise you if the problem persists.
  • C
    C
    Just went back through the VSL official system requirements. It calls for a minimum 1gHZ processor, mine is a 1.86gHZ Dual core. It also calls for a minimum 1g RAM, I have 2g RAM, and it recommends a "fast" external hard drive. Mine is 7200 - fastest available recently.

    I understand I might have to optimize, pull some tricks, bounce some things here and there, etc., until I get my next machine with 3-4G of RAM. I'm okay with that. But right now, with double the minimum system requirements, I'm unable to plug in a single highly optimized VSL Instrument (i.e. Bosendorder optimized to only 2MB of RAM, showing 1,074 RAM available). The system starts crackling before I even play the track, and hoses up in the first couple seconds. This with only one instrument.

    Just wanted to emphasize I'm not looking for Nirvana on 2Gigs of RAM. Just looking to be able to struggle along, plug in 6 or so instruments, have the system hose up on me once every 15 minutes or even more often, optimize every instrument, etc., but still be able to work. So far, I'm unable to do anything.

    Here's the whole system I've got in place:

    1.86gHZ Dual Core MacBook Pro - Firewire 400 (early version of MacBook didn't have firewire 800).
    2G of RAM
    MOTU Ultralite I/O interface.
    7200 RPM, 8MB cache external Western Digital HD - 500G for VI Instruments.
    Logic Pro loaded on the native hard drive (180G).

    Tried piggybacking the hard drive thru the MOTU (MOTU plugged directly into the single Firewire slot), and the reverse (external HD plugged directly into the single Firewire slot - MOTU piggybacked behind the HD drive.)

    Help?