OK. I'd like to throw out my 2 cents on my initial impressions of the VSL now that I've had a few pieces to try and throw things into. Granted, it's been but a few, and I've been working it for only a few weeks.
In general - it's very good, but it's not the best-all-around. Do I feel like I got my moneys worth? Can't really say just yet, but as of now, just barely.
When listening to the brass and comparing it to other libraries, I feel like VSL has a good balance of wet/dry, but the raspiness/"hardness" really takes me off guard sometimes. Maybe it's my keyboard, but the difference between f and ff (or ff and fff) is quite a big difference. I have to be careful, and sometimes I just can't find the right dynamic quickly.
The percussion and the strings fall into a similar situation; the *reality* is there, and it's so clear it almost makes you have to use EQ and compression to make it fit together in a mix. Example: thought the crash cymbals certainly sound real, I tended to go toward Siedlaczek's because they were thinner - they did the job they needed to do on the *mix*, which is just add a bright "whoosh". VSL's certainly were real, but seemed too "thick" or "heavy" for the mix I was trying to fit them in. Maybe my mix was funky, but I don't think so.
The strings: I've only had experience with the basses so far, and I'm a sucker for layering sample sets anyway, but I find the same situation here. It's got the best of a bit of everything, but nothing to make it obvious... let me put it this way: when I choose a sample library to use, it's like choosing a microphone. Some sounds will work with certain instruments or certain sources, but they each have unique and valuable characteristics. I'd combine an SM57 with a Royer ribbon mic to get the benefits of both, or just use one to get a sort of sound I'm looking for. VSL is like the AKG414 of sample sets. Clear, simple (in a way), generic, well presented, etc. But honestly I use the AKG414 less than other mics because I think of *character* first. Dare I call it "flat"? Such a horrible term.
Maybe I should think of VSL as the _basic_ library, and others combine with *it*. Granted, NO other library comes close to the scope and control, perhaps Siedlaczek for articulations only - I can't wait for the performance set and the pro editions.
Let me ask this: should I also be thinking in terms of EQ and compression on this stuff? I mean, as I've been learning it, the best sample libraries are the ones you don't have to do anything to to make a piece and mix really sing. Are these samples so realistic that I should *expect* to in order to have character? Is reverb something that should be expected to help this out as well?
This library is so big, and it takes many months to learn even a moderate sized one - I know I've got a lot to discover here, but I thought I'd throw out first impressions. Anybody else hear what I'm hearing?
In general - it's very good, but it's not the best-all-around. Do I feel like I got my moneys worth? Can't really say just yet, but as of now, just barely.
When listening to the brass and comparing it to other libraries, I feel like VSL has a good balance of wet/dry, but the raspiness/"hardness" really takes me off guard sometimes. Maybe it's my keyboard, but the difference between f and ff (or ff and fff) is quite a big difference. I have to be careful, and sometimes I just can't find the right dynamic quickly.
The percussion and the strings fall into a similar situation; the *reality* is there, and it's so clear it almost makes you have to use EQ and compression to make it fit together in a mix. Example: thought the crash cymbals certainly sound real, I tended to go toward Siedlaczek's because they were thinner - they did the job they needed to do on the *mix*, which is just add a bright "whoosh". VSL's certainly were real, but seemed too "thick" or "heavy" for the mix I was trying to fit them in. Maybe my mix was funky, but I don't think so.
The strings: I've only had experience with the basses so far, and I'm a sucker for layering sample sets anyway, but I find the same situation here. It's got the best of a bit of everything, but nothing to make it obvious... let me put it this way: when I choose a sample library to use, it's like choosing a microphone. Some sounds will work with certain instruments or certain sources, but they each have unique and valuable characteristics. I'd combine an SM57 with a Royer ribbon mic to get the benefits of both, or just use one to get a sort of sound I'm looking for. VSL is like the AKG414 of sample sets. Clear, simple (in a way), generic, well presented, etc. But honestly I use the AKG414 less than other mics because I think of *character* first. Dare I call it "flat"? Such a horrible term.
Maybe I should think of VSL as the _basic_ library, and others combine with *it*. Granted, NO other library comes close to the scope and control, perhaps Siedlaczek for articulations only - I can't wait for the performance set and the pro editions.
Let me ask this: should I also be thinking in terms of EQ and compression on this stuff? I mean, as I've been learning it, the best sample libraries are the ones you don't have to do anything to to make a piece and mix really sing. Are these samples so realistic that I should *expect* to in order to have character? Is reverb something that should be expected to help this out as well?
This library is so big, and it takes many months to learn even a moderate sized one - I know I've got a lot to discover here, but I thought I'd throw out first impressions. Anybody else hear what I'm hearing?
