Synchron Libraries and VI Pro + MIR Pro

[inthefold]

Hi,

My questions are quite simple, but I'm having a hard time getting a grasp on them. So, here goes:

All VSL libraries I acquired and use are based on the Synchron Player, but compared to the VI Pro and MIR Pro, what are the major differences? Are there any benefits in acoustic and orchestral rendering, if I change to a VI Pro + MIR Pro setup? And last but not least, can I use my Synchron libraries with VI Pro and/or MIR Pro?

Any hints or insights on these issues would be much appreciated.

All the best, António

[jasensmith]

"can I use my Synchron libraries with VI Pro and/or MIR Pro?"

I don't think so because I think they use different file types.

As for the differences:

Think of Synchron like a prefabricated home where the walls are already sized, constructed and painted.  All you have to do is assemble the parts to make a whole.

The VI series, on the other hand, is like a stack of lumber and cans of paint.  You decide how big the walls are going to be what color they are whether or not they have windows etc. Whether the roof will be made of tiles or clay or tin or whatever,.  Will there be a pool in the backyard?

So Synchron is a more expedient approach in which you can literally "plug and play" but you're limited in things like venue and sample manipulation. 

The VI series gives you much more freedom and flexibility and you have the ability to create your own sonic environments (reverb, atmosphere, venue,etc.)

The downside to VI is the steep learning curve.  It's like learning how to play an instrument.  Subsequently it takes much more skill and patience to use it.

I don't use MIR so I can't comment on all the particulars but basically if you wanted to record your Hollywood blockbuster score in the Perneg Monastary with all the players placed on stage in their respective spots but the monastary wasn't available (because the monks are too busy with their Gregorian chants) then the next best thing would be MIR. Not to mention all the other venues available.  

[Lucy]

Synchron libraries can only be played with the Synchron player, and VI libraries can only be pl;ayed with the Vienna Instruments player.

But you can you can use either player with MIR pro, either inserted as a regular plugin or integrated with Vienna Ensemble. I often use Synchron libraries with MIR pro, first turning off off any reverb and IR's on the Synchron player.

[PaoloT]

You can turn off the IRs with Synchronized libraries. With Synchron libraries, IRs are in the samples, so the only thing you can do is to only use the close microphones. But they still contain a lot of room information.

Paolo

[Paul]

Hi, 

I'd like to add my thoughts here as well: 

SYNCHRON-ized collections are made from optimized VI samples... so they are very convenient to use out of the box, with perfect balance and placement @Synchron Stage Vienna. 

But of course you can use them just like in Vienna Instruments, as "a stack of lumber and cans of paint" (very nice picture, @jasensmith) to create music in a different sonic environment. 

For newcomers, Synchron is the way to go, for sure. 

Best,
Paul

[PaoloT]

Concerning preferences for VI or Synchron libraries, I would do a forecast before choosing a route. If you only plan to use these libraries in a very reverberant hall, with a modern cinematic quality, Synchron is the easy way. If you are looking one of the rare libraries that can be adapted to any situation (orchestral, chamber music, different types of hall) VI is still the best choice.

Paolo

[Paul]

Hi, 

Thanks for your opinion. Just saying: You can make the SYNCHRON-ized collections as dry as the VI Collections with a few clicks ;-)

Best, 
Paul

[inthefold]

Hi,

Thank you, everyone, for all the input.

Jasen, Paolo, as Paul said already, you can easily play the Synchron libraries' samples drily — actually that was of one my first questions before deciding to go the Synchron route.

Lucy, thank you especially for the pointers on MIR Pro... You've disentangled one of my main concerns with it, I now know what to expect and how to proceed.

All the best, António

[Dewdman42]

@Paul said:

You can make the SYNCHRON-ized collections as dry as the VI Collections with a few clicks 😉

Isn't it also true you can disable some of the mic channels in the mixer of the Synchron libs in order to get dry samples there too, or do the Synchron libraries actually have ER's and tails baked into them in a way they can't be isolated?

[plowman]

All mics have reverb baked in. The closer the mic, the more direct the signal. But to my ears, the room can always be heard even with the closest mike. It's the core difference between native Synchron and Vienna Instruments samples. 

[Dewdman42]

Thanks for clarifying that!  Good to know.

[jasensmith]

My apologies to you Antonio for my bloated and verbose post. If you filter out all the pretentiousness the main point I was trying to make was that Synchron is perfect if you want to create something on the fly without all the panning, reverb and technical options which can be laborious. In fact VI Pro can be a "tyranny of choice" with all the possibilities. But it's a good tyranny 8>/ And I agree with Paul that it's great for newcomers because of its ease of use and practicality. Of course, eventually you might want to take the dive into the VI series because once the creative devil inside gets a taste of the VSL sugar it's going to want more and more.

[inthefold]

Hi Jasen,

I see no reason for you to apologize, none whatsoever. This said, I'm affraid you seem somewhat mistaken about Synchron libraries... As I said in my previous reply, and Paul even before that, you can easily play Synchron libraries' samples drily... Meaning, you can easily play — it's only a matter of a few clicks — any sample from a Synchron library without any panning, reverb, etc..

All the best, António

[mpower88]

I am testing out Synchron Strings 1 and so far very impressed. VSL have been on a huge journey throughout the years, generating incredible libraries and software for the world that really no one else could have done. In my view this latest approach is the holy grail and actually represents the best of both worlds - a beautiful ready to use sound that is natural, and also flexible enough with the MID and close mics to use as a dry library. I'm a loooong time user of VI Pro, VE Pro, and MIR and I know all these libraries and software more or less back to front and inside out :) 

The Synchron Strings recorded on the Synchron stage are supposed to have the sound of that beautiful location imprinted on it *naturally*. Even then it is dry without the added reverb by way of the reverb channel in the multi mic mixer. Because all venue recordings add a touch of reverb on to the final recording (almost all). In the old days it was a Lexicon, Quantec or TC Electronic. They are creating a classic orchestral recording signal chain and process with immense flexibility.

If you want a dry sound to feed into MIR, all you need to do is turn off the Reverb channel in Synchron player, as well as the main mic (if using Decca mix) and the room mix. I've even compared the Mid Mic mix on it's own with the VI Pro samples and they are very similar sounding, just richer. I think the close mic on it's own is too dry, but if you really want that, it's there as well.

The MID mic + a bit of Close MIC fed into MIR, or even just the MID mic into MIR will be absolutely in my opinion dry enough to place in any of the locations MIR provides and not suffer at all, and also nice an efficient for your CPU. For many people, even the Main decca mic plus the MID and/or Close into MIR will also still be dry enough.