Philosophical question

[Alban]

I heard many very brilliant demos of well-known pieces of famous composers here. I think it takes many weeks or month to make this demos. But still it is possible to hear that they are computer simulations. And existing recordings are still much better (I'm convinced). But why you are doing that? (Why not your own music, why not unknown pieces or compositions by young composers? This could help to discover new, interesting music.)

I don't understand the thinking behind making demos of Bach Beethoven, Holst, Stravinsky...

Very curious,

Alban

[JWL]

Alban, I believe these are done for the sake of comparison. If all the demos were of unknown music, then people would ask how well this library works with known masterpieces.

The intent is not to recreate historic performances of Mahler or other composers, but to show how close one might get to a finished product. Even those who have prepared the demos will be among the first to suggest that they might have done more with them.

And quality can vary from project to project with the same person. Some of my projects are better than others without trying-- so the user must decide just how much time they have to dedicate to the layers and layers of fine tuning.

Moreover, even though one might be able to tell that a demo is not a real orchestra, I'm not sure that anyone ever suggested that this library was intended to completely replace a real orchestra in terms of believability. I would assert that this library is better than other virtual orchestra libraries, and as a result the demos and projects done with them are more successful as virtual orchestra projects go... and by no small measure!!

Not everyone who uses VSL is a composer. Some are orchestrators who spend little or no time composing. There are times when an employer will want a piece of classical music when the budget doesn't provide for paying for the rights to use such music.

Keep in mind that the demos are just that- demos. Some or most all of them, in fact, are quite well done.

Sometimes, doing a known masterwork is a great way to learn the software.

Sometimes it's a nice way to immerse oneself into a score they've always wanted to explore.

Sometimes it's just plain fun. [:P]

[JWL]

Other thoughts:

How convincing one finds VSL is really a qualitative judgement apart from whether the music being produced is original or not.

What music is created using VSL by different users is really a matter of personal desire. Doing demos which are in the Public Domain also involves fewer liabilities.

[plowman]

One more item to this worthy list.

Veterans in the VSL community know how to write to the sample. It's a "wag the dog" approach. I do it all the time, but it's not good for comparative purposes. Judging a libary based on music written expressly for that library is like getting the EPA mileage rating to a car under pristine, closed-track conditions. Mocking up a previous work is like real-world driving. Shostakovich didn't write the Fifth Symphony to show off his VI-20_perf-leg.

[JWL]

So true, Plowman. I go through the "wag the dog" tap dance all the time where VSL prefers to do *this* when I want it to do *that*.

The other great thing about studying masterworks with VSL is that one can easily refer to their favorite recording for a great many reasons. Slotting in an SMF doesn't always tell the story. What sounds like steady time is rarely metronomic.

Equally helpful, I've found, has been to work with several recordings of the same work. In addition to studying ambience of different recording venues, engineering techniques, orchestral blend, etc., studying the approaches of several conductors has proven to be indispensable when the time comes to assemble one's original works with VSL.

The better one understands reality, the more effective a result one can get with virtual reality.

[JBacal]

There are many, many original compositions done with VSL on this site. Most recently you will find pieces by Bill Brown, Guy Bacos, Miklos Power, Christian Kardeis and David Heuser.

I am guilty as charged of only doing performances of pre-existing repertoire. When I used to sing in large choirs, I loved the feeling of being totally immersed in great music. Working with VSL, I often experience this same immersive pleasure.

Like a scupture, I enjoy chiseling away at the cold, hard samples until something life-like emerges. I am fascinated (obsessed) with trying to achieve truely expressive performances.

I also find it rewarding to follow in the footsteps of Beat Kaufmann and share all my midi files, presets and post production techniques so that others can (if they wish) "look under the hood" of my experimentations. Hopefully, this may be of some assistance to some people when realizing their own original compositions.

Best,
Jay

[Dietz]

@Plowman said:

[...] Shostakovich didn't write the Fifth Symphony to show off his VI-20_perf-leg.

... which is a pity, actually!

[:D]

[Alban]

Thank you for all the interesting answers!

Alban