@orchestranova said:

...I must say I am getting a bit sick and tired of VSL's secrecy when it comes to informing their loyal customers of future products. Carrying on like this will only detract customers and steer them towards other competitors who have adopted a much better, modern approach....especially when VSL's products are so much more expensive and becoming more and more outdated in comparison!

To be fair, when you see what happens on other forums when developers make early announcements about products, I think VSL's approach is reasonable. Premature announcements can also play havoc with your cashflow as customers can delay purchases. I recently chose VSL as my main platform when returning to music after looking at these competitors with a "much better, modern approach". I did this because I just want it to work without endless limitations, bugs and fix-ups, and to work well and to sound great - which it does. And I'm one of those who really likes the dry sample + MIR approach.

I believe the main challenge VSL faces is to assemble its vast array of samples and software in an entry level bundle that competes with the newer "out of the box" products. It's all there, not just in one simple plug and play quick process for the impatient (or inexperienced).

I would like to see a first chair + modular divisi string section library packaged like Dimension Brass, but for the time being quite happy to layer Solo, Chamber and Orchestral strings in VI Pro 2. The current possibilities and options are endless with VSL, and perhaps that's the only real challenge. Outdated? I can understand people thinking this but when I dig deep into performance matrices, MIR, VE Pro, VI Pro, Vienna Suite - I don't think so!

Well, I think some of these posts are just a little too self important if you ask me (to say the least). I think VSL is choosing the policy that is right for them, and that's fine by me. As for their products being outdated? (What?) I could have bought other libraries becuase I want proper divisi to work with but the trade off in flexibility and sound quality was just not worth it - I'll wait or go without. That's just strings, as for the rest - what on Earth are you talking about "dated" "expensive"??????

VSL, you've done so well, changed so many people's lives so much for the better with such truly future proof products - keep doing what you do best - we'll wait.

By the way, it doesn't hurt to read between the lines a little. If VSL was NEVER going to do another string library don't you think they would say "No string library for the forseeable future". The fact there is silence is telling in and of itself, yet non committal. And with people like some on this forum - I don't blame them! [:P] Afterall who wants to be caught between a deadline and some of you folks!

Wow guys - chill!

Why do you think I am expressing my frustrations? Because I don't like VSL and don't wish to support them and use their products in the future? Of course I do! I'm just saying that it can be frustrating, as a customer, to not have a clue what is going on when you are in the market for new libraries and so badly want to stick with a developer you trust (VSL!). I am not saying I wish for VSL to disclose release dates on future products....just some rough plans as to what they are intending on doing! That's all! I think the OP can see where I'm coming from here...

Regarding my "expensive" comment ...I am merely stating the obvious! I guess I take back the term "outdated" - VSL's samples sound great and they haven't needed to update their samples due to the brilliant VI Pro.

If VSL were planning on releasing a plug-in version of MIR / future libraries from the Dimension series / etc. it would be great if they could let us know...it's things like that I would appreciate... 

I will repeat again. I don't need a lot of details. I would Just like to read a YES or NO answer to my simple question, which is :

Will we see any new VSL Orchestral Sample Libraries in the near future ?   

Also note that I deleted the (WHEN) from my question, to make it even easier for VSL to provide a very general statement/reply ... Simply YES or NO. That's all I need for now, and will be content with that type of answer.

So far, VSL has decided to keep me, and possibly other loyal customers in complete darkness. Which I don't really think is a good/helpful strategy. 

Hopefully some one from VSL will write something on this thread, and let us feel that they are still in touch with us as loyal customers, who just want to know that they are going forward in the area of Orch. Sample Library development. 

I hope my request is not interepreted as 'Asking too much from VSL' , since I have purchased quite a number of their libraries, and their other non-sample based products, and would like to continue purchasing *NEW* VSL Orch. libraries, whenever they are made available.  

But .... At this point in time, I'm in complete limbo as far as knowing, or getting some general feedback from VSL, regarding if they will continue offering NEW Orch. Sample Libraries in the near future   [*-)]

Thanks,

Muziksculp 

Don't you think VSL might have *their* reasons for not revealing timetables or details ahead of time? Maybe those might be very valid reasons that they don't want to discuss for reasons of their own. I look at it this way - so far they have delivered, frankly if you think about it, products beyond our wildest dreams 15 years ago and then some - and it's worked out pretty good - so I am inclined very much to give them the well-deserved benefit of the doubt in this case. I can imagine the reasons why they might do this there are many. There is also another (among many others) company who tended to keep developments close to the chest and for good reason and that is Apple under Steve - and I always thought that was an incredibly smart way to play things and worked out well for that company as well whatever critics may say (and there will always be critics). The fact is that in the corporate world where you have unique strategies and technologies it's naive to think you can just be open about it and still remain commercially viable. There are no dobut real world considerations, as well like I mentioned, it just simplifies your relationship with your customer and that is a good thing - "this is what we have, when we have more, we'll tell you". There's no room for ambiguity, hurt feelings, disappointments, or delays that result in all kinds of anger. I'm just guessing at possible reasons, those two seem plausible enough to me to warrant their policy on their own, I'm sure there are plenty more I can't think of just now.

The proof is in the pudding. Know them by their fruits as the saying goes: Does VSL care about it's customers? Have you tried their products? Incredibly complex libraries and software that *works*. I say VSL cares very much about it's customers that's based on a decade of experience and observation.

OK, having had a strong business background from a previous part of my life:

There are many excellent reasons why VSL cannot reply to these kinds of questions, nor - IMO at least - should they.  VSL has chosen the business model of silence, and that is that.

For one, if they were to announce, "We are currently working on the mostest brilliantest fabuwonderous strings library the sample world has ever seen...

All I will say is remember not too long ago when one certain company announced in advance a particular library, a certain "compass directional" company immediately announced far in advance their own competing library of the same type?  What was the likely end goal: to impact sales of that first company's library by encouraging people to wait to see if the "compass directional" company's forthcoming product would be better.  That second announcement by the "compass directional" company did impact the publicity of the first company as it got many people talking about the second company's forthcoming plans, to the detriment of the first company.

If the competition does not know what VSL is working on (which they would if VSL publicized it), those other companies, won't be able to try to circumvent things, etc.

Howver much one may wish for an announcement, it likely will not be forthcomng.  IMO, one of the secondary ways VSL has been able to stay "on top" as it were, is that the competition has very little idea of what VSL is actually doing.

Here is a quesion,

say tomorrow I buy the solo violin and the chambers strings, to complete the strings sections,

And then a month later they release a new library. if they would anounch such an upgrade path, I think many people would buy current library knowing they will not just loose thier investment, therefore, there would be some sort of credit for owning legacy products towards the new library .

@mazeka said:

Here is a quesion,

say tomorrow I buy the solo violin and the chambers strings, to complete the strings sections,

And then a month later they release a new library. if they would anounch such an upgrade path, I think many people would buy current library knowing they will not just loose thier investment, therefore, there would be some sort of credit for owning legacy products towards the new library .

Historically there always has been some credit towards new libraries, if there is an overlap of samples. You could only lose any perceived investment if the older product stopped working, which it won't. Therefore the only thing that you are facing is having to pay for something better than you already have. A bit like buying a new car, even though the old one works fine, and coincidentally works just as well as it did when you first bought it.

However, if you need something today then you should get it. If you want to wait "just in case" you don't really need it in the first place. [;)]

DG

Ya but remember the old car can be traded in :)

Hello,

Well ... As you can see, so far, there is zero feedback from VSL to my question.  

Complete silence from VSL .  Not a breath of fresh news or a hint of what's happening in the area of New Orch. Libraries from the wonderful people in Vienna !  City of music, and culture.  

Oh.. Well,   

All The Best to VSL's Development Team, whatever you are working on,  I'm sure it's something very BIG, and Exciting  !!!!

Cheers,

Muziksculp 

@mazeka said:

Ya but remember the old car can be traded in 😊

And you can sell your older product, if you want to...

DG

 If there is an August discount for the student it will be hard to resist for the Orchestral Strings.  [:D]  I have Appassionata and Chamber,  I miss an ensemble size between them...

But everyone is talking and requesting new orchestral strings...  I find it a little bit risky to buy the orchestral strings in a near futur.  [:D]

@DG said:

And you can sell your older product, if you want to...

DG

Maybe VSL is very busy working on the intergration of Logic pro X and VSL [;)]

Logic X is normally due for the 6 of september as the French tutorial will be available at la FNAC (big French shop) on the 6th,

see :

http://livre.fnac.com/a4061968/Jean-Louis-Hennequin-Apprendre-Logic-Pro-X-techniques-fondamentales 

and

http://livre.fnac.com/a4061971/Jean-Louis-Hennequin-Maitrisez-Logic-Pro-X-techniques-de-pro

Sorry the link is in French

On the 6th there is also an Apple special event [;)]

@DG said:

And you can sell your older product, if you want to...

DG

 Yes, really. Contact VSL and they will talk you through it.

DG

I'm hoping to see just two things from VSL in the near future:

1 A "Dimension Strings" package with Solo/First Chair plus modular divisi sections that can be layered. While I can do this already to some extent with solo, chamber and orchestral plus VI Pro 2, three chamber strings sized ensembles plus solo would be a good competitor to something like LASS. Again, by transposition and mixing articulations I could probably do this already with solo and chamber strings, but "ease and convenience" would be good, particularly for VSL newcomers.

2 An "Orchestral Sketch Pad" package, a kind of "Special Edition with baked in MIR" entry level product for quick set up and again ease of use, particularly for newcomers and to compete with the likes of Albion and Orchestral Essentials.

OK, I'm being selfish - when I compare VSL with LASS, Albion, OE, CS and 8dio Adagio I still come back to my complete VSL set up and think "why would I bother when this is all so much more flexible, functional, stable and complete". The other thing is that all of these other packages seem to have limitations since they're built to a price. BUT, sometimes it would be nice to take a few more shortcuts and go "straight to that total sound", and it might attract a few more less experienced folk into the VSL approach where they can grow with it as they gain more experience without hitting the others' limitations and then having to look elsewhere.

Anway, just my Sunday afternoon rambling. For the time being, I'll just keep putting in the work and getting the great results [H]

 NO STUDENT DISCOUNT THIS MONTH FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

Wow ... Finally !  You answered my question [:D]

It's Great to see VSL Dimension Strings Announced. and Dim-Violins already available for purchase. 

Thank You, and Congratulations to VSL for moving forward and offering their Next Generation Strings Libraries .  

Looking forward to buying the early special offer, and eager to hear the rest of the Strings family when they are available next year. 

Cheers,

Muziksculp