Hello lyricperctimp
Let me first make clear first the difference between Vienna Ensemble and Vienna Instrument.
The Vienna Instrument (VI) is a sample player which is able to play the samples of the vienna libraries. It is a VSTi just as the other VSTis you got with cubase itself.
The meaning is that you open a VI for each miditrack.
Example:
midi track "Violin" gets a VI with samples for the Violin
midi track "Flute" gets a VI with samples for the Flute
midi track "Trumpet" gets a VI with samples for the Trumpet
etc.
Because the VI can't read different midi channel information you need to have the different instruments (violin - cello) separated.
After loading a Midi project within Cubase you shoud open a VI for each of these midi tracks.
If you have such VSTis (VIs) you can assign them to a midi track. So route the midi output to the corresponding VI.
Furhter you can create some "group channels". Call them Direct, Depth1, Depth 2, Depth 3,... for example.
Insert a Reverb into each of the "depth channels" with your desired depth/reverb.
You will be able to route now all the VIs through one of these group channels > The Violin through Depth1, the Flute through Depth2, ...
You see, you don't need the Vienna Ensemble so far.
The VE is a super VI so to say. It can host several VIs but the one VE is seen as one single VSTi by Cubase.
With VE you need to assign a midi channel information to each midi signal.
Within the VE you can manage which of the inserted VIs should play the midi information of a certain midi channel...
So far so good. Till now you have no more advantage with VE. Hosting VIs - that's a job which Cubase can do as well.
So why using VE?
You can save a whole String Ensemble with all samples, pannings, EQings etc. in an easy way.
Do this for the Woodwinds and the Brass as well.
If you are going to save such sections you are able to arrange orchestras in a short time later on.
But I recommend still to solve the matter with the depths within the mixer of cubase.
So you are able to route several VEs through several depths.
You could insert the corresponding depth to each register directly within the VE. But maybe you like the Chamber Strings one day
in a room and the next day in a concert hall. So if you handle the room question outside VE you never had to go inside VE for changing
the depth - which is rather a business.
One last thing: I believe that the free VE 2.0 only accepts Suite Effects.
The advantage of VEPro is that you can start and load VEs within 3 differnt computers. They all are connected by LAN
Cubase (Main Computer) can catch VEs from 3 different computers so with samples from 3 computers and 3rd party instruments
from 3 computers... You can divide the needed power for playing a symphonic orchestra into 3 systems...
It accepts not only Suite Effects and Vienna Instruments and...
Hope that helped a bit
More information about using the VI you will find here
All the best and a lot of success
Beat Kaufmann