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  • We are so naïve about VSL prices

    I was just wondering about my attitude in front of the VSL prices and about what I can read sometimes. 

    Just look at that : 36 520 users on the VSL community. Lets say each user has spend 5000 euros for his sounds ( some of course have spend less, others much more ).

    And now, surprise ... 36 520 x 5000 = 182 600 000 euros ... is this enough to record corectly instruments ???

    That's all.

    David.

    PS : Nevertheless, I work with the full VSL library !!!


  •  He, he, that would be really great, but reality is a unfortunately a different one. Majority of the users owns a Special Edition standard library (or the forerunner Opus 1). Thousand of users also do have just VE PRO or a few download instruments.

    And finally you have to take in account that only a fraction of the list price is money we actual recieve (distributorand dealer margins etc. have to be deducted)

    So unfortunately (from our perspective) you have to shift the decimals in your calculation a little bit.

    best

    Herb


  • Well, I hope their numbers are high enough (and go higher) to invest in the equipment/studio/fantastic musicians they use/pay the staff/Herb enough to make for a comfortable living ... so that they'll want to continue doing all this. By the way Herb, I'm still waiting for my extended solo strings codes from the promo. Sent a note to tech yesterday..... I REALLY want to get going with these .... so that I can buy more in the future of course !

  • Hi Titi

    I don't know whether you are employed by somebody or if you are a self-employed business man.

    But let us try to produce such a Library now to understand what it could cost.

    Further: Let us take an averrage of 60EUR per hour for doing these highquality works.

    (I assume that VSL takes professionals from Austria/Europe and not from Taiwan, China etc. )

    In case of the Dimenson Brass (68`000 samples) I see the following scene:

    • 16 musicians, each has to be payed for a "two week recording session" (minimum I believe) 16 x 42h x 2weeks >>> 1350h à 60EUR >>> 80'000.- EUR
    • 1 Recording Ing. 60 EUR  42h 2 Weeks  84h >>> 5000 Eur

    we get 68000 Samples on the DVD - so VSL recorded probably 5 - 10 times more:

    • "Selecting the best of 10" (1min. per sample?) = 68'000 minutes = 1130h >>> 68 000.- EUR
    • Optimzing an layering of the samples: 2 minutes per sample? = 136 000 Minutes = 2260h = 136'000 EUR
    • Documentations 3 weeks one man = 3 x 42h = 126 h 1750 EUR
    • producing 1000 DVDs = 10 EUR incl. Box >>> 10'000 EUR

    Just until now we have 300'000 EUR

    We didn't calculate:.

    • costs for the development
    • costs for renting VSL buildings
    • costs for advertisingthe new library in magazines etc.
    • costs for traveling around the world (NAMM etc....)
    • costs for servers and other technical needs
    • costs for all the other staff behind the samples
    • costs for new investments
    • costs for all the sellers and shops around the world
    • ...

    ... I believe that VSL needs to sell hundreds of DVDs until there is a "zero" in the till - even if one DVD costs 600 EUR.

    My own exeperience is:

    Producing and selling something and finally just getting a little profit is a very very hard job.

    Finally: We all would like to have VSL still on the boat in the future.

    So hopefully VSL also can make some profits from time to time...

    All the best

    Beat


    - Tips & Tricks while using Samples of VSL.. see at: https://www.beat-kaufmann.com/vitutorials/ - Tutorial "Mixing an Orchestra": https://www.beat-kaufmann.com/mixing-an-orchestra/
  • Thanks for the maths Beat.

    In summary your calculation is pretty close.

    I just have to point out, that  alot more time is needed to record and edit this stuff (beginning at the recording session time, which takes much more than 2 weeks for a musician). Fortunately we don't have to pay that much per hour musicians and technicians. Otherwise it would be absolute impossible to reach a breakeven.

    best

    Herb


  • Yeah i made a similar calculation once for the VSL Choir ...

    However I would prefer getting everything for free ;)

     But even more important is that they are able to  develop top of the edge samples


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    @Titi said:

    I was just wondering about my attitude in front of the VSL prices and about what I can read sometimes. 

    Just look at that : 36 520 users on the VSL community. Lets say each user has spend 5000 euros for his sounds ( some of course have spend less, others much more ).

    And now, surprise ... 36 520 x 5000 = 182 600 000 euros ... is this enough to record corectly instruments ???

    That's all.

    David.

    PS : Nevertheless, I work with the full VSL library !!!

     

     I would think there are two oversights there, I would think the average spend per user is more likely 1000 euros, and this has been over a ten year period, so a reality check on your figures would suggest  36,520 x 1000 = 36 520 000 divided by ten years = 3,652,000 turnover per year, then take away VAT, tax etc, distribution costs (retail/advertsing), down to about half of that now. So I reckon you are about 180 million out on your figures.......

    You're not an accountant are you?


  • I don't want to be unpleasant with anybody. I want to see what customers think about VSL prices. That's the reason why I wrote this provocative post :)

    I'm just surprised to see how people defend so much VSL prices !  

    I am a professionnel musician, classical and jazz pianist, composer, most of the time for orchestra. Of course, I love VSL like so many users, because of the exceptionnel quality of the instruments, I bought all ... BUT it's not a reason for me to agree with there prices. I am conscious that it's also a buisness, and for this reason I spend more than I should have to.

    Best regards,

    David.


  • Another French  complaining ! LOL

    I already wrote about that  !

    I complained :

    - about the price I will have to pay to upgrade from download Inst to the DVD Standard version

    - you get a reduced price only on the DVD Extended [:P]


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    @Cyril said:

    Another French  complaining ! LOL

     

    Yeah, that can't be a coincidence. [:O]

    DG


  • Even though i'm French, I don't agree with my compatriots (well, i'm French, so i disagree, it's a principle).

    I think you're missing the whole process, thinking that a note is a note. 

    But remember what we have : legatos, portamentos, interval performances, repetition performances ! When you play a note, there's a software choosing between tons of samples you'll never have to worry about, allowing you just to play notes. But you mustn't forget that it's this quite complex system underneath which is responsible for the overall realistic sound.

    I think you've gotten used to astonishing VSL features, as if there weren't any difference between recording a sound, and recording a sound in order to use it in a VSL library.

    Finally (after all, i'm French ("oui monsieur")), I have to say that I agree with Cyril. But I also understand that "business is business", and that you never know what tomorrow will be. So, yes, they do some commercial tricks that i quite don't like, but if you look at it, they're not squeezing us. Nor censoring us. Try to post something like that on a steinberg forum... :p. Well of course, nobody of the Steinberg team would ever answer to a silly customer like you or me. It could be the same here, it is not. And it means something.