VSL Prime [REVIEW]
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- čas přidán 28. 08. 2024
- VSL Prime is a new all-in-one orchestral library from Vienna Symphonic Libraries. It is mid-priced and goes head to head with Spitfires BBC Symphony Orchestra Core. But is it any good? Is it the library you need and is it value for money? Guy Michelmore was given a review copy and in this video he puts the library into action by creating a short orchestral mockup.
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How To Write Music explores the fundamental skills that underpin every great piece of music whether it’s a song or a film score, string quartet or video game sounds track.
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Here's the finished piece. The audio was clipping a bit on the video so check out the sound here: soundcloud.com/guy2012/vsl-prime-demo?
Quite frankly Guy, what a simply beautiful and inspirational piece of music! Thank you 😀
This man is unstoppable, I love it
You’ve already made the VSL homepage!
As a Viennese whose heart is linked to VSL (wrote my diploma thesis about string recording techniques and spent some time at the Silent Stage, the very first VSL-studio back then), when I saw Guy on the product page it was like "Ha! Gotcha! Now you are one of us!" 😅
I am using VSL a lot but not exclusively - I have loads of Spitfire and Orchestral Tools in there as well
@@ThinkSpaceEducation I know, I know. It's just I couldn't remember I had seen your face advertising for VSL before. That is what I meant.
@@Mansardian I didn't know they were going to do that!
@@ThinkSpaceEducation Hm, are they actually allowed to do that?🤔
@@ThinkSpaceEducation whoa really? I was a little surprised when I saw that yesterday too given how you usually review.
I realize your advertized purpose here is to review VSL Prime. But, along the way you've just given us all a compositional tutorial! Thank you.
No cuts seen, so all that was built live in half an hour? Wow. It's great when a pro shows how it can be done. Thanks, G.
Real time nothing missed out - youre welcome!
Thanks to Guy for getting me into writing music via computer samples during the pandemic. I have done several of the Thinkspace courses and learnt a great deal from Guy’s videos. I play guitar and have played double bass in orchestras for 30 years. I am an avid fan of the channel and seem to progress in fits and starts. So many thanks Paul Chambers
Great video Guy! I own a lot of the Synchron libraries and the appeal of this for me is as they are in my template already, using this to build an orchestration and add to it or expand is great. The fact the instruments are already in place panning wise is a huge time saver. Thanks for yet another great video!
The thing that got me into writing orchestral music is World of Warcraft soundtrack which I would listen constantly, so much amazing atmospheric signature music, hours of it. And VSL is so close to the sound of WoW soundtrack, probably it's what was used in there in the first place. So to me VSL just plays right into my heart, absolute no-brainer. I mean it would have been if I was able to buy it, given that I'm too Russian for that right now.
Have you found the "Music and Ambience" playlists people create for each zones So nostalgic!
It is absolutely ridiculous that perfectly normal fine people like you have to suffer because of the choices your country makes that you have absolutely nothing to do with.
Free harp glissandos! I was just writing about that last week. But I think Guy might have a special "advance copy" as the freebie is not yet available on the VSL website. I'll have to be patient!
BTW, another inspiring piece again this week ... and I always learn something. Thank you, Guy.
Went to listen to the finished piece before watching, and definitely got that Tomb Raider vibe from the franchise's good old days. Amazing work while ALSO demo'ing a product, Guy. Thanks for the review and for more of your valuable insights.
p.s. couldn't find the Harp Glisses, but the other Hello stuff is pretty nice!
Watching you compose and arrange Guy has made me think on what instruments we hear want to hear, or are obscure in the mix. Particularly as you built up the brass section and the tuba on this piece.
I've always enjoyed Picking out instruments in a mix, being aware in pop and classical of certain instruments.
Quite a lot depends on who mixed it and for what reason and tastes.
The beauty of listening live sometimes is you get more control on what your listening to. IMO
Quite an involved topic to explore.
Room dynamics, recorded performances speakers and mic techniques.
?Sonic perception?
I've always loved the sound of VSL instruments when I've heard you use them, particularly the harp. They are a bit out of my budget range unfortunately. Thanks for this review, Guy. Take care
Hello there ;) Have you ever considered creating videos where you break down tracks or demonstrate the process of composing an entire suite? I truly enjoy your content, and your instructional style is excellent. That's why I'm reaching out with this suggestion. Not to criticise ☺
Perfectly composed and arranged. VSL is one of the best.
I would love to see you make a similar review of Orchestral tool - Orchestra and in how it differs from VSL prime and BBC core!
LOL at Guy realising he's accidentally writing Nathan McCree's original Tomb Raider, and just deciding to go with it. Because why not? It's still a great score that lives in our heads rent-free even after all these years.
Many thanks as always I like the step sequencer trick to produce those string runs
Mr. Michelmore, the legend
Thanks for the video. Quick uninvited camera tip - consider, perhaps, one of the newer Sonys, eg A7IV, A7SIII, FX3, etc. They all have very good face tracking auto-focus systems which could take the hassle/sweat out self-presented videos like this. Cheers. :)
I was looking to orchestral instruments for songwriting and was about to go for BBCSO Core, but went for VSL Synchron Strings in the end after a review on this channel.
I recently purchased Core, but will watch the review nonetheless should I wish to widen my range of sounds at a later date (funds allowing).
Yup. Sounds good. As I already have BBCSO Code I guess I'll pass for now.
I have almost full Synchron collection but just a portion of harp in this is worth getting.
Special edition harp is good as well
Fantastic video as always thank You ! May i kindly ask when this free harp glisses come out ? They sounds gorgeus
Oops. Are they not out yet?!
@@ThinkSpaceEducation haha maybe im just blind (which is also very possible :P) but when im exploring freebies on VSL site i dont see them too unfortunatelly. I hope they come out soon because i really like te sound in Your example. I guess that many of us will find them very usefull especially for fast sketching. The same i think about string runs and this soft piano. ...If some reason im wrong and im just blind :P and this 3 new freebies is out already please let me know where exacly i can find them :) Thank You for Your video. I love Your videos. Greetings from Poland
@@XeNoS_Music You're not blind, they haven't been released yet! I hope you weren't on an NDA with them, Guy... if that's the case, we'll tell the court we heard it from someone else ;)
Thanks for this astonishing video, Guy. Great work! Would love to see VSL offering their amazing libraries as a subscription service one day...
Hi Guy,
Thanks for the wonderful video. Enjoyed every second of it.
Oh.. and the VSL Synchron Prime Library sounds awesome, and as you mentioned is very low on RAM, and CPU resources which is fantastic. 😎👍
I have seen that all the templates divide strings and winds into short and long notes, but what is the solution when passing MIDI information to real scores?Would more than two systems result for each instrument? I work at Studio One
Its actually pretty easy to combine them at the end of the day and Dorico makes it super quick.
"This doesn't sound like a terrible piece of music yet" is something I often find myself thinking of my own work. Unfortunately in my case, it's usually followed by an implicit "so let's see what we can do about that..."
The atmosphere in the beginning seems to me more like Arrival of the birds (probably because of the harp). Cool review as usual
Such a shame Vienna don't get much views on their channel, they do some great stuff.
Hi Guy wonderful video and composition. I think there was something strange with your micro, a slight echo perhaps 🤔 not sure. Cheers Dave
Hi Guy, do you think this library is good enough quality for professional film work, in your opinion?
Definitely.
@@ThinkSpaceEducation Thank you for your reply much appreciated
Hmm, I don't seem to find the free Harp Glissandi instrument... does anybody have a link to that?
hi Guy,i always love your library demontrations,they show perfectly whats possible with the instruments in relation to eachother
btw,now youre realy beginning to resemble John Williams,have some aspiration to do the next star wars score perhaps 😁
great performance as usual,i've got a tip tough,one for the camera,as you are always the same distance from it i would put autofocus to off,and amually focus it to that distance,that way the camera wont re-focus everytime,you see,altough i know "nothing" about scoring orchestral music i still have some good ideas 🤣 not true,i learned a lot for you Guy,thanx for that,cheers
Great video, thanks Guy!
Absolutely reeling from that Tomb Raider reference! I thought it sounded familiar. Definitely Lara's theme from Tomb Raider III.
I don't have that much RAM so when I load more than 6 instruments at once one of the instruments won't play properly or export properly. There are however work arounds like turning the midi track into audio. But creating a huge orchestral template is out of the question.
Yo yo I have a great tip for you. You can purge the kontakt plugins. This makes it that it only loads notes in the ram when they are actually in use. I work on a cheap laptop and can use a template just fine.
@@kazvanrooij How would you "purge" the plugins.
@@DanIel-fl1vc when you load a Sound into kontakt, up top little to the right of the midi Channel settings there is a “Purge” Button, that will unload all unused samples. Keep a look out on the ram used, as this will rise as you play. When you think the ram usage is getting high again you purge again. Also if you use several Kontakt instruments; keep them all in one instance of kontakt and make a multi instrument with each Sound set to its own midi Channel, and jus make a midi track for each Sound. That way you have as little memory overhead as possible instead of having one Kontakt instance for each track
One question Guy ,this library add something new for people with Synchron collection, new articulations new instrument or is only a pretty face? Thanks
If youve got all of synchron then no this is a lite version
@@ThinkSpaceEducation ok, thanks enough for me at the moment,I bought Elite and Pro (love Strings Sound!!) and the rest of instruments this Library is all raight,Love Spitfire but VSL is more organic...magic! VSL Pianos too
Dear Guy, excellent as usual... Is it the sound right out of the box ? are using FX ?
I added my own reverb
@@ThinkSpaceEducation OK. It make sense. Thanks for your answer.
When you play chords on the "FH a6 L" you actually get the sound of 18 horns, right?
Love the Sean Connery face during the harp improv
haha I think there is a little (cool) spoiler about the next freebies 😂😂 (they look cool btw) , thanks for the video!
Hello Guy ! What type of surface/Midi player are you using in your videos to control your Articulations? Sitting to your left on top of your keyboard? I am in the need and search of a Good multi-purpose surface controller. I am a S1 user (I see you are a using Cubase). However, maybe whatever you are using will work with S1? Great Video btw... I have been on the edge of adding Prime to my libraries (I might as well since I already own a lot of VSL to begin with).
I'm gonna be working abit of extra hours to fund THIS new toy.
BTW. GREAT looking beard.
Could you share this template file ? Thanks
Hey Guy! Great video (as always) thank you! I was wondering how you felt as a professional going forward gear-wise since you've been using an M1 Macbook on the side of your usual PC workstation. I'm due for an upgrade, I'm comfortable with both operating systems, both Cubase and Logic, and I can't decide which of the two would be the wisest choice. Custom PC builds are more open, easily upgradeable and give more bang for your buck... but Apple silicon seems to be dominating the music market, most composers I've seen recently are hailing M1 chips. I'd greatly appreciate your thoughts/experience on the matter :)
Great video I don’t suppose you can chord up piano sheet music for keyboard as a side hustle by any chance ?
I immediately thought of Tomb Raider :D I love the original TR theme.
If one wants to use Prime (or BBC orch core) with a somewhat large template as you have here, could you elaborate on how many cores and ram that people should have without running into troubles to get started. Eg if i want to use my 2 year old Ryzen 7 3800X and my 32gb of memory and a little old but good base 2/2 channel usb2 Presonus interface, am I on the good side, or how many tracks can people expect to run simultanous with a given hardware. I'd guess that maybe not all but many of your subscribers is fairly good aware of the trade off's in how we configure the hardware for mastering or multi track instrument recording, since you have educated us in previous videos :) I liked your video on the hardware setup, even I knew most of it already. Maybe some of your users would like a video on what kind of hardware setup is needed to get started without stretching the PC budget too hard (Not everyone have the budget of eg a 32 core Threadripper and half a terabyte ram :) ) .. just to put things on an edge :).
The 3800x is quite solid enough for most writing. 32GB of ram should be fine as long as you don't go too overboard and have a ton of patches up you don't use. I don't know about that specific Presonus interface, but Presonus is usually pretty solid. All in all, a 3800x and 32gb of ram is a really good way to start out. I see no reason you couldn't get an entirely usable full orchestral template going with that setup, though you'll probably start getting near the max ram-wise.
This is really hard as there is no real formula which will tell you how it would perform on your system. You should be ab le to run a really decent template on that spec certainly as much as the 100+ tracks Im running here but until your try it you cant know for sure
I have some synchron libraries and love them. I also have Mir24 and wondered your opinion about that? I'm not a recording engineer and thought years ago it was a way to get around that fact. Consequently everything for me stays in the midi domain until I'm ready to render the master copy.
Guy, Regarding using LS Cinematic Rooms for your reverb here, are you willing to tell us what preset or settings you are using? (It makes VSL sound so much more lush!)
1:50 ...instantly remembered Marcus and Lygia OST from Quo Vadis, Miklos Rozsa 😁
I haven't seen harp glisses nor violin runs as freebies yet. Maybe I did not understand what you've said or it's still not available for us...
Excellent, Guy. Have you just done one of your courses? :).
Ha! I should
I always feel like sustained VSL strings sound like someone is singing “pffffffffft” along with them. Am I alone in that?
Everything from VSL sounds meh, except maybe WW. It was always like this.
I wonder what happened to guy's microphone
Great! Really liked it! What's the specs of your Pc?
14 core Xeon PC 128gb RAM
Had me at Tomb Raider 😭🔥🔥
What the CPU actually are you use , and how many GB RAM you do have
At 19:45 I had a good laugh: playing the cello but...hey, that's not a cello, it's a piano! Can you imagine how much effort it costs me to learn all of this (DAW, Music theory, learning to compose)? But now I rest assured;);)
Thanks Guy for another composing video!
23:25 is the sound clipping or is that the actual sound?
No it was me cocking up the levels. See the link ats the top for a mix of the track
Do you know, Sonuscore-The Orchestra?
Muito obrigado
Hi Guy, can you please tell me how to use VEpro (if you did in this video) and loading up all of this library? i do have cubase 12, i do have synchron, and I'm trying to load up all of VSL package through Vepro, the idea i want to see which sounds good and i will save it for that specific project, but the performance of my computer is a nightmare, I'm not sure how to improve it. just fyi (PC, 16 core i9, with 256GB RAM) that is the max for this machine, also I'm talking 600 channels in VEPro 7, (btw if you don't make a video every 2 week (at least) i will come to London and harass you, we love you here in my household.
It's time for Prime Guy
I still want to know what is your motherboard and cpu. :)
Why this library omits one of the essential strings articulation - Spiccato? bleeeeh.
the staccatos are pretty short - but there are no string harmonics but then BBC SO has no bass clar so you pays your money....
@@ThinkSpaceEducation I'm not an expert, just looking for best-rounded first commercial orchestral library. But, as much as I like the instrument set, the SSD/DRAM footprint and flexible soundstage of VSL Synchron Prime Edition (supported by additional close mikes and mixer presets), I still insist, that omitting Spiccatos and Trills renders this library incomplete for beginner wanting to learn orchestration. There is a reason behind including them both in BBC SO Core and OT Berlin Orchestra. The problem is, that once you understand that you need them, I guess the only cohesive way is to supplement the strings with dedicated higher tier strings library (and pay twice as much?), and probably expand the hardware resources to host them. Not for laptop sketching anymore.
Are you sure that VSL Prime Staccatos can reasonably replace missing Spiccatos? Unfortunately you didn't show Staccatos by Celli/Cbasses :-( Maybe they would rescue the show. Interestingly, also VSL did not include any instrument samples from this lib. We'll have to wait for more reviews.
Thanks for the video anyway! :-)
Five years ago, I'd have leapt upon VSLs piano library. Now I'm pretty much done with samples. If it isn't physically modeled, I'm not interested.
It reminds me of the work of Jeremy Soule
Guy makes me feel how I make others feel. The whole “make it look easy” trope.
Who makes guy feel like an dimwit? Anyone?
This library sounds nice, but I don't know if I'm in a situation in which I can pay more money, I'm just a teenager with no job
Then there are some great free libraries out there - check out BBC SO discover, VSL Hello series etc
@@ThinkSpaceEducation I'm happy with my east west composer cloud, but I'm going to give it a try
@@santiagoacosta3372 EW cloud is great and perfect value
Guy! The brass is too loud.
Springs sound artificial other than that it sounds great imo.
Springs?! You know that would be an original addition
👍👍👍👍
You can sell your track to Final Fantasy Franchise hehe
Nice staccato.
This oboe... 100% PS1 Tomb Raider!
Nice… how much VSL pay you for promotion. In fact they did announce with iLok Discounts but the discounts all was just Marketing blah blah… iLok acts like a Trojan horse and it helps not they try to censor this. I have to sell all my VSL Libaries. Only I stay with Ensemble Pro 7 on my Old Steinberg Sticks. They do not tell their customers that the real plan is to grow the prices.
Nobody pays me Daniela, you've been here long enough to know that. Lots of people have offered but I dont do this for a living - I write music adn run ThinkSpace! I get review copies sure but that's all. If I dont like something I wont review it.
VAL has moved away from hardware dependence
@@ThinkSpaceEducation I guess you know with the time my way of provoking. In fact the free gifts of VSL do often not help really to work with it. They just give a little impression but to use them makes just sense if you invest complete to a complete program. From sound really they make sense only if you do not mix them with other instruments. See I did have my concerns with spitfire because they did change the rules in silence. Fact is that they push now their customers to a unsecure system. the unloved dongle by a lot of users secure more their invest. We did phone with Steinberg and for shure they can register still their apps there. In fact their reaction that I like to offer a sell libaries seem me more a paper tiger to be compliant to European laws. Anyways… my English is still not good enough for yours courses. But there will be coming the time. In this I am shure. By the way we did find an arrangement with Spitfire Service. And such I do not see in the VSL anymore. In fact I lost because their marketing and service behaviors just the trust in them. I have not to concern much to the Synchron player as long you use it what he was made for. Gives a good workflow as long you make yours own system but if you just play the fabric setup it’s not really advanced in midi routing. But there is nothing you can not work out with different libaries.
In this inflationary market, I’d be shocked if they didn’t raise their prices eventually. I wouldn’t mind if some of their older products got a permanent price decrease (I love the VI instruments line, I’m not as impressed with my SE due to clunky legatos) but, alas, they need to eat too 😊. I’m just glad they didn’t go to a full subscription based system; those can really bite.
A lot of Marketing people of VSL in the chat… lol will see they force guy to censor like they do…
If you keep making multiple negative comments (about a company not about the specific product while under a video of someone that recieved the library for free)...yeah you are asking to be "consored"(even if i don't like it personally), and nobody is going to listen to what you have to say if you keep acting this way.
Seems like you have an axe to grind after a couple of negative comments? Why not take it up with VSL themselves instead on Guy's very helpful video? VSL are nothing but helpful and courteous. Their customer service is incredible and they really look after their composers. Recently, they have given out top quality freebies to all and continue to expand their existing collections. As a customer who is heavily invested in their libraries, they and the results I've been getting are exceptional.
@@misterpete1928 Nice you did some good experience with their service. I do not care their free libaries. They did push some to make a bit marketing for the new money maker iLok. And the discounts was not really one discount I have seen… same price level than any of their regular offers to push users to buy. If I compare their Service with other Companies they take for me one of the last places. A support Email from black Fryday is still not answered.
To the libaries… as long you do not mix them with other libaries and use strict VSL in their system it works good. But if you mix than it does not work. They have a specific sound. And a reason a lot of composers do not go this way with them. The Spitfire Mix for example is for scoring much better. But others go to Dolby Atmos now. I can use the good 20 years old Absynth as Fx Plugin and Push anything through this effect channel to Dolby Souround and forward the bus to a Abbey Road Spitfire Dolby Atmos bus. As long VSL things they can ignore service requests since close to one year they have to expect that such will be announced at different places. Compare their Service with the service of other companies and this Libary is from sound point of view not the real burner that Hans Zimmer will do his next film with VSL. He did appear once I remember when they did open their building and use the location just once. Since this time he record different places and orchestras.
prime edition c'est de la merde, mais c'est ton sponsor !!! prime edition is shit, but it's your sponsor!!!