VSL releases Vienna Ensemble Pro 7

The Vienna Symphonic Library (VSL) has released Vienna Ensemble Pro 7, a major update of their most popular cross-platform mixing and hosting application that easily connects multiple computers with simple Ethernet cables, without the need of external MIDI or audio interfaces.

New features include simplified automation as well as a slew of interface improvements such as real-time readouts of CPU usage per instance, MIDI and audio activity buttons for every instance, and mini GUI displays of the integrated FX plug-ins right in the channel view.

Both plug-in handling and the plug-in scanning process have been significantly improved. The auto populate feature displays the most frequently used effects and instrument plug-ins that can be enabled or disabled one-by-one, for AU and VST formats separately.

Complete instances and folders can now be enabled or disabled, even using automation from within the DAW. Users of large setups will appreciate the new instance overview options with tabbed or vertical views, as well as the option of copying and pasting channels in order to quickly pull channels from existing templates.

A feature currently in beta is AU3 compatibility, letting users access up to 48 MIDI ports per instance. With up to 768 MIDI channels per instance, VSL say Vienna Ensemble Pro 7 is the first AU3 plug-in host on the market. Another beta feature is the compatibility with Montreal Music Lab's upcoming VM1 app, a powerful iPad controller for Vienna Ensemble Pro 7.

Beyond the host of new features, the upgrade includes the expanded Epic Orchestra 2.0, a 73 GB bonus library powered by the company's new Synchron Player.

New additions to Epic Orchestra 2.0 include a wide variety of instruments from Vienna's latest releases, such as Synchron Strings, Synchron FX Strings, Synchron Percussion, Synchron Power Drums, Vienna Smart Spheres and the SYNCHRON-ized product series. With a data size of 73 GB, the new Epic Orchestra 2.0 is ten times the size of the original version that was included with previous versions of Vienna Ensemble Pro. All samples of Epic Orchestra 2.0 have been re-edited and mapped for the company's new Synchron Player, and enhanced with the integrated convolution reverb featuring customized impulses from Synchron Stage Vienna.

Price: $218 - Vienna Ensemble Pro 7 is available at an introductory price of $162. Registered users of previous versions of Vienna Ensemble Pro 4, 5 and 6 can benefit from reduced upgrade prices.