# Expression maps - how to get started? **URL:** \ **Category:** Dorico\ **Created:** [March 25, 2025, 5:10pm UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/expression-maps-how-to-get-started/980397 "2025-03-25T17:10:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 20
**Author:** ![mducharme](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/steinberg/user_avatar/forums.steinberg.net/mducharme/32/274915_2.png) [@mducharme](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/mducharme)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2026, 7:37pm UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/expression-maps-how-to-get-started/980397/20 "2026-05-11T19:37:54Z")
> [@dgillett](#): > > I’m learning how to create an expression map, but they must already exist somewhere, right? Why aren’t the expression maps downloaded and installed automatically? This seems so clunky and clumsy. I’m sure a couple of years’ experience and it will be smooth as silk. But for a beginner, it’s maddening. They might. But Steinberg doesn’t make a lot of maps or playback templates on their own. Most of the maps are made by end-users and are of varying quality and standards because they are done by different people. There is currently no central repository for Dorico to find playback templates or maps online via some kind of service, instead it is up to the user to check a few different sources. One such source is the Playback Template page on the Dorico Blog: [Playback Template – Dorico](https://blog.dorico.com/playback-templates/) That has links to download playback templates made officially by Steinberg and also some end-users. That page is not complete though. There are also numerous maps available in this thread, some of which are on the Playback Template page and some of which are not: > [@Expression Maps for Dorico 3.5+](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/expression-maps-for-dorico-3-5/148834?_gl=1*71khl5*_gcl_au*MTg5MTAyMzI1NC4xNzc3NTg1NjI3): > > Contents [EastWest Hollywood Strings](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/expression-maps-for-dorico-3-5/148834/2)[BBC SO](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/expression-maps-for-dorico-3-5/148834/3)[Spitfire Solo Strings](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/expression-maps-for-dorico-3-5/148834/4)[VSL Synchron Strings](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/expression-maps-for-dorico-3-5/148834/5)[Iconica Sections and Players](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/expression-maps-for-dorico-3-5/148834/6)[Embertone’s Joshua Bell violin](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/expression-maps-for-dorico-3-5/148834/6)[EWQL Brass](https://www.steinberg.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=246&t=189346&p=1033134#p1033134) In this post I’ll give an overview of the process of creating Expression Maps for Dorico 3.5. Some of the following may also be applicable to earlier versions of Dorico, but 3.5 has a number of new Expression Map features that won’t work in earlier versions. I’ve worked through the creation of Expression Maps for a few popular libraries … And @benwiggy posted a template for Berlin Free Orchestra in this thread, which apparently was forgotten to link to in the master Expression Maps thread: > [@Orchestral Tools Berlin Free Orchestra](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/orchestral-tools-berlin-free-orchestra/979636): > > Orchestral Tools have released a free version of their [Berlin Orchestra](https://www.orchestraltools.com/berlin-free-orchestra) samples, available when you download their SINE Player and create an account. I’ve made a simple Playback Template for it. [Berlin Free Orchestra.dorico\_pt.zip](https://forums.steinberg.net/uploads/short-url/usFcR0CtClbhd2QZ3lQomySDg8G.zip) (35.3 KB) I haven’t done the Drums, Cymbals or Percussion instruments yet. I have done the Timpani, glockenspiels, xylophones, etc. It doesn’t seem very responsive to dynamics; that might need some work: either changing the curve or reining in the maxima and minima… Although the template in that first post excludes the unpitched percussion maps, in the last post a user created percussion maps and uploaded them in a separate zip file. --- _[View the full topic](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/expression-maps-how-to-get-started/980397)._