Harp and percussion issues

I didn’t find any other thread related to this point, forgive me if these already exist.

I’m a Dorico pro 3.1 and Win 10 user. I have two related? issues:

  1. My HSO library doesn’t have harp, I can only use a GM harp that sounds pretty ugly. Do Dorico pro built-in libraries not include a proper harp as it do include good strings, WW or brass?
  2. When I add certain percussion instruments (e.g. snare drum) Dorico doesn’t load the proper patch in Halion and instead loads GM percussions. Yes, I can load it manually but the instrument isn’t connected properly to its percussion map. It’s very strange for me that Dorico doesn’t include all percussion instruments well configured by default. Can this be an error in my library?

I’m afraid the only harp included with Dorico is indeed the rather crummy GM harp that sounds more like a nylon-string guitar. There are lots of lovely harps available, including a decent-sounding one in the Spitfire BBC Symphony Orchestra Discover library, which is either $49 or free depending on whether you’re willing to fill out their survey in order to get it. I’m also very partial to the Soundiron Elysium Harp, which runs inside Kontakt Player.

If you add an orchestral snare drum you should find that Dorico chooses the appropriate patch. Try adding ‘Side Drum’ rather than ‘Snare Drum’, which should load the HSO Snare Combi Key patch automatically.

Hi Miguel!
I use the harp from Pianoteq 6, which I find an excellent piano (and harpsichord and harp) VST3.

Thanks, Daniel and Marc. MIDI Harp is a minor issue but not percussion instruments. Side drum don’t works properly either.

I recently updated to 3.5. I loaded 7 orchestral percussion instruments (clash cymbal, side drum, suspended cymbal, tam-tam, tambourine, triangle and bass drum). All of them loaded the right patch in a Halion instance except side drum which loaded ‘[GM129] Stereo GM Kit’. A colleague (mac user) tells me that he has the same problem, side drum loads ‘grand cassa’ patch.

On the other hand, none of them has the same playing techniques than its Halion patch. Moreover all of them only have ‘natural’ so I can’t switch between different noteheads (except side drum that has natural, rim, cross stick, side stick, which do not match either with ‘Snare Combi Key’ playback playing techniques).

It’s a weird problem. Is there any solution?