For my Dorico score I have used the NotePerformer Playback Engine 'SYNCHRON_ised SE1. Launching this gives 16 slots/channels to load instruments. This also has an advanced option to route separate outs to 16 slots/channels of Dorico’s mixer.
However, what if the score has more than 16 players/instruments; say 20 instruments? Is there a way to use a second instance of the NotePerformer Playback Engine to route the remaining 4 instruments?
The only option I see is to route the remaining 4 instruments to slots already assigned an instrument so that, in this scenario, slots 1-4 will have two instruments?
Is this as good as NPPE gets or is there another way to accommodate more than 16 instruments?
So far as I know, you don’t need to worry about this at all. In NPPE, you can simply add all the instruments you need. NotePerformer itself will be clever enough to figure out how to address the instruments you’ve loaded in NPPE.
I wanted to add some inserts to the NPPE which, I think, is only possible using the NPPE advanced option of using separate outs to Dorico’s mixer where we are able to add inserts. However, this advanced option seems to be limited to 16 tracks.
From what I can gather, it’s not possible to add a 2nd instance of the NPPE which would give another 16 tracks.
However, I realise a work around to this is just to open a second instance of Dorico and NPPE with the remaining players/instruments then export the audio or MIDI of both Dorico scores then mix these in my DAW (Reaper).
Hit the same problem myself on a piece with around 22 separate staves using BBC SO Pro + separate outputs in NPPE. One solution might be to consolidate pairs or groups of instruments onto fewer NPPE outputs I suppose but when noteperformer without NPPE cleverly assigns all instruments across more than one plugin instance it seems a shame if NPPE can’t then provide more outputs to view back in the Dorico mixer. Hoping if anyone might have a solution to this here - and thanks anyway.
Will send a snatch yes - need to tidy it up a bit first - and thanks. Yep I can certainly get more than 16 instruments to happily play with NPPE - so no probs there.
It’s more about assigning them to outputs in nppe advanced settings where you get a max choice of 16 audio (stereo) channels which can then route back to Dorico mixer. I suppose I could assign the first 14 or so to individual outs in nppe and then consolidate the remaining ones onto the last 2 channels. Here’s the Dorico mixer scribble strip shot anyway.
If it is a fix that is needed - I think this may be more a solution within NPPE. Within the NotePerformer mixer itself - my two plugin instances assign instruments perfectly but of course route back to a single channel in Dorico when NPPE is not used - so the question is whether the separate outs from NPPE can expand to handle a second instance of the NP mixer - that will represent itself back as 16+ separate channels within the Dorico mixer itself… (I will try the NP forum as well - but I have not noticed one on that site)
Thanks again.
Your analysis is correct. You cannot have more than 16 outputs routed from NPPE into the Dorico mixer, no matter how many instances of NotePerformer you are using.
Just posting an update for any who are interested in this topic.
I have posted a query about the lack of more than 16 stereo outs in NPPE and the relationship of the arrangement of these outputs in the Dorico 5 mixer - withiut any confusion of the naming or channel position of the separate NPPE output returns within the Dorico mixer.
Sadly I have put the support form in twice on the NotePerformer website over the last 8 or 9 days but have not received any response at all. I’m sure they are very busy but some advice there would have been good.
Update. Alexander from WI tech support has now responded and a fix is in the pipeline.
I have asked Wallander tech support a similar question regarding the current limitation of 16 outputs (because with my larger orchestral templates I would love to separate individual instruments rather than subgroups), requesting an expansion of available channels. I was told:
Regarding the outputs, the plan is to support up to 16 outputs per NP instance, which will most likely work only with Dorico. However, we don’t have a timeline for expanding this functionality yet, but rest assured, your request has been noted!
I hope that hearing it from more people they will definitely add that functionality, as well as an improved method of communication with the Dorico mixer as you mentioned. Fingers crossed for NP5!
I heard so many great things about NP, so I couldn’t wait to check it out and give it a try. Yeah, I’m impressed, but I find the interpretation of a cresc from ppp to mf, for example, very dramatic, too dramatic, way to much Hollywood Blockbuster-ish. So, first of all I thought there must exists possibilities to fine-tune the interpretation but there isn’t. I’m always using Dorico as a scoring tool and use VSL expression maps heavily and rout each audio channel from Dorico to my DAW using IAC driver (of course on Mac) This works pretty fine. There seems no way if I’m using NotePerformer as the player engine. I only get a fully mixed stereo signal from NPPE. All other tracks are silent. This breaks my workflow entirely and I don’t understand the benefit of NP’s more or less “Black Box” model which only allows me to consume its final mix. @wing If you are working with more than 16 individual instruments, are you still all mixing entirely within Dorico?
