Vienna Symphonic Library Forum
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  • Glad to be here!

    Hello all,
    I have always wanted to get into the world of the Vienna Symphonic Library, and I finally have arrived! I got the special edition, and the sounds are truly inspiring. Having never before worked with Vienna I am trying to understand some things. What exactly is the "Performance Detection" that is happening. I play using a preset, and nothing seems to change. I understand key switching between the various articulations loaded into a matrix, but what is happening automatically? I understood that based on what I played (tempo,intervals etc), articulations would change. How do I make this happen? I might be missing something fundamentally simple... Thank you!

  • Hello Ducasse.

    Congrats on getting the Cube!!

    I don't know if you've seen this site, but it has some great tutorials that explain lots things. It was created by forum member , the generous and great Mr. Beat Kaufmann:

    http://www.beat-kaufmann.com/vitutorials/index.html

    Images and audio samples are really helpful and clear.

    The site will answer questions right away and save you from having to wait for each post to be answered. However, don't hesitate to ask questions here. The VSL is amazing for the way they are more directly involved with their users than most other developers seem to be.

  • Thank you so much. I actually didn't get the cube- I only have the special edition instrument-a kind of introduction before the plunge. I think I am now understanding that "special edition" has no performance patches, and no "universal mode" matrixes/patches. It really has just the basic articulations. I think that the "universal mode" is what I was missing. Am I correct in that it is not included in the special edition instrument?

    I did check out the site you mentioned. A bit daunting at this point, but baby steps...

  • Welcome Ducasse,

    You'll see that the learning curve is not as steep as it may seem.

    We have several tutorial videos available online. Take the time to watch them, please - once you've understood _one_ Vienna Instrument, you have already understood them all! [:)]

    -> http://vsl.co.at/en-us/211/344/237.vsl


    All the best,

    /Dietz - Vienna Symphonic Library
  • Hello Ducasse,

    of course you do have Performance Instruments in your Special Edition - all the Performance Legatos you find in the Special Edition automatically detect the interval you play and give you the correct transition sound [:)]

    The "Universal Mode" is simply a great starting matrix with many articulations that are only available in the Extended Libraries of the "bigger" collections.

    But you can (and should) make use of all the features the Vienna Instruments have to offer with your collection - Performance Detection means that you can customize the VI to give you the desired articulations the way you need them.

    E.g, you can use Speed Control to switch fro Legato (when you´re playing slow) to staccatos (when you´re playing fast), or use "Velocity" as a controller to switch from sustains (when you´re playing soft) to pizzicatos (when you´re playing with high velocity) - the choice is up to you [:)]

    And Dietz is right: The Video Tutorials will help a lot to understand the system of the Vienna Instruments!

    Hope this helps!

    Best,

    Paul

    Paul Kopf Head of Product Marketing, Social Media and Support
  • Thanks Paul! You cleared up a lot. I was confused because in the video all the patches have "perf" in the name, and none of mine do in SE. I figured there was a difference, but guess not. What you said about the universal matrix makes sense. I suppose with limited articulations, that matrix would be useless. I have already figured out how to set up a speed based matrix with legato and staccato samples-very cool! Is there anywhere in the documentation where sample usage suggestions are listed? When is a good time to use the "sustain" patch etc..I am sure some people have developed some unconventional uses to compensate for limitations in the sample realm-I would love to hear about some of these. Or, how to tastefully automate portamento to certain small intervals? Thanks for the post.

  • Hi Ducasse. When programming a melody using the legato samples I've found it useful to also have the sustains available - sometimes switching over to sustain for just for one note helps the line sound more real. Adding the occasional portamento slide will also make it sound more 'live'.

    To do this I'd suggest you set up a simple three-cell matrix:

    1A Sustain
    2A Legato
    3A Portamento

    Program the melody using the legatos. When you play it back, try manually switching over to sustain or portamento on certain notes by clicking on the cell you want to hear. If you like the effect, program the switches into the sequence. You can then save the set-up as a user matrix so you can repeat the trick later! Remember that to access true legato and portamento intervals you have to overlap the notes slightly.

  • Thank you Conquer for those suggestions. It is working splendidly! [:D]