How do you handle articulations?

[NYFC]

Oh BTW, Shooshie, many thanks for your fantastic video on expression editing. Much appreciated

[JSmith1234567]

What a fantastic app for the IPad!

If you don't mind a question "Buhardilla", are you able to get two-way communication with the faders?

i.e. you can move the faders, but they also follow the changes that are written into the track?

I don't know if you can do this somehow with custom-consoles, or another way?

Thanks!

I use for handle articulations an interesting app for iPad: MidiPads (http://midipads.com)
This is a multipurpose MIDI controller app but it allows you a full and easy customization. In this case you can write the name of articulations and assign keyboard switches and controllers to pads, faders, XY faders.. etc (a "low cost copy" of mr. Zimmer's touchscreen displays )
https://www.dropbox.com/s/59wozwsiyhzpo ... 9.jpg?dl=0

[bayswater]

I doubt that Apple will even get involved, if their current attention levels toward Logic are any indication.

In fact, articulation events were added to Logic recently. They are not well documented, don't seem to add much, and look like a pre-cursor to a more complete feature. A 3rd party has built some sort of macro or add-on to exploit it.

[Shooshie]

Wow, I sure hope I was somewhat clear about this. My original question remains- I want to learn some workflow tips regarding articulation switching in DP because I want to switch to DP full time if possible.

Actually, your description was great! That explained what was missing in the movies and other things that I watched/read. And it sounds like a great feature, too.

Keyswitching, for me, is marred by one problem: those MIDI events that do the switching — notes usually — end up in the score with all the "real" notes. I have only one trick for this: I use the keyboard command CONTROL-COMMAND-S to create a similar track; that's a duplicate track without the data. It's all set up for the same I/O as the track you copied, but without any notes. This becomes the "[trackname] KS" track. There, I put all the keyswitches I want, without worry about scores or even having to see them in the editors. I just don't select those KS tracks to appear in the editors.

I've considered trying to work out set of custom consoles or something to do the keyswitching, but I think that's kind of like hiring the National Guard to mow your lawn. Some things are easier just doing them the way they're intended. The KS tracks work fine for me, when I think to use them.

I'm liking that feature in Cubase.

So, I'm taking it that it's the Note Expression feature that requires libraries be rewritten to accommodate it? And not the Expression Maps (better called Keyswitching Maps, perhaps?)

Maybe we'll learn more about Note Expression later. I think that's the one that I found a little fiddly and complicated. I like the simplicity of editing controllers right under their notes in DP's MIDI Edit Window, and I think DP's tools are amazing for that purpose.

Thanks again for the description, and I hope it didn't get your iPhone thrown in the ocean!

Shooshie

[Shooshie]

In talking about keyswitching enhancements, I just found this little gem: It's for VSL — the VI Pro Control Remote App. Has anyone used this? Looks like it could be useful. VERY useful.

Shooshie

[kdm]

Hey - I am considering moving over to DP 8 (which I have) for a scoring project that would benefit greatly from chunks and a few other features.

Like the OP, I am used to Cubase/Nuendo's expression map system for handling key switches. The biggest issue is EW Play - it has a few preset keyswitch setups for Hollywood Strings, etc, but you are locked to those articulations. There is no way to setup a custom key map in Play 4.x, or modify the existing presets to (for example) include any of the bow change legatos in HW Strings. However, with Expression maps, it is simple - just load whatever articulations you want into each Play instance, give each art/instrument a separate MIDI channel, and setup custom Exp Maps in Cubase to send a MIDI channel switch instruction when you hit whatever key you assign to it (and of course, that map slot shows the name of the art you create in the key editor - awesome feature).

However, managing tempo changes for multiple cues in the same project when you are adjusting for picture changes is a serious pain - which is where DP and chunks come in. The problem - is there any way to setup DP to manage key switch to MIDI channel changes? There is a script app for Logic X apparently, but that uses Logic's environment (or whatever the current iteration of that is).

Do you just create a separate MIDI track for each articulation/MIDI channel? I used to have my template setup that way in Nuendo, but key switching is much faster (and means far fewer tracks to scroll through; faster translation to notation, etc). Going back to that isn't a deal breaker, but it would be more efficient if I can figure out a closer compromise just to keep my key switch system mostly in tact.

I have looked for a MIDI insert option, but there isn't anything there that I could find.

Thanks!

[NYFC]

kdm-

There is an app for Mac called Transmidifier that does much of what Expression Maps do for Cubase.
You will still need separate tracks in DP for each of your Hollywood Strings articulations, but you can input into just one track. Transmidifier will take the output of the DP track and, depending on the active keyswitch, route the MIDI back into separate tracks, re channelized to the appropriate channel for your desired articulation. You need to be in multi record mode in DP. It's easier to setup than I just made it sound!

[PMortise]

kdm-

There is an app for Mac called Transmidifier that does much of what Expression Maps do for Cubase.
You will still need separate tracks in DP for each of your Hollywood Strings articulations, but you can input into just one track. Transmidifier will take the output of the DP track and, depending on the active keyswitch, route the MIDI back into separate tracks, re channelized to the appropriate channel for your desired articulation. You need to be in multi record mode in DP. It's easier to setup than I just made it sound!

I've been trying to wrap my head around TransMIDIfier, and I'm partially there, but I can't seem to figure out how to get VE Pro (on the host or slave) to receive MIDI from it.
I'm in MultiRecord, and can see on TM's interface that the MIDI is actively going through - and it's changing articulations as expected. Also, my output list list weird. There's a "Vienna Ensemble Pro MAS" as well as what the plugin is named in the V-rack (neither of them work). Is it supposed to be this way?

[bayswater]

kdm-

There is an app for Mac called Transmidifier that does much of what Expression Maps do for Cubase.
You will still need separate tracks in DP for each of your Hollywood Strings articulations, but you can input into just one track. Transmidifier will take the output of the DP track and, depending on the active keyswitch, route the MIDI back into separate tracks, re channelized to the appropriate channel for your desired articulation. You need to be in multi record mode in DP. It's easier to setup than I just made it sound!

I remember seeing this before, and never got around to having a look at it. I like the way it works, and the ability to use programme change messages to change articulation, or just about anything else. I assume that will work with the patch function in the Track window and along with Cherry Picker to create patch lists, make that feature useful again.

But I see it's free and the last update was three years ago. Do you know if this still supported by the developer?

[labman]

Personally, a few years ago I got sick of the endless 'which key does which articulation' memory game. So I delved into TouchOSC and built 20-25 screens for all my main used libs. They are generally laid out according to role, used colors for families, and of course there is text on the buttons. Hence, very little brain cell memory required. (I believe I got the idea from Blake Robinson @ Spitfire.) Some of the screens have 40+ buttons and faders, so I just recently got one of those honking big iPad pros (12.9 inch). My eyes feel much better now! LOL. The cool side effect of this workflow for me, has been that it sorta makes using LASS, Spitfire, Taris' stuff, etc all feel sort of the same. I still need to build some stuff for my 8DIO and Soundiron stuff, then it'll all be easy peasy.

The first few screens were grueling to build, as I didn't know what the heck I was doing. Many many many hours. But now it probably takes only 1/2 hour or so for a new screen, as you can cut / paste then modify. TouchOSC aint an elegant app, and in some ways isn't very mac like, but I have found ways to do most everything I need.

Incidentally, I think that the UACC code developed by Spitfire is stinking brilliant, and between that and the wonderful Air Lyndhurst tone that Spitfire BML uses, my arranging life has become so much easier.

[PMortise]

Thanks for responding labman. I agree with you on the beauty of the Air Lyndhurst tone, and the brilliance of the UACC. Being able to change an articulation's UACC assignment when needed makes life so much easier. With the Hollywood series keyswitch assignments set in stone the way they are, being able to use a program like TransMIDIfier would be so helpful.

[steff3]

I doubt that Apple will even get involved, if their current attention levels toward Logic are any indication.

In fact, articulation events were added to Logic recently. They are not well documented, don't seem to add much, and look like a pre-cursor to a more complete feature. A 3rd party has built some sort of macro or add-on to exploit it.

Well, yes, in Logic you can assign ArticulationIDs to note-events (meta-data) which you can read on EXS - or, in their MIDI scripts. That way you can write MIDI scripts (you are like DP's MIDI effect plugins) that switch articulations whatever way you want.
Or you can use the scripts and automate articulations (and there you will also see the name of the articulation in the animation lane)

It is not a readily available implementation - but with some work one gets a really great handling.

With ArticulationID and the MIDI scripting Logic is great for working with key switching.

Hope for DP we will see MIDI scripting as well - would be great.

best

[labman]

Being able to change an articulation's UACC assignment when needed makes life so much easier.

Hey there PM. Tis actually the opposite in UACC. The CC#s and assignments are indeed set in stone. That is one of the things I like about it. I always know what is where from instrument to instrument. But the drawback is, there are maybe 10 UACC assigns needing fixed cause they are assigned wrong, which I have reported, and only the spitfire folks can fix that.

[PMortise]

Hey there PM. Tis actually the opposite in UACC. The CC#s and assignments are indeed set in stone. That is one of the things I like about it. I always know what is where from instrument to instrument. But the drawback is, there are maybe 10 UACC assigns needing fixed cause they are assigned wrong, which I have reported, and only the spitfire folks can fix that.

Hey labman,

You actually can change those wonky assignments. If you command+click on the articulation it'll give you the option to do that.

The Solo Horn Marcato articulation ships as UACC 49, when actually it's supposed to be 52 - so I changed it (along with a few others).

Blake Robinson put some great info on his site about this. Scroll about 3/4 of the way down the page to the section "The Articulation Switcher".

[labman]

Hey labman,

You actually can change those wonky assignments. If you command+click on the articulation it'll give you the option to do that.

The Solo Horn Marcato articulation ships as UACC 49, when actually it's supposed to be 52 - so I changed it (along with a few others).

Blake Robinson put some great info on his site about this. Scroll about 3/4 of the way down the page to the section "The Articulation Switcher".

Jeepers PM. That is awesome news. Thank you so much!!! I use combination patches all over my template, and the conflicts on a bunch were disheartening at best. Harnek told me they would have ti fix 'em. So I waited....

Thanks again.