Vienna Symphonic Library

The Vienna Symphonic Library (VSL) is a producer of samples of orchestral instruments renowned for their lifelike performance and high quality. For recording the samples, VSL uses the Silent Stage, a recording studio specially constructed for this purpose. The number of recorded samples currently is about 1.75 million. The outstanding feature of VSL’s products are true legato and repetition articulations, which before were impossible to realize in computer-based compositions.

VSL’s Vienna Instruments Symphonic Cube contains a full orchestra made up of ten collections that can also be acquired separately: solo strings, chamber strings, two collections of orchestral strings, harps, two collections of woodwinds, two collections of brass (one of which includes Wagner tuba), and percussion. Of each collection there are Standard and Extended versions available: the Extended library provides additional articulations for every instrument.The Symphonic Cube (and its separate collections) is powered by a proprietary sample player, the Vienna Instrument, which uses Syncrosoft protection keys against data piracy.

In early 2008, The Vienna Symphonic Library released a product called Vienna Ensemble, which is a host software program exclusively for the Vienna Instruments that allows mixing of all the instruments in one interface. Vienna Ensemble can be used as a plug-in or as a standalone program and includes such features as power panning and template saving. The Vienna Ensemble is available in two different versions.

Vienna Ensemble 3 is a purchased product that lets users send audio and MIDI information across a network, allowing the use of multiple slave machines for dozens of simultaneous instantiations of instruments. VSL were the first to develop an audio network between Macs and PCs using an Ethernet cable and no other audio hardware. Vienna Ensemble 2 is a product that is free for all Vienna Instrument users. It does not include a network function.

VSL’s legacy products (2003-2007) such as the First Edition, Pro Edition, and Horizon Series all have been replaced by the Vienna Instruments, which are far superior due to the intuitive and fast user interface, 24 bit samples, and massive variety of content. The Vienna Instruments are designed to work in programs that support AU, VST, or RTAS. VSL has now officially released 20 Vienna Instrument products to date.

The now discontinued First Edition, which was released in 2003, was a sample library designed for Gigastudio and EXS24 sample formats. The First Edition consisted of 16 bit samples and two components, the Orchestral Cube and the Performance Set. The Orchestral Cube contained single note articulations like staccato, sustained, trills, etc., and the Performance Set contained performance elements like legato, repetitions, octave runs, etc. Soon after the release of this product, VSL came out with the Pro Edition, also discontinued, which contained additional samples.

The discontinued Horizon Series consisted of many specific products, some of which provided additional material for the Pro Edition. The Horizon Series focused on single instruments or instrument groups, e.g., Solo Strings, Epic Horns, which contained articulations of an ensemble of eight horns, Overdrive distorted electric guitar and Nylon Guitar. The Horizon Series’ Opus I and II provided a concise yet fully equipped orchestral library with solo instruments and ensembles.

Among other prizes, VSL was awarded the Electronic Musician's 2007 Editor's Choice Award for the Symphonic Cube, the Future Music Platinum Award 2006, and a TEC Award in 2006.

Criticism

Press for Vienna has complained that the installation process could be easier. "When you have instructions in three different locations, and each is a little different from the other, which one do you follow?", asks a reviewer for SonicControl.com [http://www.soniccontrol.com/reviews/details.php?ID=100] . The installer crashes very often, even on systems that supposedly meet the system requirements. If the installer encounters a problem, it deletes everything it has installed and quits; there is no way provided to install only a portion of the collection (e.g., if a user wants the trombones from a brass collection but doesn't want the Wagner tuba).

External links

* [http://vsl.co.at/ Official website]