Dear VSL,

The VSL DAW

Call that ambitious and insane. But it would be a dream come true. Cubase is awesome. But with each new version I find that they are neglecting things I want addressed. My dream DAW:

• A decent notation editor (not for copyist work, just comparable to the way AVID shamefully hacked Sibelius into ProTools before firing the developers). Simple, notes, notation. The universal language of reading music.
• Improved editing on the Piano roll. Cubase is great. I want better.
• Improved editing of cc fine tuning. Ditto.
• Cubase expression maps were a start. Then developement died.
• Better volume management, like Capsule's mic gain control
• Composing, orchestrating = Things like Sibelius's 'idea saver' (massively helpful, despite being very underdeveloped)
• Collaborating = Two people working on the same file at the same time, on different parts of the file (like what many collaborative cloud platforms offer) Over Network, 2 VEP farms, whatever...

While many of these seem to be complaints I should take to Steinberg, my point is that they are focused on pleasing a lot of people. so the orchestral composer doesn't see the right tools and is always jerry-rigging things to work the way they should have to start with. VEP seems like the right place to look. It's already a start to what could be a fully fledged DAW with these features. Again, it's ambitious and crazy. All I'm saying is I'd buy it. This DAW could even have a built in app store, to buy Vienna Suite plugins, MIR, Room Packs. Can't you see my vision here!? It's brilliant!!! :)

VSL Sampler

Oh man, I cannot say enough times how much I want all my samples in VIP. Balderdash you say!? No. VEP being open to 3rd Parties didn't hurt VSL. If anything it brings more people into the VSL world. If I could use my own custom sampled instruments or build my own in VIP, I'd die a happy man. All of my instruments could operate under the same design and workflow. This would save me SO MUCH time and hassle. I'd have the same powerful tools for sound. Again, something I'd GLADLY pay $$$ for.

Yes, I'm fully aware that I'm insane, crazy, looney, and that this may be rejected in an instant. I'm just saying, I want it. I'd pay for it. I want it. Did I mention something about wanting?

Thanks,

Sean

You mean something like apple's appstore? Sample developers could pay VSL to use VI Pro as player for their libraries, and then sell them through VSL DAW's own appstore? Why not, nice idea. A good thing about VSL is that whatever software they come up with usually makes a lot of sense. Could be that they are working on a DAW already. But then again I don't know whether the market is big enough to make the development of such a specialised tool profitable.

One point I strongly agree with is the integration between notation software and the DAW. There's a lot of potential there. It's till a tedious and time consuming task to go from mockup to notation. Even with fairly basal, uncomplicated music there's a lot of tidying up that has to be done manually. I think this could be minimized with clever programming.

Alain,

Thanks! I've been following the Making Notes blog. Although I've been worried they aren't committed to the film composer enough and mostly are to copyists and hobbyist composers. It's one thing to do it as a hobby. It's another thing when you need a mockup to sound brilliant. It just doesn't work to tell a Director "Hey, trust me... while it sounds crappy now it will sound brilliant later on". Editing of midi automation is fundamental to the modern media composer. Doing it timely is crucial for working quickly and focusing on writing. If Steinberg doesn't take that seriously, I Want a program that does.

We are, after all, here to write music. Things which make process difficult need to be optimised or disguarded in favor of things which making the music our focal point. This year my main focus is 1) the music 2) the workflow to produce better mock-ups faster and 3) to record as much as possible and as high quality as possible. I feel like I want to push past the sky limit but don't have the tools to do it. I can't even find people who'd know how to develope the tools to do it. It's frustrating. But hopefully that can change. :)

-Sean

Originally Posted by: SJSF

I've been following the Making Notes blog. Although I've been worried they aren't committed to the film composer enough and mostly are to copyists and hobbyist composers.

No, fear not,  that isn't the case. When this new program comes out it will blow both Sibelius and Finale out of the water, as far as professionals are concerned.

There is also a real understanding of what DAWs offer, and whilst it is unlikely that this new program will ever become as fully featured as a DAW, there is a connection with the development of Cubase, so in time the movement from notation program to DAW and vice versa should become easier and easier.

DG

Originally Posted by: LAJ

Second: I understand this very well. Steinberg is preparing the next Generation Notation Software already with People from the old Sibelius Team. And as already mentioned by DG ... it will destroy all competitor products. That is clear.

How do you know that? Have you worked with the program? Obviously not, because there is no program yet. Boy, this prospective hype is slightly odd. Excitement about an upcoming product is all fine and well, but a blunt statement like 'it's going to destroy everything in the market' is a bit over the top, isn't it? Also, Daniel Spreadbury stated somwhere in his blog that more extensive DAW-integration is something they are planning to expand on in the future. Doesn't sound like it will go beyond what currently can be done with Sibelius/Finale, at least not for now.

Anyway, I'm curious to see which direction VSL is taking in the future, now that all the common (and some not so common) instruments of the classical orchestra have been sampled with their meticulous approach. The dimension approach was obiously something new and succesful, but it makes less sense for woodwinds. A synthesizer could be an option, but as LAJ stated there's very good ones around already. And after all VSL has focused more on classical instruments than film/production/ tv music (not that you couldn't do that as well with VSL).

I could see VSL starting a sample modelling approach. That would be exciting. Or maybe they'll come up with a new product line with orchestral instruments recorded in a concert hall (in the Vienna Konzerthaus, maybe? Yummy). Who knows. In any case I do not see them sitting back and not coming up with new products :)

Too bad they won't develop their own daw. But then again, as LAJ stated, the current options are really not that bad.