Vienna Symphonic Library Forum
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  3. Help needed...

  • Help needed...

    W
    W
    I'm in the situation, as are many others, of trying to make the last minute decision of buying the VSL first edition or waiting on the QLSO lib. I really wish the guys at VSL would extend the deal on the first edition a few more weeks perhaps so the guys on the fence could have a fair shot at what they prefer... [8-)]

    I really just wanted to get the VSL users opinions on the library. Any comments would help thanks.

    Thanks.

    Will
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    H
    Hello Will,

    the user opinions belongs to our users.

    I just want to make some words about our pricing:

    Sorry, that some of you have difficults to make their desicions at the moment. But I hope, everybody understands, that we can't considerate of other library release schedules.
    Especially if there are no really reasonable announcements.

    Our pricing is a simple coherence with our Pro Edition release date and was announced months ago. (I personaly expected, that this time schedule would not cause these problems)

    I don't want to comment other developers public relation, but it cannot be up to us, that there are not enough user or beta demos available so far.

    best wishes
    Herb
  • W
    W
    Understood Herb...

    I realize you guys can't alter your schedule around another library. My request was a long shot.

    Thanks though...

    Will
  • H
    H
    You are welcome, Will.

    Just another words to user opinions.
    Sometimes it is difficult to get an "objective" view out of different opinions.
    Of course we are happy, when our users are satisfied.
    This is often a simple matter of taste, but sometimes also a matter of time.
    In the beginning it could happen, that you can't get the result you expected, and you are not satisfied. The other day you explore a different variation inside the library, and at the moment it works perfectly for you.

    Thats why I think, that support, especially in this forum is so important. In the beginning this job here was not on my "to do list". [:)]

    However, most important is (IMO), that all opinions are important for us.
    VSL is thought as a big developement project, also hard and software related. And the input from users is an important factor in this developement.

    There are many patches in the Pro Edition, which were user related.
    And our current recording schedules are massively enhanced by user wishes.

    Hope this helps a little.

    best wishes
    Herb
  • R
    R
    Hi Will,

    I think you get a 'feeling' from Herb's comments of why you can't go wrong with VSL (the company and HIS committment to support this expanding library for years to come.) For me the decision was based on the following:

    1. innovative tools allowing for faster (and more convincing) execution of my writing.
    2. User demos
    3. Board comments from people that can be historically 'quite frank and honest'.
    4. The President's personal involvement in what WE want.

    IMHO, hope it helps somewhat. I get my system this Fri so please know that I have not personally taken it for a test spin. I would be happy to let you know my first few days experience.

    Rob
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    C
    Will,

    Having dealt with this company now for quite sometime, i find them forward thinking and just good people trying to work a project (the largest orchestral library ever attempted by a long shot) as best they can. These people are not sample gods, they make mistakes, but they are people commited to always trying to improve their product. As Rob mentioned and as you saw, you got a quick response from the president of the company. This does not happen with in most fairly large buisness operations and this expierience was not a abberation, it goes on all the time (except the coming vacation weeks which I'm sure are well deserved). I am not only a fan of the library but of the people who make it happen. You will find faults with the lib, as with any lib, but the pure amount of usable material and groundbreaking detail and tools makes the library worth owning. My 2 cents.
  • W
    W
    Hey Guys,

    Thanks so much for your honest answers... they really help with me making my desicion... [:D]
  • I
    I
    I was deciding between ewqlso and vsl myself but decided not to wait for more ewqlso demo's and ordered vsl this morning heheh. Hopefully I won't regret anything after I hear those demo's but I don't think I will. Something that is attractive is the future of vsl with the choir and ethnic instruments etc. that Herb plans on doing. I'm really happy to be part of the vsl club, I've been acting really hyper since I placed my order, can't wait for those samples! [H]
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    @Rob Elliott said:



    The President's personal involvement in what WE want.

    Rob

    [6]
    yeah herb DON'T sell the company to some american corporation that will screw it up!
  • K
    K
    Hey Will,

    I had some anxiety about dropping so much $$ on the VSL as well, because I had been disappointed with some other orchestral libraries I had tried -- this was sort of my one last shot at getting my hands on what I had been trying to find for the last couple years -- the Holy Grail of orchestral samples. Wellll.... I have not been disappointed AT ALL. FINALLY, orchestral samples that actually sound like a REAL ORCHESTRA!!! Seriously, I'm already an addict -- the sounds are so amazing that you'll find yourself just sitting there playing with them because you can't stop listening! Hop over to the demos section, and realize that those demos aren't heavily tweaked and engineered to sound that realistic -- the sounds sound that good right off the bat.

    Anyway, just my $.02 -- I've become very skeptical of orchestral libraries and this one blew me out of the water.

    Kerry Muzzey
    NY NY
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    @Another User said:

    I was deciding between ewqlso and vsl myself but decided not to wait for more ewqlso demo's and ordered vsl this morning heheh. Hopefully I won't regret anything after I hear those demo's but I don't think I will. Something that is attractive is the future of vsl with the choir and ethnic instruments etc. that Herb plans on doing. I'm really happy to be part of the vsl club, I've been acting really hyper since I placed my order, can't wait for those samples!


    One thing you can be assured of at this time. No matter how good the demos might be for QLSO, you will not get the detail and articulations of VSL. Just pure common sense tells you VSL have been recording material for a long time now, and QLSO had to get their recording done in a few weeks.
  • W
    W
    Hey guys,

    Awesome, thanks again for the comments.... One thing that I've been noticing some people saying is that the VSL library is abit 'raw' sounding. Meaning you have to apply different effects and lots of reverb to get the samples to sound realistic and rich in ambience? True or false? [*-)]

    Will
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    C
    Mostly False,

    VSL, is meant to have reverb applied. This way you can put the orchestra in what ever enviorment you want to put it in. Any other effects you might wish to put on are certainly not neccesary and take VSL out of the straight orchestral
    realm. In other words I only apply reverb or an Implulse response to VSL and no other fx. You could try running an entire orchestral piece through a MXR distorton box but you will of course be held accountable for the results.
  • W
    W
    Ok I guess my next question would be:

    What is a good reverb to use in unison with VSL? I'm using Cubase...

    Thanks.

    Will
  • C
    C
    Mac or P.C.....how powerful?
  • I
    I
    Hey sharmy your right about the articulations. With my current samples I don't have many articulation choices and with vsl having more options is definately a good thing. With ewqlso I can't see them re booking that big hall and finding keith johnson again to record more stuff. The one and only ewqlso demo so far I thought was ok but somewhere around the same time Simon Ravn's "danny's nightmare" demo came out and I was more impressed with that. I wish ewqlso well and may be buying their percussion in the future hehe.
  • W
    W
    Sharmy,

    I'm on a PC... lets just say powerful enough... I reckon [:)]

    Will
  • W
    W
    Also, prefferably nothing TOO pricy...

    Will
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    @willmusser said:

    Hey guys,

    Awesome, thanks again for the comments.... One thing that I've been noticing some people saying is that the VSL library is abit 'raw' sounding. Meaning you have to apply different effects and lots of reverb to get the samples to sound realistic and rich in ambience? True or false? [*-)]

    Will


    Will, I want to respond to this from a different direction. For the moment, we'll put aside QLSO.

    Starting with the Roland library through Miroslav Vitous (you might not have heard of him, but we "old guys" have his samples), the early E-MU library, Advanced Orchestra, Garritan Orchestral Strings, Sonic Implants Symphonic Strings, Kirk Hunter Virtuoso Strings, Dan Dean Solo series, and now Vienna, have all been recorded "dry," meaning no room ambience or reverb was recorded with the sample. Some of these libraries, however, did and do have portions that were recorded with the ambient sound of the room (Dan Dean Brass Ensembles is one example). But for the most part, they are dry.

    This means that ALL sample libraries from the past to the present, including Vienna, need reverb.

    It's just no more complicated then that.

    For all these libraries, there's three ways to apply reverb:

    1. In the computer using the reverb with Cubase, a DSP card like the TC Works Powercore, a separate effects collection like the Waves Native Gold Bundle.

    2. An external hardware reverb unit.

    3. An impulse. Oversimplified, the impulse is the sound of a room that's been recorded. Depending on the program you're recording in, you apply the impulse to the recorded .wav file(s), and in this case, the orchestra, is now sounding in that room.

    What do you use? Well, you use the same reverb all the rest of us used when we first started - the one you have. Later on when you get more money, look at the ones I listed, and others like Altiverb, etc. which are very popular.

    Another development is that Samplitude on the PC has a real time room simulator which uses impulses. There are a number available with Samplitude and I understand from other sources.

    So you have lots of options. But for now, if you get VSL, work with what you have. There are several of us here who are Cubase users whom I sure will help you with your questions as we have already.

    So to summarize. Is VSL raw? No, like all the other libraries, it's recorded dry and needs reverb.

    Peter
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    What Peter says, about covers it. You should take into consideration that having one computer with giga and and cubase and a impulse or good verb without something like power core or the UAD card will probably really tax that computer. At that point a 2nd computer becomes a good option. An external verb places no xtra tow on a computer so it's a consideration. Just giving you info to think about.

    Sharmy
    (My handle seems to be following me 8-}

    post 100