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The Vienna Symphonic Library
Tips and Tricks Tutorial
By Craig Stuart Garfinkle
Introduction:
The VSL is by far the most elaborate set of orchestral samples ever assembled. Its ever-broadening pallet of sounds is designed specifically to remove all limitation on a composer’s ability to express his or her music.
To truly understand the depth of the library, it might help to imagine a Stradivarius violin. In the hands of a virtuoso, nothing sounds sweeter. Yet the beauty of the Stradivarius, even in the hands of the novice, is that the instrument removes all boundaries for the performer. The novice and virtuoso alike will never sound better than when they are playing a Stradivarius. Whatever they bring to the instrument, it will perform. It’s the same with the VSL.
But you still need to know the basics or you will be disappointed. To elucidate this point, indulge me for a moment as I share an old joke:
Angry Patient to Doctor:
I thought you said that after the operation I would be able to play tennis!
Annoyed Doctor:
Yes, but you never told me you couldn’t play before the operation!
We all recognize the humor inherent in the patient’s unrealistic expectation: How can a simple operation grant the ability to play tennis?
And so it is with the VSL. It won’t make you write beautiful symphonic music! But it will allow you to render any orchestral music you do compose without placing limits on your creativity.
Overview :
In this article, it is my pleasure to share my personal approach to mastery of the VSL as well as some basic concepts for rendering orchestral scores. For clarity, I have divided the article into two main sections. They are:
In Section One, I will present the general concepts and procedures that I use to get the most out of the VSL as well as many of my music production tools.
Then, in Section Two, using excerpts from my composition, “Noble Hero,” I will present specific examples of how the concepts in Section One might be applied in real world instances. If you wish, you can preview the complete composition at this link: http://www.ilio.com/features/tips/media/NobleHero.mp3
Four Basic Concepts:
Through my experience, I have identified four basic concepts that will help you master the VSL. They are:
1. Write for the VSL As You Would for Any Orchestra
2. Steal a Template
3. Cut the VSL Down to Size!
4. If you are a Great Keyboardist, Slow Down!
Let’s take a look at each of these.
1. Write for the VSL As You Would for Any Orchestra
The single most important skill one should obtain to master the VSL is an in depth understanding of traditional orchestration and how instruments interact in the acoustic environment. Once you have this knowledge, “playing” the library becomes a function of determining which instruments and articulations are best suited to perform each part of your orchestration – an orchestration that would be equally suited to the acoustic environment.
2. Steal a Template
According to legend, Igor Stravinsky once said, “Good composers borrow, great composers steal.” All I have to say to this is, “Guilty as charged!”
So in the spirit of full disclosure and honesty, I’ll share my own little secret: I often steal my templates from my favorite orchestrations!
For example, if I know I want to create a sound similar to the finale of Tchaikovsky “Symphony Pathetique.” I might take three or four bars that I feel clearly define the sound and using the score as a guide, I will sequence those bars and see how close to the original sound I can get.
Once this is done, emulating the original sound and applying it to my own composition is like filling in the blanks of a musical “Mad Libs,” as each track in the resulting template clearly defines a different element that contributes to the sound.
3. Cut the VSL Down to Size!
A brief glance at the thousands of instruments available in the VSL and one might feel instant intimidation. It’s similar to the feeling one gets when entering a recording studio with some behemoth 125 channel mixer. So many knobs! So many buttons! It’s like the flight deck on the Starship Enterprise! How could anyone possibly understand how all those channels function?
Of course, any audio engineer will laugh off such comparisons for they understand the secret to the mastery of such a console. It’s not really 125 channels; it’s only one channel that is duplicated 125 times.
And that is also how the VSL works. What seems like an overwhelming number of instrument configurations is really just a small number of configurations, multiplied by the number of instruments in the orchestra. Once you understand how one instrument type functions, translating that knowledge to other instruments should be as easy as changing the patch or hitting a key switch.
Understanding this, I recommend this two-tiered approach to help “Cut the VSL Down to Size.”
A. Start with the “Basic Combination All” Patch
B. Complete the Orchestration Using “Performance” and “Specialty” Patches
A. Start with the “Basic Combination All” Patch
Using key switches the “Basic Combination All” patches are specifically designed to grant the composer instant access to most of the fundamental articulations that an instrument might have. For example, on the basic violin section patch this works as follows:
Press the key C0 and the patch instantly becomes a very short staccato note.
Press the Key C#0 and the patch becomes a staccato note .3 seconds long
Press the key D0 and the patch changes to a note .5 seconds long
Press the key D#0 and the note becomes a standard sustained string
Press the key E0 and the patch changes to a sforzando
Press the F0 and the patch becomes a pfp sound over four seconds
Press F#0 and the patch becomes a tremolo sound
Press G0 and the patch becomes a pizzicato sound
Now that you understand how these key switches work for the violins, you are well on your way to mastering all the string patches - for this set of key switches has the same effect on most every “Basic Combination All” string patch.
B. Complete the Orchestration Using “Performance” and “Specialty” Patches
Once your composition is “framed” using the Basic Combination patches, it’s time to determine what parts of your orchestration require that “something extra.” This is when you take advantage of the amazing depth of the library.
Performance Legato and other Performance Patches
First, I’ll search my orchestration for parts that need more depth of expression or a soloistic quality. These types of parts are perfect to be assigned to “Performance Patches” such as the “Performance Legato” versions of an instrument (One clear example of this is the Trumpet solo from “Noble Hero” that enters at 0:30 – Example #1 in the Tutorial).
Specialty Patches
Next, I’ll look for musical passages that might be suited for one of the “Specialty” patches that are included in the VSL. These are patches such as the “Staccato All” or “Dynamic” patches that also fill the library (Examples #2 and #3 in the tutorial).
The Two-Tiered Approach
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the thousands of patches available within the VSL. That’s why this two-tiered approach works wonders towards cutting this number down to a manageable size. 
Since most of the articulations you might need can be accessed instantly through the “Basic All” patches, starting your orchestration with this imposed “boundary” grants you the freedom to create without undue distraction.
Once you have solidified your parts and can hear how they work together, that’s the best time to determine which “performance” and “specialty” patches you need.
4. If you are a Great Keyboardist, Slow Down!
One of the universal truths I have found among my students is that great keyboardists often create lousy sequences. Here are just some of the reasons why:
Keyboardist play way too many notes
For example, a traditional violin section would never be divided into more than four notes at a time, but I regularly see string parts from keyboardists that used all ten fingers.
Keyboardist voice chords based on how they fall under the hand without regard for how a section might be voiced
For example, horns sound best when voiced with a consonant interval, such as a sixth, between their outer voices. But a keyboardist will regularly play a triad in root position and think that works just fine.
Keyboardist use the foot pedal way too much
The last time I looked, a string section didn’t have a foot pedal. But if you are a keyboardist used to playing a string patch behind a singer, you might think nothing of using the foot pedal to connect your chord pads. This technique might work fine if you are playing for a wedding singer, but in a studio it’s a disaster.
Keyboardist expect instant results due to their virtuosity
As humorous as this might sound, I am grateful for the fact that I am a mediocre keyboardist for it forces me to truly sculpt my performances. I couldn’t play my parts in real time if I tried! But a great keyboardist expects instant results from their mastery of the keyboard and therefore they often lack the patience it takes to bring their performances to the next level. As you will see later in my tutorial, playing the notes is just the first step. It’s what happens after the notes are recorded that makes the VSL sing!
So if you are a great keyboardist, what can you do to get past this “handicap of virtuosity?”
Tie One Hand Behind Your Back and Use One Finger at a Time!
Duct tape also works well in this regard.
By forcing yourself to sculpt each statement as a clear and coherent monophonic musical thought onto itself, you will sidestep just about all the traps your virtuosity might lay out for you.
Summary
Before moving forward to the tutorial, lets take a moment to review the four main concepts we just discussed for making the most of the VSL. They are:
1. Write for the VSL As You Would for Any Orchestra
2. Steal a Template
3. Cut the VSL Down to Size!
4. If you are a Great Keyboardist, Slow Down!
If you want to learn more about the VSL and my other production techniques, keep a look out for my upcoming textbook, “The Virtual Studio Instrument,” (which is to be distributed by “Sound.Org”). In the book I am attempting to distill twenty-one years as a “Virtual Midiot” into just a few hundred pages. It is a pleasure to share what I have learned.
Go to Part 2 of this tutorial >>
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Craig Stuart Garfinkle, award-winning music producer and Emmy Award-nominated composer for feature films, television, commercials, stage musicals, and albums. Mr. Garfinkle's recent scores include music for the Xbox game Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II; the feature film Ghosts Never Sleep; and, with his partner Simone Benyacar, his music recently appeared in trailers for Halo II, Sin City , and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. His score for the documentary Visions of Arizona received an 1999 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Original Score.
Craig is also a noted film music educator presently teaching film composition for UCLA’s continuing studies program, and as an author on the subject of film music technology he is presently writing “The Virtual Studio Instrument,” a textbook to be distributed by “Sound.org.”
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