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  • Changing articulations in ONE Midi channel

    Hi there!

    OK, I´m using Vienna Instruments, and have 1 midi track in my DAW.

     

    If I play in some notes, how can I go back and edit the midi notes to play different articulations? (within the same MIDI track)

     

    When I switch the articualtion in Vienna Instruments, it then plays that articulation for ALL the notes.

    I don´t want to use a different track for each seperate articulation.

    PS...I have recently just moved from using scoring software (and using that to trigger articulations) to using VSL in a DAW. So apologies for the basic question!

     

    Best regards!


  • So far I only know how to change articulations using key switches, but there may be another way to do it (MIDI CC for example). You'd have to look at the manual for that.

    Anyway, for key switches (which is what I use and what you seem to be using) you'll need to insert MIDI notes for those specific articulations. So for example, you might insert a C1 for the first articulation, and C#1 for the second. It's just like if you play it in with the keyboard (and in fact you can record the articulations by playing them in!)

    Some DAWs have "expression maps" or something like that, but entering MIDI notes for articulation key switches should work for any DAW.


  • For example:

    Let's say you have an instrument loaded in VI with two articulations like staccato and sustain.

    If you use keyswitches, which is the most popular method, you assign those two articulations to two keyswitches outside the range of the instrument you have loaded.  So let's say you have any soprano instrument loaded you would set those articulations to say C2 and C#2 respectively.

    Now in the piano roll veiw on your DAW, let's say the score calls for a C6 sustain followed by three consecutive staccatos then back to sustain.

    So just BEFORE the C6 sustain note plays you put (program) a little 32nd note on the C#2.  Then anytime AFTER the sustain plays you program another 32nd note on the C2 to trigger the staccato note.  Now you don't need to put another 32nd note on C2 to trigger the next staccato, Vienna will just play everything after that initial C2 as staccatos.  Now the score calls for another sustain after the last of the three staccatos so AFTER the last staccato and BEFORE the next sustain you program another 32nd note at C#2 and everything after that will play sustains.

    Now this is a very simple explanation of how it works.  Some things to consider: it doesn't have to be a 32nd note it could be just a speck (256th note) on your piano roll it doesn't matter so long as it's enough to trigger the articulation.  I only used two articualtions in this example but you can load a possible 12 in a matrix.  I think you can set a note to trigger an articulation at least 5 miliseconds before to trigger the articulation I might be wrong on that.  Aslo, while everything is playing you're also manipulating things like Velocity crossfade, Humanize, Time Offset, Legato Blur, and maybe Expression and maybe Attack.  I do all of the CC stuff one at time but some who may be more skilled than me will do more.

    Most experienced users have large and complex templates where you're not only switching articulations but you're also switching matrices, A B control for cresc and dim. other ornaments, Cell crossfading, ect.  So I suggest you start with something simple like what I described above and work your way up.