PERFORM
Feel the phrase.
Exceptional musicians bring intention and individuality to every note, repetition and transition.
About
Vienna Symphonic Library
Pioneering virtual instruments and music production software for over 25 years. Innovating from Vienna Synchron Stage as your trusted partner in music creation.
How it all began
One musician.
One ambitious idea.
Vienna Symphonic Library began with a question: Why should composing with an orchestra on a computer feel so different from working with real musicians?
In the 1990s, cellist, filmmaker and composer Herbert “Herb” Tucmandl found himself asking exactly that. The sample libraries available to him could reproduce individual notes, but so much of music was missing: the movement between notes, the nuances of a phrase, the expression that makes an instrument feel alive.
Herb imagined something radically more ambitious. What if a virtual instrument could capture not only notes, but the way musicians connect them? He tested the idea with his own cello — and laid the foundation for Vienna Symphonic Library.
The goal was never just more samples. It was more musical expression.
HERBERT TUCMANDL · FOUNDER OF VIENNA SYMPHONIC LIBRARYThe Silent Stage · 2001
A space built
for the smallest detail.
To bring Herb’s vision to life, conventional recording studios simply weren’t enough. VSL needed extraordinary isolation, absolutely consistent microphone positions and the freedom to record for as long as the music demanded.
SILENT STAGE · EBREICHSDORF2001
An entirely new way to record.
In 2001, Herbert Tucmandl and his team created the Silent Stage in Ebreichsdorf, south of Vienna — a recording space made specifically for the extraordinary demands of sampling.
Its controlled acoustics made every articulation, transition and quiet nuance audible. The original VSL collections were born here.
A new chapter
From Silent Stage
to Synchron Stage.
Our ambition grew beyond capturing individual instruments. We wanted to preserve the impact of an entire orchestra playing together — the air around it, the energy between players and the sound of a great room.
In 2013, VSL took over the historic scoring stage at Vienna’s Rosenhügel studios. Built in the 1940s, the hall had hosted film scores and major classical recordings. Following an extensive transformation, Vienna Synchron Stage opened in 2016, becoming a new home for VSL and international recording productions.
The move wasn’t a departure from Herb’s original idea. It was the next chapter of it.
2001 SILENT STAGE → 2016 SYNCHRON STAGE
Recording spaces · Past and present
Every space
has a voice.
The recording rooms and control rooms are more than a backdrop. Each space contributes to the atmosphere, dimension and precision of the work — from the original Silent Stage to the present-day Synchron Stage.
THE MAIN SCORING HALL
Stage A
The orchestral heart of Vienna Synchron Stage: a historic, spacious scoring hall with extraordinary acoustics and room for up to 130 musicians. Here, the entire orchestra and the air around it become part of the recording.
THE LIVE ROOM
Stage B
A flexible, separate live room for smaller ensembles, solo instruments, percussion and focused recording sessions — where every musical detail can take center stage.
WHERE IT ALL BEGAN · 2001
Silent Stage
Before the Synchron Stage, there was Herbert Tucmandl’s Silent Stage in Ebreichsdorf. Purpose-built for sampling, its controlled, relatively dry acoustics made it possible to capture the smallest nuances and expressive transitions of individual instruments. These recordings laid the foundation for VSL’s original collections.
THE MAIN CONTROL ROOM
Control A
The command center for major scoring sessions. Engineers and producers listen across multiple microphone perspectives, balancing the power of an orchestra with the precision every recording requires.
THE SECOND CONTROL ROOM
Control B
A dedicated control room for additional recording and production workflows. Critical monitoring and careful sound decisions ensure that the performance remains at the heart of every session.
Two recording traditions
Different spaces.
One vision.
Our history lives on in the sound of our instruments. The two recording approaches offer composers distinct creative starting points.
Silent Stage heritage
Studio Series
Detailed, controlled recordings give you the freedom to place instruments in the acoustic space of your choice.
Explore Studio Series
Vienna Synchron Stage
Synchron Series
Orchestral performances captured in Stage A's natural acoustics, with multiple microphones revealing the depth and dimension of the room.
Explore Synchron SeriesThe people behind the sound
Real musicians.
Real emotion.
Every note begins with a person. The bow, the breath, the touch and the timing — the expression of real musicians gives our virtual instruments their character. Our engineers, editors and developers work to preserve that human quality in every recording.
Your next note
Your music starts here.
New to the Vienna sound or ready for a full orchestral palette? There is a natural next step for every creator.
For composers who want to go further
Synchron Series
Capture the depth and realism of a full orchestra in Vienna Synchron Stage.
Explore SynchronStudio Series
Precisely recorded instruments, ready to place in the acoustics of your choice.
Explore Studio