Now that the key editor (in both play mode and write mode) has seen huge improvements, it could be a fun idea to show in a video tutorial how to actually use the features of the key editor to somewhat convincingly ‘humanize’ a short and simple piano piece, say.
The following aspects would be of particular interest to me:
- How to use the tempo track to create a subtle tempo rubato.
- How to use the note duration editing feature to create different gradations of legato and staccato.
- How to use the velocity editor (or some dynamics CC channel for anything that’s not a piano) to create somewhat realistic nuances of dynamics (especially in the voicing of chords).
Of course, this whole subject of humanization doesn’t really belong to the essential feature set or purpose of Dorico. It belongs more to art than to the technical details of a piece of software. Still, as someone who (due to a physical inability to play any real-life musical instrument) is entirely reliant on Dorico to get my music across, I really think it would be nice to see how Dorico could be used to improve on the standard VST ‘robot sound’. (I know there’s NotePerformer, but while it does give decent performance out-of-the-box, especially woodwinds and brass, I’d really like to be able to tweak its output here and there.) I imagine that there are other composers (mostly amateurs probably) in a similar situation.
Thanks for reading!