Creating a playing technique mapped onto an expression map

[Beyond_the_silence]

My Guitar VST has a “direction” type of articulation called Tirando (at Key switch D0).

So in Library->Edit Playback Techniques I create a “direction” type of ‘techniques’ called “Tirando”.

Then, in Library->Expression Maps, I create a new map in which I add a BASE entry called “Tirando” with a Keyswitch “D0”/127 and a control change 1/0.

In Play mode, I assign the guitar the newly created Expression Map.

But now, back in write mode, the articulation popover does not let meentering the string “Tirando”.

So, how do you add the string “Tirando” as a playing technique and how do you map it onto the expression map?
Gil

[Janus]

@Beyond_the_silence

how do you add the string “Tirando” as a playing technique

Create new Playing Technique and connect it to your Playback Technique…

Your Expression map will need to include switches for ALL the techniques you want the VST to use, one of which would be natural (the default guitar sound).

[Beyond_the_silence]

Still struggling to create playing technique that maps onto playback technique that maps onto an expression map.
I have an existing and working EM (from VSL) and want to add some of its articulations to the set of playing techniques available - as they don’t show up in Dorico.

1. I created a new ‘String’ category playing technique using “Cantabile”, as text
2. It is mapped onto a playback technique with the same name, “Cantabile”
3. It is assigned to a whole note in the score
4. That playback technique belongs to the group of ‘Techniques’ and has an attribute type of ‘Direction’
5. The violin section player ‘Synchron Strings I’ VST from VSL is loaded into Synchron Player and assigned the ‘Synchron Strings 1 - Violins, Violas’ expression map
6. That expression map already contains a base item called ‘Cantabile’ with its assigned keyswitches
7. But … it doesn’t play back.

However, if I now select the note and add (Shift+0) “E2”, then the ‘Cantabile’ articulation works fine.

What else am I missing?

[wing]

@Beyond_the_silence

• That expression map already contains a base item called ‘Cantabile’ with its assigned keyswitches
• But … it doesn’t play back.

The first thing I would check is the octave of the keyswitch, due to the C3/C4 middle C standards. I believe that VSL and Dorico are on the same standard so it should work, but it’s always worth fiddling with the keyswitch an octave higher or lower just to be sure.

Also with VSL’s maps, I’ve found sometimes I have to doubleclick the name and re-assign it in the popup that will appear (the list of playback techniques). Because sometimes it show the text label, such as “Cantabile,” but it’s not actually connected to anything, or sometimes defaulting to Natural. Just seeing it say “Cantabile” in the text field doesn’t necessarily mean it’s connected to that playback technique.

Other than that your steps 1–5 are all correct. I find issues like this usually fall on some tiny unseen thing around steps 6-7, so if you are able to share more details or the file itself of your expression map, that can be helpful to troubleshoot.

[Beyond_the_silence]

Tks Wing,

All VSL EMs are defined at that octave and Synchron Player plays causes all the standard articulations to be played by the VST. It is the non-standard ones, like ‘cantabile’, that don’t play back.

I noticed that if I assign a ‘legato’ articulation to the note, Dorico automatically triggers the legato articulation but along WITH … a ‘Cantabile’ type, in VSL! Well, well, well…

Now, the VSL EM has several ‘legato’ definitions: ‘legato auto-speed’, ‘legato cantabile’, ‘legato fast’, ‘legato fast marcato’, ‘legato marcato’, ‘legato normal’, ‘legato soft’ etc. - all with their unique key switches.

What causes the unique ‘legato’ playback technique definition to somehow be mapped ONLY onto the ‘legato cantabile’ articulation, inside the EM? Where is that (default?) assignment (or preference) being made?
• there is nothing different, in the EM, between these articulations except their key switches
• and they are all ‘enabled’
Is it the Synchron Player?

I also thought that perhaps the difference between ‘legato normal’ and ‘legato soft’ would come from an interpretation of the dynamics; but it doesn’t matter if I assign mf or pp to the note: ‘legato’ is always mapped onto ‘legato cantabile’.

Btw , I noticed that ‘legato’ playback technique is defined as a LENGTHS and not TECHNIQUE category. So I modified my ‘Cantabile’ playback technique to also be LENGTHS. Alas! it doesn’t make any difference…

I attached the test Dorico project and the VSL Synchron Strings 1 Violins EM

Gil
Synchron Strings I - Violins, Violas.zip (2.5 KB)

VSL SS1 Violin 1 section.dorico (592.4 KB)

[wing]

@Beyond_the_silence

I attached the test Dorico project and the VSL Synchron Strings 1 Violins EM

Would you be able to provide an export of your custom playback template as well? That will include the EMs you’ve built and will make it easier for me to troubleshoot (right now I can’t see your EMs in the project otherwise). I own Synchron Strings so I can hear exactly what’s going on (or not going on), so hopefully I can be of help and better answer your questions.

@Beyond_the_silence

Now, the VSL EM has several ‘legato’ definitions: ‘legato auto-speed’, ‘legato cantabile’, ‘legato fast’, ‘legato fast marcato’, ‘legato marcato’, ‘legato normal’, ‘legato soft’ etc. - all with their unique key switches.

What causes the unique ‘legato’ playback technique definition to somehow be mapped ONLY onto the ‘legato cantabile’ articulation, inside the EM? Where is that (default?) assignment (or preference) being made?
• there is nothing different, in the EM, between these articulations except their key switches
• and they are all ‘enabled’

Yeah in part that’s what I meant above, how sometimes those labels in the map are in name only, and not correctly connected to anything when you double-click the window. For example I just had a look at the VSL maps I have for SY Strings and stuff like “Legato agile”, when you double-click it, simply shows “Legato” as the connected technique. So it’s quite misleading and I believe they didn’t fully flesh out their playback templates (you’d have to create an ‘agile’ technique for that to work, which doesn’t exist in their maps). That’s just one example of many which I have seen. I’m grateful they exist as a starting point but I’ve had to edit a lot of their maps to work properly…

@Beyond_the_silence

Btw , I noticed that ‘legato’ playback technique is defined as a LENGTHS and not TECHNIQUE category. So I modified my ‘Cantabile’ playback technique to also be LENGTHS. Alas! it doesn’t make any difference…

Yeah, this won’t make any difference for playback. That’s simply for user organization purposes, to make it easier for you to find things. I personally never even bother with those subcategories in either the playing or playback techniques (I just dump all mine in the first/main folder which I find easier than clicking through all those categories in search of something)

[Beyond_the_silence]

Hi Jonathan,

So grateful for your feedback - tks! I’m relatively new to Dorico so some of this stuff is somewhat ‘exploration’ to me.

1. I attached my playback template (its name can be misleading…).

2. Regarding your comments on ‘agile’, or ‘cantabile’ in my case, it looks like we, Dorico users, have to edit VSL maps to their completion. Fair enough if, as you say, the initial definition is (at least) provided. But it sounds like a fair amount of spring work in sight (especially for the BBO sounds) … Time I could use for composition, instead…

3. Tks for the info about LENGTHS category - it is essentially documentation/metadata and a means of organizing things.

Tks again
Gil
VSL Synchronized.zip (1.9 MB)

[Beyond_the_silence]

Hello Jonathan,

A last minute update…

It just dawned on me that perhaps the playback template is not (after all - it would be too easy) just a list of pointers to EMs, but that it actually copies EMs into a separate package. Hence, the changes I made to the violin EM are not found in the existing playback template - so they should be re-introduced into it.

Following that intuition, I now edited my playback template, removed the Synchron Strings 1 Violins EM from it, and immediately added it back in, via the ‘add manual’ button. Well… now the playback technique ‘cantabile’ written into the score does map onto the ‘cantabile’ articulation recently edited into the EM!

Is it to be expected that, once an EM has been edited, any playback template containing it must be ‘refreshed’ (e.g. remove the EM and add it back in)? [Live & learn]

Gil

[Beyond_the_silence]

Woops, perish the thought! I had the wrong VST loaded (Elite strings instead of Synchron).

[mducharme]

@Beyond_the_silence

Btw , I noticed that ‘legato’ playback technique is defined as a LENGTHS and not TECHNIQUE category. So I modified my ‘Cantabile’ playback technique to also be LENGTHS. Alas! it doesn’t make any difference…

I attached the test Dorico project and the VSL Synchron Strings 1 Violins EM

I had a look at your project. You have an expression map entry named “Cantabile” which is not linked to any technique at all. Normally when you make an expression map entry, you link it to the desired techniques, and the name of the entry is auto generated based on the name(s) of the technique (or techniques) that you have linked it to. But in this case instead of linking the expression map entry to the “Cantabile” technique, which would also give it the name “Cantabile”, you forcibly manually overrode the name to Cantabile so that you have an expression map entry named “Cantabile” but which isn’t actually linked to the Cantabile technique - it isn’t linked to any technique and will never be used.

You have to click the pencil icon as shown in the screenshot and select cantabile from the list to link the expression map entry to the playback technique “cantabile”.

You also seem to have a bunch of other expression map entries in that same expression map that are similarly given descriptive override names but aren’t linked to any playback techniques and will not do anything.

[Beyond_the_silence]

Very interesting, Michael - and many tks for this.

Now I realize that you don’t just add an articulation with its key switches but that you must still link it back to the Playback technique that was created when adding the Playing technique.

And now I can see that ‘Legato cantabile’ and ‘Legato soft’ (provided by VSL) are BOTH associated with the same unique ‘Legato’ technique. Which explains why it always boils down to that.

Hence, if I were to create separate ‘legato cantabile’ and ‘legato soft’ playback techniques, associated with their respective playing techniques, I should now be able to discriminate between these two articulations. And tghe same for the remaining items.

If this is the case, then now I more fully understand Jonathan’s words about having to reconnect the pieces.

Gil

[mducharme]

@Beyond_the_silence

Hence, if I were to create separate ‘legato cantabile’ and ‘legato soft’ playback techniques, associated with their respective playing techniques, I should now be able to discriminate between these two articulations. And tghe same for the remaining items.

Yes, exactly. In the case of legato cantabile, which you already have but just isn’t linked properly (currently it is only linked to the ‘Legato’ technique), you just have to link it to both the Legato and Cantabile techniques, which can be accomplished by holding down the CTRL key on windows (or I guess it would probably be CMD on MacOS) while clicking on Cantabile.

This will select Cantabile in addition to the already selected Legato and you can see that both are selected because the text at the bottom of the Playback Technique Combinations pop-up window will show “Legato + Cantabile”. This text would also by default be used as the name of the expression map entry, but in this case you’ve given the name a manual override to “Legato cantabile” so that will be shown instead - which is fine - it doesn’t cause any problems.

[Beyond_the_silence]

Indeed, Michael.

In fact, I’ll remove ‘cantabile’ and work with ‘legato cantabile’ (e.g. you can’t have cantabile with detached notes etc.). But I will also discriminate the other types of articulations and will add the remaining details like velocity range, vibrato types, etc. I fear it will have to be the same for all Synchron instruments and all the BBO VST maps… but at least I now have a better idea how to do this.

For backup purposes, are the EM updates automatically carried into the playback template or do I have to re-update the Playback template (e.g. remove the entry and add it back manually)?

Gil

[mducharme]

You probably want to save the playback template again at the very least. If you don’t save the playback template, the changes would only be local to this one project.

Another thing I would suggest for troubleshooting purposes is to make use of the piano roll in write mode - specifically, the playing techniques lane.

Prior to linking the cantabile expression map entry to the technique, I could see that your note in bar 5 was just using the “long normal” entry. That’s how I immediately knew where the problem was. After linking it, it shows as it does in that screenshot.

You can mouse over the word “Cantabile” and a large tooltip appears that gives you additional troubleshooting information. This troubleshooting information provided by the tooltip is quite useful if you find the wrong technique is being triggered and are trying to determine why - often it is due either to a simple linking error, or there is a particular combination of techniques that you hadn’t counted on and it is falling back to the wrong one. An example of how this can go wrong is if you have a note that is con sord. harmonic and your library only has harmonic and con sord. techniques - not both together. Dorico realizes this and will fall back on either playing the note con sord without harmonic or harmonic without con sord. However, probably you want the harmonic without con sord as that will be much closer to the desired sound. If Dorico falls back on the wrong one in cases like this, I sometimes have to make a special expression map entry linked to both the playback techniques for harmonic and con sord. - a “dummy” articulation that Dorico will think is a real one but just triggers the regular senza sord harmonics sound with the normal harmonics keyswitch.

This becomes more of a concern once you stack up numerous techniques - imagine a note played con sord, sul pont, harmonics, and tremolo simultaneously. Probably the sample library doesn’t support that combination of techniques, and if Dorico doesn’t automatically fail back to a suitable one and instead makes a “bad” decision regarding which technique to fall back to, then you might need to manually make an expression map entry that has this combination to “force its hand” so to speak.

[Beyond_the_silence]

That’s great insight, Michael. And good feedback (or troubleshooting) info from Dorico in the bottom panel.

May I return to the last question asked:

I generated the ‘legato cantabile’ and ‘legato soft’ techniques into my project and they now work fine.

Then I closed the project and opened another one which also happens to use Synchron Strings I sounds. However, the newly created ‘legato cantabile’ and ‘legato soft’ techniques no longer appear in the playing techniques panel. Yet both pieces share the same Playback Template!

What must I do in order to make these EM, playing techniques changes global across all projects?

Gil

[mducharme]

I don’t believe it brings over the actual playing techniques from the panel. The playback techniques should be there though, and it is then easy to make your own playing techniques for them in the other project.

But that is the reason why VSL themselves do not use a lot of custom playback techniques - if they are not associated with specific playing techniques that are already in the list, Dorico users would have to manually create playing techniques to trigger those playback techniques in order to use the articulations. That’s the main reason they don’t map everything.

[Beyond_the_silence]

@mducharme

playback techniques should be there

In my test STRING project, the ‘Legato cantabile’ and ‘legato soft’ exist and show up in the lists provided by Library → Playing techniques and Library → Playback techniques

But NOT in the other projects that are using the same Playback Template and the same VSL EM. Everything has to be re-entered again.

What’s the point of ‘Library’ if everything has to be duplicated all the time?

[mducharme]

@Beyond_the_silence

But NOT in the other projects that are using the same Playback Template and the same VSL EM.

To get the new playback techniques over, you likely have to resave the Playback Template in the project where you are making the changes to it (and you might also have to resave the endpoint prior to resaving the Playback Template), and you may also have to reapply the template in the destination project. This is one area where I’m not entirely sure what steps are necessary in total. Once this all works, I think this ends up giving you the playback techniques though - not the playing techniques.

The playback techniques are per-project file, not system-wide, like the playing techniques. So to get them to another project, they have to be attached to something that applies to both projects, and that has to be properly saved in one and applied to the other - the playback template in this case should fill that role.

Because of this, you usually want to have some “master file” - a Dorico project that is used for a specific playback template, and whenever you want to make changes to that playback template, you don’t just make them from any old file using that template - you would instead make the changes in your master file and reapply the template to any other Dorico projects that are using that.

[wing]

@mducharme

You have an expression map entry named “Cantabile” which is not linked to any technique at all. Normally when you make an expression map entry, you link it to the desired techniques, and the name of the entry is auto generated based on the name(s) of the technique (or techniques) that you have linked it to. But in this case instead of linking the expression map entry to the “Cantabile” technique, which would also give it the name “Cantabile”, you forcibly manually overrode the name to Cantabile so that you have an expression map entry named “Cantabile” but which isn’t actually linked to the Cantabile technique - it isn’t linked to any technique and will never be used.

You have to click the pencil icon as shown in the screenshot and select cantabile from the list to link the expression map entry to the playback technique “cantabile”.

You also seem to have a bunch of other expression map entries in that same expression map that are similarly given descriptive override names but aren’t linked to any playback techniques and will not do anything.

@Beyond_the_silence

Now I realize that you don’t just add an articulation with its key switches but that you must still link it back to the Playback technique that was created when adding the Playing technique.

And now I can see that ‘Legato cantabile’ and ‘Legato soft’ (provided by VSL) are BOTH associated with the same unique ‘Legato’ technique. Which explains why it always boils down to that.

Yep, what Michael illustrated there is what I meant earlier, and perhaps didn’t come across clearly, when I said:

@wing

Also with VSL’s maps, I’ve found sometimes I have to doubleclick the name and re-assign it in the popup that will appear (the list of playback techniques). Because sometimes it show the text label, such as “Cantabile,” but it’s not actually connected to anything, or sometimes defaulting to Natural. Just seeing it say “Cantabile” in the text field doesn’t necessarily mean it’s connected to that playback technique.

That’s what I was referring to in the fact they are sometimes in name only, and you have to open that window to see what it’s actually connected to, if anything (and fairly often with VSL those more expressive and combined techniques are not connected to anything). Sorry my description was probably a bit vague, and thanks to Michael for going in much better detail, but glad you seem to have figured it out!

[wing]

@Beyond_the_silence

What must I do in order to make these EM, playing techniques changes global across all projects?

In addition to what Michael said, which is all correct with the playback templates, I also advise to save every element as global defaults anyway -

With playing techniques and playback techniques, it’s sometimes not the most clear but you have to hit the little ‘star’ icon in the bottom of each window, i.e.:

That saves them as a default which will now be visible across all your projects. I’m actually in the habit of doing it always because with my own workflow I haven’t found a situation where I don’t want these available in other projects – I pretty much always want my techniques everywhere.

Once you complete your maps, there’s also a way to make your expression maps available to all projects, regardless of the playback template. This can be handy in cases where you’re using a different playback template and wish to load an instance of SY strings without changing templates entirely, etc.

To do so you manually find the expression map file and drag it into this folder here:

Windows - C:Users\yournamehere\AppData\Roaming\Steinberg\Dorico 5\DefaultLibraryAdditions

Mac - Library/ApplicationSupport/Steinberg/Dorico 5/DefaultLibraryAdditions

Hope that helps.