Creating vocal rehearsal tracks with PlayScore2/Dorico/SynthesizerV

Dorico
1

Hello,

My current workflow is scanning sheetmusic to pdf, use PlayScore2, export to musicxml, open this in Dorico, perform corrections and then export to midi and make mixes in Logic Pro using Pianoteq as sounds.

I mainly do this to create vocal rehearsal tracks for my choir, so depending on the sheetmusic I sometimes also need to split staves (e.g. when Soprano and Alt are on the same stave), then I use the “explode” functionaly (this is a bit “wonky” at times though, not sure if this is due to the generated musicxml).

I really like Dorico’s way of handling insert/deletion of notes for correcting in a way that preserves notes in the following measures. This has been causing me headaches in some other programs a while ago.

Last Christmas I actually started an experiment to use SynthesizerV vocal synth instead of piano sounds and my first result was this:

I’m stil figuring out how to make the workflow of applying the lyrics more optimal, but it is already working fairly well.

Since Dorico is currently not exporting the lyrics in midi, I manually added the lyrics in Synthesizer V.

But now I’m looking into exporting musicxml, import in Logic, export midi and that seems to include the lyrics correctly so they are available on import in Synthesizer V.

I also noticed that entering lyrics in Dorico helps check correctness of the scanned score (e.g. in case PlaysScore2 misses ties between notes, sometimes there is a visual bow, but it didn’t register as an actual tie and you end up with 2 notes in playback).

I had to do some lyric “trickery”, since SynthV uses “-“ and “+” lyrics for legato and splitting words across notes based on syllables.

I cannot seem to use “-“ as a lyric, so I am using “~” and then do a text replace back to “-“ inside SynthV.

For multi syllable words, I put the full word on the first note and then put “+” lyrics on the next notes, which SynthV is able to handle correctly.

I also noticed that some lyrics (Ooh) end with “_” in the lyrics, but I don’t know yet what is causing that (but those are easily removed).

All in all I’m really happy with what I have now.

I don’t know when/if it would be possible to use SynthV vst inside Dorico for playback, but that would at least be nice for prelistening how something could sound.
Now I sometimes need several round trips to listen/correct/export/import again in different programs.

Best regards,

Jeroen

3 Likes
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If you’re looking for rehearsal tracks, you should check out cantamus.app. I use it with XML exports from Dorico. Brilliant.

1 Like
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Definitely check out cantamus, as Dan says. Superb for rehearsal tracks. Also, works great in different languages.

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I have just started using Dreamtronics Synthesizer V for vocal parts and am seeking advice from any others who have tried it or use it. I like the voices and have had success exporting audio and a MIDI files from Dorico to insert into Synthesizer V but have had less success trying to use Synth V as a VST inside Dorico. Synth V seems to take over the (NP) instrumental parts to make them sound like an electric piano.

Has anyone dealt with this and found a solution?

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I think one thing to realize is that the Dorico (midi) playback engine does not seem to have access to the lyrics. (This is why midi export does not include lyric information). And this is why I am exporting musicxml.

Also in order to have anything other than “sine wave audio” (is that the electrical piano sound you mean?) from Synthesizer V you need to select a voice. I don’t have any experience with running the vst plugin inside Dorico.
I know from the standalone synth v app that if you don’t have lyrics and you have a voice selected then you will get “la” lyrics for every note.

But all in all I’m not exactly sure what is currently (im)possible when using the synth v vst plugin inside Dorico.

There is also an active synth v forum at https://forum.synthesizerv.com/

6

I know this and did not expect it to.

The (instrumental) “voices” I am unhappy with are not assigned to Synth V; they are NotePerformer voices that Synth V seems to have co-opted and plays haltingly with what I described as an electric piano sound.

Since I just started using Synth V, I just threw an audio file of the accomp and a MIDI file of the vocal(s) into the Synth V standalone player. I find I like the voices: Weina is particularly good. I plan to do more experimenting to see if I cannot use the Synth V VST plug-in within Dorico without the side effects I experienced before and was hoping someone who had tried that might offer additional advice.

7

I write in synth V,
export midi file,
import midi file to Dorico (including tempos)
make a track in Dorico with Synth V
open the song in the Synth V plugin. Now I have the rendered voices playing alongside Dorico midi.
still have to add lyrics to dorico though

8

Have you tried their Rap mode?
I tend to write in Dorido and transfer the instrumental audio and vocal MIDI to Synth V (if I do not port everything to Cubase and work from there.

My experience has been that once I import a vocal track to Synth V, Synth V grabs hold of the pitch, and even if I use that as a rhythmic guide to enter rap “notes” below and then erase the pitched notes, Synth V also plays the deleted pitched notes.

Dreamtonic’s support is non-existent. Beyond their manual, there is no developer support, and the forum they direct one to does not load when I try to access it. (I guess Dorico support has spoiled me. :smirk:)