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VEPro 7 now available!

My situation is similar to that of @DANIELE. I have been considering VEPro for a while now. For me, however, the pre-order price for the new version is an opportunity. First, I only need one license, at least for the foreseeable future, so the single-license policy amounts to a price decrease. Second, I get a VEPro 6 license which (if I understand correctly) is mine to keep even if version 7 turns out to be the upgrade from hell. And third, the only Synchron library I have is Smart Orchestra, and it looks like parts of Epic Orchestra 2 will complement that in Synchron Player and therefore be useful to me.

So yesterday I placed my pre-order. But I understand a lot of the concerns being expressed here and on the VSL forum. It does appear that VSL is trying to bring in new, mainly hobbyist, users at the expense of their existing, mainly professional, users. There's nothing wrong with trying to expand their market, but I think they could do it in ways that don't threaten their existing customers.
 
The eLicenser is not that bad how it's often said. I had never an issue with it.

First: The eLicenser stick has a two years warranty. If it breaks in this period you get a new one and all your replace licenses for free.

Second: If you have a thumb-drive / portable SSD with important information on it, you care for it and don't think all day "I might loose my data, my live is ruined".
If you only have VEPro on your eLicenser: Just be carefull, just like with your car's key. If you have a lot of other licenses on that thing, just buy the insurance. It is not expensive compared to having licenses worth 10k on it. This was a good solution for me (yes, free would be better. But what is free on earth?).

Steinberg is working on a better solution with eLicenser technology (confirmed on Steinberg's Dorico forum) and I think as soon as they come up with something that works, VSL will adapt this solution (keep in mind that VSL licenses this technology).

No copy-protection is no solution sadly: Most VSTis are available as pirated copies. VSL in the beginning had no protection and got pirated so bad, it was hurting their business. After using eLicenser their sales started to multipy (there is a post of somone from VSL on some forum about this; don't want to look it up now).

It's not an optimal solution, but it's not that bad as pointed out: You don't stay home every day because there is the small posibility that something bad will happen to you (get robbed, get killed by accident, etc). If it is ok for your life to take the really small risk of living, it should be ok to take the very small risk of getting your eLicenser dongle unavailable (if you are still conserned think about the 2-years warranty; just buy a new one every two years if you fear it might break).
 
The eLicenser is not that bad how it's often said. I had never an issue with it.

First: The eLicenser stick has a two years warranty. If it breaks in this period you get a new one and all your replace licenses for free.

So you're saying that instead of buying the insurance €70/year I'd be better off buying the eLicenser key for €25 every 2 years, right? I've known the VSL policy regarding the eLicenser for quite some time, but when I read this on their website - "To meet you in the middle, you can purchase replacement licenses with a 50% discount on the list price" it is well beyond ridiculous...
 
So you're saying that instead of buying the insurance €70/year I'd be better off buying the eLicenser key for €25 every 2 years, right? I've known the VSL policy regarding the eLicenser for quite some time, but when I read this on their website - "To meet you in the middle, you can purchase replacement licenses with a 50% discount on the list price" it is well beyond ridiculous...
Yes, as long as the reason for license loss is a broken eLicenser, you get your licenses back for free within the 2-years warrenty. After two years you have to pay a small recovery fee for each license (or you buy a new one to stay in warranty).

If you loose your eLicenser or it gets stolen you have to pay 50% to get replacment licenses (warranty will not save you in this case, but assurence will).
 
Second: If you have a thumb-drive / portable SSD with important information on it, you care for it and don't think all day "I might loose my data, my live is ruined".
If you only have VEPro on your eLicenser: Just be carefull, just like with your car's key. If you have a lot of other licenses on that thing, just buy the insurance. It is not expensive compared to having licenses worth 10k on it. This was a good solution for me (yes, free would be better. But what is free on earth?).

But you are comparing apples and oranges.

I don't worry about the data on my portable SSD because I have it backed up elsewhere (and it's also encrypted).

I can't back up my eLicenser to another eLicenser.

Moreover, VSL now maintains that when you make a claim on your eLicenser insurance, "Your lost/broken/stolen ViennaKey will be disabled and cannot be used anymore." They used to claim this wasn't possible, which is why we had to re-buy our libraries at 50% of retail price. So which is it?

The root problem is that VSL is trying to have it both ways: treat a legal construct called a "license" as a physical thing that can be lost. I'm skeptical that this would hold up to legal scrutiny, but I think VSL knows most customers aren't going to waste their time and money finding out.
 
It looks like VSL has changed course dramatically in the last one or two years. I suppose it is meant as a modernization, but to me it comes across as an attempt at cashing in on customers as much as possible. Just a few examples:

Instead of releasing a Synchron Stage expansion of Mirx and MIR, they release 'synchronized' versions of their VI libraries. This way you can rebuy all your old libraries again, simply with a reverb tail baked in. Truly horrible concept in my opinion, and I can't understand why anyone would want to buy this inflexible version of samples that you already bought once (without artificial reverb slashed on them - something that I can do myself easily, thank you). Once VSL ran a slogan 'Never pay twice for a sample'. They are now as far removed from this slogan as I can imagine.

VSL's idea of a solution to their highly unpopular dongle policy is - to charge an ongoing fee every two years to insure your licenses. If you pay this fee, VSL states, they will disable a lost or stolen key, and provide you with new licenses. The big question, for me, is this: why does VSL need you to pay an ongoing fee for it? Why don't they just deactivate the licenses on a key that is reported as lost or stolen, and charge the 70€ on occurence? I've asked VSL. Never got a reply.

The upgrade to Vienna Ensemble 6 cost 105€ for three licenses. Now they are advertising single licenses as 'new feature'. In fact, apart from 'integrated fx' it is the only new feature of Vienna Ensemble 7 that is currently listed on their website! This new 'feature', of course, goes hand in hand with a price increase of a whopping 94% for three licenses (95€ upgrade to VE 7, plus 90€ for two additional licenses).
I'm allergic to this kind of marketing, because to me it feels as if their marketing department is taking me for a fool. Selling a downgrade (only 1 license coming with VE 7 instead of 3) or/and a hefty price increase as a 'feature' - that's the new VSL marketing for you. They could have been upfront about it, telling that 3 licenses will be more expensive now, and explain why they deem that necessary. I suspect that's what the old VSL would have done. Not anymore.
Trying to cross-sell the Vienna Ensemble 7 upgrade through the Epic Orchestra 2 doesn't instill much confidence in me that VE 7 is where VSL's priorities lie with this upgrade either.

I won't even go into the Synchron Strings preorder, or the Synchron Strings library itself. To me, VSL as a company has lost most of its appeal in the past few months.
 
Thinking out loud-

I don’t mind paying for upgrades as this supports continued development. Hopefully there will be some improvements in the automation area. Not to mention future proofing, I guess. But you know, if V6 ain’t broke ....

But all in all, this software has become nearly indispensable to me next to the actual daw.
 
VSL's idea of a solution to their highly unpopular dongle policy is - to charge an ongoing fee every two years to insure your licenses. If you pay this fee, VSL states, they will disable a lost or stolen key, and provide you with new licenses. The big question, for me, is this: why does VSL need you to pay an ongoing fee for it? Why don't they just deactivate the licenses on a key that is reported as lost or stolen, and charge the 70€ on occurence? I've asked VSL. Never got a reply.

This is a great point. It reinforces that VSL sees our apprehension over lost or stolen dongles as a profit opportunity. Charging the fee per-incident, while more palatable to the customer, would surely result in less revenue for VSL.
 
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Instead of releasing a Synchron Stage expansion of Mirx and MIR, they release 'synchronized' versions of their VI libraries. This way you can rebuy all your old libraries again, simply with a reverb tail baked in.
Correction:
- The reverb is not baked in. You'll get the instrument + SYN Player with included IR, which you can disable at any time and replace with your own reverb. The samples are still dry.
- MIRx (mode) for Synchron is still in production (there is a big thread for this in the VSL forum with answerz from Dietz)
 
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As usual vsl sees things in terms of how to protect themselves, not how to protect their consumers. The reason they can offer the insurance as insurance is because they know that only a certain small percentage of licenses sold will turn up lost or damaged. BY having everyone pay the insurance then they collect enough to cover completely those small number of cases in their view. If they only charged a small fee on the case of loss then they may experience financial loss due to theft and they will not allow themselves to lose one single penny for that.

The hole they are plugging with that policy is that we the consumer could report a license lost (when actually it’s not) and then give the dongle to our buddy who never allows it to be used on a machine that is connected to the internet. In such a case, then the insurance they are charging to everyone or the 50% charge to those that refuse the insurance, should more then make up for that potential theft against them.

That is their thinking. Total brick wall protection for them against absolutely any loss of revenue, but we the consumers pay for that insurance which protects them. How nice for them.
 
Correction:
- The reverb is not baked in. You'll get the instrument + SYN Player with included IR, which you can disable at any time and replace with your own reverb. The samples are still dry.

Which means that if you already own, say, Appassionata Strings, then buying the Synchronized version is buying the same samples all over again, right?
 
Thanks for the correction Ben. Makes me understand the Synchronize concept even less.

@Dewdman42 could be true. Either way, as you state, VSL is laying all the cost for and risks of their protection onto their customers.

In any case, through what I consider to be very unfortunate changes in their direction as a company, VSL has lost a paying customer in me.
 
Which means that if you already own, say, Appassionata Strings, then buying the Synchronized version is buying the same samples all over again, right?
Yes, partially right. Depends on the library. For SYN App Strings for example they re-edited all material and added some recorded samples that were not included in the original library. The SYN Dimension Brass was really cheap to upgrade because they didn't edit the samples, just converted them and added the IR + presets.

I see two use-cases for the Syncronized series:

- to have an instant instrument without the need for setting up reverb, panning and volume. Saves time and helps especially composers without mixing skills; or users of the Synchron strings to blend these libraries. Users of the old instruments get the Synchronized instruments at a discount. So you don't pay twice for the samples, but for the re-editing + Synchron player.

- to get started with VSL if you don't have MIR Pro / mixing skills and very good reverb. It's easier to learn and you don't have to buy MIR Pro, which more than doubles the price if you just need one library.

I personally have MIR Pro and the Synchron Room-Pack, so I don't see the need to upgrade to the Synchronized line. But I see that it might be usefull for new customers or existing ones who just need some good mock-ups.
 
So you're saying that instead of buying the insurance €70/year I'd be better off buying the eLicenser key for €25 every 2 years, right? I've known the VSL policy regarding the eLicenser for quite some time, but when I read this on their website - "To meet you in the middle, you can purchase replacement licenses with a 50% discount on the list price" it is well beyond ridiculous...

There's no guarantee the newer dongle wont last longer than the first one.
 
I fell for it. I paid $71 so I have some more VSL stuff.
I’m not fussed about the Taiko offer they’re running, all we all want is a list of features for VEP 7 but they still haven’t finished it, it’s silly having a pre-order for Epic Orch when the star of the show itself has no information at all yet other than FX ported from Vienna Suite :/.
 
Vienna Protection Plan
  • Protect your valuable VSL licenses for 2 years
  • No downtime when reporting a ViennaKey as lost, stolen, or broken
  • Simple and straightforward
Did you ever worry about what will happen when you were to lose your ViennaKey, or if it breaks or gets stolen?
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BRAND NEW: For a fee of €70 per ViennaKey, the Vienna Protection Plan will cover your valuable VSL licenses for two years, no matter how many licenses are stored on each ViennaKey! No downtime for you, no more worries!


This is how it works:
  1. Order your Vienna Protection Plan.
  2. Insert the ViennaKey with the VSL licenses you want to protect. Activate your protection in the eLicenser Control Center by entering your Activation Code and start the usage period. The VSL licenses on this ViennaKey are now protected.
  3. We’ll let you know before your plan expires.

What if my ViennaKey breaks, or if I lose my key?
  1. Your licenses are safe. Report your lost, stolen or broken ViennaKey here .
  2. You’ll receive a 50 hours Vienna Emergency License RIGHT AWAY. The 50 hours refer to working hours, e.g., if you work 5 hours on one day, you have 45 hours left.
  3. You need a ViennaKey to store the Emergency License on. If you don’t have a spare ViennaKey on hand, order one here or pick one up at a Vienna Authorized Dealer.
  4. An operator will look into your case. You’ll receive permanent replacement licenses for the VSL licenses stored on the damaged/lost/stolen key as soon as possible.
    Free of charge!
  5. Your lost/broken/stolen ViennaKey will be disabled and cannot be used anymore. Your Vienna Protection Plan is now used up.
  6. Buy a new Vienna Protection Plan for new coverage.




VIENNA SYMPHONIC LIBRARY
 
Vienna Protection Plan
  • Protect your valuable VSL licenses for 2 years
  • No downtime when reporting a ViennaKey as lost, stolen, or broken
  • Simple and straightforward
Did you ever worry about what will happen when you were to lose your ViennaKey, or if it breaks or gets stolen?
Worry no more!


BRAND NEW: For a fee of €70 per ViennaKey, the Vienna Protection Plan will cover your valuable VSL licenses for two years, no matter how many licenses are stored on each ViennaKey! No downtime for you, no more worries!


This is how it works:
  1. Order your Vienna Protection Plan.
  2. Insert the ViennaKey with the VSL licenses you want to protect. Activate your protection in the eLicenser Control Center by entering your Activation Code and start the usage period. The VSL licenses on this ViennaKey are now protected.
  3. We’ll let you know before your plan expires.

What if my ViennaKey breaks, or if I lose my key?
  1. Your licenses are safe. Report your lost, stolen or broken ViennaKey here .
  2. You’ll receive a 50 hours Vienna Emergency License RIGHT AWAY. The 50 hours refer to working hours, e.g., if you work 5 hours on one day, you have 45 hours left.
  3. You need a ViennaKey to store the Emergency License on. If you don’t have a spare ViennaKey on hand, order one here or pick one up at a Vienna Authorized Dealer.
  4. An operator will look into your case. You’ll receive permanent replacement licenses for the VSL licenses stored on the damaged/lost/stolen key as soon as possible.
    Free of charge!
  5. Your lost/broken/stolen ViennaKey will be disabled and cannot be used anymore. Your Vienna Protection Plan is now used up.
  6. Buy a new Vienna Protection Plan for new coverage.




VIENNA SYMPHONIC LIBRARY
Never worried about it, once.
 
Never worried about it, once.
The plastic used on e-licensers is utterly cheap and brittle, which is so frustrating, when I used a laptop more-so a few years ago replacing it was a common occurance due to bits splintering off. I’m glad Pace on the other hand realised plastic = bad idea and went the aluminium route without the need for a cap on top either now. As well as machine licenses being more widely used. Hoping Steinberg / Vienna follow from this after looking at competitors.
 
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