I'm working on a project that involves synths and sampled/acoustic VSTs in Dorico, with the ensemble managed in VEPro. I've run into an issue with setting up automation for various synths. Some can respond to controllers on any channel, some allow me to specify a channel, and one insists that I use channel 1. 

With polytimbral VSTs (Kontakt, Omnisphere) I put them on their own VEPro instance, set up to receive --All--. That works fine, so no difficulty there. 

I realized that a cool thing I can do, when routing a part to multiple VSTs on the same channel, is to set up say two with macros assigned to different custom ccs, and automate them individually in Dorico.

Does anyone have tips for managing this general scenario?

Hello

I've got new options in my preset list -- at least, I think they're new -- VelXF sus, VelXF, and Velocity. It makes the list rather long and fiddly to deal with, and my Dorico expression maps already have init settings to set up xf as I want it.

My question is what's the VelXF sus option? First & third are I think self-explanatory.

Also, is Timbre adjust (cc8) something new?

Mhm... about 15 hours for me

You are right; that is what happened. Here we are 13 hours later and most things are installed now. 

I jumped at the chance to download the free Fujara flute this morning. At that point, I'd decided to put off migrating to iLok till I build a new PC, hopefully in the near future.

Anyway... got the license, and ... yada yada ... in order to use the iLok instrument, I now have to migrate all my other stuff -- and the installer doesn't overwrite or otherwise adapt to existing libraries, so I have to migrate everything off my crowded SSD to make room. That's going to take up most of my day, I think... 

Originally Posted by: DaddyO

...to match the VE Pro instances I connect to...

Looks to me like DaddyO is using Vienna Ensemble, but Bill is using an individual Synchron Player instance for each instrument. 

It has been discussed in the Dorico forum. Some people like to assign cc 2 (or 1) instead of velocity, and cc11 as a secondary. Others go with velocity + either cc2 or 11 (apparently some of the newer VSL products use cc1 rather than cc2) -- either way, you'd want xF enabled unless you're happy to stick with velocity-only.

I have Synchronized Special Editions, VI Pro Percussion, and Vienna Suite. The SSE instruments have their own reverbs, and I want to match (as best I can) that reverb with my VI instruments. Which preset do people recommend? I've gone with Warm Stage 1.2s, but maybe there's a closer match?  

There are two ways -- either by enabling manually in the individual instrument, or else (in Dorico) by adding an entry to the expression map's init: cc28, value 127. I dare say values less than 127 work, but I haven't experimented that far 

Got it, thanks.

Hello

Thought I should use the VST3 version of Vienna Ensemble Pro, having previously been using the x64 option.

A x64 instance is nice and simple. In Cubase, there's a single Instrument associated with the connected Ensemble instance. (that's using Cubase's terminology -- there are different VSL instruments on different channels of the Cubase instrument, obviously.)

With a VST3 Cubase Instrument, when I go to select the output for the MIDI track I want to assign, there is now  a list of eight MIDI Ins:

01 Vienna Ensemble Pro MIDI In 1
01 Vienna Ensemble Pro MIDI In 2 ... etc

For the project I'm attempting to work on, I have five VEPro instances, so the list now runs to 40 options. Is there some way to restrict these to one per instance?

I'm running Ensemble Pro and Suite Pro. I want to put the hybrid reverb plug-in on the instance bus. I can see all the other elements of Suite Pro, but not the hybrid reverb. I can load it on instruments or buses in Cubase, for instance, but I'm not seeing it in Ensemble. Why's that? Any ideas?

Thank you, yes; I shall not despair, since I'm running the demo version. It has demonstrated... well, I have learned useful things, besides the system requirements :)

I got hold of a MIR 24 demo license, with the current promotion going on. I didn't opt for a room pack, since I wouldn't be able to afford that much at the moment. 

Looking at the MIR tab in Ensemble Pro, I see a large concert hall stage represented, and I just assumed that I drag the instruments to where I want them to be, but I can move those harps no further left/right without straying from the hotspot. (They're part of an orchestra, and I want one mid-left, the other mid-right). Is that just because I don't have a room pack? Or have I missed something in the installation? 

Thanks Paul. The Rieger isn't to my taste. If you ever do a Schnitger or a Silbermann...

Meantime, I'll do as you suggest

Hello

I'm interested in a couple of specific instruments in the current VI promotion. Ideally I'd like to try them before buying, to make sure that they do what I think they'll do. So I was looking for information on demo licenses -- I've used them in the past and gone on to purchase in most instances.

Now, it looks like they aren't available for the VI promotion. Okay if that's the case, too bad -- but my real point is that there doesn't seem to be any place on the website I can go to for information on what is and is not available under the demo scheme. 

SSE being Synchronized Special Edition

I'm trying to reduce the standard patches to four instruments (well, 4/4/3/3/1, but let's stick to the violins for the moment) for a project. So far I deleted desks 3&4, players 5-8, and those players from group 1&2.

What I now want to do is add to the Players list "Player 2/3/4" on keyswitches F#/ G/ G#. I can't see how to associate the matrix with the player. Can anyone help?

Really great to see these arrive, thanks!

One immediate thought is that I was a bit surprised to see, in Dorico's video, a great long list of individual VSTs for each instrument, because I'm accustomed to using Ensemble Pro. Of course there is no problem with assigning the new maps to the appropriate instrument, but would I be right in thinking that it isn't practical to auto-load ensemble instances?

I'm just working through the VST list with a current project. I've noticed a few things so far:

Flute 2+ loads with CC11 set significantly lower than 127. (Incidentally, currently my own maps use both cc2 and cc11 instead of velocity+cc.)

Instrument Eb clarinet loads a Bb clarinet patch.

Horn 1+2 loads the Vienna horn, 3+4 loads the triple horn. I wonder if it should go 1+3, 2+4?

Trumpets load C, Bb, C; I'd prefer C, C, Bb

Strings: some odd things here, thanks to Dimension Strings. This score has solo violin/viola/cello, but no divisi (so far). What's loaded is Dimension violin 1 player 1 for the solo -- I would have expected Solo Strings violin 1+ -- and then both section violins load with group 1 enabled, rather than the full ensemble. No solo double bass, but it loaded with only player 1 enabled.

Quick question: how does the harpsichord compare to the one that is part of Special Edition vol. 2? Is it based on the same instrument?

Originally Posted by: lunar_28664

Actually Andi, the comment that the Cubase VSL Strings is not 100% compatible with Dorico seems rather flattering . 

I'm inclined to agree. Having worked out over the summer how to implement keyswitches in Finale, I had a bit of a head start working on the Dorico maps. First I looked at an import from the Cubase set, and found things like multiple instances of (say) legato referencing separate keyswitches. Rather than try to figure out why (also, there were combinations of terms that you can't* create or edit in Dorico) I set about making a set of my own.

Once you realize that, for Synchronized Special Edition, most sets are largely the same -- flute, oboe, clarinet, for instance -- it cuts down the time it takes. 

*Shouldn't say 'can't'. Should say 'I haven't found a way to'.

As I understand it, Leigh is correct in saying that a set of xp maps is in the works. I waited for a version of Dorico that had decent playback, and so far I'm finding that v.3 works better than Finale in that regard, especially in terms of flexibility when using a mixture of libraries, and, as far as VSL is concerned, in implementing velocity crossfade.

Sure I'm hoarse from yelling in frustration about various things right now -- slow response being the main thing -- but overall I'm happy to have switched.

Thanks Andi.

I'm using VSL SSE, Finale 25 and Dorico 3. 

As a general question, first: I don't understand the relationship between Expression (cc11) and Velocity cross-fade (cc2 by default), if someone could patiently explain that to me.

Specific question, though, is how to set it up in Dorico 3. I can choose between note velocity & cc, and also enable a secondary choice, also velocity/cc. Do I want to make one cc11 and the other cc2, or should I stick with velocity in one and cc in the other, in which case, do I want cc 2 or cc 11?  There doesn't seem to be a way to have all three simultaneously.

How do you make that work, Ben? For instance, I can drag and drop patches from the appropriate folder, but not instruments. I can't open two Synchron Player instances in Cubase, and drag & drop between them.

I am *sigh* reading the ******* manual just now. Maybe I'll post a resumé once I've worked out the steps.

Hello

I upgraded from VSL SE to the Synchron edition. I use it with Finale 25. 

With the old SE, I set up matrixs/matrices for standard and muted, where instruments have separate sets, and use keyswitches (C0/C#0) to switch between them, assigned to a text expression. It's an easy drag+drop.

With the Synchron player, I discovered how to create patch matrices from scratch, but I wonder if there's a shorter way of doing it than recreating every entry one-by-one from the preset list, and again one-by-one for the muted variant?

I notice that I can copy slots at the lowest level and paste them into the new matrix copies all the sub-slots, but Mix presets do not appear to be accessible.