# New Scoring Stage in Vienna (featuring Conrad Pope & Dennis Sands)



## Christof (Dec 4, 2015)

The Synchron Stage Vienna was built in the 1940s as an orchestral scoring stage.
The period of film music recordings in the middle of the 20th century was followed by classical recordings in the 1960s and1970s.
By the beginning of the 21st century the stage had lost its importance and was mainly used as a rehearsal stage.
Herb Tucmandl and his Vienna Symphonic Library team are now reawakening the building as the Synchron Stage Vienna.

Synchron Stage Vienna
located in the heart of Vienna, the charming capital of music, rated the most liveable city world-wide for the past five years!


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## Hannes_F (Dec 4, 2015)

Speaking as a forum member, not as a mod:

This looks like an exciting project. Vienna has top-of-the-world-class musicians anyways, so it should be a logical step to give them a facility for recording.

I see a hydraulic arm for an array of decca tree, Sennheiser MKH 800 as ORTF and spaced omnis on top, all in one package - very elegant. It seems the engineers can make wet/dry adjustions _by mic position_ during the rehearsal in realtime with a mouse click - fantastic.

Incredible control room, too.

It is great to see VSL back on the way towards hybrid productions, chapeau.


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## Sebastianmu (Dec 4, 2015)

Christof, did VSL acquire to record samples or just to rent it out?


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## Jimmy Hellfire (Dec 4, 2015)

I read about this a few years ago and if recall it right, they planned it as a sort of hybrid recording/production facility. As Hannes noticed, they seem to be able to make crucial adjustments on the fly, and I also remember talks of having their software and sample stuff and the whole MIR-related technology integrated into the whole system so they could enhance recordings with mocked up parts, add modelled reverb to the natural ambience and mix and match in all kinds of ways practically in realtime and on-site. It seems like a modern hybrid production facility where one can get everything done on the spot, which sounds really fascinating as a project. No idea if they plan to record samples there as well.


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## Christof (Dec 4, 2015)

Sebastianmu said:


> Christof, did VSL acquire to record samples or just to rent it out?


I am not sure if I am allowed to say something about this, but the scoring stage looks flexible...


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## Jimmy Hellfire (Dec 4, 2015)

Christof, you're a tease.


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## Christof (Dec 4, 2015)

Well, I am involved in sampling for the VSL since 2002, and I have some insights into this great company.
But at this stage it may be too early to make any hasty conclusions.


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## Hannes_F (Dec 4, 2015)

Speaking as a forum member, not as a mod:

A former head of a big classical label (big as: very very big) once told me that VSL had originally been funded with money from music publishing houses with the dedicated aim to circumvent license payments to players. I have been angry about that since then (but kept my mouth shut). But now it seems they give work to live players, so this is a good step.


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## Christof (Dec 4, 2015)

Well, actually they never wanted to take live players down, the director and founder of VSL is a cello player as well.
But we should open a new thread to discuss if samples can make live players unemployed 
This is going the be huge.


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## Hannes_F (Dec 4, 2015)

Speaking as a forum member, not as a mod:

Playing an instrument is not necessarily related to something else, and of course they can and they do. As I am saying I applaud VSL for going a dedicated hybrid route with this project. I would even say in its straight-forwardness it is exemplary.


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## muk (Dec 4, 2015)

It looks like a sensible next step that opens up many new possibilities. I hope VSL keeps a focus on developing new samples and software. The idea of ambient VSL libraries recorded at Synchron Stage sure has a lot of potential, sounds like a great prospect.


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## FriFlo (Dec 4, 2015)

This is sooo great!


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## lucor (Dec 4, 2015)

Here are two recordings from Conrad Pope's Soundcloud:


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## Jimmy Hellfire (Dec 4, 2015)

Wow, these musicians are fantastic.

And the sound - wonder if this is 100% live? The sound is roomy, but yet so firm and bright that one might think there must be mocked up parts involved. I think it's marvellous.


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## Christof (Dec 4, 2015)

Jimmy Hellfire said:


> And the sound - wonder if this is 100% live?


The Indiana Jones cue was recorded in 40 minutes!
And it's a very demanding piece.


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## lucor (Dec 4, 2015)

One more:


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## David Story (Dec 4, 2015)

I hope live music replaces mockups.


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## thov72 (Dec 4, 2015)

So it ´ll be WET VSL samples mixable with the dry ones using mirx Synchron Stage Vienna...


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## Christof (Dec 4, 2015)

thov72 said:


> So it ´ll be WET VSL samples mixable with the dry ones using mirx Synchron Stage Vienna...


Yes, this option is available as additional service.


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## Daryl (Dec 5, 2015)

David Story said:


> I hope live music replaces mockups.


I think we both know that ship sailed long ago. Besides, a recording is not exactly live music.

D


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## edhamilton (Dec 5, 2015)

Can only imagine VSL doing entirely new libs in this room.
With all they've innovated and learned, with all the software they've developed - my wallet shudders to think.

Not sure how many current members were around the first day Herb posted (at the old spot) looking for input/beta testers. He described what they were up to, how many samples etc - and no one believed him. A few thought it was an outright joke. 
Crazy to see how much things have changed in such a short period of time.


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## thesteelydane (Dec 5, 2015)

Daryl said:


> I think we both know that ship sailed long ago. Besides, a recording is not exactly live music.
> 
> D


True, but a recording recorded by real musicians will always be better than a mockup, won't you agree?


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## Daryl (Dec 5, 2015)

thesteelydane said:


> True, but a recording recorded by real musicians will always be better than a mockup, won't you agree?


Yes of course, as long as the music is actually written with real musicians in mind. If the music is written for samples, it can sound at least as good, if not better with samples. I can't remember the number of times I've heard composers moaning that the orchestra "couldn't get that marcato sound that the samples can" not realising that they have written something that doesn't suit live players, and the fault lies with their own inexperience of writing for players.

Don't get me wrong; I only ever use live players these days, but that doesn't mean that one can't do something with samples that a live ensemble couldn't match. The mistake is thinking of it as a "mock-up", as if it is second best, or a demo. If you think of it as the final product and write accordingly, going beyond what is humanly possible, it can be every bit as good as a recording of live musicians.

D


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## Baron Greuner (Dec 6, 2015)

A lot of sample work for strings is like rock music. Their arms would fall off after 10 minutes. And they can never understand why it just isn't that loud.


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## Dietz (Dec 8, 2015)

Hannes_F said:


> Speaking as a forum member, not as a mod:
> 
> A former head of a big classical label (big as: very very big) once told me that VSL had originally been funded with money from music publishing houses with the dedicated aim to circumvent license payments to players.



I have a soft spot for conspiracy theories, too, but whoever told you this was either ill-informed (like in: very very ill-informed) or simply lying.




> I have been angry about that since then [...]



You don't say!


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## Tanuj Tiku (Dec 8, 2015)

Is VSL going to record brand new ambient samples? Or is this just a separate business decision?


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## muk (Dec 9, 2015)

Well, let's hope for the former. Although the latter would be great already in it's own right.


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## Arbee (Dec 9, 2015)

The concept of sending in a track using VSL samples and getting back a track with real musicians replacing the samples would be a nice extension of the current developing landscape using remote orchestras. If it was economical enough (i.e. assuming VSL could generate the required scale) I'd do it in a flash, what a great service innovation.


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## muk (Apr 29, 2016)

Tanuj Tiku said:


> Is VSL going to record brand new ambient samples? Or is this just a separate business decision?



To quote from the current issue (May 16) of the magazine 'Mix': 'Since October 2015, they have been test-driving Stage A, recording scores with [Dennis] Sands and sampling instruments for the library'.

If that is true it does indeed look like ambient libraries from VSL are in the making.


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