Classic Series
collection

Affordable, accurate, and easy to use, the Classic Collection contains all of Versilian Studios original hits including: Tubular Bells, Marimba, Xylophone, Glockenspiel, Timpani, Hand Chimes, Wine Glasses, and Italian Harpsichord. These instruments are joined by three bonus harpsichords, including the French model from VSCO 2 and a Flemish model not previously released.

Celebrating the 10th anniversary of Versilian Studios and Tubular Bells, the entire collection has been retrofitted and updated to run in SFZ format, accessible from the free Sforzando or ARIA Players by Plogue/Garritan. Compared to the old VSTi or AU plugin formats, reliability is significantly improved while CPU, RAM, and hard drive load are significantly reduced.

A new GUI design was developed from scratch for this series, with significantly more control over the shaping and character of the instruments.

Purchased as a bundle, you already save $36 compared to the original versions on their own. Plus, owners of any of the original Classic Series products are eligible to receive an additional $20 discount on the upgrade (tied to your e-mail address), please select the purple ‘Upgrade’ button below and enter your name & e-mail address to see if you qualify.

Please note: the VSCO 2 Tubular Bells and Tubular Bells II are not included in this bundle, only the original Classic Tubular Bells.

$49.00

Developer: Versilian Studios LLC.
Software: Sforzando or ARIA Player required
Format: .sfz (SFZ Format instrument)
Samples: 3,490 (6,299 Files) (?)Samples are individual performances, not including duplicates from multiple mixes or mic positions. The File count is the total number of sample audio files in a product.
Instrument list
Filesize: 2.3 GB of HDD space (+2.3 GB for installation files)
Other: SSD for sample storage & loading recommended
Modwheel-equipped controller recommended

FEATURES

The SFZ Format: Archival-Grade Patches

In the 40+ years of digital sampling, countless formats have come and gone, yet the quality of even very old samples can still provide a surprisingly realistic sound if used appropriately.

The SFZ format, invented in the early 2000’s, is a completely open-source, non-proprietary format for sample libraries, providing an extensive, powerful ecosystem for cross-platform sample libraries with multiple player plugins across multiple developers to choose from.

Unlike VSTi or AU plugins, SFZ files from nearly 20 years ago work perfectly fine today and will for decades to come.

French Harpsichord GUI

Bonus: Three Additional Harpsichords

Shortly after wrap on recording for VSCO 2, two additional opportunities came up to sample harpsichords. However, these samples languished unused for over half a decade as priorities shifted towards larger projects.

We are pleased to finally be able to share these two harpsichords with the world, in addition to the French Harpsichord, found in VSCO 2 but not released independently.

Losslessly Compressed Samples (FLAC)

Compared to the original WAV samples used in the old standalone versions, the FLAC sample files used here are roughly 20-40% of the original size while retaining 100% of the quality, reducing the size of the entire collection to a comfortable 2 GB.

FLAC is also an open source format, and can be loaded and modified in most DAWs if desired.

Harpsichord 1

Real Sampled Releases

For instruments with key mechanisms, the true sound of the notes being cut off and of the mechanism (keys & jacks) alone were sampled, providing a significant boost to realism.

When you release a note or sustain pedal, the release sample is triggered. Special attention was paid to level out these noises for an accurate but still pleasing sound.

If the sound is too much (or not enough!) the level of these sounds can be separately adjusted to taste, or even modulated during a song via MIDI CC!

 

ADSR "Release" vs. Sampled Releases

Instrument List

Tubular Bells (Classic)

  • Normal Mallet

Marimba (VSCO 2)

  • Normal Mallet Hits
  • Rolls (modwheel DXF)

Xylophone (VSCO 2)

  • Soft Mallet
  • Medium Mallet
  • Hard Mallet

Glockenspiel (VSCO 2)

  • Normal Mallet

    Timpani (Classic)

    • Normal Mallet

    Handchimes (Classic)

    • Strikes
    • Additional FX

    Wine Glasses (VSCO 2)

    • Fast Rubs
    • Slow Rubs
    • Short Rubs (Staccato)
    • Strikes (“Ticks”)

    Italian Harpsichord (VSCO 2)

    • 8′
    • 8′ + 8′

    French Harpsichord (VSCO 2)

    • 8′

    Flemish Harpsichord (New!)

    • 8′
    • 4′
    • 8′ + 4′
    • 8′ Muted

    “Unknown” Harpsichord (New!)

    • 8′