Handbell LV, popover to expression to technique to sound?

[bellist]

I changed my Halion sound from piano to flute so I could better hear when the sound began and ended.

With that in place I created a default expression map for Laissez Vibrer – MIDI controller 64 value of 127.

I created a Playback Technique for Laissez Vibrer, only flipping the Articulation type from Attribute to Direction before clicking on OK.

Using popovers I put a couple LV marks, each on a different staff, in the score at a place I wanted them.

The flute sounds definitely sustained.

I created a Damp expression map for MIDI controller 64 value of zero. I created a Playback Technique for Damp, again flipping the Articulation type from Attribute to Direction. I put a few popovers for damp in the score.

In playback the flute sounds do not stop when the playhead gets to them. They only cut off when I stop playback.

Also, when I select a note (to add a popover or to say start playback from here) the flute sound comes on and doesn’t stop until I click on MIDI reset in the Halion panel.

I think what I have below is everything I’m supposed to need to start sustain and to stop it.

I create a popover for l.v. – I actually see two of them. I may or may not have created one of them. If I did I don’t remember how. I believe the other was already a part of Dorico. I don’t know how they differ and I don’t know how to find out. When the popover displays after being created it shows as “LV” and not “lv” or “l.v.” implying I did something somewhere.

One (or both) of those popover LV markings connects to the Expression Map for Laissez Vibrer through a mechanism I don’t know how to verify. In that expression map I say it corresponds to MIDI CC64, which is set to the maximum of 127. The expression map for Laissez Vibrer existed (at least in the list) and I connected it to MIDI CC64.

I have a Playback Technique with the name Laissez Vibrer, a name that already existed in the list of possible techniques. I think a technique got created when I switched from Attribute to Direction and clicked OK. Does the particular Playback Technique get connected to the Expression Map through name? Is there a way to verify that connection?

The info in the Expression Map gets passed through the Playback Technique to the actual sound generating program, in this case Halion.

Then on to discussing releasing the sustain. I created an Expression Map I called “damp” (that’s what I want the performer to do to the bell). I created a Playback Technique I called “damp”. I created a few popovers, finding “damp” in the list. That put damp symbols (a circle with horizontal and vertical lines through the middle) in the score. Though for my uses this symbol is correct, I’m sure I did not specify what symbol to use for this popover.

The first popover – expression map – playback technique appears to work. The second does not.

Did I do it right?

How do I verify each part of the path from popover to map to technique to sound generator so I know what to fix?

How do I tell what staves, stem direction, or channel is affected by this information route?

Yeah, I’m feeling confused and frustrated over all this.

[mducharme]

Just to clarify, a single expression map typically contains multiple techniques, and only one expression map can be assigned at a time to each channel. So I just wanted to confirm that you are using the same expression map, with a technique for natural, laissez vibrer, and damp. You said you made a few expression maps which doesn’t quite make sense - I’m thinking maybe you meant you made a few techniques/switches in the single expression map.

When troubleshooting, view the piano roll in Dorico (you can open it in the bottom pane in write mode) and check the techniques lane there. It will show you what technique in the expression map it is trying to use at a specific spot, which will likely help you to identify what might be going wrong.

[bellist]

Thanks for the clarification. It’s an indication of how little I know about what’s going on in Dorico and what a struggle it’s been to learn and figure it out.

[mducharme]

If you want to upload a Dorico file that demonstrates the issue, I can have a look and see if I can figure it out.

[bellist]

Thanks for telling me about the piano roll in the bottom pane. It does show Laissez Vibrer beginning and not ending.

I’ve uploaded the project file. In measures 1 and 2 I simulated LV by extending how much a note sounds. My attempts at LV and damp begin in measure 3. Thanks for offering to take a look at it.

However, I would very much like to know how to figure all this out on my own. I want to know how the popovers link to the expression map to the techniques and to the sound generator.
Shepherd.dorico (935.9 KB)

[Janus]

@bellist

I want to know how the popovers link to the expression map to the techniques and to the sound generator.

You type a playing technique in the popover. The definition of the Playing Technique references a playback technique. The Expression Map has a switch for that playback technique, which sends the correct keyswitch/CC message to the VST to trigger the correct sound.

[mducharme]

No problem, I’ll walk you through the process step by step.

So the first thing is, you’re modifying the “Default” Expression map and have added the Laissez vibrer technique to it. You probably don’t actually want to do this. Go into Library->Expression Maps and duplicate your “Default” Expression map, call it something like “Handbells” instead.

Your handbells expression map has been made as a duplicate of “Default” so it already has the “LV” technique in there which you added to “Default”. All you have to do now is add the “Damp” technique to it as well. In your “Handbells” expression map, add a new base Switch for Damp that sets CC64 to 0.

Now you have a new expression map called “Handbells” that has two techniques that you’ve manually added - LV and Damp. Now you have to apply this Handbells expression map to the actual instruments.

To do this, go into Play mode and make sure the track inspector is active.

Then, for all the instruments/voices that need to use the “Handbells” map, select the track in the list and change the expression map to “Handbells” (repeat the process for each track you need to change to “Handbells”.

It should now work as expected.

[mducharme]

On top of that, you might find you have to add a mutual exclusion group to the expression map so that it understands that “L.V.” and “Damp” can’t both be active at the same time. Otherwise it may try to “stack” the two techniques on top of each other and may think that the notes are LV and Damp simultaneously.

Adding them to the mutual exclusion group tells Dorico that the notes can’t be both “Damp” and “Laissez Vibrer” at the same time, and then it knows that one direction automatically cancels the other.

In this particular case you probably do need to define that mutual exclusion group manually for correct operation, because without doing that it seems to think that “Damp” and “L.V.” can both be active at the same time. I can tell by mousing over the “Damp” in the techniques lane of the piano roll - the tooltip that appears shows that “Damp + LV” active at the same time. After creating the Mutual Exclusion Group it should only show Damp active.

[bellist]

Thank you. To make sure I understand this, the popover references the Playback Technique and not the Expression Map. Then the Playback Technique passes information on to the Expression Map. And the Expression Map talks the the program that makes the sounds.

Again, to verify: The popover knows what Playback Technique to use because they have the same name. The Playback Technique knows what Expression Map to use because an instrument has only one. And the Playing Technique refers to the proper expression within the Expression Map because they have the same name.

So in my original problem description I had the components in the wrong order.

Is any of this spelled out in the 1925 page manual?

[bellist]

I see why it didn’t work before. I had the LV and damp in two different expression maps. It is working now.

I can’t simply rename the default expression map?

Thank you.

[mducharme]

I would generally recommend making your own expression map instead of renaming “Default”. The reason is that adding the techniques to “Default” creates an override for the “Default” expression map in that one file only. If you make a new file, Default will be back at the regular factory version of “Default” in that new file. So it is better to make your own named something like “Handbells” and then you can export the map to a file and import it into other projects as needed.

[Janus]

Yes (ish).

You need to be very clear about two terms: Playing technique (written on the score) and Playback technique (something that is understood by an expression map).

The reason these are two very different things is because the same written notation can have different meanings to different instruments (eg. both strings and brass use mutes but possibly in different sonic ways) and Expression Maps can use combinations of playback techniques to trigger specific sounds that may be written as a single playing technique on the score.

(sorry if that’s not precise for the purists)

[bellist]

Yes, I see where I confused the terms in my description. I understand the distinction. Thank You.