@mistersynth said:

After all, our money still plays a part in enabling the company to grow and to flourish and I think we ought to deserve a proportionate slice of the progress.
Regards,
John

Proportionate slice of the progress is a wonderflly elegant phrase - but what does it mean? [*-)]

[:D] Some reduced?? use of the new system at an affordable price if/when it gets applied to the Horizon libraries.
Sorry for the confusion!
John

@mistersynth said:

After all, our money still plays a part in enabling the company to grow and to flourish and I think we ought to deserve a proportionate slice of the progress.
Regards,
John

Proportionate slice of the progress is a wonderfully elegant phrase - but what does it mean? [*-)]

[[:D]] Some reduced?? use of the new system at an affordable price if/when it gets applied to the Horizon libraries.
Sorry for the confusion!
John

No confusion John. [[:D]]

What does affordable mean? Affordable to whom? Where is the 'affordable calculator'? I can't it find it on the VSL website.

@jc5 said:

Having used and enjoyed the Bundle for some time now, I can say this - even if this is it, meaning I will never be able to upgrade beyond what I currently have.

Herb wrote somewhere that VSL Saxophones will be the first Horizon product "converted" to VI (by replacing the PerfTool with the new VI standalone player and maintaining the 16 bit samples?).

There are little doubts, to me, that Horizon Overdrive will follow almost immediately, and I would be extremely surprised to see VSL still keeping the "old" Opus 1 beside the "VI (Horizon) Saxophones".

I'm moderately sure we'll see an Opus 3. The question is: when?

[[;)]]

@PaulR said:

[[:D]] Some reduced?? use of the new system at an affordable price if/when it gets applied to the Horizon libraries.
Sorry for the confusion!
John
No confusion John. [[:D]]
What does affordable mean? Affordable to whom? Where is the 'affordable calculator'? I can't it find it on the VSL website.

Mmmm...
This is where proportion kicks in.
Maths was never my strong point [*-)] but, based on my (probably incorrect) calculations, and on the price I just paid for my bundle (Opus 1&2 and Solo Strings), in comparison to the Full Library cost, I reckon I should have access to somewhere in the region of 11.862473521264461463255662375754% of the useability of the new interface. [:D] (£728 divided by £6137 multiplied by 100) Maybe that'd equate to a background image with perhaps a single functional button and some dummy buttons to make it pretty!) [:D]
Another way of deciding affordability would be to look at my bank statement and when they've stopped laughing they'd probably give me the Full Library out of pity!! [:'(] [:D]
Well.......I can always dream, can't I? [8-)]

John

@mistersynth said:

This is where proportion kicks in.

Speaking in abstract, a "right price" simply does not exist.

For example, a van Gogh has no price: which could be the "right price" of his Sunflowers? You could search for a compromise by calculating an arbitrary value for each square inch of the painting, then adding the cost of the colors and so on. But van Gogh's inspiration, the balance and harmony of the composition, the light... which is the "right price" of those elements? Nonetheless a van Gogh gets sold at Christie's for n-millions euro, and one could argue that a price is "right" as much as the buyer is wealthy...

Said in another way, there is not a "business way" to the beauty. So, the "right price" is always related to the (theoretical) return of an investment. The price of VI SC could not be "the right price" for the most part of us, but it could be for VSL investors, an it all depends on if they aim to make the Big Money from samples industry. Remember Adam Smith: "It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, that we can expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest."

Sad to say, but it's the world we live in. IMO we should make some efforts to change it.

See also this.

At the end of the story, the crucial question is: did Herb buy a 150.000 euro Ferrari 430 selling orchestral samples?

[[;)]]

Herb rides a bicycle.

@Paul said:

Herb rides a bicycle.

Me too: this one.

[:D]

Tell Herb that Mercedes-Benz launched a 2.500 euro automatic-bike...

[;)]

I like it.

@Chinablu said:

Sad to say, but it's the world we live in. IMO we should make some efforts to change it.

I totally agree!
I've got to say though that depending where you do your business it already has.
Over the past 12 months or so, all my hard-earned but limited music-related cash has been spent in the US - with 2 fantastic companies (which to avoid upsetting anyone here shall remain nameless!)
Up to then I'd considered the US to be the centre of all things bad in terms of hard-nosed uncaring capitalism. It may well be so in other areas of commerce - I don't know - but in my experience the guy who sold me my orchestral strings samples and other sample based stuff (or licensed them to me to be correct), and the guys who sold me my Score Writing/playback package are the tops when it comes to absolute and solid customer care. And I use the word care advisedly. No other company in the whole of my life (and I'm no spring chicken) has come close - or even appears to be on the same planet, as far as I'm concerned.
I'm not saying that their products are everything that anyone could ever want, including me, otherwise I wouldn't even be here, - but in terms of a caring approach and understanding of their clients positions, I'm deliriously happy with them.
My purchase here is the first one I've made outside the US and I suppose I brought with me a kind of expectation that things would be along the same lines that I've experienced there. I hope I'm right. I may be wrong. Whatever the outcome I hope I'm as happy with the items I've purchased as some of you guys seem to be. But no matter how good the package is, if it turns out that it's going to rapidly become a dinosaur which I was tempted into buying because of a time-limited money-off offer, and that I finish up missing out on something that's so much better at a reasonably comparable price in the not too distant future, without the possibility of an upgrade which is affordable relative to my original outlay, then I'm not going to feel as happy, or as valued, or as well-treated as I have been with my US purchases.
Just my 2 cents/euros/penn'orth! [[;)]]
John

@mistersynth said:

... Whatever the outcome I hope I'm as happy with the items I've purchased as some of you guys seem to be.

Hi John,

Whatever the outcome concerning a future "Opus VI", I don't think you've made a wrong decision getting Opus 1 and Solo Strings now. Having written the manuals for VSL (and hopefully not making too many mistakes in the documentation [:O]ops: ), I naturally had to check them all out. Even if I didn't work for the company, I'd still say that Opus 1 is a very solid and useful bundle - I bought the Pro Edition myself but have to confess that I didn't use a third of what it offers in many of my pieces, and could as well have used Opus ... And I use the Solo Strings a lot because they're simply beautiful. I'm sure you'll enjoy working with those editions - and, of course, listening to your pieces then!

Cheers,
David
VSL manuals

@mistersynth said:

... Whatever the outcome I hope I'm as happy with the items I've purchased as some of you guys seem to be.

Hi John,

Whatever the outcome concerning a future "Opus VI", I don't think you've made a wrong decision getting Opus 1 and Solo Strings now. Having written the manuals for VSL (and hopefully not making too many mistakes in the documentation [:O]ops: ), I naturally had to check them all out. Even if I didn't work for the company, I'd still say that Opus 1 is a very solid and useful bundle - I bought the Pro Edition myself but have to confess that I didn't use a third of what it offers in many of my pieces, and could as well have used Opus ... And I use the Solo Strings a lot because they're simply beautiful. I'm sure you'll enjoy working with those editions - and, of course, listening to your pieces then!

Cheers,
David
VSL manuals

Hi David,

And many thanks for that reply. It's very reassuring to hear what you say. To be honest I used my ears more than my head when making the decision to buy, as agonising as that was! - and what really swayed me was the sound quality of the demos and their 'believability'- they're most impressive. I am a trained musician and have played in many orchestras and ensembles in my time and I'd be hard pushed to know that I was listening to samples much of the time!
When the packages arrive I'll have to spend less time worrying about things and get down to writing some (hopefully) incredibly sounding pieces.
I'm sure the manuals will be super - I'll contact you if they're not! [[;)]]
Once again thank you for your kind reassurance.
Best regards,
John [:D]

You're welcome!

Have a good time -
d.

There seems to be several people here thinking that a VI Opus will eventually come. While we know now that no such thing is to be suspected in the near future, I would like to hear from a VSL representative some more about what to expect of the future of Opus 1 and 2. Like, are there any plans at all for a VI Opus? I understand some things may be secret for marketing reasons, but I'd appreciate any information on this matter.
In any case the current price is great so I don't think I'll be able to resist... [;)]

Also, I consider buying the Solo Strings and face two alternatives:[list:3f3daf4685][*:3f3daf4685] Buy the Horizon Solo Strings now with 35% off. Should I upgrade to the VI Extended version later I would save 11% on the total.
[*:3f3daf4685] Buy the VI Solo Strings Standard version. And upgrade to Extended later.
[/list:u:3f3daf4685]I take it that there are fewer articulations in the VI Standard than in the Horizon version, but on the other hand that the VI has better workflow.
Say I buy an upgrade to Extended a year from now (can't afford it at the moment). Then the first year I would benefit from either more articulations and a lower price (Horizon) or smarter software saving me time and facilitating flow of creativity (VI).

How would you judge these alternatives? Any suggestions?
(I already have a sampler, so sampler price is not part of the equation)

@mistersynth said:

But no matter how good the package is, if it turns out that it's going to rapidly become a dinosaur which I was tempted into buying because of a time-limited money-off offer, and that I finish up missing out on something that's so much better at a reasonably comparable price in the not too distant future, without the possibility of an upgrade which is affordable relative to my original outlay, then I'm not going to feel as happy, or as valued, or as well-treated as I have been with my US purchases.

War of the Worlds... [[;)]]

USA are suffering a disadvantageous USD-to-euro change rate, but, I think, are also getting a stimulating hi-tech challenge from Old Europe.

In NS forums, I read a vehement critic from an american competitor of VSL, and IMO this is a good sign: if a competitor become nervous, that's good, and VSL should consider the opportunity of a "VI Opus" as this seems the best moment for it!

The more they wait, the higher the chances they will be caught up!

[6]

I'm trying to bring grist to our (poor) mill, mistersynth... [[;)]]

@nliberg said:

I take it that there are fewer articulations in the VI Standard than in the Horizon version, but on the other hand that the VI has better workflow.

You don't necessarily get fewer articulations with the VI Standard. The articulations you get are a bit different in parts, giving you a broader basic content in VI, e.g., staccato, sustained, and tremolo ponticello, or fast performance legato.

The workflow in VI is much better!

Not being an independent observer, I can't really advise you on what way to go ... but personally I think the Solo Strings are pretty cheap right now, and you can still use them together with VI standard as long as you don't want to upgrade to Extended (which won't be expensive anyway if you have Horizon). And if you're a sample tweaker, there's actually no way around the Horizon edition.

Cheers,
David
VSL Manuals

I just wish they would say if there will be an Opus VI eventually. It doesn't have to be right away as I am happy using it in EXS but don't want to order Opus2 if it is going to be discontinued with the only solution getting the Cube.
Chris

@dragonwind said:

I just wish they would say if there will be an Opus VI eventually. It doesn't have to be right away as I am happy using it in EXS but don't want to order Opus2 if it is going to be discontinued with the only solution getting the Cube.
Chris

Hi dragonwind,

You must have seen my posts on this subject up the page so you know my thoughts on the whole business.
But I ordered the bundle & Solo Strings on Friday and I installed it today and I find it stunning. [[:|]]
I hope they eventually do a VI version (if ihere's a viable upgrade path and just for the benefits of the much improved workflow)
Also returning to previous comments in this thread, I'm already glad I went for the Bundle rather than anything bigger (at this stage at least) because there are so many articulations and possibilities I'm going to have a hard enough job getting to grips with all that's available to me now. Anything more and I'd be well and truly overfaced! [*-)]
I know that doesn't help you with the dilemma of whether to go for Opus 2. So far I've only been able to have a brief listen and play around with a fraction of the available patches but sticking my neck out at this early stage I think that Opus 2 significantly increases the creative possibilities with the library as a whole and at the temporary reduced price it's certainly well worth it.
Best of luck with your decision whatever you decide.
Regards,

John