DVZ strings official demo !

[JohnCarter]

http://www.audioimpressions.com/

[alx]

Gee, that demo just sounds awful.

There are certainly good ideas to be found in the fundamental basis of this library; realtime divisi and separate desks allow for indefinite variation between performances, but unfortunately as has just been demonstrated, these things simply don't amount to a great sounding string library. The tone colour captured here is far from being a homage to the lush tone produced by a real string performance, or indeed that found in any other commercially available sample library.

In a word, Disappointing. (note the capital D)

[JohnCarter]

I'm not a fan of the strings overall tone, but I find the performance rather realistic, especially the runs. The strings are a bit harsh at some place but it could be due to a mixing issue.

Still a bit expensive :D

[cmdratz]

Hi J. C.,
I think most of it sounds quite realistic. At the start, the transitions between staccati and legati sound less convincing than the rest to a listener.

[GunJinn]

am I having deja vu or there was post like this already, and
topic starter got banned? :samurai:

[aLfR3dd]

i'm not impressed....:(

[Coqui]

i'm not impressed....:(
Me neither.

[germancomponist]

Oops,

i'm not impressed...., but I know this is a first Demo and I know their impatience to post finally something.

But, my tipp to any developer: The first Demo is the most important, and should be as good as no different one! ;)

Gunther

[muziksculp]

So far, DVZ seems to be more like a nice computer collection !

[cmdratz]

Hi everyone,
This page would be a better place to look for a finished product than the unmixed, live mp3 demonstration of the single track on the frontpage, as the final mixed track is there along with is some information about it (it sounds better at 192kHz, and mixed with the internal hueristics facilities in the package, than the live mp3 track): http://www.audioimpressions.com/Support/Tutorials/default.aspx

[noldar12]

GunJinn, you are not having deja-vu. That did indeed happen recently...

[AlexDavis]

cmdratz is absolutely right, the version he linked to sounds MUCH better. The runs sound really great to me, as do the slow, legato passages. I'm quite impressed. When the group starts bowing a bit harder, and things become more staccato is when I begin to get feel the "fakeness" of it.

If I had an unlimited amount of money, hell, I'd buy it!! But with that kind of price tag, theres just no way.

sigh.

-Alex

[Coqui]

So far, DVZ seems to be more like a nice computer collection !
I appreciate the efforts, but IMHO that library doesn't add or subtract anything to the present level of sampling technology.

From the point of view of pure music, then, I know musicians that have a clear vision of their goal and do miracles with low-cost libraries, while others can do lifeless and robotic renderings even with the most expensive VSL collection, and vice-versa.

To me, if one wants "realism", the only solution is a real orchestra or, at least, two or three real musicians overdubbing a synthetic one.

All that said, there's a place for everybody.

;)

[dpasdernick]

$12,000 dollars! Wouldn't that buy just about every other library out there and the computers to run them? VSL, EWQL, GPO, Sonivox. Oh, and you get all of the sections of the orchestra in these libs. I dodn't care how great it sounds (or doesn't) 12k buys a lot of stuff these days. I wonder what the final orchestra will be as a bundle? 30-40k and you'll need an extra room in your studio for the hardware.

This seems to be a very bad business model to me. With all due respect if a company ig going to charge "Rolls Royce" pricing then they better be delivering a paradigm shift in sound and playability. As far as a lot of people here are concerned this library does neither. I wonder how much cash they spent developing this perhaps only to find they have priced themselves out of the market.

2 cents,

Darren

[JohnCarter]

Yea, better hire an orchestra .


I'm quite impressed by the runs though.

[Bela D Media]

Personally, I feel the sound captured on the videos has great warmth... coupled with a very impressive engine.

But most importantly, I wish to extend a congratulations to Audio Impressions on what must have been a long road.

Francis Belardino
Bela D Media.com

[Von Richter]

There are different product tiers... I believe the cheapest one is like $3950 or something.

Perhaps the price will come down as they recoup their costs.

[nikolas]

There are different product tiers... I believe the cheapest one is like $3950 or something.
Without looking the site again, I believe that this is the cost of the library alone. The 12,000$ comes with a "few" computers along... to get the real-time playing.

I don't see much point to the 4000$ version, if you can't get the real-time playing, which seems to be what this amazing, indeed, engine, is all about.

[germancomponist]

However,
only the sound and the possibilities of a LIBRARY are crucial. That is because I say:

The first Demo of a Library is the most important, and should be as good as no different one!

[Coqui]

The first Demo of a Library is the most important, and should be as good as no different one! "There's no second chance to make a first impression", but, also, "one swallow does not make a summer".

;)

[Audun_Jemtland]

the demo is bad.But when chris stone hammers on the keys live on videos it sounds amazing. I don't get it.

Where's the final demo mix he's talking about? It's nowhere on the site.

[Tmon]

There is alot of good stuff here. The staccatos are sick. But at $12K (just for strings) It is way out of my price range... And I own just about everything out there. Not to mention the # of computers it takes to run. It seems like a great product but I think in the long run only a few will be able to afford it. If it were $5K I'd buy it. But if you want the Farrari....


-T

[muziksculp]

The number of computers required to run DVZ will eventually be less computers.

I'm guessing one or a maximum of two computers will do the job, although currently three computers are needed. With 64 bit OS such as Leopard, and Vista, and fast 8 core processors, i.e. Mac Pro 8 core, which can have up to 16 GB of RAM, One computer might be able to do the job, so... my point is that the DVZ system's computer requirement will eventually change to less computers.

(hopefully one Mac/PC will be able to do the job in the near future !)

[Audun_Jemtland]

I think Chris Stone said that you need to have several computers because the spAce reverb app. needs to be on a seperate computer. The new technology is great and all but one needs to use more time on recording samples and doing the foundamental work in order to make the best sampled orchestra out there.
Hope someone does that....push the limit to the max,as far as it goes with all effort,ideas and technology in mind thinking ahead to make the best product out there.

[Coqui]

But if you want the Ferrari...I'm not completely sure it's a Ferrari, apart from power consumption, but who knows. Waiting for further, more refined demos...

[Von Richter]

Let's give it a chance. A keyboard jam is hard to judge a product by. Of course, they are marketing the keyboard jam angle, but maybe it will be well suited for careful sequencing.

I personally write for strings as strings, not strings as pianos, so I'm more interested in a line-by-line sequencing demo, with each lines dynamics appropriately tweaked, etc.

[nikolas]

Sorry, I keep quoting you, but it's not on purpose, I promise:)

Let's give it a chance.
Actually, no I won't give it a chance really. for 12,000$ there's no way I'll give it a chance.

I just don't understand it. I can't for the shake of me. when you do the most constly thing in the market currently, and have spend millions in the making of, you should be dead careful about things.

And I have to say that AI, is not the only instance that I feel weird about their promotion/advertising/marketing approach.

I just feel dead weird about some stuff AI included. The whole situation fails to give me confidence, and after seeing the numerous problems with EW Play, and Windows Vista, and everything new, well, I will wait at least x years before even attempting to buy a 12,000$ product.

[tomhartman]

I'm sure a more well constructed demo would improve the overall impression, but basically the sound itself...the string samples, do not sound as good as the Roland String library I used over ten years ago.

This demo should be removed, rather quickly;)

TH

[Von Richter]

the string samples, do not sound as good as the Roland String library I used over ten years ago.

I personally love those Roland string samples.

[tomhartman]

I personally love those Roland string samples.

Oh please don't misunderstand....I STILL love the Roland stuff. That Roland Orchestral Library has some wonderful things in it, and the strings were way ahead of their time. I still sneak them into things;)

TH

[dwdonehoo]

I think you guys are missing the point if you are judging the AI product as simply a library. The DVZ is a paradigm, a platform that addresses some of the last major issues of sample based instrument orchestras. It is as much a major software app and hardware plaform as it is a host for sample based instruments. Without getting into a long winded explanation, keep a few points in mind (as I understand it): 1) I believe other sample based instrument library makers will be making libraries for this platform. 2) I am willing to bet that the demo was performed in real time, something to think about when you listen to the demo. 3) Everything has to start somewhere, and it is a long road between Model-T to a modern BMW. We already know that a realistic sample based orchestra is possible and obtainable (there is no reason to believe DVZ won't have that), and we also know how much work it takes to produce a score. DVZ aims to drastically reduce that work effort. So, this is only the beginning.

[ed hamilton]

The DVZ is a paradigm

Yeah not so much.

The samples themselves seem usuable but that crappy room simulation is a horror.
Reflections bouncing around the stereo field in a completely unrealistic manor. Take off that reverb and the demo improves.

So the "paradigm" is marketing BS imho.
Other developers delivering libs just so they can use that ridiculous reverb ....er ....environment ????? Puh- leas.

And any boasting about "new technology" being used here is again - marketing hype.
Dividing parts and splitting sections can be done with a K2 Script.
Convolution ..... altiverb is better than AI verb.

Emperor is a fat naked guy. No clothes. Just marketing hype.

(and yes I have heard the "demo" and seen it in person)

Just my opinion - worth exactly what you paid for it but probably a better value than AI.

[dwdonehoo]

...Dividing parts and splitting sections can be done with a K2 Script...etc

Sure, I think there are a lot of pieces out there of a "final solution", but what AI is doing is trying to put all the pieces together under one roof. Someone will do it if AI does not. I think fully automated divisi is quite a leap along with instant articulation changes among other things. This is the direction this kind of technology is headed.

[PaulR]

A Model T didn't cost $12000. I cannot believe that potential purchasers will wish to be the funders of R&D for something like a sample library - that may not be that good even in the medium term.

Ed Hamilton is a lot closer when he mentions marketing BS in my view - at least certainly at this stage.

All VSL have to do, is carry forward their work with Appa Strings - i.e. much more in the way of articulations and develop the sound even more - and $12000 will look even more ridiculous right now. Good luck to Chris Stone though - seems very genuine to me.

[muziksculp]

A Model T didn't cost $12000. I cannot believe that potential purchasers will wish to be the funders of R&D for something like a sample library - that may not be that good even in the medium term.

Ed Hamilton is a lot closer when he mentions marketing BS in my view - at least certainly at this stage.

All VSL have to do, is carry forward their work with Appa Strings - i.e. much more in the way of articulations and develop the sound even more - and $12000 will look even more ridiculous right now. Good luck to Chris Stone though - seems very genuine to me.

Yes, I have been trying to bring this point to VSL's attention in few of my previous posts, on this, and on other forums. IMHO, VSL's "Appassionata Strings" need to be further complemented with additional articulations, especially the shorter articulations.

IMHO, the original VSL strings were just not there yet (especially from a timbre perspective), but I think VSL's App. Strings have the type of string timbre, warmth, and liveliness, in their longer articulations, so, an extensive development of their shorter articulations could be all that they need to do, in order to produce one of the best sounding string libraries on offer !

DVZ is a unique type of system, I think that it might need some more time to prove it self, and evolve into a more practical system, both in terms of HW requirements, and SW refinements, and hopefully, from a price perspective as well.

[JohnCarter]

I personally love those Roland string samples.


Is there a way to get these roland strings samples ? A little search on google gave me the name "prosonus roland orchestral strings", is it that ?

[geronimo001]

Good luck to Chris Stone though - seems very genuine to me.

Yea! And he looks like a good guy too so it pains me a bit to hear all these comments.

My main problem with DVZ right now is the hard sus attack which is not very convincing.

I think this product will be very popular among Trekkies with the touch screen and all.:D

[Coqui]

and $12000 will look even more ridiculous right now.

Of course.

$12.000 are already pocket money, for me: I hope VSL will rise to $24.000, at the very least.

And now, pardon me, I have to refuel my Ferrari.

:D

[tomhartman]

I think you guys are missing the point if you are judging the AI product as simply a library. The DVZ is a paradigm, a platform that addresses some of the last major issues of sample based instrument orchestras. It is as much a major software app and hardware plaform as it is a host for sample based instruments. Without getting into a long winded explanation, keep a few points in mind (as I understand it): 1) I believe other sample based instrument library makers will be making libraries for this platform. 2) I am willing to bet that the demo was performed in real time, something to think about when you listen to the demo. 3) Everything has to start somewhere, and it is a long road between Model-T to a modern BMW. We already know that a realistic sample based orchestra is possible and obtainable (there is no reason to believe DVZ won't have that), and we also know how much work it takes to produce a score. DVZ aims to drastically reduce that work effort. So, this is only the beginning.

But with all due respect, that's irrelevant if they are asking someone to pay 12000 for it. At these prices and system demands, it better be noticeably better than the VSL, which it isn't. JMHO.

TH

[tomhartman]

Is there a way to get these roland strings samples ? A little search on google gave me the name "prosonus roland orchestral strings", is it that ?


No those aren't it, those were samples made by Prosonus in the Roland format. The ones we are talking about are by ROLAND, and were mainly put together by Eric Persing, who also did the Roland demos which showed the whole library off. The Roland Strings were available separately on CDs, or as part of a Symphonic Orchestra collection that was about 500.00 ( a fortune back then). There are some things on that collection, including of course the strings, that are still absolutely killer. The strings just had a real warmth to them and though not sophisticated at all by today's standards they still can improve lines even by EW and VSL when put in the background;)

TH

[Von Richter]

The individual Roland sections are very nice ("Warm Violins" pwns!) but what are also lovely are the full section samples, which are from Peter S'(however you spell it) "The Orchestra" (NOT "Advanced Orchestra") samples. Speaking of those, can they still be purchased anywhere?

I always wonder if chromatic samples were captured during the sessions for these classics. Wouldn't it be killer to have new versions with more multisamples?

I would pay good money for a chromatic version of the Proteus/2 Orchestral oboe.

[Audun_Jemtland]

http://www.masterbits.de/div_e.htm
http://cgi.ebay.at/Peter-Siedlaczek-s-ORCHESTRA-stark-reduziert-Akai_W0QQitemZ110162715802QQihZ001QQcategoryZ46967 QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Where to buy The roland orchestra? And is it in GIGA format? A little question aside here: I have hans zimmer guitars 1&2 in akai.I thought I could convert it to giga but the files doesn't show on the cd.....do you have to use it with a hardware sampler?

[Leaf]

Um... whats up with the insane pricetag on that? They're crazy!:)

[aplanchard]

I think your pricing info is off. The $12000 price tag includes 3 VisionDAW machines, which are very high-end custom audio PCs. The software only version is $3500, which compares more favorably pricewise to VSL's strings.

[Patthoven]

I am a big fan of Chris Stone's ideology.

In my unqualified opinion, I was appalled at the demo.

I can't say I hear any difference between the demo as presented and the orchestral samples of 15 years ago.

I'm no expert, and perhaps I am unrealistic. But am I alone here?

This technology has to to have something better to offer. How did this demo make to the "final take stage"?

I've heard better on a Synth...... I hate to say.

I'm no expert here. I really wish Chris well..... but who in the heck is proofing the demo?

[Alex McGery]

I am a big fan of Chris Stone's ideology.

In my unqualified opinion, I was appalled at the demo.

I can't say I hear any difference between the demo as presented and the orchestral samples of 15 years ago.

I'm no expert, and perhaps I am unrealistic. But am I alone here?

This technology has to to have something better to offer. How did this demo make to the "final take stage"?

I've heard better on a Synth...... I hate to say.

I'm no expert here. I really wish Chris well..... but who in the heck is proofing the demo?

You've got to remember that the demo was done in real-time, and imo i dont think you could write a 4 minute string piece and have the articulations printed out for you as quickly with any other piece of software.

It's not the best demo I've heard, but there is promise. I'd just like to see a sequenced demo before I pass judgement.

[GunJinn]

I think your pricing info is off. The $12000 price tag includes 3 VisionDAW machines, which are very high-end custom audio PCs. The software only version is $3500, which compares more favorably pricewise to VSL's strings.

VSL Appasionata Strings is as low as 1000 Euros including USB key, and demos sound much more impressive

[AlexDavis]

VSL Appasionata Strings is as low as 1000 Euros including USB key, and demos sound much more impressive
Although the App. Strings don't work as well alone, since the ensembles are so large. It looks like DVZ is offering a more versatile setup. I can't wait to hear a programmed (rather than performed) piece from them!

-Alex

[germancomponist]

I can't wait to hear a programmed (rather than performed) piece from them!

-Alex

Me too :)

Gunther

[Fabio]

Yes I'm on the "not impressing" (at least not enough for 11.99,00USD!) side.

It is not 100 time more good than a 1/100 expensive thing is, of course. But this is not the point for every marketing expert or not expert.

(is a ferrari 10 time better than a 1/10 less expensive car? No, but Ferrari is simply the best, and people is available to pay for it, blah blah blah...)

The point is that the demo doesn't sound impressive:

- or we are so use to electronic sound that we no longer recognize excellence in realism, but only in effects, and effects are already good in actual less expensive libraries

- or the demo is not the way to drive the quality of the product (that seems to be the powerful interface that probably is GOLD for producer, because of the fast and effective way it maybe produces believable and sonically perfect arrangements? Only a professional using it can say...

Anyway only people earning huge amount of money by projects can afford... I'm out.

[noldar12]

Given all the comments, ended up finally giving it a listen... it is so far beyond anything I could afford, that the library is rather a moot point. Yet as a strings player, curiosity got the better of me.

What struck me most about the demo was how lifeless the samples were. I felt that a number of the long sustained notes were completely static, and borderline grating.

Another problem area for programers with any string library concerns the attack of the initial bow stroke. Some libraries succeed more than others - excessive bow noise at the initial attack, unless a deliberate choice, can be a distraction, IMO, and sometimes a sign of a beginning/intermediate player, as playing with smooth bow strokes is one of the harder techniques to master. The variations of the attacks in the library ranged from realistic to extremely excessive - the potential variability bodes well for the library.

There are other promising aspects to the library. Some of the fast runs struck me as getting close to a real sound, although unfortunately other fast runs sounded very poor, and not at all like a real strings player.

The portamento needs work, and did not sound realistic IMO.

To me, the library, at its price, is not ready for prime time - it needs considerable more refining and tweaking. If it is indeed close to a final release, IMO, it doesn't bode well (If I had the $$$ I would live in VSL land, but I don't, so I don't.;) To my ears, the VSL demos are vastly superior.).

Hopefully, the developers will spend much more time working on the library, and delay release. Overall, at present, it sounds like an entry level library, but with more work, a library that has promise (and who among us gets things totally correct initially?).

Jim

[Leaf]

IMO, over-pricing a product to where less than 1% of humans can aford to buy it, is the ultimate in marketing stupidity. In all of the weirdness of modern marketing and advertizing, i can't think of anything that is more stupid than overpricing a product to reduce the number of units that will sell to an extremely small number when there are billions of potential customers, if it is much lower and more reasonable priced. If something cost a thousand dollars only a few can afford to buy it, reducing it to two hundred dollars will not make ten times as many people able to afford but will more likely increase the number of possible buyers by probably a thousand fold, and it wouldn't change to two thousand fold if reduced to one hundred dollars, but probably more like a million to a billion fold increase.

I could be wrong, yet over and over and over again it turns out that i'm right. Big world lots of people, not many people have big bucks.:)

[nikolas]

Leaf, don't forget though that with 3 computers along with the sample library, it IS difficult to price it much lower! I mean 3 computers have a given price, can't go much further down. The samples alone cost around 3-4,000$. They could make it 1000$! Still the whole package would be 10,000$ which is still vastly pricey!

It's not the marketing at fault here, but I would be dead rude to start saying what I think is wrong.

We will see.

This is a majro developement in samples and this new engine seems lovely! I can't afford it, I don't like the demos, but can't fail to see the achievement. Certainly not enough for me to value something, but... Pretty amazing on it's own.

[Leaf]

Leaf, don't forget though that with 3 computers along with the sample library, it IS difficult to price it much lower! I mean 3 computers have a given price, can't go much further down. The samples alone cost around 3-4,000$. They could make it 1000$! Still the whole package would be 10,000$ which is still vastly pricey!

It's not the marketing at fault here, but I would be dead rude to start saying what I think is wrong.

We will see.

This is a majro developement in samples and this new engine seems lovely! I can't afford it, I don't like the demos, but can't fail to see the achievement. Certainly not enough for me to value something, but... Pretty amazing on it's own.I agree, mostly. I wasn't really suggesting those prices but just making examples for a point. I didn't see the achievement, never got that far, was stopped dead in my tracks by the pricetag as most people will be.

[Ashermusic]

When marketing people make a decision that one thinks is stupid one can react one of two ways.

1. Why can't they see this is stupid, as I clearly do?
2. What considerations are they factoring in that I am not?

I suggest that number 2 is the correct approach. Whether they turn out to be correct in their assessment or not they generally have some financial prediction analysis that gives them a potential desired level of profit and it is unlikely that a non-marketing person will have done the same level of strategic analysis.

[germancomponist]

I repeat myself:

The first Demo of a Library is the most important, and should be as good as no different one! There is no second chance to make a first impression... . :D ;)

[Ashermusic]

I repeat myself:

The first Demo of a Library is the most important, and should be as good as no different one! There is no second chance to make a first impression... . :D ;)


I am willing to re-evaluate almost anything when presented with new evidence, including demos of libraries.

[JohnCarter]

we're a bit harsh with DVZ strings ;)

I think the runs actually sound pretty cool ! Would be interested to know what are the sampling techniques involved ...

[Von Richter]

Sound and price aside, the underlying setup looks very interesting, and remember they said other sample libs can be adapted for it.

Read the page about all the string techniques, and you will see they know what they are doing in the "comprehensive" area, if nothing else. And Their old-school interface looks really quick and painless.

Of course it's all meaningless if it doesn't sound good, I just thought I would point out that they *do* have some good ideas going.

[Audun_Jemtland]

Was the in-progress sample library (with Hans Zimmer) a joke? Or is this true?

[KirkHunter]

I do think they had some good ideas, but by letting everyone know what those ideas were LONG before you were ready for market means that all those ideas have already been picked up by faster moving developers. There are already user written scripts for auto divisi for existing string packages (not perfect yet but I could see something with Kirks library coming close since he has different size string ensembles.


Tom
Yup. I've already created a working auto-divisi in K2 and it's great. But it will be some time before it's implemented into the different modules. But look for that as a modest upgrade later this year. (Also, the auto-divisi comes with a polyphonic "chord gluing" function...great for left hand sustains and stuff.)

[Elhardt]

http://www.masterbits.de/div_e.htm
http://cgi.ebay.at/Peter-Siedlaczek-s-ORCHESTRA-stark-reduziert-Akai_W0QQitemZ110162715802QQihZ001QQcategoryZ46967 QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Where to buy The roland orchestra? And is it in GIGA format? A little question aside here: I have hans zimmer guitars 1&2 in akai.I thought I could convert it to giga but the files doesn't show on the cd.....do you have to use it with a hardware sampler?


I have Hans Zimmer Guitars #1 and had no problem getting GigaStudio v2.5 to read the Akai CD and convert it into playable giga format.

As for all this talk about Roland Strings, I'm now curious. I have a couple of the OC-1 (Roland Orchestral rack modules) and a JV-2080 with both the Orch1 and Orch2 ROM boards. Anybody know if these Roland strings everybody's talking about are the same ones Roland used in the above hardware products?

[Von Richter]

Elhardt,

The samples in those hardware products were only tiny, tiny bits of the real samples. No comparison, not even close to the sample CD's.

[Elhardt]

Elhardt,

The samples in those hardware products were only tiny, tiny bits of the real samples. No comparison, not even close to the sample CD's.

Yes, Roland would cram an entire orchestra into something like 2-4 MB of memory. That's what made me wonder about all the praise the Roland samples were getting because I didn't realize they had a much better library on CD.

-Elhardt

[germancomponist]

I am willing to re-evaluate almost anything when presented with new evidence, including demos of libraries.

Me too, :)

but I think it is much more easy to sell a library if you have got best reactions to your first demos... .

A great "WOW" is very fast told arround the globe... .

For example look to EMU`s MSO. I am sure that you can get much better results with this library as are demonstrated at their website. But EMU didn`t work for new demos... . So, do you know anyone who uses this library? I don`t... ;)

[Ashermusic]

Me too, :)

but I think it is much more easy to sell a library if you have got best reactions to your first demos... .

A great "WOW" is very fast told arround the globe... .

For example look to EMU`s MSO. I am sure that you can get much better results with this library as are demonstrated at their website. But EMU didn`t work for new demos... . So, do you know anyone who uses this library? I don`t... ;)

Well the fact that you cannot use it on a Mac did not help :)

I certainly agree with your larger point. Nonetheless, if they come out with some stunning demos, you will see perceptions change rapidly IMHO.

[germancomponist]

Well the fact that you cannot use it on a Mac did not help :)


..... that`s another good example. Is one year not enough time to make the EMU Emulator playable on a Mac? :)

But, at their website you can download free wallpapers ....... .

[AlexDavis]

I understand that the DVZ technology represents something new and exciting, and that there is a possibility that other companies may use this system to produce new libraries... But it seems absolutely ridiculous to assume that anyone would spend $12,000 based on that 1 demo!!!

Also, another important point. An authentic, recorded orchestra can sound great, even in mp3 format, so I expect my sample libraries to sound great in these formats as well. While I can definitely sense a difference between the lower and higher fidelity demos on the DVZ site, it's absolutely essential for the library to shine in ANY format. Most clients require lower fidelity results, sometimes even (god forbid) mp3s. 24/48 seems the standard at this point.

-Alex

[tomhartman]

Good point Alex.

Take any real score and make an mp3 of it. Tell me if the strings sound fake, simply because it's an mp3;)

TH