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  • Share your VSL based mockups or your own works with others! Add your records to the database of...

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    How many times I noticed that somebody made a convincing mockup of a certain classical piece with VSL instruments and I couldn’t find it later anymore in the abundance of threads on this forum? How many times I thought: has this person made more tracks of this level? How many times I thought: where can I find more examples of this specific product?
    Enough questions, but so far I couldn’t find an answer yet. All those files spread out over the internet, Soundcloud and all those fora including this one: a sort of waste of these beautiful tracks, made with passion, but ‘drowned in oblivion’.

    So I decided to setup a new website with a dedicated database, in which all kind of different parameters would be involved. Well, it’s ready now, in its first version. Initially I decided to dedicate it only to classical music, but it is open now for also your own soundtracks, jazz mockups etc..

    Visitors can search on their favourite library, composer, section type, historical period, instrument, soundtrack type, orchestra or solo versions, name of a certain producer of mockups. In really one click you can have an overview in the future of e.g. all VSL related tracks, Cinesamples, OrchestraTools, just what you want to know in detail.

    Please note: it is only the database itself that presents the raw data of all sound files, the website doesn’t offer a real upload of these MP3 files: you will have to store them elsewhere. On your own server or Soundcloud or wherever you want them to have.

    So far I have spent many hours to accomplish this website and database setup. For testing purposes I have add a few files of myself. The website itself: www.virtual-instrumentation.com is active since a few days now, with a ridicilously low number of records (those few files I have stored). So don’t be disappointed too early.

    An important feature is planned: selling your tracks directly, without necessarily using companies that often ask for 50% of the revenues and/or deliver their work obligatory without your copyrights conform their own contract rules. So if you want you can do this yourself now, directly, or just stay where you are if you have an account already at such a company. You still can link your soundfiles to such websites btw to have more traffic to your music at least. There is not any involvement of this website in further contacts in this respect: it is only just between you and someone else.

    The time has come now to ask you all to support this database by adding your own files, unlimitedly and without any registration or fee. It is my challenge to have all your beautiful music, and I know that there a many fine and talented composers and midi producers here, in one place bundled, nicely ordened in a simple overview to give all other visitors the chance to listen at what you have made.

    There are maybe tens of tracks on your harddisk already somewhere waiting to be presented in the public area. Without your help this unique opportunity will fizzle out maybe. Once again: please add your records and make this new community based platform a success!
    Erik


  • This looks very good and congratulations on getting it online, but it is not what I had in mind.  This is more of a generic music site.  Though it might actually more successful than what I was thinking of, it is not specfically for serious artistic composers using VSL.   It does help me to clarify in my own mind what I was suggesting, by being a contrast.  My idea is to have more of an emphasis on the composers themselves, exemplified by the music.  Also, on their thoughts about using VSL, not just any virtual orchestra.  And above all, to feature the highest, most intensive and serious use of sample-based performance.   That is the whole attraction of some of the threads here to me - that one can hear not just any MIDI, but the GREATEST MIDI PERFORMANCES IN THE WORLD.  In other words, this is the high water mark if you wonder just what can be done with the medium. 

    So as I continue to clarify what I was thinking, that must be part of it.  That the site I was talking about would be for the absolute best MIDI performances that exist.  Because today, one hears crappy MIDI everywhere from ring tones to kiddie games to you-name-it.  So there MUST NOT BE any sort of generic MIDI quality to this site.  There is already too much of that.  In fact, one is bombarded by it daily. 

    So continuing to define this a little more - it is the intentional, high-level art of MIDI that this site is about.  NOT the commercial film/TV/game score composers, NOT the beginners being encouraged to learn by companies eager to soak them for money, NOT the production libraries trying to provide every conceivable type of music and thereby be as generic as is possible - BUT ONLY THE MOST PURE AND ARTISTIC CREATIONS.

    Now, go ahead and laugh at me for saying "pure" and "artistic."  I've heard it before.  But that is what attracts me to some of these threads here - that it is not just a cheap workflow for a money maker,  but is a new form of artistic expression.  In fact, that is the ONLY thing that interests me about this whole site.  

    So anyway, that purely artistic aspect at the highest level must be paramount.   


  • Hi Erik,

    Congratulations on your new website, great and very useful concept. 

    All the best,

    Muziksculp 


  • @muziksculp: thank you, I hope it will work out of course....

    @william, I can live with your point of view; it is not so much effort to dedicate a special site to what you have in mind btw. I'll send you a PM asap.

    Only one question for this moment: who will decide what is a pure and artistic creation? When will a mockup have a artistic expression? Shortly: which files will be submitted to a database/website or not and why? Interesting issues, I guess.


  • I don't mean those terms in a snobbish way as I said.   And to answer your question - who will decide? Simple.  When is something artistic expression?  Simple. 

    When it is created for its own sake. 

    It doesn't have to be good to be art.  At the same time it doesn't have to be bad to be commercial.  But to create "artistic expression" means  to create something purely for the sake of creation, not for sale (though it could be sold).  So it is not a slippery slope of value judgements as you imply.  It is a very simple distinction. 

    Anyway, your site looks good  -  good luck with it. 


  •  By the way, where did you ever get the idea for this?  It must have been a real flash of inspiration...

    http://community.vsl.co.at/forums/t/32497.aspx


  • It must have been a thread here by a certain William (followed by positive posts) that convinced to create such a platform eventually, I had something in mind quite some time to bring people and virtual music together. And I had already a nice cgi database script on my HD (although I am certainly not a script writer myself) that had sufficient possibilities to find out if it was relevant for this goal anyway. It turned out to be OK, I thought. Plus enough experience to setup a site with not too much effort.

    So it was you actually your idea that inspired me to develop my own ideas about this further, although the result is maybe not fully the way you had in mind. That is not so strange, because we didn't communicate seriously in advance about basic issues, I just did it as a solo player.