SOLO STRINGS - VIENNA SYMPHONIC LIBRARY

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

e-mail: office@vsl.co.at 

CATALOG 2006 

ENGLISH

CONTENTS 

4 VIENNA INSTRUMENTS 

8 SYMPHONIC CUBE 

10 VIENNA INSTRUMENTS Collections 

23 SAMPLE LIBRARIES 

24 PRO EDITION 

26 HORIZON SERIES 

36 Multi Impulse Response 

Mixing and Reverberation Engine [MIR] 

38 Frequently Asked Questions 

Founder and Managing Director Herb Tucmandl 

The VIENNA SYMPHONIC LIBRARY has reached its five-year milestone. Five years of continuous 

sample production, five years of increasing quality and efficiency, five years that have led up to our 

most advanced product now at hand – the SYMPHONIC CUBE. 

We’ve been promising the SYMPHONIC CUBE since the beginning, and during these years of hard 

work to reach that goal, I believe our team has made some remarkable achievements. Not only have 

we refined the art of sampling (for it is indeed an art), we have responded to the valuable feedback 

of our users to develop some truly innovative tools, some foreseen and some unexpected. 

The clearest expression of these efforts is the VIENNA INSTRUMENTS, highly sophisticated and 

elegant virtual instruments developed exclusively for the SYMPHONIC CUBE. 

It was my most urgent wish not only to offer a massive pallet of instrumental colors, but also to 

provide our users with tools that guarantee maximum efficiency and an intuitive workflow. To 

create a system that’s inspiring, easy to work with, and great fun, too. 

Our head of software development Christian Teuscher and his team have, as we say in German, 

“squared the circle”. Never before has a sample library been so extensive and versatile, and never 

before has it been possible to realize virtual orchestral music so quickly and effectively at the 

highest level of quality. 

On behalf of the entire VIENNA SYMPHONIC LIBRARY team I proudly dedicate the 

SYMPHONIC CUBE to our valued users and wish them lots of pleasure and success with all their 

future musical projects! 

–Herb Tucmandl, Vienna, December 23, 2005 

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 recommended) 

with Mac OS X 10.4 or higher 

• 1 GB RAM (2 GB recommended) 

• VST (PC) or AU (Mac) compatible host 

(also works stand-alone) 

• DVD drive for installation 

• Fast separate hard drive 

• 88 key master keyboard 

(highly recommended) 

• ViennaKey (Vienna Symphonic Library 

USB protection device) 

Watch the Video Tutorials at 

www.vsl.co.at/vi 

Proceed with Speed 

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

• 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. 

- 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. 

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. 

4 VIENNA INSTRUMENTS VIENNA INSTRUMENTS 

5

Upgrades and Extensions 

Each of the 10 VIENNA INSTRUMENTS Collections comes with the Software Instrument, 

Standard Library, and Extended Library on DVD. The Standard price includes the software 

instrument and access to the Standard Library. This price is the same for all new and existing 

users. Purchasers of the Standard Collection may also test the already included Extended Library, 

free, for a period of 30 days. The Extended Libraries may then be purchased for an additional 

charge that varies depending on whether the user is new, or is already a registered user of the 

original FIRST/PRO EDITION or HORIZON SERIES libraries. The Full Collection’s price listed in this 

brochure includes the Software Instrument, the Standard Library, and the Extended Library. 

Registered users of our original FIRST/PRO EDITION and HORIZON SERIES libraries will be 

granted generous discounts to the Extended Library. New users will enjoy low entry level prices 

for the VIENNA INSTRUMENTS Standard Collection as well as step-by-step possibilities to extend 

the instruments by purchasing unlock codes online for instant access to the Extended Libraries 

of each Collection. For even more flexibility, users can either unlock individual instruments’ 

Extended programs (e.g., violin ensemble), or unlock the entire Extended Library of a given 

Collection (e.g., Orchestral Strings I) all at once. 

VIENNA INSTRUMENTS are not merely expansions of our sample libraries, they are a completely 

new generation of products. The virtual instruments incorporate a portion of our already released 

samples, which are not only better in audio quality since they offer 24 bit resolution, but many 

of them have been heavily re-edited (and re-mapped) in order to make full use of our 

Performance Detection algorithms. Even each Collection’s Standard Library includes a lot of new 

samples that have not been included in any PRO EDITION or HORIZON SERIES products. The 

Standard Library’s size is roughly one third of the Extended Library of each Collection. The 

Extended Library contains some existing HORIZON SERIES and PRO EDITION samples as well as 

many completely new samples. Please compare the articulations included in the Standard and 

Extended Libraries using the button “Standard/Extended Libraries” at each Collection’s page in 

our webshop. 

Check out your individual prices for upgrades and extensions using our Discount Calculator at 

www.vsl.co.at/calculator! 

Standard Collection: 

• Software Instrument 

• Standard Library 

Full Collection: 

• Software Instrument 

• Full Library 

Full Library: 

• Standard Library 

• Extended Library 

ViennaKey and Demo Modes 

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 (see below) on a Syncrosoft USB protection 

device not issued by the Vienna Symphonic Library. 

Here’s an explanation of the Demo Modes: 

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: 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. 


7

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. 

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

• Comprehensive upgrade paths for Vienna Symphonic Library customers 

• Prepared for future MIR integration, our proprietary Multi Impulse Response Mixing and 

Reverberation Engine 

• Online Video Tutorials 

• VST and AU formats for Windows XP and Mac OS X, plug-in and stand-alone 

• Extended Libraries for flexible expansion of your instruments and articulations 

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 

Oboe (French style) 

Clarinet 

Bassoon 

Flute ensemble 

Oboe ensemble 

Clarinet ensemble 

Bassoon ensemble 

WOODWINDS II 

Piccolo 

Flute 2 

Alto flute 

Oboe (Viennese style) 

English horn 1 


Small clarinet in Eb 

Bass clarinet 

Contrabassoon 

BRASS I 

Trumpet 

Horn 

Tenor trombone 

Tuba 

Trumpet ensemble 

Horn ensemble 

Trombone ensemble 

BRASS II 

Piccolo trumpet 

Bass trumpet 

Triple horn 

Horn ensemble/Epic Horns 

Bass trombone 

Contrabass trombone 

Contrabass tuba 

Wagner tuba 

Cimbasso 


9 

PERCUSSION 

Standard percussion 

Mallets 

Bells 

FX Percussion

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. 

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

• Comprehensive upgrade paths for Vienna Symphonic Library customers 

• Prepared for future MIR integration, our proprietary Multi Impulse Response Mixing and 

Reverberation Engine 

• Online Video Tutorials 

• VST and AU formats for Windows XP and Mac OS X, plug-in and stand-alone 

• Extended Libraries for flexible expansion of your instruments and articulations 


Solo violin 

Solo viola 

Solo cello 

Solo double bass 












HARPS 

Harp 1 

Harp 2 

WOODWINDS I 

Flute 1 

Oboe (French style) 

Clarinet 

Bassoon 

Flute ensemble 

Oboe ensemble 

Clarinet ensemble 

Bassoon ensemble 

WOODWINDS II 

Piccolo 

Flute 2 

Alto flute 

Oboe (Viennese style) 



Small clarinet in Eb 

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 


9 

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. 

Apart from the entire sample treasury of the Horizon Series’ 

Solo Strings Edition, this Vienna Instrument contains many new 

articulations; “Zigane”, the leisurely “smeared” portamentos, 

are particularly impressive as Interval Performances with the 

new audio engine’s algorithms. Another new articulation group 

is the fast Interval Performances in legato, marcato, and spiccato. 

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 without 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 




11



ORCHESTRAL 

STRINGS I 



The largest ensemble recorded at the Silent Stage was the 

violin section. The 14 violinists are 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 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”. 

ORCHESTRAL STRINGS I + II 

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 

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 


13

WOODWINDS I 

FLUTE 1 

FRENCH OBOE 

CLARINET 

BASSOON 

FLUTE ENSEMBLE (3 PLAYERS) 

OBOE ENSEMBLE (3 PLAYERS) 

CLARINET ENSEMBLE (3 PLAYERS) 

BASSOON ENSEMBLE (3 PLAYERS) 

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. 

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. 

WOODWINDS I + II 

ARTICULATIONS 

Performances: 

• Interval Performances: legato, marcato; fast & slow 

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

• Flute 1, clarinet, Viennese oboe – Upbeat Repetition Performances 


• 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, diminshed triads; 

legato & staccato; medium & fast 

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

12 variations 

• Clarinet in Bb – glissandos 

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 


15 

WOODWINDS I 

WOODWINDS II

BRASS I 

BRASS II 

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. 

BRASS I + II 

ARTICULATIONS 

Performances: 

• Interval Performances: legato, marcato; slow & fast 

• Horns, tenor trombone: Interval Performance Glissandos 

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

• Upbeat Repetition Performances: slow, medium, fast 


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

up and down 

• Trumpets: runs 

• Trumpets, horns, trombones – arpeggios: major, minor, diminshed 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 

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 


17

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. 

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 


19 

HARPS 

PERCUSSION

SAXOPHONES 

SOPRANO SAXOPHONE 

ALTO SAXOPHONE 

TENOR SAXOPHONE 

BARITONE SAXOPHONE 

BASS SAXOPHONE 

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 for orchestral 

appearances of these instruments are the saxophone 

quartet by Alexander Glasunow, the alto saxophone 

concerts by Glasunow and Debussy, or the Castello from 

Mussorgsky’s “Pictures”. In addition, a lot of articulations 

for jazz and big band requirements are included, such 

as bends, tongue slaps, growling, screams, extended 

flageolets, etc. The breathy tones stem from the legendary 

“Barfly sessions” at the Silent Stage, when the lights were 

dimmed, setting the mood for softer tones. 

PREVIEW 

ELEMENTS 

BASS WATERPHONE 

XXL TAM-TAM 

BOTTLES 

GLASS BELLS 

MUSICAL GLASSES 

GLASS HARMONICA 

VERROPHONE 

LITHOPHONE 

Water, metal, glass, and stone. Very special elements are 

used here for sound production. This Collection is a sequel 

of the Horizon Series Library “Glass & Stones” and offers 

exciting new instruments such as the Bass Waterphone. 

With a diameter of 14 inches this instrument is 

considerably larger than the waterphone used in the 

original Vienna Symphonic Library’s percussion editions. 

The larger number of sounding rods, their increased length, 

the bigger 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 

beyond. It was struck, for example, with metal rods, 

cardboard, jigsaw blades, thrown at 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. 

SPECIAL 

WINDS 

BASS FLUTE 

HECKELPHONE 

ALTO TROMBONE 

EUPHONIUM 

CONTRABASS CLARINET 

Some wind instruments entered the concert stage in the 

late 19 th century, such as the bass flute, the heckelphone, 

and the contrabass clarinet. The alto trombone, on the 

other hand, is typical of the baroque era, but it was also 

put into orchestral scores by composers like Beethoven 

and Bruckner. All of these special wind instruments 

are characterized by a unique and unmistakable quality 

that colorfully enriches the instrumental pallet of the 

contemporary composer. 

SAXOPHONES 

ELEMENTS SPECIAL WINDS 


21

POSTER 

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) 

Sample Libraries 

The Vienna Symphonic Library’s Sample Libraries are orchestral collections of unprecedented 

sonic dimension. The massive Pro Edition, Vienna Symphonic Library’s original flagship product, 

is available in TASCAM GigaStudio and Apple Logic/EXS24 formats. The HORIZON SERIES 

includes 14 sample libraries focusing on special instrument groups or offering excerpts from the 

Pro Edition. The Horizon Series Libraries are available in TASCAM GigaStudio, Apple Logic/EXS24, 

Native Instruments Kontakt, and Steinberg HALion formats. 

“Taking nothing away from the other excellent libraries on the market, 

I consider the VSL one of the most important products in the history of 

modern music technology.” –Nick Batzdorf, Mix Magazine, September 2003 

EQ 

Blue Ribbon 

Winner 

Musikmesse 

Int. Press Award 

2003 and 2004 

Game Audio 

Network 

Award 

Performance Tool 

Video Tutorials 

Paul Steinbauer explains the Performance Tool in detail. 

Learn how to create slow and fast legatos, realistic 

portamentos and glissandos, quick spiccato passages, 

authentic repeated notes without the notorious “machinegun 

effect” and much more. Listen to examples and grab 

some first-hand tips from Vienna’s Chief Editing Engineer. 

Whether you’re a beginner or a professional user, these 

tutorials deliver the expert knowledge you need to 

maximize your investment in the Vienna Symphonic Library 

sample libraries. 

22 SAMPLE LIBRARIES 

23 

TUTORIALS 

DVD-ROM 

TEC Award 

2003 

Nominee 

Electronic Musician 

2004 

Editor’s Choice 

Exceptional 

Quality Award 

2004

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 


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 upgrades prices for FIRST EDITION and HORIZON SERIES users. 

Finger bells 

Flexatone 

Glockenspiel 

Gong 

Guiro 

Guns 

Hammer 


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 upgrades prices for FIRST EDITION and HORIZON SERIES users. Configured for Apple Logic/EXS24 mk II and TASCAM GigaStudio in 16bit/44,1 kHz 

24 SAMPLE LIBRARIES SAMPLE LIBRARIES 

25

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

Expand your Performance Horizon. 

The HORIZON SERIES lets you broaden your scope of performance possibilities by combining Vienna’s superior Silent 

Stage recordings with the authenticity of the Performance Tool at affordable prices. 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 the French Oboe or Glass & Stones. 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 library that stands on its own with respect to authenticity and usability. 

The most prominent Horizon Series collections are Opus 1 and Opus 2, a powerful 35GB introduction to the universe of 

the Vienna Symphonic Library. Featuring essential articulations of the entire orchestra, they include the critically acclaimed 

Legato Performances, providing fluid expression at your fingertips. And that’s not all. The HORIZON SERIES offers both 

traditional and non-traditional instruments, breaking new ground with products like Overdrive (Total Distortion Guitar) 

or Saxophones I. 

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. 

OVERDRIVE 

5.8 GB 

VIENNA 

CONCERT GUITAR 

10 GB 

GLASS & STONES 

4.4 GB 

MALLETS* 

10.6 GB 

FX PERCUSSION* 

3 GB 

FRENCH OBOE 

6.7 GB 

SAXOPHONES I 

5.4 GB 

OPUS 1 

25 GB 

WOODWIND 

ENSEMBLES 

6.1 GB 

EPIC HORNS 

2.7 GB 

VIENNA HARPS + 

10.4 GB 

SOLO STRINGS + 

30 GB 


17.8 GB 

OPUS 1* 

25 GB 

OPUS 2 + 

9.3 GB 

* All content appears in the Pro Edition. 

+ Some content appears in the Pro Edition. 

OPUS 1 + 2 

OPUS 2 

9.3 GB 

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. 


VIOLIN ENSEMBLE 

VIOLA ENSEMBLE 

CELLO ENSEMBLE 

DOUBLE BASS ENSEMBLE 

Staccatos (up and down bow) 

Short détachés (up and down bow) 

Long détachés (up and down bow) 

Sustains (looped) 

Fortepiano 

Sforzato 

Sforzatissimo 

Espressivo (piano-forte-piano) 

Tremolo (looped) 

Trills (half and whole tone) 

Pizzicato (tight, loose, Bartók) 

Col legno (tight & loose) 

Sordino staccatos 

Sordino sustained notes 

Sordino tremolos 

Legato Performance instruments 

(normal legato & portamento) 

HARP 

Normal, harmonics (flageolet) 

WOODWINDS 

PICCOLO 

FLUTE 

OBOE 

ENGLISH HORN 

CLARINET 

BASS CLARINET 

BASSOON 

CONTRABASSOON 

Staccatos (two variations) 

Short portatos (two variations) 

Sustains (vibrato, no vibrato) 

Fortepiano 

Sforzato 

Sforzatissimo 


OPUS 1 


WOODWINDS 

BRASS 

PERCUSSION 

OPUS 1 is a comprehensive, yet affordable introduction to 

the world of professional orchestral sounds. This 25 GB 

collection comprises all of the essential instruments and 

articulations of the classical symphony orchestra, including 

our revolutionary Legato Performance instruments. OPUS 1 

was designed for convenience, with a logical structure that is 

easy to grasp. If you want maximum orchestral impact with 

a single computer system, this is the library for you! OPUS 1 

excels at efficiency, economy and unencumbered creativity, 

while sacrificing nothing in the realism and expressiveness 

that the Vienna Symphonic Library has become famous for. 

INSTRUMENTS & ARTICULATIONS OPUS 1 

Flutter tonguing (sustained and crescendo) 



BRASS 

TRUMPET 

TRUMPET ENSEMBLE 

HORN 

HORN ENSEMBLE 

TROMBONE 

CONTRABASS TROMBONE 

TROMBONE ENSEMBLE 

TUBA 

CONTRABASS TUBA 

Staccatos (two variations) 

Short portatos (two variations) 

Sustains (attack and vibrato variants) 

Fortepiano 

Sforzato 

Sforzatissimo 


Flutter tonguing (sustained and crescendo) 



PERCUSSION 

TIMPANI 

SNARE DRUM 

SNARE DRUM ENSEMBLE 

BASS DRUM 

TAMBOURINE 

PIATTI 

SUSPENDED CYMBAL 

GONG 

TAM-TAM 

TRIANGLE 

CELESTA 

GLOCKENSPIEL 

XYLOPHONE 

TUBULAR BELLS 

EFFECT PERCUSSION 

OPUS 2 


WOODWINDS 

BRASS 

PERCUSSION 

OPUS 2 expands the potential of OPUS 1 with additional 

articulations for most of the instruments included 

in OPUS 1, and additional instruments such as percussion 

from the Pro Edition. OPUS 2 also includes basic articulations 

of instruments from other Horizon Series titles. If you own 

the First Edition of the Vienna Symphonic Library, 

OPUS 2 makes a great add-on! 

INSTRUMENTS & ARTICULATIONS OPUS 2 


VIOLIN ENSEMBLE 

VIOLA ENSEMBLE 

CELLO ENSEMBLE 

DOUBLE BASS ENSEMBLE 

Octave Runs: Major, harmonic 

minor, chromatic and whole tone 

runs of all string ensembles 

Fast repetitions 

Flautando 

WOODWINDS 

PICCOLO 

FLUTE 

OBOE 

ENGLISH HORN 

CLARINET 

BASSOON 

Looped sustains 

BASS CLARINET 

CONTRABASSOON 


BRASS 

TRUMPET 

TRUMPET ENSEMBLE 

HORN ENSEMBLE 

TROMBONE 

TROMBONE ENSEMBLE 

Muted staccatos 

Muted sustained notes 

Muted sforzato 

Solo trumpet and trumpet ensemble: 

Muted Legato Performance instruments 

PERCUSSION 

TIMPANI 

Single note and tremolo glissandos 

MARIMBA 

VIBRAPHONE 

CENCERROS (COWBELLS) 

PLATE BELLS 

WATERPHONE 

BONUS FILES 

Basic articulations of 

SOLO VIOLIN 

SOLO VIOLA 

SOLO CELLO 

SOLO DOUBLE BASS 

FRENCH OBOE 

DOUBLE HORN ENSEMBLE 

(EPIC HORNS) 

FLUTE ENSEMBLE 

CLARINET ENSEMBLE 


27

SOLO 


With more than 30 gigabytes of sample data, the Horizon 

Series’ Solo Strings is the most comprehensive and 

sophisticated solo string sample library ever created. 

Generations of instrument makers have perfected the 

construction of the priceless, “regal” instruments featured 

in this volume. Herb Tucmandl, the creator of the Vienna 

Symphonic Library, was well aware of the challenge that 

sampling solo strings presented. His first test recordings of 

the double bass took place at the very beginning of the project 

and after one year of gathering experience from the orchestral 

library sessions, and selecting the best instrumentalists from 

Vienna’s wealth of musicians, the solo recording sessions 

were finally completed. Just as a good string quartet was a 

kind of “master’s degree” for history’s great composers, 

Herb wanted to apply the same dedication to create a 

sample library masterpiece, a perfect virtual image, that 

would meet today’s composers’ highest standards. 

So here they are: violin, viola, cello, and double bass, making 

full use of Vienna’s unique Performance Tool for absolutely 

authentic legatos, spiccatos, détachés, repetitions and more. 

The solo violin and the solo cello of this collection are also 

contained in our Pro Edition. Please check our special VIP 

prices for registered owners of the Pro Edition’s Strings and 

Performance Set. 

ARTICULATIONS 

VIOLIN 

VIOLA 

CELLO 

DOUBLE BASS 

Staccatos Up and down bow 

Short détachés Up and down bow 

Long détachés Up and down bow, with and without vibrato 

Long notes Sustained (with and without vibrato), 

various tone lengths (espressivo, marcato, 

progressive vibrato) 

Dynamics Crescendo and diminuendo 

(with and without vibrato), various tone lengths 

Special dynamics (fortepiano, sforzato, 

sforzatissimo, piano-forte-piano) 

Tremolos Sustained, crescendo and diminuendo 

Trills Half and whole tone, crescendo 

and diminuendo, accelerando 

Pizzicatos Normal and secco, snap (Bartók) 

Col legno 


Legato Piano and forte, forte portamento; Violin: 

Détaché, Spiccato Performances 

Repetitions Legato, Portato and Staccato Repetition 

Performances 

Fast repetitions 140 to 200 BPM 

Legato Grace Note Performances 

Violin: 

Octave runs Major, minor, chromatic and whole tone Legato; 

major Spiccato 

Glissando Performances on every string 

ARTICULATIONS 

CHAMBER 






The Vienna Symphonic Library is delighted to offer you 

the most flexible and expressive string ensemble sample 

library yet created, the Chamber Strings. Useful for small 

orchestrations, you can use it to split string groups (divisi) 

or for mixing with big ensembles to create fine nuances and 

rich textures, the Chamber Strings will rise to almost any 

occasion – from Baroque to Pop. The ensembles of six 

violins, four violas, three cellos and two double basses allow 

for beauty and perfection even within the smallest musical 

details. All four string groups offer Legato, Portamento Legato, 

Détaché, Spiccato and Repetition Performances, to be played 

with the unique Performance Tool. The Chamber Strings 

not only offer absolute homogeneity with the existing 

editions of the Vienna Symphonic Library, but can also be 

used as a stand-alone product with great success. 

Short and normal staccatos Up and down bow 

Short détachés Up and down bow 

Long détachés Up and down bow 

Sustained notes 

Tremolos 

Dynamics Crescendo and diminuendo (various tone lengths) 


sforzatissimo) 

Trills Half & whole tone, normal and Baroque trills; 

with constant dynamics, crescendo and 

diminuendo 

Harmonics (flageolet) Harmonics on every string, harmonics glissandos 

Pizzicatos Normal and Bartók pizzicato, 2 variations each 


Legato Variations for slow and fast lines piano 

and forte, portamento, détaché, spiccato 

Repetition Performances Legato, portato, and staccato; piano, 

mezzoforte, crescendo and diminuendo 


30 GB 


17.8 GB 

VIENNA HARPS 

10.4 GB 


HARPS 

HARP 1 

HARP 2 

By the middle of the 19 th century instrumentation for two 

harps was firmly established in big orchestras. In 

recognition of this the Vienna Symphonic Library brings to 

you Vienna Harps, a beautiful edition featuring two 

different harps. The first harp is taken completely from the 

Pro Edition and encompasses not only single note 

samples but also an extensive collection of glissandos in all 

major and minor keys as well as a number of glissandos on 

four strings. In addition to the various scales this extensive 

harp offers you a great variety of tempos and tone ranges 

to ensure the highest flexibility. The second harp boasts an 

even richer collection of single note samples. Besides 

standard playing techniques like harmonics, près-de-la-table, 

bisbigliando and mutes, it also contains additional pedal 

glissandos and articulations played with fingernails. 

Please check our special VIP prices for registered owners 

of the Pro Edition’s Strings and Performance Set. 

ARTICULATIONS 

Sustained notes Normal, secco harmonics, près-de-la-table, 

bisbigliando, fingernail, damped, 

pedal glissandos 

Glissandos Major and harmonic minor full-scale glissandos 

Melodic minor, diminished and pentatonic 

glissandos 

Slow, medium, and fast 

One, three, and 5 octaves, single and multiple 

cross glissandos 

Fast fortissimo glissandos spanning 1 octave 


29

SAXOPHONES I 

SOPRANO SAXOPHONE 

TENOR SAXOPHONE 

The saxophone’s characteristic sound is subtle, noble, clear, 

expressive and versatile, ranging from sensitive to 

aggressive! This versatility is further enhanced by its great 

dynamic bandwidth. 

The two saxophones on this volume were recorded with their 

solo as well as their orchestral properties in mind, so that 

they can be used universally: from orchestral to jazz 

productions, from Henry Mancini’s “Pink Panther” theme 

or Leonard Bernstein’s “West Side Story” to Bizet’s 

“Arlésienne Suite”. For the first time ever, the sampled 

saxophone sounds absolutely authentic thanks to Vienna’s 

unique Performance Tool! 

INSTRUMENTS 

Tenor and soprano sax by Selmer, “Mark VI” series 

(a reissue of the famous vintage saxes of the Sixties). 

RANGES 

Soprano saxophone: G#3–E6 

Tenor saxophone: G#2–E5 

ARTICULATIONS 

Staccatos (2 variations) 

Short and medium length portatos (2 variations) 

Sustains with normal and progressive vibrato 

Marcatos 

Sforzato, sforzatissimo, fortepiano 

Crescendos, diminuendos 

Espressivo 

Trills 

Flutter tonguing 

Legato Performances (normal intervals and with slides) 

Repetition Performances 

Chromatic and whole tone scale runs 

Bends (up and down) 

Tongue slaps 

FRENCH 

OBOE 

FRENCH OBOE 

ENGLISH HORN 


PICCOLO 

The French Oboe was the first instrument featured by the 

Vienna Symphonic Library whose roots are not to be found 

in the Viennese orchestras. Its particular sound and playing 

characteristics differ noticeably from the Viennese oboe. So 

this edition offers a colorful enhancement to our range of 

orchestral expressive possibilities, as well as additional 

variations for the diversity of the overall sound. During the 

recordings we gave our utmost attention to capturing the 

lyrical and expressive vibrato that you’ll find in the 

extensive Legato Performances. But this edition not only 

features the French oboe, equaling the quality of 

instruments from our Pro Edition in scope and detail, but 

it also includes bonus instruments: an English horn, which 

is similar in character and makes a wonderful complement 

to the French oboe, a small clarinet in Eb, and piccolo runs. 

INSTRUMENTS & ARTICULATIONS 

FRENCH OBOE 

Staccatos 2 variations 

Short portatos 2 variations 

Long portatos 2 variations 

Long notes Sustained (medium and progressive vibrato) 

2 sec. notes with different attacks 

Dynamics With and without vibrato 

Crescendo and diminuendo, various tone lengths 


sforzatissimo, crescendo-diminuendo) 

Trills Half & whole tone, with constant dynamics, 

crescendo and diminuendo, normal and 

accelerando 

Runs Major and minor legato octave runs 

Chromatic and whole tone runs 

Grace notes Up and down, minor 2 nd to octave 

Runs Major and minor legato octave runs from every 

starting note of the scale; chromatic and whole 

tone runs 


Legato Piano and forte, normal and marcato 

Repetitions Legato, portato, and staccato Repetition Performances, 

piano, forte, crescendo and diminuendo 

Grace notes Minor 2 nd to octave, piano and forte 

ENGLISH HORN 


Sustained notes Medium and progressive vibrato 

Crescendo-diminuendo 4 and 8 sec. tone length 

Legato Performances 





Legato Performances 

PICCOLO 

Runs Major, minor, chromatic and whole tone octave runs 

SAXOPHONES I 

5.4 GB 

FRENCH OBOE 

6.7 GB 

EPIC HORNS 

2.7 GB 

WOODWIND ENSEMBLES 

6.1 GB 

EPIC HORNS 

DOUBLE HORN ENSEMBLE 

(8 PLAYERS) 

We are proud to present the largest all-horn ensemble ever 

created in the history of sampling, the Epic Horns. The name 

already implies that these horns produce broad and big 

sounds in the truest sense of the word. But these eight 

double horns are capable of far more than that. The range 

of expression covers a vast array from subtle atmospheres 

and solemn, ceremonious, and majestic performances 

to bombastic dashing bursts. The Epic Horns are the key 

ingredient for achieving the sound of oversized late Romantic 

orchestras as well as modern Hollywood orchestras. 

ARTICULATIONS 




Long notes Sustained, “brassy”, and flutter tonguing 

Dynamics Crescendo and diminuendo (various tone lengths) 


sforzatissimo, crescendo-diminuendo) 

Trills & chords Half & whole tone trills 

Minor and major 3-note chords 

Upbeats 1, 2, and 3 upbeats, various speeds 

Glissandos 4th to octave, up and down 

Fast octave glissandos 


Legato Piano and forte, variations for slow and fast lines 

Repetitions Legato, portato and staccato Repetition Performances, 


Fast Repetitions Normal and crescendo, 140 to 180 BPM 

Upbeats 1, 2, and 3 upbeats, 80 to 160 BPM 

Glissandos Performance glissandos, 4th to octave 

WOODWIND 

ENSEMBLES 

ARTICULATIONS 

FLUTE ENSEMBLE (3 PLAYERS) 

OBOE ENSEMBLE (3 PLAYERS) 

CLARINET ENSEMBLE (3 PLAYERS) 

BASSOON ENSEMBLE (3 PLAYERS) 

Having received high acclaim for the Vienna Symphonic 

Library Solo Woodwinds samples we felt compelled to 

create the Woodwind Ensembles, implementing the same 

exhaustive use of our Performance Elements. Their pristine 

sound as well as the artistic performances will live up to the 

high standards professional composers have come to expect 

from our sample libraries. The Vienna Symphonic Library 

Woodwinds are distinguished by their exceptional 

flexibility, and they lend themselves well to instrumentations 

for both two and three musicians. As an innovation in this 

edition we are proud to present cluster sounds. Additionally, 

you can achieve dense, broad and varied woodwind sounds 

when combined with the Solo Woodwinds of the First and 

Pro Editions, or our Horizons Series’ Opus 1. The Woodwind 

Ensembles offer the ideal solution to create the perfect 

balance between strings, brass, and woodwinds in large 

orchestras. 





Dynamics Crescendo and diminuendo, various tone lengths 


sforzatissimo) 

Trills & clusters Half & whole tone, with constant dynamics, 

crescendo and diminuendo 

Sustained three-note clusters 


Legato Variations for slow and fast lines 

Repetitions Legato, portato, and staccato Repetition Performances, 



31

MALLETS 

All of the elements of a professional and comprehensive 

mallet library have been gathered to create this extra- 

ordinary collection. Exquisite instruments, played by 

accomplished, internationally renowned musicians, a wealth 

of expression and articulations with thousands of samples, 

and last but not least, meticulous state-of-the-art recording 

quality have brought this volume to life. 

The Horizon Series’ Mallets collection features all of the 

mallet instruments from the Vienna Symphonic Library 

Pro Edition as well as temple blocks and wood blocks. It is 

the largest and most comprehensive sample library for 

mallet instruments ever created: Its extensive articulations 

include a variety of single strokes played with up to six 

different mallets, tremolos, chord tremolos and glissandos 

for every instrument as well as loads of special effects like 

bowed notes (vibraphone, marimba), notes played with a 

superball, rubber, fingernails (marimba), cluster mallets 

(xylophone) and more. 

Celesta articulations include staccatos and long notes (two 

different lengths), as well as soft attack variations for a truly 

delicate and ethereal sound! 

The collection also contains temple blocks (chromatically 

sampled from C3–F4) and five wood blocks, both 

instruments played with four different mallets for colorful 

and subtle sound variations. These instruments are 

frequently used for special effects – imitating the clatter 

of horse hooves, or champagne bottles popping open. 


CELESTA 

Staccatos, short and 

ringing variations 

GLOCKENSPIEL 

Three different mallets 

Single strokes (left & right hand) 

Tremolos (normal and crescendo) 

Glissandos (slow and fast; diatonic, 

chromatic, and pentatonic) 

Vibrato 

Chord tremolos 

WOOD BLOCKS 

Five blocks 

Four different mallets 


Upbeats (1 to 3) 

Tremolos (normal, crescendo, 

diminuendo, accelerando, 

ritardando) 

Glissandos (slow & fast) 

XYLOPHONE 

Four different mallets & 

cluster mallets 


Tremolos 

Glissandos 


MARIMBA 

Five different mallets 


Single strokes muted (l & r hand) 


diminuendo) 

Glissandos (diatonic & pentatonic) 


FX: 

Rubber 

Superball 

Handle 

Finger 

Fingernail 

Bow 

VIBRAPHONE 

Three different mallets 

Three different motor speeds 

+ virtual motor speed adjustments 


Single strokes muted 

(left & right hand) 


diminuendo) 

Glissandos (octave and full range) 


FX: bowed (short and long tones) 

TEMPLE BLOCKS 

18 temple blocks 

(chromatic from C3 to F4) 

Four different mallets 


Upbeats (1 to 3) 

Tremolos (normal, crescendo 

and diminuendo, accelerando, 

ritardando) 

Glissandos (slow and fast) 

MALLETS 

10.6 GB 

FX PERCUSSION 

3 GB 

GLASS & STONES 

4.4 GB 

FX 

PERCUSSION 

Celestial, moody and evocative – the waterphone delivers 

a broad sonic spectrum ranging from pure sonic 

experimentation to ethereal melodies. This volume also 

features percussion instruments that mimic nature, like the 

waldteufel, guÍca and the lion’s roar. Try the thunder sheets 

to produce dark and metallic FX collages, or create bizarre 

worlds with the spring drum. This collection, taken entirely 

from the Percussion set of Vienna’s Pro Edition, contains 

the most spectacular and exceptional instruments in this 

category. Sounds like Japanese singing bowls, flexatone, 

wind machine and many more inspiring treasures are 

dedicated to all users searching for extraordinary and rare 

instruments. Like the Glass & Stones edition of the Horizon 

Series, this is a vast reservoir for every sound designer. 

INSTRUMENTS 

Angklung 

Bell tree 

Boobams 


Bull roarer 

Burmese bells 

Car horns 

Castagnets 

Chimes 

Claves 

Cuíca 

Exotic gongs 

Flexatone 

Hammer 


Jingle bells 

Lion’s roar 

Log drum 

Ocean drum 

Rails 

Rainmaker 

Shots 

Siren 

Spring drum 

Tam-tam 

Thunder sheets 

Vibratone 

Waterphone 

Waldteufel 

Whip 

Wind machine 

GLASS & 

STONES 

A must-have for every composer and sound designer! 

This unique collection contains 4.5 GB of previously 

undiscovered sounds from rare, fragile instruments like a 

glass harmonica, verrophone, and musical glasses, as well 

as the world’s deepest lithophone, a priceless instrument 

spanning 5 octaves! All of these little known instruments 

are now available in a truly exceptional sample library for 

the first time ever! 

GLASS. The glass harmonica was well known and frequently 

utilized in Mozart’s time. Today, there are roughly 

10 professional players in the world who are able to make 

this invaluable instrument yield its characteristic 

ethereal, crystalline and delicate sound! 

Another exquisite rarity is the verrophone, which was invented 

just 20 years ago. Its lingering, atmospheric sound is highly 

esteemed by modern composers because of its 

extraordinary intensity – an “Eldorado” for sound designers! 

Everyone knows the mystical sound that unfolds when 

musical glasses are being rubbed. However, up to now it 

was scarcely available as a well-tuned instrument – and 

scarcer even in a chromatic range from G3 to G6! 

STONES. For the first time ever, the round sound 

characteristic of stone is available in sampled form: With its 

singular tone range of nearly 5 octaves, this one-of-a-kind 

lithophone provides the deepest tones “made of stone”! 

This instrument is the only available lithophone built like a 

marimba and equipped with resonators, offering enormous 

musical possibilities from extremely supple, full, and dark 

deep tones up to the hard and bright high notes. 


GLASS 

Staccatos, portatos, sustains, tremolos and trills for all glass instruments. 

Additional staccatos, trills and glissandos played with mallets for glass 

harmonica and verrophone. 

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. 


33


CONCERT 

GUITAR 

The Vienna Concert Guitar is the only one of its kind. This 

hand-made instrument was specially constructed with an 

arched back put together from several pieces of wood. Its 

balanced, homogeneous sound allows it to stand its ground 

as a solo instrument as well as in accompaniment. 

Due to its polyphonic nature, the concert guitar 

presented a special challenge. Specifically, chords only 

sounded authentic when the chords themselves were 

sampled! After a three year production cycle for the 

orchestral sample libraries, the Vienna Symphonic Library 

team felt ready to take up this challenge, capturing all of 

the concert guitar’s versatility and its many playing 

techniques. The samples were “tamed” and made 

reproducible with the help of the Vienna Symphonic Library’s 

unique Performance Tool. 

The Vienna Concert Guitar became a reality through a 

combination of individual prerequisites: The project’s 

godfather, Thomas Meitz, in the framework of his concert 

guitar diploma, spent one and a half years on developing 

the Library’s structure. Due to his practical background as 

a recording engineer and chief editing engineer of the Vienna 

Symphonic Library, he was able to realize his concept 

optimally and without compromise. 

ARTICULATIONS 

Staccato notes 

Sustained notes with and without vibrato 

Étouffé 

Sul ponticello 

Flautando 

Bartók 

Natural and artificial harmonics 

Hammer-ons, pull-offs for creating embellishments 

Tremolos 

Bends (half tone up and down) 

Half and whole tone trills 

Slides (glissandos) up to an octave (up and down) 

Repetition Performances in various tempos (8 notes) 

Chords (4, 5, 6 voices): minor, major, dominant seventh, major seventh; 

diminished, half-diminished, sus4, 7sus4, minor maj7, maj7#5. 

All chords open and muted, played as arpeggios, struck, pulled, 

rasgueado (flamenco style). 

Chords played as continuous rasgueado 

Effects like golpe, scratches and others 

VIENNA CONCERT GUITAR 

10 GB 

OVERDRIVE 

5.8 GB 

OVERDRIVE 

TOTAL DISTORTION GUITAR 

Imagine a brilliant guitarist playing absolutely fluid 

legato solos and awesome power chord grooves on a 

world–class guitar: You can hear it from various guitar 

legends – but could you expect that level of performance 

from a sampled guitar? 

OVERDRIVE makes it possible – using the revolutionary 

Performance Tool, the quintessence of Vienna Symphonic 

Library’s expertise – to create your own authentic and unique 

riffs, exploit the limits of technical feasibility, and get a 

completely real tube sound performance for the first time ever! 

OVERDRIVE contains about 5 gigabytes of samples, including 

Vienna’s unique Performance Elements, featuring a 

seven-string distorted guitar. Along with various short and 

sustained notes, power chords, slides, hammer-ons, pulloffs, 

picked notes, and more, you get loads of effect 

samples like octave runs, feedbacks, scratches, and e-bowed 

notes – for a smooth, fat sound and unbelievably realistic 

performances! Incidentally, repetitions and sustains start at 

C1 on the lower end, extending the range of a standard 

guitar down a 3rd! 

The state-of-the-art gear used to make Overdrive was hand 

selected to provide the perfect total distortion sound, 

including a fantastic 7-string solid-body guitar, and classic 

amplifiers and cabinets, mic’d and recorded in Vienna’s 

Silent Stage. 

ARTICULATIONS 

Short notes in various lengths 

Sustained notes with/without vibrato, soft and strong whammy bar vibrato 

Trills (minor/major second, minor/major third) 

Half tone and whole tone bends 

Major and minor chords 

Power chords (fourth and fifth) 

Legato Performance instruments: 

Marcatos 

Picked notes 

Hammer-ons, pull-offs 

Slides (glissandos) from a whole step up to an octave 

Repetition Performance instruments: 

Repetitions (5 – 9 notes) in various tempos 

Palm muted, half muted, open 

Progressive dynamics: crescendo (from palm muted to open), 

diminuendo (from open to palm muted) 

Specials: 

Octave runs (major and minor) 

Natural and artificial harmonics 

Feedback (soft and hard) 

Scratches 

“Noisy” grace notes 

E-bowed notes 


35

MIR 

Multi Impulse Response 

Mixing and Reverberation Engine 

This year, the Vienna Symphonic Library will finally 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 MIR MIR 

37

Frequently Asked Questions 

General Questions 

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

the sample libraries of the Horizon Series, First and 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 

Demos Online 

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. 

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

All specifications, features and contents are subject to change without notice. 

Printed in the EU. © VIENNA SYMPHONIC LIBRARY GmbH, January 2006

SOLO STRINGS - VIENNA SYMPHONIC LIBRARY

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