Hello Andi,

I'm considering investing in the Vienna Suite. My question concerns the Vienna Suite instrument presets. I'm currently loading the Sibelius presets of the libraries I own into VPro. Can you explain how the Vienna Suite presets would relate to those loaded into VPro? I'm unable to visualize this process.

(I'm assuming there is compatability).

Thanks.

Hello Andi,

Thanks for that tip about 'Play notes as you edit'.

I've had a similar problem with several big scores. I just wanted to confirm that I also think the problem lies with Sibelius. I wondered whether it was also a graphics issue, since I get screen white-outs and hanging for several seconds when the problem happens.

Hello Andi,

I'm not clear how to trigger certain sounds in the Percussion group from the Special Edition if using Sibelius. Sibelius has a percussion line named Thundersheet. and a note placed on that triggers one of the sounds for it. But the manual says there are other Thundersheet samples mapped C1-B1. What commands trigger those? I can't see anything on this in the Optimize manual, though I can see instructions for some of the other percussion instruments such as metal chimes.

With thanks.

FWIW I would like to add my support to this also. The integration with Sibelius is time-consuming and unreliable in my experience. You only need to look at the opening pages of the Optimizing With Sibelius manual (which is invaluable BTW) to see how many links there are in the chain and how many chances there are for things to go wrong. The proposed 'Vienna Score' would not need anything like the features Sibelius has because the latter was originally designed for engraving - for printing out scores - playback was secondary. A VSL-dedicated software would only need to concentrate on playback and need only work with VSL libraries. It would also mean VSL users would be finally set free from bugs etc which may exist in Sibelius and the dreaded Sibelius Mixer.

Hello Andi,

I see no replies on this announcement, so thanks for doing this. Synchron series seems to be beyond my computer's power so I shall have to wait for the next purchase.

Those of us who work exclusively with notation and not DAWs appreciate your support.

Best wishes,

Thanks Crusoe. I knew that SSDs mattered. My question would be what difference does it make if the SSD is external rather than internal. I currently have some Synchron samples on an external SSD linked via USB3 port. If one were building a new computer the presumption would be to use SSD drives internally?

I should clarify that in asking for recommendations I did not mean the products of any specific companies, only the broad types or parameters.

Hello Andi,

Thanks for your reply. I've just watched Part 3 of the promo video for the Synchron Strings Plus which touches on new features such as vibrato control etc. Will it be possible to make these features work with Sibelius once the soundset is written?

Thanks.

Hello VSL,

I would be interested to read your latest advice on the most important parts of computer hardware to ensure the Synchron libraries work at their smoothest. In years past big VSL libraries required much greater amounts of RAM than was standard, and this remains true. But it seems this is now not the only factor for the Synchron libraries. Do you have any recommendations regarding drives, chips, speeds, etc?

Thanks.

Hello Andi,

Predictable question, I know, but will there be a soundset for the new Synchron Strings Pro, and do you have a rough idea of when it might be available?

Best wishes

Hello Andi,

I wondered if you or any other users have found a problem with accent marks triggering portato / portamento cells? I'm finding this in scores using the VE Strings soundset (the last version before the Big Bang Orch update)  when using the Chamber Strings. It doesn't seem to happen with a staccato on the accented note, but with just a sequence of accents there is a portamento sound - pitch-slurring. I tried the Solo Strings and they are OK. Is there a problem with the soundset command or has a bug been introduced?  These are the VSL Sibelius presets loaded in Vpro 2.

Any thoughts?

Thanks.

I don't use Cubase, only SIbelius. So is this fix something that applies to my set-up and if so, how. Is this applicable to any ASIO card? I'm on Windows 7 64-bit. Thanks.

Hello Philip and Andi,

I hope you won't mind if I come in on this thread. The Sibelius Mixer in my 14 or so years of using Sibelius with VSL has been one of the biggest problems with getting playback to be reliable. It is temperamental and easily thrown off. 

It still seems to be the case that if you load two instances of the same instrument the Mixer will put them on the same channel. This can be a problem in any Vienna library where there is no dedicated second violin(s) - for example, writing a string quartet with Solo Strings before Solo Violin 2 was released. I encountered it again recently working with the Dimension Strings I. I wanted to load the Group 1 / Group 2 presets for a first violin section and second violin section so each had its own staff (so 4 staffs in all). The Mixer put all of them on channel 1.

I also recently tried using this 5-staff string section: Dimension Violins, Chamber Violins, Dimension Violas, Dimension Cellos, Dimension Basses - using the VE Strings soundset - and that wouldn't play back.

In connection with Philip's changing of the channel number, sometimes this has seemed the only option left, when everything else doesn't work. I avoid it now, but in the past sometimes it did solve the problem.

Andi's advice about saving, closing and opening again with the Mixer on Auto setting is new to me - maybe it should go in the next revision of the Optimizing Sibelius pdf (?). I'd like to see more tips added to that to help those of us (and it feels like we're in the minority) who are relying entirely on a Sibelius score for the playback.

The rather lengthy procedure for setting up playback in Sibelius, and the troubles with the Mixer, make it a  matter of regret that VSL are not inclined (as discussed in another recent thread) to create a notation-based playback that was more integrated with its own libraries. That would be a more desirable purchase for me than any further instrumental library or software.

All this still with profound gratitude for what VSL has made possible for notation-oriented composers such as myself.

Hello ZWaves,

Thanks for taking the trouble to post your detailed accounts of trouble-shooting. I'm not using the Epic Orhcestra at all, so that won't apply in my case. I'm also only using Sibelius and the Vienna players, not Cubase or any DAW software. I have my problem with the Synchronized versions of the SE+ and the Solo Strings. I use VIPro, V Ensemble. Your word 'choke' in your first post exactly describes the sound I get from all samples in the Synchron Player.

I last updated the software at the weekend.

Good luck. Hope Vienna can figure this out.

This is the same problem I'm having. See the thread titled 'Installation'.

Hello Andi,

I checked the format of the SSD drive and it is NTFS. Funnily enough, I have the older Chamber and Solo strings on another SSD drive which is exFAT and have no problem with those.

Hello Andi,

Thanks for coming in on this thread. The reason I mention the 'enable' was because the fact that it was not available suggested to me that the sounds had loaded despite the fact I couldn't play them.

The Synchronized Solo Strings are on an external SSD drive coming into the computer via a USB 3.0. Is that the issue here? 

I will try altering the pre-load and see if that makes any difference. I have 16GB of RAM to work with, so I usually don't load more than 11GB. (Ten years ago 16 RAM seemed a lot! Not today ... )

With thanks.

Hello Paul,

I ran the latest Synchron Player. I now have 0.85GB (74413 samples) loading for a six-part test page in Sibelius consisting of all six Synchronized Solo Strings. The presets I'm loading are 01 Violin 1 Basic and so on for the other five. I ticked Force Enable so that hopefully everything would load. When I right click on any of the listed groups in the central coloured menus 'enable cell' doesn't appear as an option. So does this mean the sounds are loaded? What would the GB size be for this basic preset?

Each instance of the Synchron PLayer loaded in one Vienna Ensemble is aligned to VEPlug-in MIDI 1 ch 1, VEPlug-in MIDI 1 ch 2, etc. Is that correct or should they be set to 'All' (what used to be called 'Omni')? The soundset is VE Strings. The staffs are the Solo Violin, Viola, Cello, D Bass, with Solo Cello 2 and Solo Violin 2 [VSL Single Instrument].

When I use the mouse to play a note on the S Player's GUI keyboard I get only a pinched tone - like staccato. I notice the peak symbol at the top of the Player lights red.

I have managed to get a few notes to play in Sibelius but not for all instruments and sometimes only every other note.

I didn't post this in the Sibelius / Notation section as I didn't think at that point it was a notation issue.

Any further advice on getting this to work?

Thanks.

Hello VSL,

I have a problem with the installation of the Synchronized Solo Strings. There is no sound inside the Synchron Player and VE instance, even using Force Enabled. The MB amount looks too low to be correct. I attach an image of the SSD drive where the library is supposed to be - is this correct? I used auto-install but I accidentally deleted the package.info file and cannot download it again from My VSL on the website because it is greyed out if I go to downloads for this library. Please advise.

Thanks.

Hello Andi,

I am working with the single instrument download Cor Anglais (I think it is called English Horn French) and the instrument is currently stuck on the fp cell.

The soundset I'm using is VE Woodwinds+Brass. In the house style in Sibelius' staff menu I see a dedicated staff for Clarinet VSL single Instrument (and one other) but not for Cor Anglais - or not labelled VSL single instrument.

Are these the correct soundset / staff to load?

Thanks.

Andi and Gil - both very helpful, and I'm sure will be useful to others working with Synchron and Sibelius in this way.

Many thanks!

Thanks Andi,

Can you explain a bit more about how commands do this, or which ones? I don't normally use any CC commands in Sibelius. I think there is a page about CC commands in the Sibelius Handbook but it would be good to have some guidance on how this actually works with the time-stretcher.

Best wishes.

Hello Andi,

I read the following: 

One of the major improvements is made possible by the Synchron Player’s time-stretch feature. Now you can change vibrato speed in real-time using a MIDI controller! Real-time time-stretching also allows you to change the speed of tremolos, trills, portamentos and glissandos by assigning a CC controller to the Synchron Player’s “Stretch Factor” fader. 

Can this feature be used with Sibelius and if so, after assigning a CC controller what would be the next move needed?

Many thanks.

Sorry if this is the wrong thread for the question.

I've been updating some of my VSL libraries. In some instances an update referred to a whole library - say Solo Strings - but in my Directory Manager I saw no single Solo Strings to drop it onto, only separate folders for the four instruments of the Solo Strings. What is the correct thing to do? Drop the update onto each individual folder?

I also notice that I have a single Dimension Strings folder but not ones for each instrument. Is this correct? And the order of all the folders doesn't seem logical. Does this matter? Is there a simple fix if needed?

Thanks and Happy Easter.

Image attached.

Any news on this from Vienna?