Vienna Symphonic Library Forum
Forum Statistics

181,820 users have contributed to 42,187 threads and 254,605 posts.

In the past 24 hours, we have 5 new thread(s), 28 new post(s) and 53 new user(s).

  • VSL Woodwinds SE1 or standard ?

    Hello,

    Newcomer to VSL librairies here :)

    I have a pre-sale question about woodwinds.

    I'm wondering if I should purchase SE1 and SE1+ or single instruments in standard version (the eight ones contained in SE) ?

    I think SE1 and SE1+ would cover most of my needs but having more articulations is always nice, plus they are discounted right now. For comparison, we have :

    SE1 and SE1+ :
    132€ / 8.2Go

    8 single instruments (standard) :
    332€ / 11.5Go

    Maybe I could formulate my question this way, what features or articulations SE1 and SE1+ don't have compared to the single standard instrument ?

    Thanks for any help you can provide.

    Michael


  • Hi Michael,

    I don’t think it makes sense to spend nearly three times as much to get Single Instrument Standard Libraries instead of the SE Woodwinds since aside from the additional articulations you get exactly the same reduced SE versions when you buy Single Instrument Standard Libraries (I made this mistake myself). 

    I would rather get the Woodwinds 1 Collection Standard Library (and if your budget allows this Woodwinds 2 as well) since these include the unreduced versions of the included instruments with up to 6 velocity layers (compared to 3 in the SE, which makes for me a big difference), chromatic sampling (compared to whole-tone in the SE) and more alternations (up to 4 instead of up to 2 in the SE). Unfortunately the VSL website does not really explain these differences …


  • Thanks a lot for your answer, very valuable informations.

    You're right it doesn't really makes sense then, my mistake, I though the single instruments were exactly the same as the ones in Woodwinds 1 (too bad it isn't the case!)

    I wanted to purchase single instruments because I don't really need the ensembles in Woodwinds 1 and I'm not sure I'll have an use for some instruments in Woodwinds 2.

    SE1 and SE1+ might be a better option for me, but I guess I have to think a little more about it as I don't want to feel the need to upgrade at some point if I purchase them. In that case I'd rather get Woodwinds 1 & 2 now.


  • last edited
    last edited

    @Kai said:

    I would rather get the Woodwinds 1 Collection Standard Library (and if your budget allows this Woodwinds 2 as well) since these include the unreduced versions of the included instruments with up to 6 velocity layers (compared to 3 in the SE, which makes for me a big difference), chromatic sampling (compared to whole-tone in the SE) and more alternations (up to 4 instead of up to 2 in the SE). Unfortunately the VSL website does not really explain these differences …

    Unfortunately it is not so, maybe once, but now in the Woodwinds 1 Collection Standard Library, although there are more articulations of SE, the main (detached, sustain, legato and more) are exactly the same.

    Even if I do not need the three-player ensembles, I bought Woodwinds 1 Collection Standard Library, taking advantage of the current offer, hoping to have a not reduced version of the main articulations in the single instruments, instead I have the duplicate of the SE, certainly more articulations, but in the main layers themselves ...

     

    I'm quite disappointed because with a better description of the product I would not have made this purchase

     

    maurizio


  • last edited
    last edited

    @maurfe_8550 said:

    Unfortunately it is not so, maybe once, but now in the Woodwinds 1 Collection Standard Library, although there are more articulations of SE, the main (detached, sustain, legato and more) are exactly the same.

    Even if I do not need the three-player ensembles, I bought Woodwinds 1 Collection Standard Library, taking advantage of the current offer, hoping to have a not reduced version of the main articulations in the single instruments, instead I have the duplicate of the SE, certainly more articulations, but in the main layers themselves ...

     

    I'm quite disappointed because with a better description of the product I would not have made this purchase

     

    maurizio

    Maybe I'm misunderstanding something, but that's not correct. Woodwinds 1 Standard has the same amount of repetitions and dynamic layers as Woodwinds 1 Full, and is hence not the same as Special Edition. The difference between Standard and Full are the additional articulation patches in the latter.

    The SE short and long notes have 3 velocity layers. The Woodwinds collection - Standard as well Full - have 4 to 5 depending on the instrument. Legato patches are 2 layers in both SE and Woodwinds 1 supposedly for technical reasons (to minimize crossfade phasing and amount of transition samples).


  • last edited
    last edited

    I spent quite some time gathering informations about the differents versions.

    Legato patches have indeed 2 layers in both SE and Woodwinds 1 (standard or Full). Others patches in Woodwinds 1 standard have more velocity layers / alternations than in SE, and you have of course more articulations in Woodwinds 1 standard than SE.

    Anyways, I finally bought SE1 yesterday and really love the sound ðŸ˜Š I'm about to complement them with full versions for the four main woodwinds + english horn. I'm also doing some tests to hear how well they blend with other libraries (Hollywood Winds diamond) for the second chair players. So far I've got pretty good results with bassoon using close mics and some EQ on the Hollywood side... But I don't exclude to add other VSL woodwinds instruments for that purpose.


  • I bought this morning Woodwinds I Standard Library, I compared with SE, which I bought several years ago, and the articulations have the same number of layers, they are the same as the SE.

    It is also reported in the manual

    have of course more articulations in Woodwinds 1 standard than SE

    maurizio


  • copied directly to Vienna Instrument Pro

    Oboe

     

    SE (left) - Woodwinds I SL (right)

     

    01S OBfr staccato - 01D OBfr staccato

    Wave Count: 102 - Wave Count: 102

    Velocity Layers: 3 - Velocity Layers: 3

    2 Alternations - 2 Alternations

     

    02S OBfr sustain - 03D OBfr sustain_Vib

    Wave Count: 51 - Wave Count: 51

    Velocity Layers: 3 - Velocity Layers: 3

     

    03S OBfr sforzato - 06D OBfr sfz

    Wave Count: 18 - Wave Count: 18

    Velocity Layers: 1 - Velocity Layers: 1

     

    04S OBfr legato - 21D OBfr legato

    Wave Count: 1522 - Wave Count: 1522

    Velocity Layers: 2 - Velocity Layers: 2

     

    05S OBfr legato-sus - 22D OBfr legato-sus

    Wave Count: 1556 - Wave Count: 1556

    Velocity Layers: 2 - Velocity Layers: 2

     

    01B OBfr portato - 02D OBfr portato

    Wave Count: 102 - Wave Count: 102

    Velocity Layers: 3 - Velocity Layers: 3

    2 Alternation - 2 Alternations

     

    02B OBfr fp - 05D OBfr fp

    Wave Count: 18 - Wave Count: 18

    Velocity Layers: 1 - Velocity Layers: 1

     

    03B OBfr trill_1 - 11D OBfr trill_1

    Wave Count: 32 - Wave Count: 32

    Velocity Layers: 2 - Velocity Layers: 2

     

    04B OBfr trill_2 - 12D OBfr trill_2

    Wave Count: 32Wave Count: 32

    Velocity Layers: 2Velocity Layers: 2

     

    05B OBfr perf-rep legato - 23D OBfr perf-rep legato

    Wave Count: 170 - Wave Count: 170

    Velocity Layers: 2 - Velocity Layers: 2

     

    06B OBfr perf-rep staccato - 25D OBfr perf-rep staccato

    Wave Count: 306 - Wave Count: 306

    Velocity Layers: 2 - Velocity Layers: 2

     

     

    maurizio


  • Maurizio, are you sure you're loading the right patches?

    The Oboe patches in the Woodwinds 1 library aren't called "OBfr", but "OB2". The OBfr naming convention is from the Special Editions. My Oboe staccato from the Woodwinds 1 Standard library is called OB2_staccato and has 4 velocity layers and 4 repetitions.


  • I don't have OB2 but OBfr in a named folder Download Instruments patches

    time ago i bought Flute Ensemble Full and it is in a named folder Woodwinds patches 


  • On my hard disk Installed File Size is 11.95 GB (including Flute Ensemble Full) vs 41.6 GB shown on the site.

    Perhaps having previously purchased Flute Ensemble Full now makes me install the remaining libraries as purchased separately?

    This would not be correct!

    maurizio


  • Well, that's weird. Something's definitely wrong here. My Woodwinds 1 Standard folder indeed is 41,6 GB. Drop a mail to VSL support, I'm sure they can sort this out!


  • thank you

    maurizio


  • last edited
    last edited

    @maurfe_8550 said:

    On my hard disk Installed File Size is 11.95 GB (including Flute Ensemble Full) vs 41.6 GB shown on the site.

    Perhaps having previously purchased Flute Ensemble Full now makes me install the remaining libraries as purchased separately?

    This would not be correct!

    maurizio

    Hi Maurizio,

    I think the problem is that, having bought a single instrument library before, when you "upgrade to the collection standard library", what you actually get are merely single instrument licenses for all the other instruments in the collection (you can check this on your vienna key). As I wrote the single instrument standard licenses are for most instruments identical to the SE version, whereas the collection license, that you get when you purchase the collection from scratch, contains significantly more content (as detailed above). I had exactly the same problem and ended up upgrading to full to get all the unreduced versions (full single instruments licenses are identical to the full collection content).

    I thnk it is a pity that VSL does not explain all these subtleties properly on their site ...

    Cheers

    Kai


  • last edited
    last edited

    @Kai said:

    Hi Maurizio,

    I think the problem is that, having bought a single instrument library before, when you "upgrade to the collection standard library", what you actually get are merely single instrument licenses for all the other instruments in the collection (you can check this on your vienna key). As I wrote the single instrument standard licenses are for most instruments identical to the SE version, whereas the collection license, that you get when you purchase the collection from scratch, contains significantly more content (as detailed above). I had exactly the same problem and ended up upgrading to full to get all the unreduced versions (full single instruments licenses are identical to the full collection content).

    I thnk it is a pity that VSL does not explain all these subtleties properly on their site ...

    Cheers

    Kai

    Hi Kai,

    I also made it, maybe it's just like that. I wrote to the support and I await the answer.

    If it is really so I am disappointed and irritated for not having found any clear indication anywhere.

    I had read your post and I was sure that from the single instrument to the Complete Standard Library I would have had the instruments with the version not reduced.

    I would have definitely opted for a different purchase

    Thank you

    maurizio


  • Hi maurizio, 

    You got mail!

    Best, 
    Paul


    Paul Kopf Product Manager VSL
  • Thank you Paul!

    maurizio


  • Hi everybody, 

    As you probably know, our Single Instruments have evolved over time, and we started when download sizes still mattered (A LOT!!), which is why our first Single Instruments (the Woodwinds and Brass instruments that existed back then) were designed much like the Special Edition instruments. 

    As the situation is often quite different for different users, the best idea is to contact us at support@vsl.co.at with any specific questions!

    Best, 
    Paul


    Paul Kopf Product Manager VSL