I'm a Finale user who is considering buying VDL 2. I'm wondering what VDL does with various types of concert rolls. This includes not only snare, but also concert bass, suspended cymbal, and tympani. Finale's sound library is woefully inadequate at these tasks, and I'm hoping VDL will help me out. Could someone tell me if and how VDL solves the problems associated with concert-style rolls?

These types of rolls (concert SD, timpani, concert BD, xylophone, sus cyms, triangles, tambourine, tam tams, etc) are supplied as actual recordings in VDL. Without sampling these kinds of rolls, it'd be really difficult to get a convincing playback. So, rolls are assigned to their own mapped pitch in each VDL instrument that uses them. If you're writing a concert snare part, RH hits, LH hits, rolls, rims, etc are all assigned unique pitches, which will give you a very realistic sound.

Authw8,

The quality of the rolls will make you think the ya re actually being played in real time.  Seriously.

Listen to some of the Demos, especially Luke's arrangement of La Forza.

https://www.tapspace.com/LaForza.html

I think you'll be convinced.

Gabe

Thanks for all the feedback! I was also wondering how VDL deals with crescendoed (is that spelled right?) rolls. I read a few posts on this topic, but none seemed to answer all my questions. I can hear this in the sus cym on the link you posted, so I'm wondering how it works and if I can do the same thing with snare, bass, tympani, etc. Also, do decrescendoes and swells work the same way? Once again, thanks for the feedback.

The crescendo and decrescendo rolls work as they would with any sustained note in your notational program.  Good stuff.

Thanks again! I've put my order in now, and am eagerly awaiting its arrival. The support this forum offers is by itself worth $200!

VERY true my friend.  VERY true!