Now it seems that the strings are MUCH lower in volume that the brass, which are much quieter than the woodwinds. Also I noticed some inconsistency within instruments families: for example flute 2 seems louder than flute 1. The worst comes when experimenting with the timpani: they're so quiet compare to the real thing!
So... there must be something that I don't understand. What do I need to do to make sure that the instruments sound like in real stage conditions, so that my celli are not totally hidden behind my bassoons playing the same register, so that the balance between violas and clarinets is natural, so that flute 1 can be heard when playing with flute 2 and oboe, so that the brass are ... well ... brassy, loud and clear?
Obviously I've done some panning and depth with the VSL Suite plugins, which helps positioning the instruments, but doesn't solve the problem of dynamics at all. There must be a way to play the same note on different instruments and have them all play as loud as they would in real life.
Please, HELP!!!