The Vienna Symphonic Library has been a long time companion of mine

I feel the necessity to give tribute to this beautiful tool. The idea here is not to promote the product but rather share my experience as a composer. The samples are high quality, and now 24 bits. What attracts me even more is the interaction that exists between the composer/arranger and the samples. The libraries are designed to dissect all aspects of every orchestral instrument. This gives the musician an awareness of what's idiomatic for each one of them. So it has some very interesting academic qualities which orchestration classes would easily welcome. I know I would have enjoyed that when I was studying orchestration at the university. When I compose, I am inspired by the various samples, as say, a "stunning moonlight." Each sample when used cleverly expresses an emotion. After a chain of these, an entire piece is born. The VSL library has permitted me over the years to be much more productive by having this virtual orchestral instrument at the tip of my fingers. One thing I love working with VSL, is experimenting with different colors, patterns, and effects. It’s a good learning device. The ongoing discussion of the comparison between virtual instruments and real instruments, or a real orchestra, tends to lose importance for me. In time, good and bad music can be found in both mediums. A real orchestra not perfectly in time and not in tune is quite unpleasant to listen to. By the same manner, bad programming can be misleading, while the opposite is just as true. Good music is good music, no matter how it's done. Virtual instruments and real instruments should always have their place in the future.