Dorico and VSL: Precision or Flow View?

Dorico
1

Hi,

I mostly use VSL sounds with Dorico. Up to now I’ve created expression maps tracking each individual nuance in the written score.

But with the appearance of the Flow View, I wonder if I shouldn’t, at least up to an advanced level of sketching, use that one instead of the Precision mode.

Even without using the Universal articulation (that removes all the keyswitches), limiting to the other articulations of the Flow View mode would shrink the expression map targets down to a few entries. For example, with Duality Strings you could only use:

  • Longs
  • Staccato
  • Détaché
  • Pizz./Col legno
  • Tremolo
  • Trills
  • Harmonics
  • Glissandos

As an added luxury, you could add:

  • Swell
  • Runs

The different attacks, and the length of the short notes, would be controlled by your playing’s velocity while recording. The type of legato/portamento would be controlled with the damper pedal.

I suspect that a decent mockup could be created this way. The more detailed expression map would be reserved to the finer works, where the output wouldn’t have to be just a mockup for the real players, but the final piece that will not be performed live.

If you are using Synchron Prime, there would be even less to select via expression map. That is: start composing, and don’t think to any technicality from your computer.

How are you doing with it?

Paolo

2

For Duality there’s no ability to turn sordino on or off in flow, you need to load two flow instruments, one with sordino and one not. You also don’t have access to colors techniques (like sul pont and flautando).

I am interested in eventually moving everything to flow mode but have the following requirements first:

  1. I shouldn’t miss out on any articulations in any libraries by using flow
  2. I should be able to use flow at least for the majority of libraries I commonly use, if not all the VSL libraries I use
  3. I very strongly want to be able to use my own custom mic mixes instead of being forced to use the official ones. This isn’t necessarily a complete dealbreaker, but close since I spent so much time customizing the mix of everything in precision.

So for me there is a lot of interest but it is this nice shiny feature I can’t really use right now.

1 Like
3

Same for me regarding colors and sordino.

I would be interested in the usage of Flow view in Dorico, too. It looks promising to have a small set of articulations available in expression maps and have the pick of the detailed articulations being made by Flow. I think this could lead to a even better sound right out of the box.

I hope they come up with a solution like the mixed presets in precision view where you can toggle between sordino and senza sordino (key switch or CC) and where you can trigger sul pont in Flow by playing technique.