Reworking (and eventually upgrading) my computer setup. Who can offer advice?

• "on the road & midi keyboard Laptop" is a MacBook Pro 13" (late 2013) i5 16GB (keyboard currently cannot be connected to / located near the "studio" physically, so I do midi-related work from there via ProTools and - just trying to learn it - Logic Pro X)
• "studio computer" for ProTools is a 64GB i7 MacMini 2018
• there's a 64GB 2xXEON HP Z820 (Win10) workstation available (unfortunately, no Thunderbolt 2 card available, so I cannot connect my 4xSDD-Thunderbolt3-OWC-Thunderbolt 4 Mini-case holding the sample libraries, since the case only works with TB3 or TB2, no USB 3.1 compatibility

So:

• where would you "house" VEPro and the libraries?
• any idea on how to get around the Thunderbolt issue on the Z820? There was a TB2-PCI-E-card available, but you can't get it anymore. The "china"-replicas on eBay seem to miss the necessary connection cables for the motherboard.
• or does it make sense to replace the Z820 with a used 128GB 12-(8?)-core Mac Pro 6.1 "trashcan" for that purpose?
• how much CPU power is needed to run various sample libraries properly (incl. VEPro). I know, that RAM is of the essence, hence maxing out with 128GB.

Just starting out with Mir Pro and I am flabbergasted about it's sheer capabilities and amazing sound when using it with VSL libraries. I of course did some research here in the forum and already read the manual 😉 but still, there's questions...

As the concept of working with third-party library's is clear to me, I still would like to get some advice. I have been experimenting with a few 3rd party libraries (mainly orchestras so far), always of course just using the "close"/dry signals. Still, and I did expect that, some libraries just don't give the sonic results you would wish for, since they still do have too much room information from the recording venue. But I found a few, that work pretty well. 

My current question is about panning instrument groups from 3rd party orchestra libraries. All these groups, of course, are already positioned correctly in the stereo field and have a certain dimension to them, even when using the close mics. And I understood, that MIR needs them fed "centered stereo" and I strongly assume, that it does make no sense to mono a large group of violins....

So, what are your experiences on how to properly center these signals and what kind of stereo-width do you give them in this "pre-panning" before you feed them in MIR? For example: take 16 strings.

• How do I get them centered (just by listening?) and what stereo width do I give them in pre-panning: Full stereo or narrower 45° or...?
• If I want to sound them like a
  a.) compact normal positioned violin group or
  b.) like a Hollywood-esque wide-spread Appassionata string group.
  How wide do I pre-pan the third-party DRY signal before I, of course, give them the desired position and width/expansion inside MIR?
  Should I pre-pan them wider in the "Appasionata" case?
• I guess, this comes all down to the question on how MIR settings such as position and width interact with a given stereo signal and how it is treated before it gets fed into MIR....

So, thanks for bearing with me and I am looking forward to your experiences and answers!

Kind regards and Happy Easter!
Joerg

Hello

I can see every VSL app in my Mac's launchpad (such as VI Pro, Vienna Ensemble Pro, Synchron Player) but Vienna Synchron Pianos App (v1413). I've tried about every trick, even moving the app from it's own folder to the base folder of programs, and even un- and reinstalling it. It just won't show in launchpad, nor can I search for it in launchpad by typing "vienna" or "synchron" etc.
Btw. - can't see it nor even add it in Mojave's security settings, where the normal Synchron player shows up.
Permissions of both the folder and the app itself are read&write for system and admin and just read for everyone.

Any idea, why I can't see it in launchpad? I have to manually browse to the app via finder. A bit annoying...

As a sidenote: LOVE the Blüthner, just the sound I have been searching for....

@Paul You guys are nothing short of amazing ! Thank you!

Originally Posted by: Paul

If you cannot make it in time, contact , we will find a solution. 1 day grace period won't be a problem. 

Best, 
Paul

Installed the files for the synchronized special editions 1-4 & SmartOrchestra & SmartSpheres.  The "rescan", that you suggest, needs to be done in Native Access, but there, the libraries show up as "DEMOS" and do not show up in the library path of Kontakt 6 full version. What do you suggest to get them properly registered?

Hi

Sorry for being a bit confused, but I want to make the right upgrading decisions...

- I do own: VEP7pro, VI Special Editions 1-4(+), the according Synchronized Special Editions and a few standard editions of singular instruments' VI Libraries (such as Oboe, for example).

I was considering to buy the Vienna Instruments Pro Player for its enhanced playing capabilities.

But I was wondering, if it really would be of any use for the products I do own or whether it is limited or not useful at all for the products I do own. The product description left me doubting, if VIPro was an upgrade-path I should choose at all.  Or is the ProPlayer present on my system already by owning VEP7pro?

Thanks!

When starting Pro Tools, upon loading the plugins, a VEP 5 instance (latest version) automatically starts and tests/searches the plugin folders for changes. After it is done with the search, a small window stays open and Pro Tools crashes with the following error message (on my Win7Pro machine):

Problemereignisname: APPCRASH
  Anwendungsname: ProTools.exe
  Anwendungsversion: 12.8.2.106
  Anwendungszeitstempel: 59e8cdbd
  Fehlermodulname: ntdll.dll
  Fehlermodulversion: 6.1.7601.23915
  Fehlermodulzeitstempel: 59b94ee4
  Ausnahmecode: c0000005
  Ausnahmeoffset: 0000000000048f24
  Betriebsystemversion: 6.1.7601.2.1.0.256.48
  Gebietsschema-ID: 1031
  Zusatzinformation 1: 8358
  Zusatzinformation 2: 8358efb9f015494cc5c321d31f03237e
  Zusatzinformation 3: 3f4c
  Zusatzinformation 4: 3f4c243e5c8f53afbf2baca00d827365

This happens on both Win7Pro and Win10Pro (both updated to the current version). Not a problem anymore, when I uninstall VEP 5 / Vienna Instruments. 
On both systems, the current version fo VEP 6 is installed, too.

This crash did not happen with previous versions of Pro Tools 12 as far as I remember, so maybe, there is an incompatabilty with the latest PT12-Version?

Please advise, what to do, I'd really like to get back my Vienna Instruments...

Kind regards

Joerg

Originally Posted by: Paul

...Did you check the the Waves plug-ins are not in the Waveshell and assigned in the correct VST Plug-in folders?

They are in the Waveshell (sorry for not knowing the correct terms, that's what I meant by "compressed" - there are just two DLLs in the VST folder). VE 5 seems to get along with the Waveshell and gives me access ot all my Waves plugins, VEP 6 not anymore. VST plugin folder (64bit...) has the same path in VE 5 and VEP 6 settings.

Originally Posted by: Paul

...you have already purchased it! Congrats!

... external FX-Rack solution has been on our list fpr quite a while now, I hope we can get to it with one of the planned updates later this year.

Paul - thanks so much for getting back with an answer (to both my posts)! Reading about your plans sounds very promising, looking forward to the update! Right now, I'm delving into VEP to get to know all its functions, kudos for this amazing piece of software!

Mind telling me, whether the (non proper procedure, I did not follow any rules!!!) FX-workaround, that I just discovered by thinking outside the box, might produce any problems:

I did not create any instrument/aux tracks and insert VEP6 like suggested in the manual. Instead, I just took my first audio track, and inserted your audio-plugin in the first slot and the VEP right below in the second slot, assigned send and return to channels 1&2 and could send & receive processed audio after inserting my plugin(s) in the VEP server instance.

I did so with a second track, assigning send and return to channels 3&4 completely independet of the first track.

So: no additional AUXs or instrument tracks in ProTools, 12.6 just plain and simple inserting VE in single tracks...

Suprised, that this works? Or problematic in terms of things I am not thinking of/considering, and/or processor load in my DAW?

P.S.: as for VST plugins, Vienna Ensemble 5 properly recognizes Waves' 9.6 and 9.7 two MAIN VST DLLs and their "compressed" individual plugin contents, Vienna Ensemble Pro 6 does not, anymore. I know, that VE does not officially support Waves VST, but it might be worth looking into, if ever possible. Waves is just too good to loose them in VEP 6...

Kind regards!

Hi

I'm a bit confused: I bought VEP6 and also got Epic Orchestra with it. Installation went fine, but when installing Epic Orchestra, the installer had the option to install Ensemble 5 with it. I went ahead and did that, since I did not find anything about whether it was needed or not.

Now, when starting Pro Tools 12.6, Ensemble 5 is automatically started as well (it's running on Win7pro). But is it really needed, since I have VEP6 pro - which to me seems to be the newer version? When I uninstalled Ensemble 5, nothing happened, when starting Pro Tools, VEP 6 did not start with Pro Tools....

So: is Ensemble 5 needed and if so, what is it needed for?

Thanks for helping!

Originally Posted by: Dietz

.... It makes perfect sense to use VE Pro as virtual FX rack for Aux Sends, too...

I read this thread, because this is just the reason, why I look at VE Pro 6 right now: taking the load off my main computer and running the processor-intensive plugins (be it compressors, EQs, reverbs, other FX) on a host-machine.

- According to your experience: would that really help, or would all the routing, creating additional send/returns, AUXs, etc. create as much strain on my main computer (running PT12.6, bwt.), that the advantage of running the plugins externally on the host-computer via VEP is minimal

- looking at the suggested workflow (thanks for posting such an extensive explanation!), it is quite a big undertaking, thinking about hosting the plugins for  20 to 40+ track projects "externally". Does it make sense to you at all?

- how do you rate the following idea and the possible chances of it being realized/realizeable by the creators of VEP:  

why not develop some sort of "plugin" variation for VEP, that I can insert into any track on my DAW, that functions just like any other inserted plugin (meaning it is it's own "all in one audio send and return" in that very track, so to say): it routes that very channel/audio forth and back to/from the VEP server instance? 

In other words: I insert this "VEP FX plugin" into track number 1, create its "counterpart" instance in VEP, where I will insert any combination of plugins I want to use there (like dynamics, EQ, FX) and automatically, audio from track number 1 gets sent to its "counterpart" in VEP, processed and routed back via that "VEP FX plugin" instance into the very track again. Then I proceed with track number 2 etc. - So finally, by using this "VEP FX plugin", VEP really IS an easy to use FX-rack, too. (I hope, that I could make myself understandable)

Thanks for helping me with that matter and finding a decision, whether VEP can fit my needs