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Horizon Series
Carlos Garza
Pro Audio Review,
May 2006
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“… Rich O'Meara, cowriter of the score commented: ‘it sounds like a real orchestra’
VSL products have potential in non-symphonic settings. For Example. I was hired to write solo cello and violin parts were to eventually be recorded with a cellist and violinist. Plans changed when they heard my mock-ups using Horizon Solo Strings. Time and money may have been factors but I like to think it was the striking quality of the samples and the convincing performance-legato programs. […]
These Horizon products score high marks in sound quality and ease of use. They are expertly recorded, beautifully played and offer exiting ways of creating realistic performances. […]”
http://mag1.olivesoftware.com/activemagazine/welcome/PAR/PAR-May-2006.asp
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Opus 2
Dave Stewart
Sound, July 2005
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“You guessed it: this is a follow-up to Opus 1, which I reviewed in SOS August 2004. Both these Horizon-series titles are compilations drawn from VSL's huge orchestral sample database, designed to uphold top sound quality and attention to musical detail while remaining affordable. Opus 2 is not a complete orchestral package, but is best seen as a supplementary volume which broadens the scope of its more comprehensive predecessor. However, with 13500 samples and a less-than-onerous price tag, the 9.3GB library deserves consideration in its own right.
VSL's fine solo violin, viola, cello, double bass, and eight-player French-horn ensemble are the star turns, appearing here performing a basic, no-frills set of deliveries. The horns sound broad, majestic, and expensive, and composers will appreciate being able to switch instantly between the solo strings' various articulations at the touch of a key.
[…] For those operating within modest budgets, the two libraries together provide a first-class orchestral package, offering a combined total of over 50,000 samples for less than a grand [British Pounds].”
5 STARS
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jul05/articles/sampleshop.htm
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FX Percussion |
„Die FX Percussion deckt mal ein erfrischend anderes Gebiet akustischer Idiophone (Schlaginstrumente) auf. Und da gibt es einige Exoten zu entdecken … Diese DVD ist für Filmmusiker und Freunde des experimentellen Sound-Designs ein Pflichtkauf.“
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French Oboe |
„… Im Vergleich zur ersten Wiener Oboe der Pro Edition ist die französische Version lyrischer und nasaler im Ton. Sie empfiehlt sich für alles klagende und solistisch empfindsame, während die Wiener Oboe im Ensemble-Klang die bessere Durchsetzungskraft mitbringt. Auch hier wieder beeindruckend, wie eigentlich immer: der Legato-Modus, von dem die Oboe ganz besonders profitiert …“
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Woodwind Ensembles |
„… Die Standardspielweisen sind natürlich alle wieder von gewohnter VSL-Qualität und lassen kaum Wünsche offen. Für mich eine langweilige Angelegenheit, wenn es nichts zu meckern gibt.“
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Epic Horns |
„Mit den Epic Horns bekommt man das Werkzeug in die Hand, um die ganz großen Kinoschlachten mit martialischem Soundtrack unterlegen zu können. […] Dynamisch decken die Hörner alles zwischen majestätisch getragen und feierlich bis zu Respekt einflößendem Schmettern ab. Alles in allem eine wirklich klanggewaltige Library.“
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Vienna Harps |
„… Harfe No. 1 klingt im Vergleich etwas zurückhaltender, vornehmer während der Mittenbereich bei Harfe No. 2 etwas präsenter ist. Somit ergänzen sich beide optimal, wenn Begleitung und Melodie auf beide verteilt werden sollen!“
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Chamber Strings
Martin Gerke
Keyboards,
August 2005
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„…Der Sound, der gerade bei kleineren Ensembles schon mal etwas Kratzbürstiges hat, ist hier sehr rund und warm eingefangen. Den richtige Hall vorausgesetzt wir man für diese Anwendungen kaum eine bessere Library finden.“
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Chamber Strings und Epic Horns
Jan Soeren Haas
Keys, Mai 2005
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„Die zwei Libraries der Horizon Series ‚Chamber Strings‘ und ‚Epic Horns‘ erweitern die Palette um die seltenen Klänge eines kleinen Streicherensembles sowie den fulminanten Sound einer achtköpfigen Hornsektion. […] Das einheitliche Konzept ist lobenswert, erleichtert es die Arbeit mit mehreren VSL-Produkten doch ungemein und erlaubt ein schnelles, ergebnisorientiertes Arbeiten, bei dem man stets je nach Anforderung einen geeigneten Patch findet. […] Außer Frage steht, der imposante und gewaltige Gesamtklang des Ensembles, der orchestralen Kompositionen den typisch bombastischen Hollywood-Sound verleihen kann. […] Dynamik und Klang der Pizzicato-Samples [Chamber Strings] sind sehr authentisch und gehören zweifellos zu den besten am Markt. […] Besonders hervorzuheben sind die seltenen Flageolett-Töne. […] Die Sounds lassen sich durch den etwas mystischen Charakter gut für klangliche Unheimlichkeiten oder zarte Naturtonharmonik-Melodien einsetzen. […]
Chamber Strings und Epic Horns sind für den professionellen Einsatz konzipiert und überzeugen mit hoher Qualität und konkurrenzlos authentischen Produktionsmöglichkeiten. Sampleauswahl, Patch-Struktur und Klangqualität zeugen davon, dass man es mit durchdachten Produkten zu tun hat. Die Möglichkeiten beim Einsatz des Performance Tools können nicht genug gelobt werden. Die einheitliche Struktur aller VSL-Libraries erleichtert die Arbeit ungemein. Die Samples klingen nicht nur beim Durchhören gut, sondern funktionieren auch im musikalischen Kontext ausgezeichnet, was gerade bei Kammerensemble-Streichern umso respektabler ist.“
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Opus1
Gary Eskow
Recording, April 2005
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“… Boy, do they sound good […] the user has a great deal of flexibility when it comes time to define performance spaces. To me, that's an extremely valuable facet of the VSL package. […] The Vienna Symphonic Library has done an admirable job of including really useful variations on their basic samples [from the Pro Edition]. These are worth digging into. Even before exploring the Performance Tool, which helps bring deeper realism to the patches, playing around with them can yield very satisfying results […] The sounds of these samples, the musicality that lies behind VSL’s proprietary playing techniques, and the way the instruments lay in tracks, are all extraordinary […] If you’re using orchestral samples in your studio work, Vienna Symphonic Library is a „must consider“ item.”
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Chamber Strings |
„… Die Besetzung ist mit 6 Violinen, 4 Violas, 3 Celli und 2 Kontrabässen sehr universell einsetzbar und auch für umfangreiche Tutti-Stellen keineswegs zu dünn angelegt. […] Die Performance-Pizzicatos tupfen mit frisch geharzten Bögen so lebendig auf die Saiten, dass man jeden Klassik-Kenner damit foppen kann. Insgesamt bekommt man einen Streichersatz mit viel Persönlichkeit in der bekannten VSL-Qualität. […] Auch Pop-Songs verleihen die Chamber Strings eine dezente Breite und natürliche Farbigkeit, ohne zu dick aufzutragen. Ergo: Wiener Kammerstreicher – wieder Hammerstreicher.“
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Saxophones I |
„… Das Beste war wie immer gerade gut genug, sodass mit Robert Bernhard ein sowohl klassisch als auch modern erfahrener Spieler engagiert wurde, zwei hochkarätige Selmer-Saxophone zu bedienen. […] … zum ersten Mal in der Geschichte, überhaupt annähernd authentische Linien mit Sample-Saxophonen zu produzieren. Computerisierte Big-Band-Arrangeure sollten sich diese Library nicht entgehen lassen.“
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French Oboe |
„… Diese Oboe wird alle Meckerer mehr als zufrieden stellen. Durch alle Vibrato-Artikulationen hindurch präsent ist ein weicher, voll-schwingender Ton, […] Die kleine Es-Klarinette in Basis-Artikulationen und die Piccolo-Flöten-Läufe sind in erster Linie willkommene Ergänzungen. – Wenn alle Menschen mit Kritik so konstruktiv umgehen würden wie die Vienna-Entwickler, lebten wir in einer besseren Welt. VSLs French Oboe ist jedenfalls die derzeit wohlklingendste und flexibelste Sample-Oboe am Markt.“
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Epic Horns |
„Nachdem das East West/QuantumLeap (EWQL)-Orchester mit seinem 6-köpfigen Hornsatz erfolgreich Eindruck schinden konnte, antworten die Wiener nun gnadenlos mit den ‚Epic Horns‘. Ganze acht Hörner verleihen dieser sonoren Einsatztruppe die im Titel beschworene epische Breite. Hollywood und Walhalla lassen grüßen. Neben den starken Dynamik-Presets widmet die VSL den programmatisch brazzig-schmetternden Fortissimos ein eigenes, sehr eindrucksvolles Preset. […] Ein einzigartig authentischer, fetter Horn-Satz zu einem angemessenen Preis.“
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Glass & Stones
Roman Beilharz
PC & Musik, Januar 2005
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„Die wohl ungewöhnlichsten Instrumente der Vienna Symphonic Library bietet die ‚Glass & Stones‘ getaufte DVD. […] Besonders wissen die ultratiefen Schwingungen der unteren Lithophon-Register zu beeindrucken. […] Klanglich gesehen ist diese Library sicher eine der inspirierendsten im VSL-Repertoire und mit ihren ungewöhnlichen und faszinierenden Instrumenten konkurrenzlos auf dem Markt.“
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Chamber Strings |
“Vienna Symphonic Library now dish up a complete string chamber orchestra of six violins, four violas, three cellos, and two double basses. The four sections were recorded separately, each contributing around 4.5GB of samples to the 18.2GB total […] If £544 seems a lot of money for a bit of detail, bear in mind that you get nearly 32,000 samples! Definitely a specialist title, but if you specifically need a chamber string sound, this is probably the best solution you're likely to find.”
5 STARS
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French Oboe
Dave Stewart
Sound on Sound,
January 2005 |
“… The oboe player delivers the full Vienna Symphonic Library complement of styles with great panache – once you hear the vivid, colourful quality of his accelerating trills, grace notes, and octave runs, you'll want to feature them in your score! […], the star attraction for me is the English horn […] An absolute joy, and with the Performance Tool facilitating the programming of smoothly contoured legato melody lines, you'd be hard pushed to know you're not hearing a live player[…]There are two more Vienna Symphonic Library releases worth mentioning in a similar vein, both costing £177 in the UK: Vienna Harps gives you all the pristine harp performances from the Pro Edition and adds 2.1GB of samples (no glissandi) played on an equally beautiful second harp; and the exotic, largely non-orchestral samples on FX Percussion , which are taken entirely from the Pro Edition.”
5 STARS
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Woodwind Ensembles |
“… If I had to sum up this library in one word, the word would be mellifluous – the liquid, flowing effect stems in part from the players' beautifully smooth delivery, but the most significant factor is the Performance Tool MIDI application, which makes legato performances sound absolutely smooth and lifelike. […] No-one with a functioning pair of ears could fail to enjoy the three flutes' long notes – they are sumptuous, tuneful, and sound great playing chords. The bassoons' restrained but poignant choral-sounding sustains also sound excellent, and their staccatos are lively and colourful. Engaging the Performance Tool for the ensembles' performance legatos has a fabulous effect; fast melody lines on the clarinets' legatos coalesce into a liquid, quicksilver swirl of notes, while the rarely-heard timbre of three unison oboes evokes the wailing of Middle Eastern reeds. […] If you want to acquire four extremely classy, luxurious-sounding woodwind sections in one convenient and not overpriced package, go for this one.”
5 STARS
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Epic Horns
Dave Stewart
Sound on Sound,
December 2004 |
“… the eight horns' sheer sonic weight and richness of timbre generate their own size and grandeur. Load the triumphantly brassy, fanfare-like schmett (blaring) samples, slap on some reverb, and voilà! – there's that heroic Hollywood orchestral horn sound that media composers crave. […] Playing these deliveries under the control of VSL's Performance Tool is like a delightful waking dream in which stumbling, one-finger melodies are transformed into fluid, soaring flights of Wagnerian majesty. […] Considering the musical expertise, time, energy, and financial investment involved, it seems fairly priced, and VSL have (as always) striven to cover many expressive musical angles …”
5 STARS
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Glass & Stones
Devon Brent
Recording,
October 2004
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“… Glass & Stones is a uniquely beautiful and haunting library that hunters of out-of-the-ordinary samples will welcome. With liberal amounts of reverb, the library comes alive in a frightening sort of way and is well suited for soundtracks.”
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Saxophones I
Dave Stewart
Sound on Sound,
October 2004
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“… The soprano's long notes are beautifully played, with a gorgeous warm tone and lyrical vibrato infusing the samples with real feeling. […] The tenor's bigger sound offers more opportunity for fruity staccato honks and free-booting blasts, but the quiet notes remain sensitively played, warm, and inviting to the listener. […] Hearing the two saxes liquidly moving from note to note with realistic slurs and slides is very gratifying – thanks to the Tool, this is the first time a sampled sax has been able to satisfactorily ‘join up’ legato notes. […] While one could quibble at a couple of other stylistic decisions (conventional trills are omitted in favour of accelerating ones; fast octave runs use chromatic and whole-tone scales rather than major and minor), the inescapable conclusion is that this is a laudable, great-sounding piece of work of enormous musical depth.”
5 STARS
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/Oct04/articles/sampleshop.htm#4
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Glass & Stones, Vienna Concert Guitar, Overdrive, Saxophones I,
Solo Strings
Martin Gerke,
Keyboards,
November 2004
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„Es fällt mir wirklich schwer, etwas Negatives zu finden. […] Die Klangqualität ist durch das aufwändige Selektionsverfahren und durch die puristische Aufnahmetechnik bei allen VSL Samples gleich bleibend auf höchstem Niveau. Wenn Sie die nötige Geduld aufbringen, sich in die Logik der einzelnen Instrumente einzuarbeiten, ist diese Library, und somit auch die Horizon Series, in puncto &bsquo;Simulation der Realität‘ konkurrenzlos. Ihre Mühe wird reichhaltig durch täuschend echte und lebendige Arrangements belohnt.“
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Solo Strings
Dave Stewart
Sound on Sound, September 2004
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“Solo Strings, in true Christmas spirit, brings the four members of the strings family together under one roof. […] The solo violin and solo cello samples on Solo Strings – I can only repeat that their samples are absolutely stunning. […] Having suffered my fair share of tired, uninspiring solo strings samples, I'm pleased to report that this solo viola is the best I've heard. […] This stately, versatile double bass perfectly complements the other three solo strings in a quartet setting. […]
Solo Strings' huge size (over 30GB) should give a good indication of its musical scope. […] a library containing arguably the best collection of solo string samples in the world.”
5 STARS
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/sep04/articles/sampleshop.htm#2
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Pro Edition & Opus 1
Interface,
September 2004
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„Wat resteert is een fantastische library, met bijzonder nuttige en adequate tools, waarbij met name de Opus 1 library een onverslaanbaar goede deal biedt. Dit is de nieuwe standaard op het gebied van virtuele orkestratie.“
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Opus 1 |
“The Vienna company created the more affordable Horizon series of themed titles. Some of these venture into non-orchestral areas, but Opus 1 stays on home ground, offering a comprehensive compilation of samples taken from VSL's Orchestral Cube and Performance Set Pro Edition. […] One big attraction is the inclusion of 'performance legato' samples for all the strings, brass and woodwind, as well as some bonus brass note repetitions and handy octave runs from the higher strings. Registered users can download VSL's excellent Performance Tool MIDI utility, which makes it easy to create authentic, utterly convincing legato lines. […] VSL's philosophy is to give users the right tools for composition and orchestration, and in this respect the library succeeds admirably.”
5 STARS
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/aug04/articles/sampleshop.htm#4
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Glass & Stones
Dave Stewart
Sound on Sound, August 2004
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“Here's an interesting one: a small collection of esoteric instruments made from the named hard substances, comprising technologies which span the Neolithic era, the age of Mozart, and the present day. Produced by Vienna Symphonic Library, Glass & Stones is one of the company's Horizon series of budget titles, adding a mouth-watering side dish to VSL's orchestral main menu. […] The verrophone is another musical rarity. This set of 30 tall, tuned glass tubes can be rubbed with moistened fingers to create atmospheric floaty sustains, or played with mallets to give a resonant and unusual xylophonic timbre. Truly a composer's dream. […] The lithophone has great exotic appeal; its soft mallet samples provide a great timbre for rippling tuned-percussion patterns, while hard mallet hits add a musically pure pitch to the ancient ceremonial sound of resonant stones. Rock on! […] Convention-bound producers may reject such left-field musical creations on the grounds that they sound too unfamiliar, but creative musicians and composers will cherish them for exactly that reason. Idiosyncratic they may be, but the freshness, subtlety and sonic beauty of these fabulous constructions shines through.”
5 STARS
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/aug04/articles/sampleshop.htm#3
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Overdrive
Dave Stewart
Sound on Sound,
July 2004
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“Kerrang! The makers of the Vienna Symphonic Library rip off their orchestral dickie bows, pull on their Iron Maiden tee-shirts, fluff out their mullets, and indulge in some serious rock head-banging with this foray into the world of amplified instruments. […] This mega-sampled guitar has impeccable rock credentials. […] Slash and Yngwie would snort at the idea, but thanks to a bunch of classical-music enthusiasts from Vienna, keyboard players can now transform themselves into virtual guitar heroes while avoiding the concomitant hair, booze, drugs, tattoos, Spandex, hearing damage, and negative-lifestyle issues.”
5 STARS
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jul04/articles/sampleshop.htm#3
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Vienna Concert Guitar
Dave Stewart
Sound on Sound,
June 2004
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“Needless to say, the recording quality, miking, and overall attention to detail is exemplary. This superior instrument's precise, classical delivery ensures that melody lines can be articulated with great clarity, and its distinct, slightly sharp-toned attack works well for emphatic rhythm licks and arpeggios. Some might prefer a plummier, more rounded sound for use in quieter ballads, but if it's realism you seek, nothing on the market comes close to this classy title.”
5 STARS
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jun04/articles/sampleshop.htm#4
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Alessandro Cardinale e Simone Coen
strumenti musicali,
April 2004
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„La Vienna Symphonic Library, grazie alla enorme offerta di articulazioni e alla resa iper dettagliata, riesce a trovarsi a proprio agio in ogni situzione. In contesti dove per esempio è prescitto l'uso di una sezione d'archi che suona in pianissimo con sordino dalla quale deve emergere un vionlino in solo, VSL riesce a suscitare grandi emozioni mostrando così a pieno la propria validità.“
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Opus 1 & Solo Strings
Pierre-Yves Bessuand
Musicrun, N˚10
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„La qualité audio est absolument excellente, et l'on a envie de jouer encore et encore tellement la musicalité des instruments est prenante. Cela met en avant la technique et le niveau d'interprétation des musiciens qui ont enregistré cette collection, et qui transmettent par ce biais leur passion aux utilisateurs. J'avoue être tombé sous le charme […] cette collection représente à mon avis le meilleur investissement du moment.“
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Opus 1
Jan Soeren Haas
Keys, Juli 2004
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„Durch den Einsatz des Performance Tools können Melodiebögen unglaublich realistisch realisiert werden. […] Die Stärken liegen hier in den größeren Nuancierungsmöglichkeiten. […] Der übersichtlich durchstrukturierte Aufbau der Opus 1 gestattet eine effiziente und praktische Arbeitsweise.“
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Roman Beilharz
PC&Musik,
April/Mai 2004 |
„Das Ergebnis [des Legato Tools ] ist ein faszinierende und von anderen unerreichte Authentizität bei gebundenen Melodielinien […]
[Die Tonqualität]: die Wiener zeigen wo es langgeht: Dem VSL Stab von Tontechnikern und Editoren unterläuft in hunderten von Gigabyte Samples kaum ein Fehler! […]
[Die VSL Pro Edition Complete Orchestral Packages]: für Klassik und Filmmusikprofis gibt es nichts Besseres.“
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Dave Stewart
Sound on Sound,
March 2004
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“VSL give their users the real meat of orchestral performance, along with the tools to make it work. The amount of detail is staggering, giving composers, arrangers, musicians and programmers a huge amount of expressive choice. Serious stuff, made by professionals for professionals.”
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Nick Batzdorf
Mix Magazine,
September 2003 |
“Conclusion: Sample library reviews usually conclude with comments like, ‘I was surprised at how much of this disc was actually usable.’ Well, the VSL is miles beyond those considerations: Every articulation of every instrument is not just usable, it's for real. Taking nothing away from the other excellent libraries on the market, I consider the VSL one of the most important products in the history of modern music technology.”
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Dave Stewart & Mark Wherry
Sound On Sound,
May 2003
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“It may be a cliché to say so, but a sound library can only be counted as truly successful when its samples inspire the user to play and write music. This happened on countless occasions during the course of the review, proving that the Vienna Symphonic Library's value lies beyond its commercial price tag. In the mad clamour of the technological marketplace, many of today's musical products become obsolete almost overnight, but this library is surely destined to be around for years to come.”
“Summary: A major orchestral work from people who understand the orchestra. Performed, recorded and programmed by leading professionals, this cultured library demonstrates a fierce, unwavering dedication to the ideals of musical precision and clarity. While not yet fully comprehensive, the First Edition of VSL already sets a standard for others to follow, and the prospect of more editions of similar magnitude looks set to further this library's world-beating status.”
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/may03/articles/viennasl.asp
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Pierre Estève
Recording Musicien,
Decembre 2003
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„Le summum de la satisfaction vient sans conteste du Performance Set … le Legato Tool reste le plus spectaculaire.“
„La Pro Edition de la Vienna Symphonic Library s'impose sans conteste comme la Rolls des banques d'orchestre.“
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Christian Halten
Keyboards,
Juni 2003
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„Der Repetition-Modus wird sicherlich Begeisterungsstürme auslösen. Notenwiederholungen sind bei fast jeder Sample-Library kritisch.“
„Fazit: Die Vienna Symphonic Library ist universell einsetzbar, klingt absolut brilliant und bietet neben den endlosen Spieltechniken auch die sehr ausdrucksstarken Performance-Möglichkeiten.“
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John Krogh
EQ Magazine,
January 2004
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“Even in exposed passages, the samples sounded like a live performance by a top-notch instrumentalist.”
“Launching VSL into the stratosphere is its Performance Tool, which is nothing short of brilliant. It's one of those ‘has to be played to be believed’ tools.”
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