Hey vsl user... What do you think about a subscription plan for vsl product? Specially the new ones?
I think now a day will be a great choice... Anybody!?
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Why not a subscription plan?
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Spitfire proves that it is possible to reinvent themselves over and over again with „a next big thing and then a next bigger thing“. And it works. I don’t know why but the people keep buying. It works.From the day Eastwest had the Subscription Plan they had only a few new releases. Good ones but less than VSL or Spitfire.
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No, no, a thousand times no, for several reasons:
1. It significantly reduces a company's incentive to innovate and release.
2. It makes all customers, large and small, rich and not rich, equally support the entire product line. Some may be able to afford a large array of a company's products, but that is not me. Let me support them through the products I purchase.
3. The idea that over a period of years you would pay to use a product and then, if hard times hit, lose access to it, is anathema to me. Once you start a subscription, the company has you over a barrel. Keep paying whatever they ask or your investment simply disappears in a poof of vapor. If I own something, I've at least got something I can count on.
4. Did I say "It significantly reduces a company's incentive to innovate and release?" It significantly reduces a company's incentive to innovate and release.
Hobbyist ... Sy Woods, Brass, Perc I, Str Pro, Elite Str, Duality Str & Sordino, Prime ... Sy-ized Woods, Perc, Solo Str, Ch Str, App Str, Harps, Choir, Dim Brass, Dim Strings ... VE Pro, MIR Pro 3D, Vienna Suite Pro ... Cubase 12, Studio One 6, Dorico 5 -
NO NO NO NO NO NO !!!
Subscription models are a marketing ploy to get constant trickles of income from users. Adobe has been violently attacked for many years over their decision to go subscription.
Hopefully VSL will NEVER do this.
I agree, Adobe is the perfect example.
Initially you feel great that you now have access to all that "stuff" for what seems like a reasonable price. Most you won't use, but some you will. Then after two years of paying and little product development, and few truly innovative releases, you realize what you've done. Pay up, buddy, or you lose it all tomorrow.
Hobbyist ... Sy Woods, Brass, Perc I, Str Pro, Elite Str, Duality Str & Sordino, Prime ... Sy-ized Woods, Perc, Solo Str, Ch Str, App Str, Harps, Choir, Dim Brass, Dim Strings ... VE Pro, MIR Pro 3D, Vienna Suite Pro ... Cubase 12, Studio One 6, Dorico 5 -
But you understand that subscription is the best way to clear for you do you need this or not ? VSL does not have trial versions of products, and you can't clear for yourself necessity of buying just when listen demos. You can't imagine all aspects of usability in composing, in production and rest when you can't touch product. So, subscription is the way. Or trials. I do not see that at all in VSL. How can I compare it to East West without mentioned ? Give me answer if you can. If I hear somewhere - that is incredible, that is best - i do not trust, I must try to use it, I do not like marketing slogans. Give me answer how to try if you can't ? Savings ? Bullshit - it is suitable for not all or we are all Rockefellers ? Give me answer please. Do you have 3500 Euros just now to buy some selected libraries ? My answer - NO. You do not have. Just now - seat at table, click mouse, 10 Minutes - and you bought some instruments. Really ? 3500 Euros ? You are kidding. You need time for it. Trial or subscription is the answer. That is the point.
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VSL does not have trial versions of products, and you can't clear for yourself necessity of buying just when listen demos. You can't imagine all aspects of usability in composing, in production and rest when you can't touch product. So, subscription is the way. Or trials. I do not see that at all in VSL.
You must be new here, or forgot to subscribe to the newsletter...
May I suggest to subscribe to our newsletter, so you don't miss the next time we make a library available as 30 days demo!Also all our software is available as 30 days demos on the product pages. 😉
Best, Ben
Ben@VSL | IT & Product Specialist -
Basically, I think when I told myself (not a judgment on you, but me) that I wish VSL had a subscription service I was really saying that I know I have awful credit because of student loans I defaulted on, and it is taking a long time to get to the point I will be even trusted to get a basic $200 dollar card. However, I get $150 dollars a month extra money that I would love to put towards owning music products, VSL library was once sold at a price where the barrier to entry was too steep. Sonar is now a free daw in the form of Bandlab, but I use Studio One because it has everything I need and now has notation with Notion (which is somewhat integrated).
However, VSL is getting much more accessible without losing the quality of their product. I have watched the company become more accessible to the beginning or starting/non-professional musician/composer since 2013, and the last year has been the most progress.
VSL is generous on having access to a completely unhindered 30 day trial of the main products.
Major Change Number I: Special Editions
The Special Editions allowed me to buy my first VSL product. Special Edition Strings from Vol I. In a few months I purchased the all of the regular packs for volume I and the plus pack for Volume II (I am a string player, so I will make use of the additional value). I finally had a solid VSL product and did pay for the Pro Player, which again as a pretty sophisticated string player I could take advantage of the humanization to the custom samples created from different curves allowing for faster portamentos. Either way, a musician could customize what was important to them and all of the individual instruments were available for purchase from the library, so Epic Horns was an edition I definitely wanted, they are legendary and I bought these to supplement the brass section.
Major Change Number II: MIRx plugins. The best $50 or so dollars I ever invested was my MIRx plugin that spared me the task of perfecting the positioning of my instrument in a sonic space, but it would load right up to match the sample (with some variations) and I did not need to buy the full MIR or limited instrument MIR packages to get the MIR sound (and at that time 99% of the power of the software made no sense to me).
My sound was dramatically improved.
VSL was on my back burner for some time (but I owned my product) but was feeling I wanted more, and at the time Dimension Strings came out and micromanaging open strings during double stops or the ability to control each player (it was the Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 of String Libraries).
Then Synchron Player came into existence. Some hate it, some love it. I hated it, now I love it. What is great is you can use both!
Major Change Number III & IV: Synchron Player Updated had the sophisticated parts of Vienna Instrument Pro that I normally use and Vienna Sound Effect Modules that previously would cost a few hundred dollars were integrated into the player. The player is free.
Major Change Number V: Big Bang Orchestra Main Library for Free. Tons of Mic positions, extremely playable nuanced brass that would come through from play control even if using Vel crossfading the key press was another dimension of sound control. Now, I was convinced of the Synchron Player and could realize the power of all of the mic positions and why they mattered with VSL. This is free.
Major Change Number VI - X: All of the Synchronized Special Editions are available for 30 day trials. You could have the entire Special Edition Library with a Dimension String Volume available to play right now. 30 days of self-quarantined creativity.
BEST VALUE CHANGE: Standard Library of new Pro Flagship strings contained all articulations & options to buy steps of the Big Bang Family: I saw that Vienna Symphony Pro Library just came out. As usual, they offer a significant (near 50% discount) on early adopters. I felt getting the standard library versus the full library was tortue, because in a strong library all of the fun stuff is in the full library. However, with this new flagship library with amazing demos the only difference was less microphone positions. SOLD. The best $310 I ever spent. I can add additional mics later if I want to compose for a Dolby Atmos theater system (in that case, I will be able to buy it without a problem),
During this journey that began in 2013, I have learned how to get the most out of the samples. The cost of the new library is very reasonable, and if I were to purchase any one item it would be it. Even if this is too expensive, the new Big Bang Universe exists and they all have 30 day trials but I need to get new SSD drives.
The company is moving towards more accessible products, and the older products have generous discounts for the components you already own so you aren't paying for samples twice.
