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  3. Vienna Instruments Libraries
  4. What to buy?

  • What to buy?

    C
    C

    Hello

    I am tempted by the current 10 for the price of 6 offer.

    I would be really grateful for any advice on what are the best collections to buy to give me the broadest range of instruments, especially in the string department.

    I already have the full Dimension Strings, Dimension Brass and Special Editions 1 & 2.

    The music I do is not clasical, but fairly modern to go with drums, bass, piano etc including some film compostion.

    I am thinking of going for the standard libraries in that I can then upgrade any of the 10 to the full library just by paying the extra. Thus only buying the extensions as needed. Is this a sensible approach in that funds are not limitless?

    I realise that all this is subjective and a dificult question to answer but any advice would be very much appreciated.

    I am keen that I don't simply duplicate what I already have so that I can expand my capabilities as much as possible.

    Thank you

    Chris
  • J
    J

    I would go with five full libraries rather than ten standard ones -especially for strings, as I think there's too much missing from the standard libraries. What makes VSL great (for me at least) is the number of articulations available, and I would especially hate to be without the dynamics patches. But that's just me, and you did say that future upgrades are a possibility. If you go that route, you won't be upgrading libraries unless you feel it's necessary.

  • J
    J

    I would have to concur with jonhstaf.

     

    When I started with VSL I made the mistake of trying to have something from every instrument family to create as much of a full orchestra as I could. Subsequently, I could only afford standard libraries.  Although I did have one full SE library to fill in any gaps. 

     

    In retrospec, I should have allocated my funds on, say, a really bitching string library or a complete brass ensemble or something then gradually moved into the other families.

     

    You can never have enough samples 
  • C
    C

    Thank you very much for your replies.

    I have heard that before and I have the full Dimension strings so I understand the logic.

    The problem is that the current deal has to be 10 items for the price of 6. I cannot imediately afford the price of 6 x full libraries.

    My thinking was to buy 10 standard libraries now to get the deal, and then every month or two upgrade one at a time to the full library in order of priority until I have them all. It might be that I don't need them all.

    Do you agree that this would be a sensible plan or not.

    Your help is much appreciated as I am a fairly new user.

    Thanks
  • J
    J

    I was assuming you could count extended libraries as separate items in your collection of 10. That's normally how it is with VSL special offers, but with the current offer it doesn't look like it.

    There's nothing wrong with your original idea, as you are planning on upgrading where necessary. Sometimes VSL have good deals on upgrades to extended libraries, so you might be able to benefit later on.