Love it! Freehand with the Pencil is fantastic, only unfortunate bit is that it’s not useful with iOS VSTs which are so simple. If Vienna released a VEP VST for iOS that would be brilliant as we could use all our desktop libraries.
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I agree that Vienna should release a VEP VST…that would be ideal. However, you can use VE Pro (at least in standalone mode…haven’t yet tested a server instance hosted in a DAW) with iPad via Wi-Fi midi connection. It takes a bit of setup, but I am using Midi Tools app on the iPad to add an audio unit instrument that routes a midi out signal to my desktop. The desktop uses rtpMidi (a free app for PC or Mac) to create a Wi-Fi midi port on the desktop for the iPad to connect to. Then, in VE Pro, simply activate the new port in the preferences menu, and select it for each instrument you set up. It is pretty stable for me so far.
While it is not currently possible to use the VSL expression maps, it looks like that will probably change in the near future since they have put some stock expression maps in the new expression map feature and are using an interface that suggests more to come.
For now, I am trying to use Dorico for iPad to draw cc1, cc11 curves to shape approximate performances and then save to the desktop to add more expression map driven patch-switching. Not the smoothest workflow, but I hope it will get better with time.
So it’s basically a MIDI endpoint? Where does the audio go, presumably it’s playing out the desktop audio?
Yeah, looks cool but too clumsy for me to bother with for now. I don’t notice that many point curves are necessary, it’s not how players really play anyhow, they tend to think in straight lines (peaks, low points of a phrase). So straight lines are fine, if the Dorico team can improve working with them that’s all I need. They’re really twitchy, whereas curves can be arbitrarily drawn, lines have a set of built in rules (can’t have start points overlap with a previous line, etc). Anyhow they’re working on that tool apparently and I hope this one part can be brought up to par with curves.
So yeah drawing curves with the pencil is neat, but I really need the actual VST for it to be useful, it usually takes a few tries to get just the right shape.
Yes, it is admittedly a bit clumsy. I am hoping that the improvements keep coming.
And yes, VEPro is a midi endpoint and the audio comes out of the desktop.
I am still searching for the ideal workflow…this is not it, but it can serve a purpose, for me at least.
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