Actually, this matter has been discussed several times in the forum. And I guess will continue to be discussed for long.

I can only offer my humble experience. At first, starting with the SE collection, I used a single matrix to host all the articulation I needed for an instrument. This matrix was based on the Basic one supplied by VSL, even if heavily modified to suit my taste.

With the Full libraries, this was no longer possible. I had to go with a single preset for each instrument. Inside the preset separate categories of articulations were collected into separate matrices. For example, I have a matrix for sustains, one for legatos, one for staccato, another for détachés/portatos, and then portamento/glissando, trills, performance repetitions, recorded repetitions…

Most matrices are organized by sub-categories: each column corresponding to type of timbre. I have vib, n.v., molto vib., more/less vib, sul pont, sul tasto, heavy/harsh, harmonics, heavies, lightes/mute basic, fx.

Matrices contain several rows. In some cases (sustains, legatos…) these are selected by playing speed. In some other cases by velocity (fp/sfz/sffz). In other cases, the matrix is a collection of options that are selected by MIDI messages (trill min2, maj2, min3, maj3…).

A huge amount of data. But by following a fixed map, I can easily create the basis of other instruments starting from a template, and can use a single Articulation Set/Expression Map to select the right articulation in each instrument.

Paolo

Hello Paolo,

first: Thanks for your ample reply - I do hope that others will chime in as well. :-)

I thought and "feared" that this was covered here already, although the search/google gave me a hard time finding the threads. So, feel free to add links to those threads, if you find them useful. (Like this one, for instance.)

@SE: Did you use time-stretched patches and the like in your SE single matrix era?
@multi matrices: How do you navigate between matrices and columns? Both key-switches?

Cheers,
Lukas

Originally Posted by: LuCsa

@SE: Did you use time-stretched patches and the like in your SE single matrix era?
@multi matrices: How do you navigate between matrices and columns? Both key-switches?

With SE I used a separate matrix to use time-stretched data. With the current system, I reserved from start cells for time-stretched data.

I select matrices with Program Change messages. Inside the matrices, the X-axis is always a Keyswitch. Y-axis can be controlled by speed (to select slow or fast legato, for example); but it can also be controlled by Keyswitch Velocity, when I want to select a particular cell in a column. Also, it can be Velocity, when different dynamics articulations are involved (like fp for the lower velocity, sfz for the middle, sffz for the higest).

Unfortunately, a bug makes Keyswitch Velocity not always viable. When it is, it is a great way to save message counts.

Paolo

Originally Posted by: PaoloT

I select matrices with Program Change messages. Inside the matrices, the X-axis is always a Keyswitch. Y-axis can be controlled by speed (to select slow or fast legato, for example); but it can also be controlled by Keyswitch Velocity, when I want to select a particular cell in a column. Also, it can be Velocity, when different dynamics articulations are involved (like fp for the lower velocity, sfz for the middle, sffz for the higest).

Unfortunately, a bug makes Keyswitch Velocity not always viable. When it is, it is a great way to save message counts.

Thanks for the insight. :-)
I think, I just need to start tinkering... (How much I hate to start working without a plan I'm totally sure about, haha.)

@civilizazion_3: Thanks for the warning.