I have not found any instructional help on how to setup a concert band score in Dorico Pro 5 using Garritan Instruments in an ARIA VST2 Multi. I setup the ARIA player and the instruments are not all reflected in the Endpoint Setup!
I have most of the Garritan sample libraries: GPO, JABB, GOS, Finale Default Bank, Personal Orchestra 5, Tablewarp, Instant Orchestra, EWI Default USB bank, and Band-in-a-Box Sounds. I would like to use these as they do sound better to my ear than the HALion SE that comes with Dorico.
Is there an instruction tutorial that can walk me through this?
ARIA is currently in a bit of a state. Ideally, you want to use the VST3 plug-ins, if possible. Steinberg deprecated VST2 over 10 years ago, and is likely to drop their use entirely at some point.
If you’re on an Apple Silicon Mac, then you need to install the 2.0.26 ARIA player and plug-ins from MakeMusic’s support site.
If you’re on Windows, the latest version is 1.959, which you can get here. ARIA Player 1.959.
I’d also recommend installing the Sforzando Player from Plogue (the people who made ARIA for MM), as this will update the ‘engine’ that ARIA Player uses to 1.978.
(I’d also recommend that Mac users install the 1.978 engine, because MM’s 2.026 player actually still uses the 1.959 engine!! And the version numbering disparity means that Mac and Windows can’t share setups. But I digress.)
I’ve created a Playback template for GPO5 here. (It requires the 1.978 engine.) There’s also as much copious information about ARIA as I could find.
Oooh: thanks for the info about EWI USB. While the samples are unlikely to be anything that isn’t already in the other Garritan packages, having a PNG licence for an additional bank is always useful…!!!
One more question please. How do I get Garritan Libraries, expression and percussion maps to be included in the Endpoint Setup so I don’t have to load them every time I start a new piece?
Thanks, everything you presented so far has been fantastic and really helped with using my old Garritan Sample Libraries. I am just looking for a template that includes Garritan so it is setup when I pick a score setup. I’m basically lazy and don’t like repeating procedures everytime I start a new piece.
Once you save an “Endpoint” – the information that Dorico needs to link its own instruments to the VST instrument, with the appropriate Expression and Percussion Maps – you can then use that as the building blocks of a Playback Template.
When you select a Playback Template, then Dorico checks that for each instrument added to the score, and copies the relevant VST data and maps.
So I’ve downloaded the latest version of Aria via Sforzando, but how do I get Dorico to find it? When I go into the Play setting in Dorico and open Ex. map it’s not listed. Is there a function where I can search the location of Aria and my Garritan JABB voices? I’ve read the Garritan manuals but I see no mention of how to get Dorico to ‘find’ the Aria player. I’m using Windows 11. Thanks for any help pointing me in the right direction!
In fairness, the Garritan manuals were all written before Dorico existed!
I would recommend watching some of the tutorials on Dorico’s YouTube channel about how VSTs, Endpoints, Expression Maps and Playback Templates all work in Dorico.
There is already a JABB Playback template; though it does need some work, and I’m preparing a “revised” version.
Thank you! That opened just as you described. Now I kinda like the Halion sax, trumpet and rhythm voices, so can I leave them alone and plugin the Garritan voices for just the trombones?
Thank you, so much, for guiding me through this. I wouldn’t had a clue how to approach these changes.
Firstly: you don’t need to use Sforzando: just installing it will update the “Engine” that both it and ARIA Player use.
In Play Mode, select the VST and MIDI tab. Then click on the + icon to add a VST plug-in. Select ARIA, under Garritan..
arranger2:
I’ve read the Garritan manuals but I see no mention of how to get Dorico to ‘find’ the Aria player.
In fairness, the Garritan manuals were all written before Dorico existed!
I would recommend watching some of the tutorials on Dorico’s YouTube channel about how VSTs, Endpoints, Expression Maps and Playback Templates all work in Dorico.
There is already a JABB Playback template; though it does need some work, and I’m preparing a “revised” version.
You can of course set up as many VST plug-ins as you want/need for any and all instruments, using HALion, ARIA, and any other players you have.
However, if you’re doing this for more than one document, then you need to look at creating a Playback Template, so you can apply what you want, automatically.
Thanks again, but I guess my question is how to assign them properly. My trombones are currently using channels 10-13. Do I need to put the four trombone parts in 10-13, and will Dorico recognize that? How do I know if it’ll just continue using the Halion voices? I’ve spent a half an hour trying to make the switch but Dorico keeps using the Halion voices.
Thank you! That opened just as you described. Now I kinda like the Halion sax, trumpet and rhythm voices, so can I leave them alone and plugin the Garritan voices for just the trombones?
You can of course set up as many VST plug-ins as you want/need for any and all instruments, using HALion, ARIA, and any other players you have.
However, if you’re doing this for more than one document, then you need to look at creating a Playback Template, so you can apply what you want, automatically.
The channel in Dorico’s Track Inspector has to match the ‘slot’ in the plug-in. You’re basically saying “send the MIDI from this staff to channel x of the plug-in”.
First off I’d really like to thank you for all of the assistance you’ve given me. It is really appreciated! I’m getting closer to figuring this out, but now I’m stuck once again. Right now I’m just trying to switch my trombones over from Halion Sonic voices to Garritan JABB voices. Trombones 1-3, obviously, will have similar voices and ranges, but when I install the bass trombone voice into Aria and go back to Dorico all of the trombone voices are exactly the same. So no bass bone. Should a different Aria window open for each selected voice in Dorico, because right now when I select a different trombone voice the same Aria window opens with the previously installed voice(s). I guess that’s why all of the trombones now sound the same, although with a JABB voice. Any thought on where I go from here? Thank you, again, benwiggy!
I’ve just spent another hour and a half trying to figure out how to get Aria to play within Dorico and have struck again. I opened a brand new big band template and went to trombone 1, which is using MIDI channel 10. I clicked the VST and MIDI button, and then clicked the plus (+) sign and then clicked on Garritan and then Aria. Next I opened the e button to install a trombone 1 voice from JABB. In that Aria window I could hear the trombone voice, but when I went to the Write window in Dorico it continued to play the Halion Sonic voice from the template. What am I failing to do? At this point I’m about ready to give up and deal with the slow envelope of the Halion trombone voices. Once again I appreciate the time you have invested in this old Finale codger.
In the “Routing” panel, you need to set the VST that you want for the selected instrument.
You’ve created four ARIA Plug-ins, each with one of 3 Trombones, and the Bass Trombone.
You need to assign those VSTs to your Trombone instruments.
I notice that you’re not using the KS (keyswitch) Garritan instruments. If you use those, then you can use the Expression Map I provided to trigger all the different Mute sounds
I see what you mean now. So I re-routed the four trombones and they worked…until they didn’t. The first trombone suddenly went mute, and then the other three without changing anything. I normally use the KS voices, but I was just trying to figure out things first and set it up with just open voices. Here’s my template again. Do you know why the voices went silent all of a sudden? Big Band Template.dorico (3.0 MB)
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arranger2: