VSL have teased an upcoming release of VE Pro 8 "sooner rather than later" in 2026.
Mentioned new features are:
"Faster, better and more comprehensive" workflows
A separate video VE Pro app
Crash protection
Faster switching times
This video should jump to the section where they discuss it.
Re: VSL VE Pro 8
Posted: Dec 23, 2025 11:51 am
by scherzo
Cryptic but exciting
Re: VSL VE Pro 8
Posted: Dec 23, 2025 1:14 pm
by GR Baumann
scherzo wrote: ↑Dec 23, 2025 11:51 am
Cryptic but exciting
yeah.
Re: VSL VE Pro 8
Posted: Dec 23, 2025 3:02 pm
by Lawrence
Interesting.
I’ve moved away from VEP due to various factors-I’m writing fewer bombastic full orchestra scores, less trailer stuff so VEP isn’t really necessary. There’s also the fact that I’ve been too lazy to repair my big templates and each load needs to be attended, with multiple dialogue warning boxes that need to be checked or unchecked.
It’s still a fantastic tool and we’ll see what 8 brings to the table. I fear it won’t be Intel compatible so that may leave me out.
Re: VSL VE Pro 8
Posted: Dec 23, 2025 4:37 pm
by scherzo
I've grown a little disillusioned with the Big Template thing and have been thinking about moving away from VEP too. With Steinberg revamping the expression map system I'm looking at doing some rebuilding/reorganizing anyway. Not sure which way I'll go yet, but I'm curious to see what they come up with in the new version. Faster, better and more comprehensive does sound good, if only I knew what it actually meant
Re: VSL VE Pro 8
Posted: Dec 23, 2025 4:49 pm
by Guy Rowland
I still like it for my disabled template, it works brilliantly and it would be hell trying to do that in Cubase.
Re: VSL VE Pro 8
Posted: Dec 24, 2025 7:43 am
by scherzo
That's what I used to do. Definitely a bit hellish.
Problem is I like the idea of a big pre-balanced VEP template very much in theory. In practice I keep endlessly tinkering with it and often want to do project-specific tweaks and things like that, and I've found it difficult to come up with a VEP strategy that is flexible enough without being absurdly overcomplicated and having a million return channels or automation parameters. Self-contained projects in Cubase are easier to deal with in that sense. Then again, then you have to deal with bloated file sizes instead and I get irrationally angry if saves aren't more-or-less instantaneous.
Pathological tweaker and control freak, I guess. Possibly I need a psychological intervention more than a new workflow.
Re: VSL VE Pro 8
Posted: Dec 24, 2025 8:05 am
by Pablo Crespo
I hope they make disabling and enabling tracks via midi from the DAW more easy to setup, now its a bit cumbersome
Re: VSL VE Pro 8
Posted: Dec 24, 2025 8:18 am
by Guy Rowland
scherzo wrote: ↑Dec 24, 2025 7:43 am
That's what I used to do. Definitely a bit hellish.
Problem is I like the idea of a big pre-balanced VEP template very much in theory. In practice I keep endlessly tinkering with it and often want to do project-specific tweaks and things like that, and I've found it difficult to come up with a VEP strategy that is flexible enough without being absurdly overcomplicated and having a million return channels or automation parameters. Self-contained projects in Cubase are easier to deal with in that sense. Then again, then you have to deal with bloated file sizes instead and I get irrationally angry if saves aren't more-or-less instantaneous.
Pathological tweaker and control freak, I guess. Possibly I need a psychological intervention more than a new workflow.
Yeah, it's my pact with the devil - anything in VE Pro stays untweaked. I add the reverbs etc in Cubase which of course are easy to tweak, but if I need anything more fiddly (not often in my case tbh) then I just load those patches bespoke in Cubase and copy the midi. That's fine on an occasional ad-hoc basis, but if you're doing it more or less every time of course that's whole other ballgame.
Running coupled is a nightmare - I doubt they can do anything about that.
Re: VSL VE Pro 8
Posted: Dec 24, 2025 8:19 am
by Guy Rowland
Pablo Crespo wrote: ↑Dec 24, 2025 8:05 am
I hope they make disabling and enabling tracks via midi from the DAW more easy to setup, now its a bit cumbersome
Yeah, I've got my system so it's not too much of a faff - I block copy my midi inserts in Cubase, and the automation setup in VE Pro is much improved now you can copy and auto-increment each midi channel. But setting up from scratch is a PITA for sure.
Re: VSL VE Pro 8
Posted: Jan 21, 2026 1:36 pm
by Guy Rowland
Released today:
(the video version could be a godsend for Windows Pro Tools Studio users who only have access to one video track - AFAIK until today all third party solutions have been Mac-only).
Upgrade pricing starts at 69 EUR (reg. 99 EUR), free 30 day trials available.
The transition was simple and smooth for me. I haven't put VE Pro 8 through it's paces yet. But my largest template from VE Pro 7 loaded without a problem and played back perfectly. All instruments, settings, automation etc. exactly as they were in 7. Loading felt quite a bit faster than in 7. It makes a great first impression.
Re: VSL VE Pro 8
Posted: Jan 21, 2026 2:47 pm
by Pablo Crespo
Guy Rowland wrote: ↑Jan 21, 2026 1:36 pm
Released today:
(the video version could be a godsend for Windows Pro Tools Studio users who only have access to one video track - AFAIK until today all third party solutions have been Mac-only).
Upgrade pricing starts at 69 EUR (reg. 99 EUR), free 30 day trials available.
I don´t think any improvement was made in the Automation CC learning, or global settings for enabling and disabling.
I am not seeing a lot of improvements if you are not heavily invested in their synchron player
Re: VSL VE Pro 8
Posted: Jan 21, 2026 3:05 pm
by Guy Rowland
Pablo Crespo wrote: ↑Jan 21, 2026 2:47 pmI don´t think any improvement was made in the Automation CC learning, or global settings for enabling and disabling.
No, but I'm okay with V7 there. Those shortcuts (to copy a setting but, say, increment the mid channel) that they added on a release after 7.0 were totally transformative for me.
The activity monitor looks very helpful. More efficiency gains are always welcome. It looks like a nice-to-have update rather than essential.
That video player isn't cheap btw - €219 intro price for me.
Re: VSL VE Pro 8 RELEASED
Posted: Jan 21, 2026 3:28 pm
by wst3
I'm just becoming a real tightwad I think... there are some interesting new features, and the intro price is quite reasonable... guess I'll be downloading the demo version.
Since we are expected to complain about everything here But I'm just not seeing anything just yet
Pablo Crespo wrote: ↑Jan 21, 2026 2:47 pmI don´t think any improvement was made in the Automation CC learning, or global settings for enabling and disabling.
That video player isn't cheap btw - €219 intro price for me.
I think you are using Cubase Guy, so you have a free video player solution already, just use the previous Cubase version alongside the current one.
I use this system and it has been a life saver, I drop the mixes in the "video cubase" and compare versions, can score series with different episodes, reconforming an new cuts are super easy to handle (just working with timecode).
Just a virtual cable and some synchronization options and ready to go. I even have dedicated hardware knobs for dialogue volume, temp music, rough mixes.
Re: VSL VE Pro 8 RELEASED
Posted: Jan 21, 2026 5:11 pm
by Guy Rowland
I'm okay Pablo, I don't need anything myself - I was really thinking very specifically about Pro Tools Studio owners. For 99.9% of users, it's the only major feature limitation compared to Ultimate, so that's a very useful new option for them.
Re: VSL VE Pro 8 RELEASED
Posted: Jan 21, 2026 5:56 pm
by Pablo Crespo
That´s great Guy, yes, it seems that vepro video is a nice solution, there are some nice features (like exporting video in different formats, looking at you steinberg, it cannot be that hard after 4 versions)
Vep 8 on the other hand doesn´t have a lot of new features for me to upgrade my main and two servers.
But I'm just not seeing anything just yet