EWQL Strings vs Vienna Symphonic Strings

[Jazz+]

I just can't decide between these two:

 

 

Vienna Symphonic "Special Edition" ($495 Standard, $675 Extended, $1,170 Full) :

http://vsl.co.at/en/211/442/982/559/563/390.htm

 

EWQL SO ($625 Gold, Platinum $1,075)

http://www.soundsonline.com/product.php?productid=EW-177

 

.

 

 

[Mark Schmieder]

I went back and forth on that myself last year. The early demos for Vienna weren't very convincing, but then they got some better demo-makers on-board.

 

In February 2007, I almost bought Platinum while it was on sale, But then after many more listens, looking at their forums, etc., it became clear to me that the dryer and more European sound of Vienna was going to work a lot better for me in more contexts, such as jazz, pop, as well as classical and especially chamber music or smaller scale ensembles (though Vienna now also has the lush Appassionata Strings for the big Hollywood sound).

 

EWQLSO is brighter but not as warm. The sound isn't as deep and textured, and there aren't as many articulations available. If I was going to go for a more American string sound, I would take advantage of the current discounts on Sonic Implants (now SONiVOX). Not quite as wet in the recording process, and more detailed articulations. It also mixes better with other libraries.

 

Another option is Peter Siedlaczek's String Essentials (but not his overall orchestral library), which is 50% off this month (or maybe it's a two-for-one offer with anything distributed by soundsonline; including east/west stuff and Chris Hein).

[linwood]

Both Gold and SE are great. I'd probably go with the vsl SE plus - full version if you've got the $ burnin' a hole. . More $, but sounds great and the vsl interface is so cool. (I've got ewqlso plat, siss, and vsl appas I&II.)

[Jazz+]

SE = Special Edition, ok, thanks.

[linwood]

Edition

[Mark Schmieder]

Steer clear of Special Edition; you can't do much useful with it. Especially the Plus edition, which I wasted money on last year. Though it has helped give me discounts on the download libraries and eventually on the Extended Editions of the boxed libraries.

 

Kontakt 3 and MOTU Mach Five V2 both include a substantial subset of Vienna Special Edition. You can use either one to judge the general sound and timbre, but not phrasing and articulation.

 

Depending on your needs, I recommend buying one of the string libraries on its own. You missed your chance for the two-for-one sale of Chamber Strings and the new "con sordino" (i.e. muted) Chamber Strings II. I find them the best in the mix as the character comes out more than in larger ensembles, but not so much that the negatives of sample libraries are obvious as with the solo strings.

 

You can judge by their audio demos, but bear in mind that the better ones took a lot of MIDI tweaking.

 

The Vienna Instruments interface is highly tweakable, but not as much as I would like. I have passed my suggestions along, as have others, and they're working on it.

 

PLAY, on the other hand, is a disappointing interface, but the sound engine is superior to Kontakt so they had to move on (also for licensing reasons and due to pirating concerns).

 

Stay away from Silver; it's useless. Gold is probably good enough if you don't need the flexibility of multiple mic positions. You can also choose to save money by buying the Kontakt (actually Kompakt) versions vs. the PLAY versions.

 

The audio demos should be sufficient to judge which vendor's "sound" fits your palette better. Then the second half of the euquation is playability and programmability. On both counts, I would say Vienna wins hands-down, but if the sound isn't what you're going after, it hardly matters.

[zephonic]

I used the Vienna Library quite a bit and it's excellent, but I've been told that the EastWest's QL sounds a bit more "hollywood-y".

 

The Vienna stuff sounds awesome, but may require some work to get it to "sit" right in a mix or with other instruments. On its own it is great and very lifelike.

 

 

[Geoff Grace]

As an EWQLSO Platinum user, I can vouch for the Hollywood sound of the library. But because the library has three mic position choices, you don't have to go for that big sound.

 

I haven't invested my money in VSL, so I can't comment on the shootout; but I'm happy with the choice I made, FWIW.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[Mark Schmieder]

I have no trouble getting Vienna stuff to sit in a mix -- quite the opposite with the orchestral material from ewql. A lot may have to do with what it is sitting beside, though. I don't do Hollywood-style scores.

[Geoff Grace]

I think it's a little like trying on clothes. What's the right fit?

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[Mark Schmieder]

That was my point. That's why I was specific in the sound.

[Geoff Grace]

Then you've found someone who agrees with you.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[linwood]

Geoff, I'm not sure if your a .sib guy or not, but I saw this today. I haven't tried it out yet, but it might be pretty cool.

 

 

http://jonathanloving.googlepages.com/

 

[Geoff Grace]

Y'know, I'm not a Sibelius guy; but that website makes me more inclined to become one.

 

Thanks for the link, Linwood.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[Mark Schmieder]

Notion is non-MIDI based and has 1000 velocity layers as well as using some sort of phrase adaptive modeling like Synful Orchestra.

 

I find it friendlier than Finale or Sibelius or even Encore, as it is oriented around composers vs. publishers. But they were a bit late in adding MIDI compatibility, so I still do most of my work directly in Digital Performer and render with VSL.

 

I am hoping to switch over to Notion for early mock-ups of some classical work next year. Right now, deadlines still force me to stick more with workflows that I have already settled on.