Finally getting down to work on a major piece - last request

[charlesmoman]

I have been sketching out a 3 - 5 movement work and now I am ready to actually creating it.
I want to play live as much of it as possible - though some string sections runs will be a trick to do.
So some will be live and some will be played via MIDI files.

I have Finale 2008 and final rendering will be done with EWQL Platinum.
I also have the full GPO I can run through Finale - not sure how to do that with my Platinum software.
Do I create "generic" MIDI files, or insert keyswitches as I compose?
Will I be messed up if I use GPO in Finale and then use the MIDI files with EWQL?

Just want to get started with a logical strategy that will not require a lot of cleaning up later.
Thanks in advance for any helpful hints. I hope to have it pretty much done by June 1 when I use the music as a soundtrack for a DVD project.
All sequencing will be done in Digital Performer 5.

Charles

[MIDI Life Crisis]

Glad to see you took my advice and posted on Finale...

[charlesmoman]

Thanks so much Michael!

I know you are a busy professional and it is so nice to get help from those who know.

I learn as I go and try not to be too much of a nuisance in the forums here and at Finale and EWQL.

Charles

[mhschmieder]

By playing live as much of it as possible, do you mean augmenting a subsection of the instrumentation as live players with "real" instruments, while playing back other parts either as audio backing or live MIDI triggering of the other parts -- or do you mean that you will be playing some of the parts live using a MIDI keyboard routed within DP to some VI's (e.g.)?

In terms of keyswitching, there's no right or wrong way. Some people like to put those on a separate track in case they change sound sources later, so that they can more easily track down what needs to change for the new sound source (as there is unfortunately no universal standard yet -- though some have been proposed -- for key switching assignments).

[charlesmoman]

That would be nice, but not in my budget for this fellowship project.
Yes, I will play what I am comfortable playing into DP via EWQL Platinum SO.
And some parts will be via MIDI files constructed in Finale and then massaged once into DP.