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VSL orchestral woodwinds

bryla

Orchestrator
Which VSL woodwinds are people talking about when they mention they use VSL? What do you use in your day-to-day work?

I'm primarily looking for orchestral woodwinds and I already have VSL SE vol. 1 Woodwinds. I'm getting used to mixing it with other libs and I quite like it. So instead of going BWW, CS or SF I'm keen on building my woodwinds from VSL.

But are the special editions enough for people to make mock-ups? They are limited in samples but contains a lot of instruments just SE1+2 alone and the +'s would give me some extra sample content.

In case you use Woodwinds I or II do you have and/or use standard only or also the extended library?

Since I can't see any upgrade path from SE to WWI+II I'm asking to figure out if I can settle with SE or before I even think about buying all SE's just get into the full packages.

Two last things: Do you use Mir and VI Pro?
 
I still use VSL WW's full library with MIRx. You might try Special Edition to see if you like the sound and features. There will probably be a new "Synchronized" version of the Woodwinds soon...

You might also consider waiting for Century Woodwinds, and Spitfire Studio Woodwinds in the next few months.
 
Thanks for the heads up about synchronized WW's, @jamwerks . Do you use WW 1 and 2 or only 1? Standard or extended? What MIRx reverb do you find useful for it?

And before it get's any further: I would like peoples experiences with VSL Woodwinds. I'm following other threads closely about other WW libraries :)
 
1&2 plus Xtra WW's (with Contrebasse Clarinet and second soloists) and also the saxes. There's a complete WW's bundle that has it all. The Teldex impulses were the only ones I liked for MIRx. I did hear those instruments through MIR Pro in Synchron and that sounded even better.
 
I really like the VSL bassoons, oboes, english horns, flutes and piccolo. Clarinets are okay, but not my favorite.
 
I started with the Special Edition and upgraded to full/extended on the instruments I planned to use more like Oboe French, Oboe Viennese, Flute 2, Alto Flute and then grabbed full woodwinds standard. I use them with mirx Teldex and ViPro. Unlike @Lee Blaske I love the clarinet, just my preference of course :)

They're still my main woodwinds right now, unless I want a different sound.
 
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My main woods are VSL's Woodwinds 1, the Special Editions that add the additional woods, and a couple full instruments that I know I'll use more often such as English Horn and Alto Flute. I disagree that you should wait to see how a hypothetical library around the corner looks because that's been the advice for over a decade now and very few libraries can come close. I'd argue Berlin WW and Hein's winds are the only real competition and looking at the rest of the recent Spitfire studio offerings I think they'll be solid libraries but that it's unlikely for them to unseat VSL.

I use MIR's Teldex for the most part. It's one of a handful of roompacks that I consider "magic" in the way they present the instruments
 
My main woods are VSL's Woodwinds 1, the Special Editions that add the additional woods, and a couple full instruments that I know I'll use more often such as English Horn and Alto Flute. I disagree that you should wait to see how a hypothetical library around the corner looks because that's been the advice for over a decade now and very few libraries can come close. I'd argue Berlin WW and Hein's winds are the only real competition and looking at the rest of the recent Spitfire studio offerings I think they'll be solid libraries but that it's unlikely for them to unseat VSL.

I use MIR's Teldex for the most part. It's one of a handful of roompacks that I consider "magic" in the way they present the instruments
I have Berlin woodwinds legacy and Revive, I think when people say they love Berlin woodwinds they mostly haven’t tried VSL.
 
My main woods are VSL's Woodwinds 1, the Special Editions that add the additional woods, and a couple full instruments that I know I'll use more often such as English Horn and Alto Flute. ************
I use MIR's Teldex for the most part. It's one of a handful of roompacks that I consider "magic" in the way they present the instruments

Only VSL I have, so far, is Legacy content in NI_K11U and recent Smart Orchestra. I need more direction to follow @ Lee Blaske post, and yours, to select the WW SE products you reference.
Are you meaning SE Vol. 1 Woodwinds @ 70 Eur, or PLUS @ 105 Eur, or something more ?

(edit) just saw the 'Note' that I would need first selection in order to fully benefit from PLUS.
 
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I own lots of sample libraries but I keep going back to my VSL. I use MIR Pro plus a small amount of final reverb on the mix.

I use Woodwinds I and II full libraries, plus a few added VSL instruments like Basson 2, etc. If a score calls for 2 each of flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon, then I have a separate line for each of those 8 instruments., and each is a separate VSL instrument.

I recently finished a mockup of the Dvorak 9th Symphony movement IV using all VSL for the winds and brass, and for the strings several VSL libraries plus Spitfire Symphonic Strings. Here is a link:

 
Only VSL I have, so far, is Legacy content in NI_K11U and recent Smart Orchestra. I need more direction to follow @ Lee Blaske post, and yours, to select the WW SE products you reference.
Are you meaning SE Vol. 1 Woodwinds @ 70 Eur, or PLUS @ 105 Eur, or something more ?

(edit) just saw the 'Note' that I would need first selection in order to fully benefit from PLUS.

I apologize for the lack of clarity. I actually doubled up a couple instruments by getting the SE1 and Woodwinds 1. SE1 has extra instruments and covers pretty much all the rest of the instruments I need that aren't part of the main library and it's cost effective. Instead of getting SE Plus, I'd spring for the full instrument for anything you might want the Plus for. Maybe it's just me but if I need extra articulations for something, Plus just doesn't quite get me there. I hope that helped!
 
I think the general consensus is that VSL Woodwinds albeit released a while ago are still the most playable and I agree.

There are sooo many articulations available and if you know your game, you can totally make an incredible mockup or main release.

That being said, you do need mirx Teldex (or any stage you prefer) and ViPro so that you can add humanize and control your ssd/hdd preload.
 
I own lots of sample libraries but I keep going back to my VSL. I use MIR Pro plus a small amount of final reverb on the mix.

I use Woodwinds I and II full libraries, plus a few added VSL instruments like Basson 2, etc. If a score calls for 2 each of flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon, then I have a separate line for each of those 8 instruments., and each is a separate VSL instrument.

I recently finished a mockup of the Dvorak 9th Symphony movement IV using all VSL for the winds and brass, and for the strings several VSL libraries plus Spitfire Symphonic Strings. Here is a link:



Fantastic work there. Your sense of orchestral balance really shines.
 
I apologize for the lack of clarity. I actually doubled up a couple instruments by getting the SE1 and Woodwinds 1. SE1 has extra instruments and covers pretty much all the rest of the instruments I need that aren't part of the main library and it's cost effective. Instead of getting SE Plus, I'd spring for the full instrument for anything you might want the Plus for. Maybe it's just me but if I need extra articulations for something, Plus just doesn't quite get me there. I hope that helped!

Thank-you! No lack of clarity, just my weird struggle learning VSL's large library offerings.
SE Vol 1 WW will get me started and things will surely be clearer then. :thumbsup:
 
Thank-you! No lack of clarity, just my weird struggle learning VSL's large library offerings.
SE Vol 1 WW will get me started and things will surely be clearer then. :thumbsup:

Absolutely that's where I started too. The transition to the full library was really nice but it helped to start with SE and figure out what I wanted.
 
Thanks for all the replies! I think @Casiquire hit the nail on the head, that if I like the sound (I do) and as @EgM said the playability (I certainly do!) it's easiest to upgrade the instruments I use the most to full version. I can see that it actually gives me an upgrade path to the complete WW bundle if I need it.

Will certainly get Teldex and VI Pro.
 
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