Total rookie here in terms of just beginning to use instruments in a way that require me to consider articulations. For example, I put a few horns from Iconica Sketch into a pop song in C14, and I’d like to add some variation in articulations after the fact to make them sound more interesting.
I’m on C14, W10.
I know C15 has introduced great advancement in Expression Maps, but I dont understand enough to know exactly how, after watching a few vids.
Do people think those C15 improvements would greatly reduce the time and effort for someone like me, who is about as far from being a symphonic composer as can be?
First, you need to be on the pro version
to have expression maps
The new Expression Map system is not really that different from the 14 version; it’s spiffed up a bit with some important added features, but it behaves largely as it did before. The interface has changed though, and that takes a little while to get used to not long thoug.
If you really want to avoid the hassle,
you can buy ready-made expression maps from Babylonwaves.
There are also quite a few that can be downloaded for free from various websites.
The reason why composers welcomed the new expression maps was because of offsets per articulation.
The old expression maps could not keep time without a lot of help. When a set of samples for an articulation is made, their can be a slight pause from where the beginning of the sample is cut, to when it plays. There is no standard and even where the sample come from the same company, their can be significant variations per articulation. The Staccatos can be on beat, then the legatos can be well after the beat, for example. It’s taken Cubase over a decade, but they have finally fixed it.
In the old expression maps offsets were set per channel which meant that composers had to adjust the offset per individual note in the Key editor.
This is the Exppression Map section in the Inspector. Klick on the “No Map” selector, then chose to Import Key Switches.
If you use more than one Program slot in Halion Sonic, the midi channel of the track will determine which instrument’s key switches will be imported.
