ORCHESTRAL STRINGS I - VIENNA SYMPHONIC LIBRARY

Australia Europe UK & Eire Japan North & South America 

www.svmedia.com.au www.bestservice.de www.timespace.com www.crypton.co.jp www.ilio.com 

+61 (0)2 9439-6839 +49 (0)89-345 026 +44 (0)1837-55200 +81 (0)11-222-6655 818-707-7222 

VIENNA SYMPHONIC LIBRARY GmbH, Draschestrasse 89, A-1230 Vienna, Austria 

e-mail: office@vsl.co.at 

CATALOG 2007 

ENGLISH

CONTENTS 

VIENNA INSTRUMENTS 

VIENNA INSTRUMENTS I 

10 Collections 

SYMPHONIC CUBE 

10 Symphonic Cube 

12 Solo Strings 

Chamber Strings 

14 Orchestral Strings I 

Orchestral Strings II 

16 Woodwinds I 

Woodwinds II 

18 Brass I 

Brass II 

20 Harps 

21 Percussion 

Sample-based Virtual Instruments 

AU, VST, Stand-alone 

4 Introduction Vienna Instruments 

8 Vienna Special Edition 

30 Upgrades/ViennaKey 

31 Instruments Reference Poster 

36 MIR 

38 Frequently Asked Questions 

39 Online Services 

VIENNA INSTRUMENTS II 

More Collections 

22 Saxophones 

23 Special Woodwinds 

24 Special Brass 

25 Appassionata Strings 

26 Vienna Konzerthaus Organ 

27 Bösendorfer Imperial 

28 Elements 

29 Special Keyboards 

VIENNA INSTRUMENTS are so-called virtual instruments or software instruments. The player 

and the samples are combined in one easy-to-use application that runs stand-alone or as a 

plug-in hosted by your preferred sequencing software. 

The PRO EDITION and the HORIZON SERIES titles are sample libraries. You need a third party 

software sampler to use them. The Pro Edition requires TASCAM GigaStudio or Apple Logic/EXS24, 

the Horizon Series libraries run on Native Instruments’ Kontakt and Steinberg’s HALion 

samplers in addition to GigaStudio and EXS24. 

SAMPLE LIBRARIES 

PRO EDITION 

Orchestral Sample Library 

in Giga, EXS24 formats 

32 Performance Set 

Strings 

Brass & Woodwinds 

Percussion 

Orchestral Cube 

HORIZON SERIES 

10 Libraries in Giga, EXS24, 

HALion, Kontakt formats 

34 Chamber Strings 

Vienna Harps 

Epic Horns 

French Oboe 

Woodwind Ensembles 

Saxophones I 

Mallets 

FX Percussion 

Vienna Concert Guitar 

Overdrive 

Founder and Managing Director Herb Tucmandl 

VIENNA INSTRUMENTS are addictive – not only in practical use, but also in production! 

As soon as the recordings for the SYMPHONIC CUBE were completed in early 2006, everyone 

knew that it couldn’t stop there – the best and most efficient sample engine in the world simply 

had to be loaded with more inspiration! 

There was – and still is – a need to enhance and complete the symphonic compendium of 

instruments. Besides the obvious orchestral instruments there are the keyboard instruments 

(piano, harpsichord, organ), the saxophone family, and several rarities from the family of wind 

instruments. We were especially pleased to produce the Appassionata Strings, and strove to let all 

seven years of our experience with sample production flow into them. The Appassionata Strings 

are tailor-made for our users who are looking for that wide, epic string sound. 

At nearly one million samples currently released, the VIENNA INSTRUMENTS Collections 

represent the largest and most complete virtual instrument collection in history. The unique 

possibility of drawing from this magnificent, high quality sample reservoir inspired us to create 

a handpicked Collection representing the essence of our work of the last several years – the 

Vienna Special Edition, a compact, yet expressive orchestral software instrument that meets the 

highest of musical standards. 

Whichever of our products you choose, I wish you lots of fun and success in your musical work! 

–Herb Tucmandl, Vienna, December 7, 2006 

2 3

Natural Intelligence 

VIENNA INSTRUMENTS, the most powerful Virtual Instruments currently on the market, are 

the ultimate blend of easy-to-use software and an inconceivably vast array of samples. For the 

first time hundreds of inspiring articulations in one preset and on a single MIDI track are 

automatically summoned by our proprietary Performance Detection algorithms as you play in 

real-time. If you never imagined a Virtual Instrument could read your mind, think again. Never 

before has composing been so natural, fast, and so much fun. 

VIENNA INSTRUMENTS User Interface: Left and right hand Workspaces, Central Info Screen, 

and Selector Ring with Performance Display. 

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS 

• PC Intel/AMD 2 GHz (3++ GHz recommended) 

with Windows XP or 

• Apple G4 1 GHz (G5 or Intel Core Duo processor 

recommended) with Mac OS X 10.4 or higher 

• 1 GB RAM (2 GB recommended) 

• VST (OS X, Win XP) or AU (Mac) compatible 

host (also works stand-alone) 

• DVD drive for installation 

• Fast separate hard drive 

• 88 key master keyboard (highly recommended) 

• ViennaKey (Syncrosoft USB protection device) 

• Syncrosoft License Control Center 5.2.1.0 

or higher 

Watch the Video Tutorials at 

vsl.co.at/vi. 

TEC Award 

Winner 

2006 

Electronic Musician 

Editor’s Choice 

Award 

Future Music 

Platinum 

Award 

Proceed with Speed 

• Pre-configured inspiring Patches for intuitive playing with zero learning curve. 

• Total integration – VIENNA INSTRUMENTS are tailor-made for our massive sample database. 

• No DSP calculations, no physical modeling, nothing artificial – what you hear are the 

pure recorded tones and tone transitions, performed by first class musicians. 

• Performance Detection algorithms integrated in Patches without the need to switch 

manually between articulations: 

– Interval Detection – Provides natural intervals and note transitions for legato, portamento, 

glissando, spiccato, marcato, détaché styles in real-time. Algorithms automatically summon 

the naturally played tone transitions, depending on the interval and velocity you play. 

– Repetition Detection – Lets you play natural repeated notes in legato, portato, staccato, 

spiccato styles at any speed! 

– Pattern and Trill Detection – Avoids same-sample occurrences, even within 

complex phrases and trills. 

– Speed Detection – The tempo of your performance automatically triggers the 

appropriately articulated samples and switches seamlessly between articulations. 

• Trigger comprehensive sets of articulations using hardware controllers (MIDI learn), 

key switches, and speed, without ever leaving the current MIDI channel. 

• Layer Articulations for simultaneous or crossfade performances in one Preset. 

• Easily design your own Instruments using Drag & Drop. 

• Switch Velocity Crossfades and Release Control on/off on the fly. 

• Watch the Online Video Tutorials at vsl.co.at/vi to learn more in just minutes. 

4 5 

THE ENGINE 

• Extremely powerful proprietary streaming audio 

engine, developed by Vienna Symphonic Library’s 

engineering mastermind Christian Teuscher. 

• Up to 3,456 Articulations (Patches) on 

one MIDI channel. 

• RAM pre-load of up to 25,600 stereo samples 

(based on 1.6 GB available RAM under Windows; 

48,000 samples on a 3 GB Mac G5). 

• 64 stereo voices per instance streaming from disk. 

• Extremely low load times (average 1 sec. per 

Patch) using pre-caching. 

• Lossless real-time de-compression for using less 

RAM and hard disk resources. 

• RAM Optimizer kicks unused samples out of RAM. 

• Prepared for future MIR integration, our 

proprietary Multi Impulse Response Mixing and 

Reverberation Engine (see p. 36). 

• VST and AU formats for Windows XP and 

Mac OS X 10.4, plug-in and stand-alone. 

THE LIBRARY 

• Single note samples and Performance Elements in 

44.1kHz/24bit, stereo (with full mono compatibility). 

• Played by top musicians from Vienna’s 

renowned orchestras. 

• Recorded at Silent Stage (our specially constructed 

recording stage near Vienna). 

• Practically no noise-floor (90-100 dB signal to noise). 

• Extended Libraries for flexible expansion of your 

instruments and articulations. 

• Comprehensive upgrade paths for Vienna 

Symphonic Library customers. Please see our 

Discount Calculator at vsl.co.at/calculator. 

VIENNA INSTRUMENTS


1 Drag 

& Drop 

Find it Fast. Load it Faster. 

For the first time in the history of virtual instruments it is possible to perform naturally fluid and 

absolutely authentic instrumental passages with legato, glissando, or note repetitions in real-time. 

What you hear when playing Vienna Instruments are real tones that have been performed by real 

musicians. No DSP calculations, no morphing, no physical modeling, nothing artificial – just the pure 

recorded tones and tone transitions, the natural sound of dynamic and expressive performances. 

The Vienna Symphonic Library team not only recorded single notes for all instruments and ensembles, 

but comprehensively captured what happens in between the notes, where the real nuances of 

a live performance occur. Recording the sound that the musician and the instrument make 

when moving from one note to the next is essential for the realistic recreation of a performance. 

This is where Vienna Instruments’ unique Performance Detection comes into play. The software 

analyzes the user’s performance and triggers the proper note or tone transitions in real-time. 

For instance, when you play a Legato Performance Patch of a solo violin, algorithms that are built 

into the Patch check for the intervals you’re playing and automatically provide you with the proper 

note transitions, depending on the interval and the velocity you play. And that’s not all. If you have 

chosen Speed as a controller, the algorithms provide you with the correctly articulated note 

transitions depending on how fast you play. The software even takes care of repeated notes. 

Eliminating the dreaded machine gun effect, it automatically provides you with alternating 

samples when you play the same notes twice or more often. 

Browse through the 

list of articulations. 

The Info Screen previews 

articulation contents. 

Drag an articulation 

into a Cell. Drop 

more articulations 

into more Cells. 

Click on a Cell. The 

Cell Screen shows you 

what you’ve loaded. 

Cells (articulations) can be 

switched horizontally and 

vertically, using controllers 

in real-time. 

Define controllers like 

Key Switches, Mod Wheel, 

Faders, Speed, etc., to 

switch between Cells. 

Try the Speed controller. 

Play fast to hear fast 

articulations. Play slowly 

to hear slow ones. All of the 

articulations you choose 

are readily available on 

one MIDI channel! 

Play 

One Preset. A World of Articulations. 

The result of these innovations is absolutely authentic performances, with no need to tweak the MIDI 

data and with only a basic knowledge about the individual instruments you’ve selected. Vienna 

Instruments guarantee musically correct, idiomatic performances for each instrument of the 

orchestra, whether you’re playing live or from your sequencer. 

TOTAL INTEGRATION FOR UNPRECEDENTED EASE-OF-USE 

If you’re familiar with Vienna Symphonic Library’s PRO EDITION and HORIZON SERIES sample 

libraries you may have heard about the Performance Tool. The algorithms of this MIDI utility, plus 

many additional features, are now built directly into the Vienna Instruments. As revolutionary as 

our sample libraries are, the Vienna Instruments software engine is by far the most powerful audio 

engine and sample player on the market, boasting a wealth of innovative features such as 

pattern and trill detection, seamless velocity crossfades, RAM management, and much more. With 

Vienna Instruments, you’ll no longer need a software sampler – the software is tailor-made for 

our massive sample database. This total integration makes it extremely easy to use, stunningly 

authentic, and so fun to play! 

All you have to do is choose a Preset, or configure for yourself the articulations you need using 

simple drag & drop. All that’s left is to play, switching between articulations automatically, e.g., by 

speed or velocity, or using a controller like pitch or mod wheel, key switches, faders, or a breath 

controller. It’s as easy as that! 

6 7 

2 

VIENNA INSTRUMENTS

VIENNA 

SPECIAL 

EDITION 

This Special Edition brings together the complete orchestra – 

and more – in an affordable Collection. It is the ideal, resourcesaving 

companion for orchestral arrangements on the laptop, 

or for newcomers to the world of Vienna Instruments, offering 

a useful cross-section of the Vienna Symphonic Library’s 

complete 1.5 million sample archive. 

The Standard Library includes 28 instruments and 

ensembles, covering large post-romantic instrumentation. It 

contains solo and ensemble strings, solo instruments and 

ensembles of the brass section, woodwinds ranging from 

piccolo flute to contra bassoon, harp, drums and percussion 

as well as celesta and the Bösendorfer Imperial grand piano. 

The Extended Library doesn’t offer more articulations to 

the Standard Library instruments; rather, it contains 35 

additional instruments which enhance the symphonic variety 

of this Collection (e.g., basset horn, contrabass trombone, 

saxophones, our famous Chamber Strings and Epic Horns). 

It also adds instruments like the Vienna Konzerthaus Organ, 

a harpsichord, acoustic and electric guitar, and many more. 

Apart from the basic articulations, all string and wind 

instruments include the Legato Performances characteristic 

of the Vienna Symphonic Library: real note transitions up to 

a one octave range are played automatically by the algorithms 

of Vienna Instruments when the user plays legato notes. 

As a special bonus, we have even included staccatos and 

sustains performed by the large string ensembles of the 

Appassionata Strings. 

The Vienna Special Edition is a comprehensive and extremely 

versatile Collection that can be used efficiently with 

reasonable hard disk and memory requirements, making the 

Vienna Instruments’ famous realism easy to grasp and use. 

It’s the quintessence of the Vienna Symphonic Library in a 

single, affordable software package! 

Registered users of Opus 1 and of Orchestral Cubes or 

Performance Sets of the FIRST/PRO EDITION enjoy massive 

upgrade discounts towards the Full Library of the Vienna 

Special Edition. 

INSTRUMENTS & ARTICULATIONS 

STANDARD INSTRUMENTS 

Piccolo 

Flute 1 

French oboe 

English horn 

Clarinet 

Bass clarinet 

Bassoon 

Contrabassoon 

Triple horn 

Trumpet 

Tenor trombone 

Bass trombone 

Tuba 

Horn ensemble (4 players) 

Trumpet ensemble (3 players) 

Trombone ensemble 

(3 players) 

Staccato 

Portato 

Sustains 

Sforzato 

Legato Performances 

Harp 

Single notes and harmonics 

Solo violin 

Solo viola 

Solo cello 

Solo double bass 

Violin ensemble (14 players) 

Viola ensemble (10 players) 

Cello ensemble (8 players) 

Double bass ensemble (6 players) 

Staccato 

Portato 

Sustains 

Sforzato 


Portamento Performances 

Pizzicato 

Tremolo 

Bösendorfer Imperial Grand Piano 

Celesta 

Basic articulations 

Percussion 


EXTENDED INSTRUMENTS 

Flute 2 

Alto flute 

Viennese oboe 

Oboe d’Amore 

Small clarinet in Eb 

Basset horn 

Alto saxophone 

Tenor saxophone 

Baritone saxophone 

Flute ensemble (3 players) 

Oboe ensemble (3 players) 

Clarinet ensemble (3 players) 

Bassoon ensemble (3 players) 

Viennese Horn 

Piccolo trumpet 

Trumpet in C (muted) 

Tenor trombone (muted) 

Contrabass trombone 

Contrabass tuba 

Wagner Tuba 

Horn ensemble 

(8 players – Epic Horns) 

Trumpet ensemble 

(3 players – muted) 


(3 players – muted) 

Staccato 

Portato 

Sustains 

Sforzato 


Violin chamber ensemble 

(6 players) 

Viola chamber ensemble 

(4 players) 

Cello chamber ensemble 

(3 players) 

Double bass chamber ensemble 

(2 players) 

Staccato 

Portato 

Sustains 

Sforzato 


Portamento Performances 

Pizzicato 

Tremolo 

Vienna Konzerthaus Organ 

2 registrations (plenum and flutes) 

Harpsichord 

Electric guitar (Overdrive) 

Concert guitar 


BONUS FILES 

Appassionata Violins (20 players) 

Appassionata Violas (14 players) 

Appassionata Cellos (12 players) 

Appassionata Double Basses 

(10 players) 

Staccato 

Sustains 

VIENNA INSTRUMENTS I – SYMPHONIC CUBE VIENNA INSTRUMENTS II PRO EDITION HORIZON SERIES 

8 9

The SYMPHONIC CUBE 

10 Sample-based VIENNA INSTRUMENTS 

The dream of the SYMPHONIC CUBE has come alive. This collection of ten Virtual Instruments 

has been specially designed to orchestrate vast numbers of samples with an elegance and 

simplicity never seen in the history of orchestral music production. By simultaneously managing 

our own in-house sample development and software development, we’ve created a unique 

marriage of processes, inexorably linking samples and performance algorithms for stunning 

ease-of-use and authenticity. 

Each of the SYMPHONIC CUBE’s 10 VIENNA INSTRUMENTS comes with the Software 

Instrument, Standard Library, and the Extended Library on DVD. You may purchase 

each Collection separately or together in the SYMPHONIC CUBE. 

• 10 Vienna Instruments Collections 

• Nearly 800,000 samples and 550 GB of sample data in 44.1kHz/24bit 

• Extended Libraries for flexible expansion of your instruments and articulations 

• Comprehensive upgrade paths for Vienna Symphonic Library customers. 

Please see our Discount Calculator at vsl.co.at/calculator. 


SOLO STRINGS 

Solo violin 

Solo viola 

Solo cello 

Solo double bass 

CHAMBER STRINGS 

Violin ensemble 

Viola ensemble 

Cello ensemble 

Double bass ensemble 

ORCHESTRAL STRINGS I 



ORCHESTRAL STRINGS II 



HARPS 

Harp 1 

Harp 2 

WOODWINDS I 

Flute 1 

French oboe 

Clarinet 

Bassoon 

Flute ensemble 

Oboe ensemble 

Clarinet ensemble 

Bassoon ensemble 

WOODWINDS II 

Piccolo 

Flute 2 

Alto flute 

Viennese oboe 

English horn 1 

English horn 2 


Bass clarinet 

Contrabassoon 

BRASS I 

Trumpet 

Horn 


Tuba 


Horn ensemble 


BRASS II 


Bass trumpet 

Triple horn 

Horn ensemble/Epic Horns 

Bass trombone 



Wagner tuba 

Cimbasso 

10 11 

PERCUSSION 

Standard percussion 

Mallets 

Bells 

FX Percussion

SOLO 

STRINGS 

Christian Eisenberger, Katharina Traunfellner, Rubén Dubrovski, 

Martin Deuring. These four soloists have invested their life’s 

blood and hard-won experience (from many years of 

international concert work) into the Vienna Instruments. 

Sensitive and clear, exact and homogeneous, their performances 

are technically perfect and utterly convincing in their 

musicality. Not only are they in command of their instruments 

but, after several years of working for the Vienna Symphonic 

Library, they also know exactly what is required of them to 

create ideal samples. Their performances at the Silent Stage 

come alive again in this Vienna Instrument. 

Solo Strings is the most comprehensive and sophisticated solo 

string edition ever created. Generations of instrument makers 

have perfected the construction of the priceless, “regal” 

instruments featured in this volume. This Vienna Instrument 

contains articulations such as “Zigane”, the leisurely “smeared” 

portamentos, which are particularly impressive as Interval 

Performances with the new audio engine’s algorithms. 

Additional “harsh” articulations are played with an especially 

raw, almost brutal attack, and now are available as superbly 

effective Interval and Repetition Performances. There are also 

special Performance Trills, repetitions in spiccato and ricochet 

articulations, sustains with fading vibrato, ponticello, sul tasto, 

and numerous natural and artificial harmonics. 

ARTICULATIONS 

VIOLIN 

VIOLA 

CELLO 

DOUBLE BASS 

Performances 

• Interval Performances: legato, portamento, zigane (gipsy), détaché, marcato, spiccato 

• Fast Interval Performances: legato, marcato, spiccato, harsh 

• Performance Trills 

• Interval Performance Glissandos on the same string, fast and medium speed, 

up and down 

• Repetition Performances: legato, bow vibrato, portato (slow, medium, fast), 

staccato, spiccato, harsh 

• Fast Repetitions and ricochet repetitions (accelerando, ritardando) 

• Runs: legato, spiccato; major, minor, chromatic, whole tone 

• Grace notes: normal, slow, zigane 

• Glissandos: medium and fast octave glissandos on the same string 

Single notes 

• Short notes: staccato, short détaché, long détaché, 4 variations each 

• Long notes: sustains without, with medium, with progressive, with fading 

vibrato, espressivo; marcato 

• Dynamics: various crescendos & diminuendos, with and without vibrato, 

fp, sfz, sffz, pfp 

• Tremolos: sustains, crescendo & diminuendo 

• Trills: half tone, whole tone, crescendo & diminuendo, constant speed and accelerando 

• Pizzicatos: normal, secco, Bartók pizzicatos 

• Col legno 

• Sul ponticello: staccato, détaché, sustains, crescendos & diminuendos, sfz, 

sffz, tremolo, repetitions 

• Sul tasto: staccato, détaché, sustains, sforzato, tremolo 

• Natural harmonics: sustains, repetitions, glissandos 

• Artificial harmonics: staccato, sustains, repetitions, glissandos 

CHAMBER 


VIOLIN ENSEMBLE (6 PLAYERS) 

VIOLA ENSEMBLE (4 PLAYERS) 

CELLO ENSEMBLE (3 PLAYERS) 

DOUBLE BASS ENSEMBLE (2 PLAYERS) 

As in the namesake Edition of the Horizon Series, the small 

string ensembles present themselves as a full instrumental 

body rich in nuances. Tender or expressive, quiet or dynamic, 

light as a feather or energetic – with the help of our new 

performance algorithms the ensembles’ liveliness magically 

unfolds when you play. The Chamber Strings exude their flair 

for intimate arrangements in chamber music compositions 

or in divided string groups. Large string ensembles combined 

with the Chamber Strings are enhanced by additional nuances 

and a wealth of variations. 

Expanding on the luscious Horizon Series’ Chamber Strings 

Edition, this Vienna Instrument contains many new 

articulations, such as “Zigane” portamentos, articulations 

with harsh attacks, harmonics, marcato performances, new 

repetitions, and many others, altogether doubling the 

sample count of the Horizon Series’ Chamber Strings. 

ARTICULATIONS 

Performances 

• Interval Performances: legato, portamento, zigane (gipsy), détaché, 

marcato, spiccato 


• Repetition Performances: legato, portato, staccato, spiccato, harsh 

• Grace notes: normal, zigane 

Single notes 

• Short notes: short staccato, long staccato, short détaché, long détaché, 

4 variations each 

• Long notes: sustains with and withoug vibrato, espressivo 


fp, sfz, sffz 

• Sustained tremolos 

• Trills: normal and baroque trills, half tone & whole tone, 

crescendo & diminuendo 

• Pizzicatos: normal, Bartók pizzicatos 

• Natural harmonics: sustains, glissandos 

• Artificial harmonics: staccato, sustains, repetitions 


12 13


ORCHESTRAL 

STRINGS I 



The ensemble of 14 violinists is headed by Christian 

Eisenberger, who in his esteemed international concert work 

has collaborated with artists and conductors such as Claudio 

Abbado, Martha Argerich, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Herbert von 

Karajan, Gidon Kremer, Kent Nagano, Roger Norrington, 

Murray Perahia, Andras Schiff, Georg Solti, and many 

others. The ensemble of 10 violas is headed by Anett 

Homoki, who is a member of the Vienna Chamber 

Philharmony as well as of the Volksoper Vienna. 

The string sections of the Vienna Instruments offer an extremely 

wide range of articulations. The special qualities of these 

instruments are the result of a multitude of Performances. 

With larger ensembles, the random effect of articulations like 

Performance Trills or fast Legatos is especially pronounced, 

lending those Performance Patches remarkable authenticity 

in conjunction with the new Performance algorithms in the 

Vienna Instruments. The larger the ensemble, the more intense 

the random effect, that is, the natural “inexactitude” among 

the musicians when changing from one tone to the next. This 

effect gets extra attention with the “Repetition Performance 

Pizzicatos” – an innovation only available with the large string 

ensembles and recorded in two different tempos. 

Many user requests for additional samples were also answered, 

for example, the short staccatos, the expressive Interval Legatos, 

espressivo con sordino, as well as extensions of the tonal ranges 

for sustains and staccatos. 

ORCHESTRAL STRINGS I + II 

ORCHESTRAL 

STRINGS II 



The articulations of the cello and double bass ensembles 

naturally correspond to those of the Vienna Instruments 

Orchestral Strings I. Here, too, new playing styles were added 

which were not available in the Pro Edition, such as fast 

Interval Performances in legato, marcato and spiccato styles, 

Performance Trills, Repetition Performances “harsh”, 

spiccato, and pizzicato, plus artificial harmonics as well as 

various ponticello articulations – tones played near the 

bridge. Both ensembles’ tonal ranges were extended, the 

cellos’ staccatos and sustains now extending up to A5, 

and the double basses up to G4. The leading voices of the 

two string sections are Argentinian Rubén Dubrovsky, 

founder of the Vienna Bach Consort, and Martin Deuring, 

an internationally active solo bassist and founding member 

of the chamber music ensemble “Ensemble Plus”. 

Single notes 

• Short notes: short staccato, staccato, short détaché, long détaché, 

4 variations each 

• Long notes: sustains with and without vibrato, espressivo, flautando 


fp, sfz, sffz, pfp 

• Tremolos: sustains, crescendo & diminuendo 

• Trills: half tone, whole tone, minor, major 3 rd , accelerando 

• Pizzicatos and Bartók pizzicatos (loose and tight) 

• Col legno 

• Con sordino: staccato, détaché, sustained, crescendos & diminuendos, 

fortepiano, sforzato, tremolo, pizzicato, trills 

• Sul ponticello: staccato, sustains, crescendos & diminuendos, sfz, tremolo 

• Artificial harmonics: staccato, sustains 

14 15 

ARTICULATIONS 

Performances 

• Interval Performances: legato, portamento, staccato, tremolo 

• Fast Interval Performances: legato, marcato, spiccato 


• Interval Performances muted (con sordino): normal, portamento 

• Violins: Interval Performance Glissandos on the same string 

• Repetition Performances: legato, bow vibrato, portato, staccato, 

spiccato, harsh, upbeats, pizzicato 

• Repetition Performances muted: sustains, legato, portato, staccato 

• Runs: legato, spiccato; major, minor, chromatic, whole tone

WOODWINDS I 

This Collection contains the four main wind instruments, 

flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon, as well as their 

corresponding ensemble formations. Since the beginning of 

the Vienna Symphonic Library, first-rate musicians have been 

providing the sound and character of these wind instruments 

as soloists and ensemble leaders. Gisela Mashayekhi-Beer was 

the solo flutist of the Zurich Opera orchestra and taught at the 

Bruckner University Linz and at the Vienna Music University. 

Markus Deuter was (and is) first oboist of numerous German 

orchestras; he came to Vienna especially for the recordings 

of the French oboe. The clarinetist Daniel Hörth, in spite 

of his youth, can look back at an international concert career 

with the Vienna Philharmonic, the Vienna Symphonic 

Orchestra, and others, and Martin Machovits, among other 

assignments, is solo bassoon player at the Vienna Radio 

Symphony Orchestra. 

The oboe is the French Oboe from the Horizon Series Library 

of the same name, and therefore also offers playing 

techniques with vibrato. The Woodwinds I volume of the 

Vienna Instruments contains numerous new articulations 

when compared with the existing Pro Edition and Horizon 

Series Libraries. Solo instruments as well as ensembles now 

offer fast Interval Performances in legato and marcato styles, 

marcato Interval Performances in “normal” tempo, as well 

as Performance Trills. From the solo instruments, the flute 

and clarinet arpeggios (major, minor, and diminished 

broken chords in legato and staccato styles), the solo flute’s 

mordents, and the French oboe’s flutter tonguing 

particularly stand out. And the slow legato repetitions of the 

solo flute are especially appealing. 

WOODWINDS I + II 

ARTICULATIONS 

FLUTE 1 

FRENCH OBOE 

CLARINET 

BASSOON 

FLUTE ENSEMBLE (3 PLAYERS) 

OBOE ENSEMBLE (3 PLAYERS) 

CLARINET ENSEMBLE (3 PLAYERS) 

BASSOON ENSEMBLE (3 PLAYERS) 

Performances 

• Interval Performances: legato, marcato; fast & slow 

• Repetition Performances: legato, portato, staccato; crescendo & diminuendo 

• Flute 1, clarinet, Viennese oboe – Performance Repetition upbeats 


• Solo instruments – Grace Note Performances: major 2 nd to octave, up & down 

• Solo instruments – runs: major, minor, chromatic, whole tone; up & down 

• Piccolo, flutes, clarinet – arpeggios: major, minor, diminished triads; 

legato & staccato; medium & fast 

• Piccolo, flute 1, Viennese oboe – mordents: legato & staccato, 

12 variations 

• Clarinet in Bb – glissandos 

WOODWINDSII 

PICCOLO 

FLUTE 2 

ALTO FLUTE 

VIENNESE OBOE 

ENGLISH HORN 1 

ENGLISH HORN 2 

SMALL CLARINET IN Eb 

BASS CLARINET 

CONTRABASSOON 

This Collection contains all of the instruments necessary for 

the realization of large orchestral instrumentations. Also, 

you will find two completely new instruments, a small part 

of which were already added to the Horizon Series French 

Oboe: the English horn II and the small clarinet in Eb. 

Single notes 

• Short notes: staccato, short portato, long portato 

• Long notes: sustains with various attacks and vibratos 

• Dynamics: crescendo & diminuendo in various note lengths; fp, sfz, sffz, pfp 

• Trills: half tone, whole tone; crescendo & diminuendo 

• Solo instruments – flutter tonguing 

• Ensembles – sustained three-note clusters 

• Contrabassoon – FX techniques 


16 17


BRASS I 

TRUMPET 

VIENNESE HORN 

TROMBONE 

TUBA 

TRUMPET ENSEMBLE (3 PLAYERS) 

HORN ENSEMBLE (4 PLAYERS) 

TROMBONE ENSEMBLE (3 PLAYERS) 

This Collection combines the basic brass instruments as 

solo instruments and the corresponding ensembles. The 

four soloists are masters of their trade. Trumpet player 

Freddy Staudigl, hornist Marcus Schmidinger, and 

trombone player Johann Schodl all are foundation 

members of the renowned ensemble “Brassissimo” and are 

not only active with their quintet but also as soloists and 

orchestral musicians on an international level. The tubist 

Christoph Kiene is also internationally known as a lecturer. 

Apart from the existing articulations of the Pro Edition, this 

Vienna Instruments Collection also provides fast Interval 

Performances in legato and marcato, Performance Trills, 

arpeggios (major, minor, and diminished in legato and 

staccato) and mordents. Trumpet and trombone now offer 

the complete playing techniques, muted not only as solo 

instruments, but also in the ensembles. Among the 

specialties are the trumpet ensemble’s “out of tune” 

sustains, as they happen now and then in real orchestral 

situations. The three trumpet players don’t hit the note 

exactly at the beginning – a beat frequency ensues which 

is corrected as the tone progresses, eventually resulting in 

a clean homophony. Furthermore, the trumpets feature 

“rips & falls”. And the trombone ensembles, too, offer a 

specialty; clusters of three notes with half tone intervals 

are available in staccato (two variations), sustained, 

crescendo und diminuendo (in two tone lengths), sforzato, 

and even as Repetition Performances. 

BRASS II 

PICCOLO TRUMPET 

BASS TRUMPET 

TRIPLE HORN 

HORN ENSEMBLE (8 PLAYERS) – EPIC HORNS 

BASS TROMBONE 

CONTRABASS TROMBONE 

CONTRABASS TUBA 

WAGNER TUBA 

CIMBASSO 

This Collection contains the instruments for large-scale 

orchestral arrangements, i.e., the “Wagner orchestral brass”. 

Oriented toward Wagner’s “Ring”, there are the bass 

trumpet, the contrabass trombone, Wagner tuba and 

contrabass tuba, all with the standard single note and 

Performance articulations like Interval Performances, 

Repetitions, Performance Trills, etc. As an alternative to the 

Viennese horn, Brass II also contains a new solo horn, the 

triple horn, Yamaha’s master instrument in F/Bb/high F, 

recorded down to the lowest register (A1). Further, there are 

the piccolo trumpet, the Pro Edition’s cimbasso, and of 

course the famous Epic Horns from the Horizon Series, an 

impressive sounding body of eight double horns that not 

only fulfills the sonic ideal of the theatrical late Romantic 

orchestra but also meets the challenge of “larger than life” 

scores for modern cinema. 

Single notes 

• Short notes: staccato and portato with various attacks and note lengths 

• Long notes: sustains with various attacks and vibratos 

• Horns: blared sustains 

• Dynamics: crescendo & diminuendo in various note lengths, various 

vibratos; fp, sfz, sffz, pfp 

• Solo instruments – trills: half tone, whole tone; crescendo & diminuendo 

• Flutter tongues: normal and crescendo variations 

• Trumpets, horns, trombones – muted/stopped: 

- Short notes: staccato, short portato, medium portato 

- Sustains and dynamics in various note lengths 

- Flutter tongues 

• Trumpet ensemble: out-of-tune-sustains, rips & falls 

• Trombone ensemble: clusters 

18 19 

BRASS I + II 

ARTICULATIONS 

Performances 

• Interval Performances: legato, marcato; slow & fast 

• Horns, tenor trombone: Interval Performance Glissandos 

• Repetition Performances: legato, portato, staccato; crescendo & diminuendo 

• Performance Repetition upbeats: slow, medium, fast 


• Solo instruments – Grace Note Performances: minor and major 2 nd , 

up and down 

• Trumpets: runs 

• Trumpets, horns, trombones – arpeggios: major, minor, diminished triads; 

staccato, medium & fast 

• Solo trumpet, piccolo trumpet – mordents: legato, 12 variations 

• Trumpets, horns, trombones – muted/stopped: 

- Interval Performances 

- Repetition Performances: legato, portato, staccato 

- Fast Repetitions 

- Upbeats

HARPS 

This Collection owes its two instruments to the use of two 

harps in orchestral music of the mid 19 th century. Harp 1 is 

played by Ruth Rojahn, harpist of the Hofer Symphoniker 

and internationally successful soloist. Apart from single notes 

in various playing styles the first harp offers an enormous 

wealth of glissandos, which now in Vienna Instruments are 

particularly brilliant and easy to use. The controller 

structure allows for extremely flexible and quick access – 

the user can switch between ranges, different tempos, up 

and down movements, and different scales in real-time while 

playing. Now you can access all Dimensions at the same 

time! The first harp’s spectrum is rounded out by a wide 

range of arpeggios which were not available until now. 

The second harp, played by Julia Reth, contains an even 

larger number of single notes, also offering playing styles 

like damped, fingernail playing, and pedal glissandos. 

A lovely ethereal effect is created by the bisbigliando 

variations, the whispering of tender tremolos on two strings 

playing the same note. 

ARTICULATIONS 

HARP 1 

HARP 2 

Sustained notes 

• Normal, secco, près-de-la-table, fingernail playing, secco, harmonics, 

bisbigliando, pedal glissandos 

Glissandos 

• Major and harmonic minor full-scale 

• Melodic minor, diminished, pentatonic 

• Whole tone scale 

• Slow, medium, fast 

• One, three, and 5 octaves, single and multiple cross glissandos 

• Fast fortissimo glissandos spanning 1 octave 

Arpeggios 

• Major, minor, diminished, augmented 

• Three and four notes 

• Slow, medium, fast 


PERCUSSION 

Apart from the multitude of percussion instruments already 

contained in the Pro Edition and Horizon Series Libraries, 

Vienna Instruments also offer new instruments, making this 

Collection a truly magnificent profusion of percussion! Many 

instruments are now available in a second version: Timpani 2 

(with up to eight velocities), snare drum 2 (up to 12 velocities, 

with and without snare), bass drum 2, field drum 2, 

tambourine 2, triangle 2, suspended cymbals 2, and a-due 

cymbals 2. Moreover, there are completely new instruments, 

such as concert toms, roto toms and Taiko drums. 

As a novel feature, this Collection also contains productionready 

instruments, processed with sought-after high-end 

studio equipment, put into the right perspective with multisampled 

convolution reverb from the Vienna Symphonic 

Library’s MIR development. The basic percussion instruments 

(timpani, snare and bass drum, tambourine, suspended 

cymbals, a-due cymbals, glockenspiel, triangle, xylophone, 

tubular bells, tam-tam and concert toms) thus are not only 

available as samples with minimal reverb of the Silent 

Stage, but also with the reverb of the world-famous Wiener 

Konzerthaus in various stage positions. Naturally, these MIR 

impulses implemented in the samples just scratch the 

surface of the potential and flexibility of the future MIR engine; 

nevertheless, they offer a preview of its acoustic possibilities 

and allow the user to work quickly. 

20 21 

INSTRUMENTS & 

ARTICULATIONS 

TIMPANI 1 

TIMPANI 2 

Single hits (normal, 

secco, coperto), tremolos 

(normal, crescendo, 

diminuendo), tremolo 

glissandos, single hit 

glissandos, upbeats; 

Repetition 

Performances; 

various mallets 

DRUMS 

Snare drum 1 

Snare drum 2 

Snare drum ensemble 

Piccolo drum 

Field drum 1 

Field drum 2 

Bass drum 1 

Bass drum 2 

Concert toms 

Roto toms 

Taiko drums 

Tambourine 1 

Tambourine 2 

CYMBALS & GONGS 

Piatti (a-due cymbals) 

Chinese cymbals 

Crash cymbal 

Ride cymbal 

Splash cymbal 

Suspended cymbals 

Finger cymbals 

Gongs 

China gongs 

Peking Opera gongs 

Tam-tam 1 

Tam-tam 2 

MALLETS & BLOCKS 

Celesta 

Glockenspiel 

Vibraphone 

Xylophone 

Marimba 

Wood blocks 

Temple blocks 

PERCUSSION 

Altar-boy bells 

Angklung 

Antique cymbals 

Anvil surrogate (rails) 

Bell tree 

Bells 

Boobams (boa bams) 

Brake disks & springs 

Bull roarer 

Burmese bells 

Car horns 

Castagnets 

Caxixi 

Chimes 

Church bells 

Claves 

Cow bells (cencerros) 

Crotales 

Cuíca 

Finger bells 

Flexatone 

Guiro 

Guns (shots) 

Hammer 

Japanese singing bowls 

Jingle ring 

Lion’s roar 

Lithophone (small) 

Log drum 

Ocean drum 

Plate bells 

Rainmaker 

Ratchets 

Rock bells 

Shaker 

Ship’s bell 

Siren 

Sleigh bells (jingle bells) 

Small bells 

Spring drum 

Thunder sheet 

Triangle 1 

Triangle 2 

Tubular bells 

Vibratone 

Waldteufel 

Waterphone 

Whip 

Wind machine

SAXOPHONES 

This Collection is the sequel to the Horizon Series’ Saxophones I. 

With this instrument, the saxophones are now complete, and 

the performance algorithms of the Vienna Instruments work 

wonders with these samples. The focus has been directed 

equally to orchestral settings as well as to jazz. Famous 

examples of orchestral works using these instruments include 

the saxophone quartet by Alexander Glasunow, the alto 

saxophone concerts by Glasunow and Debussy, and the 

Castello from Mussorgsky’s “Pictures”. In addition, a host of 

articulations for jazz and big band are included, such as bends, 

tongue slaps, growling, screams, extended harmonics, key 

sounds, and more. In an unprecedented development, long 

and short downward ending phrases triggered as release 

samples have been added for heightened realism. The breathy 

tones stem from the legendary “Barfly sessions” at the Silent 

Stage, when the lights were dimmed, setting the mood for 

softer tones. 

ARTICULATIONS 

SOPRANO SAXOPHONE 

ALTO SAXOPHONE 

TENOR SAXOPHONE 

BARITONE SAXOPHONE 

BASS SAXOPHONE 

Performances 

• Interval Performances: Legato with and without vibrato, grace notes 

(minor second to octave), portamento 

• Fast Interval Performances: Legato, marcato 


• Repetition Performances: Legato (slow and fast), 

portato (slow and fast), staccato 

• Fast repetitions: Staccato 

• Octave runs: Legato, chromatic and whole tone runs, up and down 

• Grace notes: minor second to octave, up and down 

• Bends down: Sustains with and without vibrato, progressive vibrato, 

“dirty” (screams); legato with vibrato (grace notes, portamento, 

glissandi, marcato, trills) 

Single notes 

• Short notes: Staccato, portato (short, medium, long), marcato 

• Long notes: Sustained notes with and without vibrato, with progressive 

vibrato, slaps normal und muted, key sounds, screams, long and 

short end phrases 

• Dynamics: Various crescendos & diminuendos; fp, sfz, sffz 

• Flutter tonguing: normal and crescendo 

• Trills: Half and whole tone, crescendo & diminuendo, 

constant speed and accelerando 


SPECIAL 

WOODWINDS 

BASS FLUTE 

OBOE D’AMORE 

HECKELPHONE 

BASSET HORN 

CONTRABASS CLARINET 

This Vienna Instruments Collection is a cornucopia of exotic 

treasures for symphonic and orchestral works. The sheer 

rarity of these instruments makes this collection a priceless 

addition to your Vienna orchestra. 

A special gem is the bass flute. With its velvety, earthy sound, 

it expands the flute family to its lowest register, evoking 

mystery and depth in dramatic music. 

The Oboe d’Amore adds a lyrical and rich member to the oboe 

family and was performed by our experienced oboist Markus 

Deuter, who was also responsible for the French Oboe. The 

Heckelphone with its dark, expressive character rounds out 

the oboes’ tenor register. 

This Collection features two additions to the clarinet family as 

well, including the warm, full-sounding basset horn that 

covers the alto/tenor registers, and the powerful, sonorous 

contrabass clarinet. 

ARTICULATIONS 

Performances 

• Interval Performances: legato, marcato 

• Fast Interval Performances: legato, marcato 

• Multi Interval Performances (Performance Trills): 

minor second to major third 

• Repetition Performances: legato, portato, staccato 

• Fast repetitions: 140 to 180 bpm (except heckelphone and 

contrabass clarinet) 

Single notes 

• Short notes: staccato, short portato, long portato 

• Long notes: sustains without vibrato, sustains with vibrato 

(except basset horn and contrabass clarinet) 

• Dynamics: medium crescendo and diminuendo in various lengths, 

crescendo-diminuendo in various lengths, fortepiano, sforzato, 

sforzatissimo 

• Flutter tonguing 

22 23

SPECIAL 

BRASS 

Like Special Woodwinds, the Vienna Instruments Collection 

Special Brass offers resonant rarities that a first-rate virtual 

orchestra can’t do without. 

To create the perfect counterpart for our now famous Epic 

Horns, we recorded an ensemble of six trumpet players (three 

trumpets in Bb and three in C). The Fanfare Trumpets provide 

tremendous impact with their sforzato and sforzatissimo 

playing techniques. And they deliver sparkling trumpet themes 

that soar magnificently above the orchestra. 

As an added bonus, we were able to persuade Vienna’s muchacclaimed 

solo trumpet player Freddy Staudigl to record 

another solo instrument from the trumpet group, the cornet. 

The alto trombone expands our trombone family to its 

highest register, now making a total of four different trombone 

tunings available. 

And our Euphonium is yet another feature, revealing the high 

register of the tuba family. 

ARTICULATIONS 

FANFARE TRUMPETS (6 PLAYERS) 

CORNET 

ALTO TROMBONE 

EUPHONIUM 

Performances 

• Interval Performances: legato, marcato 

• Fast Interval Performances: legato, marcato 

• Multi Interval Performances (Performance Trills): 

minor second to major second 

• Repetition Performances: legato, portato, staccato 

• Fast repetitions: 140 to 180 bpm 

• Upbeat repetitions: 1, 2, and 3 upbeats, 16ths from 90 to 180 bpm 

Single notes 

• Short notes: staccato, short portato, long portato, long portato marcato 

• Long notes: sustains without vibrato, sustains with vibrato (cornet only) 

• Dynamics: medium crescendo and diminuendo in various lengths, 

crescendo-diminuendo in various lengths, fortepiano, sforzato, 

sforzatissimo 

• Flutter tonguing 


APPASSIONATA 






As the name suggests, these string ensembles are quite 

simply, passionate. Their lush, broad and emotive cinematic 

sound defies expectations for a virtual instrument. They 

integrate perfectly well into a variety of musical styles, from 

pop and rock environments to symphonic arrangements, from 

emotional ballads to films, from pure string beds to complete 

orchestral scores. 

The Appassionata Strings offer various facets of sustains and 

Legato Performances with different intensities of vibrato as 

their main focus, but also include articulations such as sul-G- 

Performances, accented interval notes, spiccatos, staccatos, 

various Repetition Performances, trills, runs, and much more. 

They also include Vienna’s innovative “out-of-tune-samples” 

where various players of the ensemble carefully correct their 

intonation as the tone progresses. Mirroring what actually 

happens in live orchestral performances, this is a very 

effective technique for creating heightened realism and 

expression. The Appassionata Strings’ bass section of 10 

instruments consists of 6 five-string and 4 four-string basses, 

giving the low end a deep and rich flavor. 

24 25 

ARTICULATIONS 

Performances 

• Interval Performances: legato/portamento – normal, with 4 velocity 

sustains, progressive and strong vibrato, sforzato, tuning in after the 

attack, on the G string (violins only) 

• Fast Interval Performances: legato, spiccato, harsh (violins only) 


• Repetition Performances: legato, portato, spiccato, harsh (violins only) 

• Fast Repetitions 

• Grace Runs: chromatic, minor 3rd, up and down 

Single notes 

• Short notes: staccato, tight and loose (violins only) 

• Long notes: sustained with normal, strong, and progressive vibrato; 

tuning in after the attack; on the G string (violins only) 

• Dynamics: medium crescendos and diminuendos; 

crescendo-diminuendo; sforzato/sforzatissimo


KONZERTHAUS 

ORGAN 

This is truly a first: The Vienna Instruments Collection Vienna 

Konzerthaus Organ is the first sampled organ recorded in a concert 

hall, not in a church, thus blending perfectly with orchestral 

performances. Obviously, it is also the first instrument not 

recorded at the Silent Stage, and yet it adheres to our overall 

sampling concept since it has been captured in exactly the 

same space that provides the essential impulse responses for 

our upcoming MIR reverberation and mixing engine. That 

space is the venerable Great Hall of the “Wiener Konzerthaus”, 

where the famous “Rieger Organ” was installed in 1913. 

The Vienna Konzerthaus Organ Collection includes 14 GB of 

stereo samples covering three manuals with 38 single stops 

and one pedal with 18 single stops. The user can put together 

his own registrations by combining the stops in the Vienna 

Instruments’ user interface, retaining the flexibility of this 

magnificent instrument. In addition, we have invited experts 

to create a wealth of pre-recorded registrations that present 

the user with the most important and best sounding 

combinations. Of course these registers can be easily 

extended to the user’s needs or taste. There are also isolated 

samples of the valves of each register as well as two minutes 

of room noise and the wind-chest idling, so the user can add 

these elements to the mix for even more realism. 

Since the Rieger Organ was equipped with MIDI technology a 

few years ago, we were able to develop some new recording 

and editing approaches. Because we could exactly define the 

length of the MIDI notes, we had the chance to distinguish 

between the different reverb trails emanating from short or 

long notes. This is important because several ranks (especially 

the very deep ones) take up to a second to unfold their full 

power, so the release samples of short notes can sound very 

different from long notes. Using the underlying MIDI data 

we could also recreate the authentic latency behavior of 

each flute. The different latencies also represent the spatial 

arrangement of the flutes, providing another reason why our threedimensional 

recreation of this organ sounds so authentic. 

PATCHES 

MANUAL I – 

STOPS 

Principal 16’ 

Bordun 16’ 


Gedackt 8’ 

Fugara 8’ 

Nasatquinte 5 1_3’ 

Octave 4’ 

Reedpipe 4’ 

Superoctave 2’ 

Rauschquinte 2f 

Kornett 3-5f 

Mixtur 5f 

Cymbel 3f 

Trumpet 16’ 

Trumpet 8’ 

Clarino 4’ 

MANUAL II – 

STOPS 

Viola 16’ 

Quintatoen 16’ 


Bordun 8’ 

Viola da Gamba 8’ 

Salicional 8’ 

Unda maris 8’ 

Octave 4’ 

Flute octaviante 4’ 

Gemshorn 4’ 

Woodpipe 2’ 

Sesquialtera 2f 

Mixtur 4f 

Krummhorn 8’ 

MANUAL III – 

STOPS 

Quinte 2 2-3’ 

Lieblich-Gedackt 16’ 

Violin-Principal 8’ 

Vox coelestis 8’ 

Aeolsharp 4’ 

Gemsquinte 2 2-3’ 

Flautino 2’ 

Piccolo 1’ 

Oboe 8’ 

MANUAL – 

REGISTRATIONS 

Small Principalplenum 

Large Principalplenum 


+ Reeds 

String Choir I 

String Choir II 

Flutes I 

Flutes II 

Modular Plenum-A 

Modular Plenum-B 

Modular Plenum-C 

Modular Plenum-D 

Modular Plenum-E 

Modular Gedackt-A 

Modular Gedackt-B 

Modular Gedackt-C 

Modular Gedackt-D 

Gedackt + Woodpipe 

Gedackt + Piccolo 

Gedackt + Sesquialtera 

Gedackt + Oct + 

Kornett 

Salicional + Unda maris 

Trompete 16’ + 8’ 

Krummhorn + Oboe 

PEDAL – STOPS 

Principalbass 32’ 

Principalbass 16’ 

Violon 16’ 

Subbass 16’ 

Salicetbass 16’ 

Quintbass 10 2-3’ 

Octavbass 8’ 

Gedacktbass 8’ 

Bassflute 8’ 

Cello 8’ 

Dulcianbass 8’ 

Octave 4’ 

Campana 3f 

Mixtur 4f 

Bombarde 32’ 

Trombone 16’ 

Trumpet 8’ 

Clarino 4’ 

PEDAL – 

REGISTRATIONS 

Small Principalplenum 



+ Reeds 

String Choir I 

String Choir II 

Flutes I 

Flutes II 

Modular Plenum-A 

Modular Plenum-B 

Modular Plenum-C 

Modular Plenum-D 

Modular Plenum-E 

Subbass + 

Gedacktbass 

NOISES 

Valves Manual I 

Valves Manual II 

Valves Manual III 

Valves Pedal 

Organ and concert 

hall noise 


BÖSENDORFER 

IMPERIAL 

With the support of “Bösendorfer Klavierfabrik” we have 

developed our first sampled grand piano software instrument, 

a true recreation of a Bösendorfer 290 Imperial that was tuned 

and regulated by the piano manufacturer’s best engineers and 

piano technicians. The Vienna Instruments Collection Bösendorfer 

Imperial makes full use of our new proprietary engine and 

performance algorithms including automatic repetition 

performances. Its massive and unprecedented 54 GB sample 

set includes unlooped sustain samples in pedal up and pedal 

down variations and in 7 velocity layers, tone repetitions, real 

recorded sustain pedal resonances, multiple release samples, 

and key noises. 

The Bösendorfer 290 Imperial is the only concert grand in the 

world to have nine sub-bass notes, extending downward to 

low C, and giving it a keyboard range spanning eight octaves. 

These extra notes not only provide added richness and depth 

to the instrument overall, but they enable the performance of 

works originally scored with lower notes, by composers such 

as Bartók, Debussy, Ravel and Busoni. 

For the first time in the long history of piano sampling, the 

sound of the piano in its resonating state – with the sustain 

(damper) pedal depressed – has been captured. This results 

in the physically correct recreation of the piano’s resonant 

character in both pedal-down and pedal-up positions. With 

the Bösendorfer Imperial Vienna Instrument there are no 

sample manipulations, no fades between tones, and no DSP 

calculations, just an absolutely natural acoustic image of the 

actual processes that occur during piano playing. Our team 

has developed a recording process that adds to a single tone 

the exact sound that is created when the pianist presses the 

piano’s sustain pedal, allowing other strings to vibrate. So the 

Vienna Instrument acts just like the piano itself, creating the 

characteristic pedal tone sound which now for the first time 

is available in the shape of samples. 

Another innovation is the Repetition Performances. These 

samples take into account the sound created when a 

vibrating string is struck again. With Vienna Instruments’ 

Bösendorfer Imperial, repeated notes of the same pitch are 

actually played repetitions, meaning that a new sample is 

heard with every keystroke. 

Apart from the acoustic perspective of the pianist, the user is 

also provided with concert hall audience perspective, for 

proper imaging on the orchestral stage. Each of the two 

listening positions totals at 4,675 samples. 

The Bösendorfer Imperial Collection is not divided into 

Standard and Extended Libraries like other Vienna Instruments 

Collections, the Standard package includes the full set of 

samples along with the software instrument/engine. 

26 27

ELEMENTS 

Water, metal, glass, and stone – very special elements are used 

here for sound production. This Collection offers exciting new 

instruments such as the bass waterphone. This unusual, 

evocative instrument with a diameter of 14 inches is 

considerably larger than the waterphone used in the original 

Vienna Symphonic Library’s percussion editions. Its larger 

number of sounding rods, their increased length, the larger 

opening as well as the bigger resonating body with more water, 

furnish the musician with more unusual sonic possibilities 

and a wider variety of colors. The oversized tam-tam, with a 

diameter of more than 65 inches, was treated with all the 

tricks of the trade, with a special nod to Stockhausen’s opus 

“Mikrophonie” and others. It was struck with metal rods, 

cardboard and jigsaw blades, hit and rubbed with chains, 

and manhandled with fly swatters, an egg cutter, and even 

a massaging rod. The bottles contained in this Collection 

are blown – with articulations such as sustains and flutter 

tonguing. The 18 GB Elements Collection also features glass 

bells, musical glasses, a glass harmonica, a verrophone and 

a 5-octave lithophone. 

ARTICULATIONS 

BASS WATERPHONE 

XXL TAM-TAM 

BOTTLES 

GLASS BELLS 

MUSICAL GLASSES 

GLASS HARMONICA 

VERROPHONE 

LITHOPHONE 

Glass instruments 

Staccato, portato, sustains, trills, tremolo. Glass harmonica, verrophone and 

bottles are also played with mallets. 

Lithophone 

Left and right hand strokes, muted strokes, tremolos and chord tremolos 

played with five different mallets. Special effects include strokes with fingers 

and fingernails, bowed notes, and notes played with stones and needles 

on the sound bars for shatter effects. 

XXL Tam-tam 

Single hits (rim and middle), short and long tremolos (open, muted, 

crescendos & diminuendos), effects. 

Bass Waterphone 

Staccato and portato variations, sustains, repetitions, crescendos, tremolos, 

arpeggios, glissandos, hotrods, wood mallets, strokes. 


SPECIAL 

KEYBOARDS 

HARPSICHORD 

HARMONIUM 

PREPARED PIANO 

The Harpsichord has a very bright sound, rich in overtones. 

Its tone can be changed in character by the keystrokes, 

but unlike the piano it cannot be played louder or softer. 

Typically a Baroque instrument, the harpsichord hardly played 

a role in classical and romantic music. In modern literature, 

however, it has been rediscovered, and is also used poignantly 

and effectively in film and TV music. In the Silent Stage, the 

following single notes and repetition performances of a 

harpsichord with two manuals were recorded: 8’ register solo, 

8’ double, and tutti (a combination of two 8’ registers and one 

4’ register). 

The Harmonium is a free-reed instrument, meaning that air 

streaming past reeds of different lengths causes them to vibrate. 

Unlike organ pipes, the harmonium’s reeds produce more 

disharmonic overtones, creating a unique undulating sound. 

The Prepared Piano is a technique introduced in 1949 by 

John Cage, where objects like erasers, nails, wire, paper, 

etc., are inserted between a piano’s strings in certain places, 

causing them to produce additional tones, harmonics, or 

percussive sounds. The Bösendorfer grand piano was also 

treated with bare hands (e.g., glissandos over the strings) and 

with wood mallets in order to get a multitude of creative sounds 

and colors. 

28 29


Upgrades and Extensions 

Each of the VIENNA INSTRUMENTS Collections comes with the Software Instrument, Standard 

Library, and the Extended Library on DVD. The Standard Library is the core set of sounds that 

each Vienna Instrument Collection ships with. The Extended Library is an additional set of samples 

that greatly enhances the variety of articulations and overall flexibility of the Vienna Instrument. 

The Standard Library comes on DVD and is included in the base price (standard price) of the 

Vienna Instrument. Also on the same DVD is the Extended Library, which you may use FREE for 

30 days. After 30 days, you must unlock the Extended Library for an additional fee. The unlock 

code may be purchased through your authorized dealer, distributor or on our Webshop. 

The price of the Extended Library varies according to which Vienna Symphonic Library sample 

libraries (Pro Edition, First Edition, Horizon Series) you may have registered. If you have never 

purchased a Vienna Symphonic Library product before, there will be no discounts on the 

Extended Libraries of the Vienna Instruments. If you have previously purchased and registered a 

Vienna Symphonic Library sample library, you may be entitled to significant discounts, depending 

on what you already have and what Extended Library you wish to purchase. 

For more information about prices and upgrades, please see our handy Discount Calculator at 

vsl.co.at/calculator. 

ViennaKey 

The ViennaKey is necessary to run any VIENNA INSTRUMENT. This USB protection device by 

Syncrosoft is not included in the box of any Collection. It is available separately at the Vienna 

Symphonic Library webshop, as well as through distributors and dealers. 

You will need one ViennaKey for every computer you want to run a VIENNA INSTRUMENT on. 

So you’ll have to order at least one ViennaKey with your first purchase. Users who order the 

complete SYMPHONIC CUBE will get one ViennaKey for free. 

You can use one ViennaKey for all of your VIENNA INSTRUMENTS Collections if you want, as 

long as you run them on one machine. Of course you can also run several Collections on more 

than one computer, e.g., Solo Strings and Chamber Strings on Computer A and Orchestral Strings 

and Brass on Computer B. This will require the purchase of two ViennaKeys, one for each computer. 

This way you can distribute your Vienna Instruments as you wish over several computers. 

You can also move the licensing information from one ViennaKey to another, but you can’t have 

the same Collection on two ViennaKeys at the same time. 

If you already have a Syncrosoft USB protection device (from Steinberg for instance), you can use 

it for the VIENNA INSTRUMENTS, too. Please download the latest “Syncrosoft License Control 

Center” from the Syncrosoft website (www.syncrosoft.com/downloads) so all the relevant 

VIENNA INSTRUMENTS information is available. The only difference from the original 

ViennaKey is that you can’t run Demo Mode #1 on a Syncrosoft USB protection device not 

issued by the Vienna Symphonic Library. 

Standard Collection 

• Software Instrument 

• Standard Library 

Full Collection 

• Software Instrument 

• Full Library 

Full Library 

• Standard Library 

• Extended Library 

Demo Mode #1 

Even before registering your VIENNA 

INSTRUMENTS Collection you can test the 

product on any computer with a new ViennaKey 

plugged in. There are 180 “starts” available. This 

number doesn’t refer to starting up the computer 

or to starting a new session. Each of the following 

procedures is a “start”: Instantiating the VIENNA 

INSTRUMENT, loading a Collection, or loading 

an instrument from the Extended Library. 

So the period of time you can use the VIENNA 

INSTRUMENTS in Demo Mode #1 depends 

on how often and how many instruments you 

audition. Therefore we recommend registering 

your products as soon as possible. 

Demo Mode #2 

This is the 30 day demo mode after registering 

your Collection which is available upon request 

only: If you have bought only the Standard Library, 

you can try out the Extended Library for 30 days. 

You have 30 starts available in these 30 days. If 

you’ve used up your 30 starts before your 30 day 

trial period has expired, please connect to the 

Syncrosoft Server using your License Control Center 

to get another 30 starts (activate@vsl.co.at). 

Instrument Reference Poster 

This beautiful poster produced by the Vienna 

Symphonic Library will be a gorgeous, yet practical 

addition to your studio. It features: 

• The ranges of 50 orchestral instruments plus the 

registers of the human voice – this overview is the 

perfect reference for every composer and arranger! 

• Artfully displayed 88 note keyboard and staves show 

you concert pitch ranges at a glance. Quick and easy! 

• Instruments arranged logically by group. 

• Transposition and clef indications for orchestrators. 

• Highly professional pictures of all orchestral instruments. 

• Includes both common and rare orchestral instruments. 

• Extreme ranges, pedal tones and harmonics indicated 

in different colors. 

• Size: 27” x 39” (68 x 97 cm) 

30 31

PRO EDITION 

With over 360,000 samples containing over 240 GB of data 

the Vienna Symphonic Library’s PRO EDITION is the world’s 

largest orchestral sample library. For the first time ever, an 

enormous variety of instruments of the modern symphony 

orchestra have been recorded in a specially constructed 

recording stage designed expressly for the rigorous demands 

of orchestral sampling. Comprising hundreds of thousands 

of samples that integrate countless essential and unique 

articulations, this library still is, by far, the most complete 

undertaking in the history of sample libraries. 

The Performance Tool enables the user to play fluid and 

realistically articulated passages like legato, portamento, 

glissando or repetitions in real-time, avoiding the dreaded 

“machine gun effect” and the lifeless, mechanical sound that 

has plagued other sample libraries from the beginning. In 

addition, the Vienna Symphonic Library’s sonic quality, 

flexibility, creative choice, user support, and upgradepotential 

set this library far apart from its predecessors. 

The FIRST EDITION was released in early 2003, and after 

only a few months on the market, the library received 

several awards and nominations from the press and 

prominent music organizations, affirming the concept of this 

enormous undertaking. As of September 2005, the FIRST 

EDITION has been discontinued. Upgrades to the PRO 

EDITION are still available. 

The COMPLETE ORCHESTRAL PACKAGE of the PRO 

EDITION consists of two parts, the ORCHESTRAL CUBE and 

the PERFORMANCE SET. 

The ORCHESTRAL CUBE includes STRINGS, BRASS & 

WOODWINDS, and PERCUSSION sets which are also offered 

separately. All of the modules offer single note samples 

(multisamples) in countless articulations and playing 

techniques. 

The PERFORMANCE SET is where the real magic happens. 

This set includes all of the orchestral playing styles that 

require special sampling techniques and tools to achieve the 

hyper-realism the Vienna Symphonic Library became 

famous for. The exclusive Performance Tool, which is a free 

software download to registered users of the Performance 

Set, faithfully recreates legatos, portamentos, slides, glissandos, 

spiccatos, repetitions and many more styles when used with 

the special Performance Set samples. 

INSTRUMENTS 


Solo violin 

Solo cello 





Harp 

BRASS & 

WOODWINDS 

PERFORMANCE SET 

125 GB 

Piccolo 

Flute 1 

Flute 2 

Alto flute 

Oboe 

English horn 

Clarinet in Bb 

Bass clarinet 

Bassoon 

Contrabassoon 


Trumpet in C 

Bass trumpet 

Horn in F 


Bass trombone 


Bass tuba 


Cimbasso 

Wagner tuba 


Horn ensemble 


ORCHESTRAL CUBE 

STRINGS + BRASS & WOODWINDS + PERCUSSION 

125 GB 

PERCUSSION 

Altar-boy bells 

Angklung 

Antique cymbals 

Anvil surogate 

Bass drum 

Bell tree 

Bells 

Boobams 

Brake disks & springs 

Bull roarer 

COMPLETE ORCHESTRAL PACKAGE 

ORCHESTRAL CUBE + PERFORMANCE SET 

240 GB 

Burmese bells 

Car horns 

Castagnets 

Caxixi 

Celesta 

Chimes 

Chinese gongs 

Church bells 

Claves 

Cow bells 

Crotales 

Cuíca 

Cymbals (piatti) 

Field drum 

Please check our website for detailed information on upgrade prices for FIRST EDITION and HORIZON SERIES users. 

Finger bells 

Flexatone 

Glockenspiel 

Gong 

Guiro 

Guns 

Hammer 

Japanese singing bowls 

Jingle ring 

Lion’s roar 

Lithophone 

Log drum 

Marimba 

Ocean drum 


26 GB 

Peking Opera gongs 

Piccolo drum 

Plate bells 

Rainmaker 

Ratchets 

Rock bells 

Shaker 

Ship’s bell 

Siren 

Sleigh bells 

Small bells 

Snare drum 


Spring drum 

Suspended cymbal 

Tambourine 

Tam-tam 

Temple blocks 

Thunder sheet 

Timpani 

Triangle 

Tubular bells 

Vibraphone 

Vibratone 

Waldteufel 

Waterphone 

Whip 

Wind machine 

BRASS & WOODWINDS 

58 GB 

Wood blocks 

Xylophone 

PERFORMANCE SET 

Solo violin 

Solo cello 





Harp 

Piccolo 

Flute 1 

Flute 2 


Alto flute 

Oboe 

English horn 

Clarinet in Bb 

Bass clarinet 

Bassoon 

Contrabassoon 


Trumpet in C 

Bass trumpet 

Horn in F 


Bass trombone 


PERCUSSION 

31 GB 

Bass tuba 


Cimbasso 

Wagner tuba 


Horn ensemble 


Timpani 

Snare drum 


Piccolo drum 

Field drum 

Bass drum 

Castagnets 

Caxixi 

Guiro 

Jingle ring 

Shaker 

ARTICULATIONS 

ORCHESTRAL CUBE PRO EDITION 

STRINGS, BRASS & WOODWINDS, PERCUSSION 

Single note samples (multisamples) 

• Single notes with constant dynamics: Various tone lengths with different 

velocities, attacks and playing techniques, e.g., vibrato styles, bow 

techniques, attacks, etc., variations of the same tone for short notes 

• Single notes with progressive dynamics: 3 dynamic intensities in various 

dynamic layers, with and without vibrato, crescendos-diminuendos 

(e.g., pp), fortepiano, sforzato, sforzatissimo 

• Tremolos (including crescendo and diminuendo patches) 

• Trills (half and whole tone trills, slow and fast variations, accelerating) 

• Pizzicatos and Bartók pizzicatos (loose and tight) 

• Sordino articulations in all playing techniques (staccato, détaché, sustained, 

fortepiano, sforzato, tremolo, pizzicato, trills) 

• Flautando, sul ponticello, col legno, finger tremolo in several articulations 

• Harp: normal, secco, près de la table, harmonics (flageolet), bisbigliando 

• Flutter tongues (incl. sustained and crescendo) for all wind instruments 

• Horn ensemble: 5th and octave glissandos 

and many more … 

PERFORMANCE SET PRO EDITION 

Performance Elements 

• Legato Performance instruments for all strings and winds 

• Legato Performance instruments with portamento 

• Solo violin: Legato Performance instruments with détaché and spiccato 

techniques 

• Performance instruments with grace notes 

• Upbeats in different velocities and tempos for brass 

• Performance instruments with glissandos for strings, clarinet, horns, 

trombones 

• Repetition Performance instruments: 5 and 9 repeated notes in 

different tempos, velocities, dynamics and playing techniques, e.g., 

legato, portato, staccato 

• Repetition Performance instruments con sordino (legato, portato, 

staccato) 

• Bowed vibrato repetitions with different velocities and dynamics 

• Fast staccato repetitions with constant and progressive dynamics 

• Repetition Performances for several percussion instruments 

• Tremolo Performance instruments with various intervals 

• Octave runs in major, minor harmonic and chromatic scales, up and down 

(spiccato and legato for strings) 

All “Performance” articulations must be played with the Performance Tool to 

achieve authentic results. 

Please check our website for detailed information on upgrade prices for FIRST EDITION and HORIZON SERIES users. Configured for Apple Logic/EXS24 mk II and TASCAM GigaStudio in 16bit/44,1 kHz 

32 33

h o r i z o n s e r i e s 

Expand your Performance Horizon. 

Side licenses (additional formats) 

are available in our webshop at 10% of 

the original product price and can be 

downloaded right after your online purchase. 

OVERDRIVE 

Performance Distortion Guitar 

5.8 GB 


CONCERT GUITAR 

10 GB 

VIENNA HARPS + 

Harp 1 

Harp 2 

10.4 GB 

CHAMBER STRINGS 

Violin ensemble (6 players) 

Viola ensemble (4 players) 

Cello ensemble (3 players) 


(2 players) 

17.8 GB 

EPIC HORNS 

Double horn ensemble (8 players) 

2.7 GB 

* All content appears in the Pro Edition. 

+ Some content appears in the Pro Edition. 

FRENCH OBOE 

French oboe 

English horn 


Piccolo 

6.7 GB 

WOODWIND ENSEMBLES 

Flute ensemble (3 players) 

Oboe ensemble (3 players) 

Clarinet ensemble (3 players) 

Bassoon ensemble (3 players) 

6.1 GB 

SAXOPHONES I 

Soprano saxophone 

Tenor saxophone 

5.4 GB 

MALLETS* 

10.6 GB 

FX PERCUSSION* 

3 GB 


The HORIZON SERIES sample libraries let you broaden your scope of performance possibilities 

by combining Vienna’s superior Silent Stage recordings with the authenticity of the Performance 

Tool. These editions focus on specific instruments or instrument groups, with a heightened 

attention to detail and realism. Some of the libraries include instruments that serve as ideal 

complements to the PRO EDITION, like Chamber Strings or the French Oboe. Others are 

compilations taken from the Pro Edition, customized for specific applications, like FX Percussion 

or Mallets. But each edition of the Horizon Series is a powerful sample library that stands on its 

own with respect to authenticity and usability. 

All of the Horizon Series products include the Giga and EXS24 format on the install DVDs. When 

registering on our website you select your format of choice. For using the libraries with Steinberg 

HALion and Native Instruments Kontakt samplers, register first and then log on to the Download 

Section of our User Area and download the corresponding programs that make use of the .wav 

files from the EXS version on the DVDs. 

If you’re using Native Instruments’ Kontakt 2, you can now take advantage of this sampler’s 

powerful script processor! We’re offering special “Kontakt 2 Scripted Programs” at the User Area 

of our website that you can download as a registered user of any of our Horizon Series libraries 

in Kontakt format. These programs incorporate the functionality of our Performance Tool 

algorithms, executed by Kontakt 2’s script processor, so you can use the Performance 

Instruments without bringing up the Performance Tool as a separate application. 

34 35

MIR 

Multi Impulse Response 

Mixing and Reverberation Engine 

Finally the Vienna Symphonic Library will be adding space to its alchemy of digital orchestral music production. 

Based upon the principle of multi impulse response convolution, the Vienna Symphonic Library digitizes (“samples”) the 

characteristics of enclosures like the Great Hall of the Wiener Konzerthaus with unprecedented detail and methodology, 

taking this technology to the next level and capturing the great concert stages of the world in their full glory, wall to wall, 

floor to ceiling, in three dimensions! 

Total Integration 

Due to the close association between the Vienna Symphonic Library samples, the Vienna Instruments’ audio engine, and 

the MIR reverb engine, the typical directional characteristics of each instrument are taken into consideration when 

formulating the “correct” sets of impulse responses. For instance, the horns, whose bells are directed to the rear, will be 

automatically assigned different spatial aspects than the forward blaring trumpets. 

In simple terms, the Vienna Instruments “tell” the MIR engine which instruments are currently playing, while the MIR applies 

the appropriate algorithms depending on the placement of the instruments on the virtual stage. 

The user is put in the position of a conductor, working on stage, thinking in musical terms rather than in technical abstractions. 

As a result, the reverb engine is not only a complete mixing station, but actually a true virtual representation of real 

orchestral halls! With a few intuitive movements, the user can control every parameter of a virtual orchestration. Volume, 

the position on stage, distance from the virtual microphones and all of the necessary spatial parameters are connected 

in one macro environment. (Of course there are expert settings in the background enabling more refined control of the 

environment and instrument placement.) 

The results can be heard in real-time in preview mode. The high-definition final results have to be calculated offline – but 

it is merely a question of time before even conventional computers are fast enough to enable high-definition real-time 

multi-dimensional convolution. Up to eight audio channel outputs cover even extravagant surround formats – allowing the 

complete recreation of the entire acoustic space in 5.1 and other three dimensional systems. 

Merging the powers of high culture and high technology, two exceptional partners have joined the Vienna Symphonic 

Library in a remarkable effort to push the boundaries of virtual authenticity in orchestral music production: 

• The Wiener Konzerthaus, one of the world’s most sought-after concert halls. 

• AKG Acoustics, a leading innovator in the world of audio technology. 

MIR 

• A new approach to impulse response convolution, capturing spatially separated Multi Mono Impulses. 

• Impulses in 8 directions, horizontal and vertical. 

• Hundreds of impulse responses for each space, depending on the instruments’ positions on stage. 

36 37

Frequently Asked Questions 

General Questions 

Q: What’s the difference between the Vienna Instruments and 

the sample libraries of the Horizon Series and the Pro Edition? 

A: The instruments as well as some of the Performance Tool 

algorithms are now integrated in the Vienna Instruments 

software, developed exclusively for easy and intuitive access 

to the huge amount of samples. You no longer need any 

other sampler software. The Vienna Instruments are therefore 

much easier to use and include new Performance 

algorithms as well as lots of additional instruments and 

articulations. 

Q: How does the copy protection of the Vienna Instruments work? 

A: The Vienna Instruments are copy-protected by the 

ViennaKey, a USB protection device, on which a Syncrosoft 

license is stored. The dongle has to be plugged into one of 

your computer’s USB ports so that you can start the Vienna 

Instrument software. If you want to use your Collections on 

several computers, you need as many ViennaKeys as you 

have computers. 

Q: Will I have to get a second license for my Mac if I buy a PC 

version, and vice versa? 

A: No, you won’t. The Mac and PC installers are included 

with every Vienna Instruments Collection you purchase. 

About the Collections 

Q: Where do I find detailed lists of instruments and articulations 

of a given product? 

A: Lists of instruments or articulations are to be found in 

our webshop, by clicking on the “Product Info” or 

“Articulations” button on the product pages in our webshop 

at www.vsl.co.at. 

Q: I already own Sample Libraries by the Vienna Symphonic 

Library. Which new articulations do the Vienna Instruments 

Collections contain? 

A: You can find an articulation comparison list by clicking 

on the “Articulations” button on the product pages in our 

webshop at www.vsl.co.at. 

Q: Which playing styles are contained in the Standard and the 

Extended Libraries of a Vienna Instrument Collection? 

A: You can find a comparison list by clicking on the 

“Std./Ext. Library” button on the product pages in our 

webshop. With Vienna Instruments, the Standard Library is 

also referred to as “Level 1 Samples”, the Extended Library 

as “Level 2 Samples”. 

Q: How do I find out whether I want to buy only a Collection’s 

Standard Library, or if I would like to get the Extended Library, too? 

A: After registering a Collection you can test the Extended 

Library for 30 days along with the Standard Library. After 

this testing period has run out, you will only have access to 

the Standard Library. Extended Libraries can be unlocked 

immediately and at any time in our webshop, for whole 

Collections as well as for individual Instruments within a 

Collection. 

About Prices 

Q: What is VIP? 

A: With the purchase of every Vienna Symphonic Library 

product you become automatically enrolled in our Vienna 

Innovation Program. VIP customers can upgrade to larger 

collections at reduced prices, are offered exclusive 

download articulations, and benefit from being able to 

access our Online User Area. 

Q: Where can I find my upgrade (VIP) price? 

A: Please look up your individual prices using our Discount 

Calculator in our webshop (www.vsl.co.at/calculator). 

Q: How does the VIP program apply on upgrades from the 

Horizon Series or the Pro and First Edition to the Vienna 

Instruments? 

A: VIP prices apply to Full Libraries of the Vienna 

Instruments. There are no VIP discounts for the standard 

module, which consists of the software instrument (i.e., 

the audio engine and the user interface) and the 

Standard Library. However, registered users of our 

FIRST/PRO EDITION and HORIZON SERIES libraries are 

granted generous discounts to the Extended Libraries of 

the VIENNA INSTRUMENTS. 

About the License Agreement 

Q: Do I have to pay additional licensing fees if my use of these 

samples ends up on a hit record or other high-profile projects? 

A: No, your original purchase of any of our products is your 

only license fee, and you are free to use it in as many 

musical recordings as you want, forever. We hope you do get 

to use our sounds on a hit! 

Q: Do I have to credit the Vienna Symphonic Library if I use 

their sounds on a recording? 

A: With your purchase, you agree to use the following 

wording in any credits or liner notes accompanying the 

music recording, be it a music CD, cassette, or soundtrack 

compilation: “Orchestral samples included in this recording 

from the Vienna Symphonic Library”. Screen credit for film 

and television use is not required. 

Q: Can my writing partner, colleagues or friends use the 

samples once I’ve licensed them? Can I form a group to buy 

and share sounds? 

A: No, each person who uses the sounds must purchase 

their own copy (which licenses them to use the sounds). 

Anyone other than the original purchaser of the product (or 

the person for whom the product was purchased), who uses 

the sounds, is doing so illegally – risking legal action against 

both them and their clients! Contact us regarding package 

deals for special circumstances. 

Q: Can I offer the sounds to clients as part of my recording 

studio or rental company services? Or, as a freelance sound 

designer, can I put custom compilation discs together which 

include your sounds for my composer clients? 

A: No, each person who uses the sounds (the creative 

person) has to be a licensed user. Otherwise, this could 

cause tremendous legal problems for studio or rental 

clients. 

Q: Can I use these samples to make “Music Libraries?” 

A: Yes, unlike some soundware companies, this is fully 

allowed with all of our products. The sounds have to be 

used within a musical context, however, and cannot be 

presented isolated or “solo’ed.” 

Online Services 

www.vsl.co.at 

38 39 

Demo Zone 

Check out demos made by users or our team members and listen to tons of great 

orchestrations using our products. 

Forum 

Discuss your experiences and ideas about working with the Vienna Symphonic Library. Share tips 

and get immediate assistance from Vienna team members. This exchange of knowledge 

provides you with the most current and important information. 

The User Area 

One of our most important resources is to be found in the User Area – a private section for 

registered users only. After registering you can download software utilities, updates of our 

software, free articulations and instruments etc. 

Instruments Online 

The Vienna Symphonic Library’s website offers free access to the first complete, multimedia 

instrument encyclopedia with comprehensive information on the principles of instrumentation. It 

features the sounds of various playing techniques of all kinds of instruments, high-quality images, 

and extensive information about each instrument. Every instrument profile has text descriptions, 

historical development and classification of the orchestral instruments, playing techniques, 

notation, range, function in the orchestra, semantics, symbolism, combinations with other 

instruments, musical extracts as notation and Vienna Symphonic Library sound samples. 

Projects 

Get an impression of the projects realized with the Vienna Symphonic Library, e.g., the musical 

“Lord of the Rings” or Robert Allen Elliott’s score for “Hero to me”, winner of the “Best Original 

Score” award at the 2005 Hollywood DV Festival. 

All trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 

Printed in the EU. © VIENNA SYMPHONIC LIBRARY GmbH, March 2007

ORCHESTRAL STRINGS I - VIENNA SYMPHONIC LIBRARY

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?