Having trouble with handbell LV in playback

[bellist]

I have two problems with the playback of the handbell LV – sustained sound or the equivalent of piano pedaling. I’m pretty sure I have the playback map and expression map set up right (apologies if I didn’t use the right words).

In the first problem, which is minimally changed from the handbell template I made for myself I put an LV on the stem up voice in the bass staff. I hear the sustained sound when I enter new notes – the first note I enter is still sounding when I enter the second and third. But in playback they are not sustained, I hear each note sound its note value.

LV-Test.dorico (641.6 KB)

The second problem is in a file I’ve I’ve been working on for quite a while and the situation is a bit more basic. I open the file, go into Play, and select the Music flow. As I click on each voice, in two of them the expression map is default and two of them it is “…”

I click on the voices one at a time and set the Ex. map to Handbells. I click on the top voice. I click again on the third and fourth voices and the Ex. map has reset to “…”

I haven’t yet put an “LV” markings in the score because I need to resolve this issue first.

Version2.dorico (907.2 KB)

What do I need to do to fix these problems?

[bellist]

I’m using Dorico 5.

[bellist]

I posted this more than 24 hours ago. Does no one know how I might deal with problems? Did I scare people away because I used “handbell” in the title? Is there a way to get around instead of fix?

[Christian_R]

Hi @bellist, I don’t have Aria Player, but:

@bellist

in playback they are not sustained, I hear each note sound its note value.

• in your first file (using Note Performer) your CC64 on that voice works (I can see the faint grey line on the 127 value in key editor cc64 lane) and plays back as expected.
  Here an example of the playback (with Note Performer. I made all notes to 16th and increased the pitches distances, to test the sustain for the “lower staff up-stem voice 1”):
  

@bellist

I click on the voices one at a time and set the Ex. map to Handbells. I click on the top voice. I click again on the third and fourth voices and the Ex. map has reset to “…”

• in your second file you have only one MIDI channel in your Endpoint Setup (clicking on the gear icon). You may want to increase the number of MIDI channels to 4, to be able to assign the same Expression Map to those channels:
  
  

(I don’t know if this may be helpful. Let’s wait that someone who has Aria Player will give further advices)

[bellist]

Some progress, a lot of learning. Thank you for the help.

Working with my first file, the LV-Test, I don’t see “the faint grey line on the 127 value in key editor cc64 lane.” I eventually found it – but on my system this is red, not grey.

But no, it does not play back as expected. With the LV turned on I expect the notes of that voice to stay on until it gets to a symbol that sets cc64 to zero, which I have not yet placed in the score. The effect should be the same as holding down the sustain pedal on a piano, where the first pitch continues after the second is sounded.

This is not an Aria Player problem. I got the same thing switching to HALion.

On to the second file, the Version2. I made progress with this one, though there is still an open question.

While in Play for all four voices I changed their endpoint setups to have 4 channels. Then back in the regular Play panels I changed all four voices to use the Handbell Expression map. After the changes when clicking between voices the Ex. map did not reset to default or “…”

Along the way I saw that for the top voice the endpoint setup box is titled “Endpoint Setup 02” and for the other three voices that box is titled “Endpoint Setup 03.” I would have expected the bottom ones to be titled “…04” and “…05” but they’re not.

That might explain why, when I mute any of the lower 3 the other two are also muted.

How do I give each voice its own Endpoint Setup?

With the endpoint setups changed I went into Write and added LV to one place. In playback I got the sustain I was looking for! I was able to enter a damp symbol and (just as important) the LV ended. I was also able to verify that with Note Performer.

Is there a good discussion on Play that links how playing techniques, playback techniques, expression maps, and endpoint setups all have to fit together for effective playback? I’m still using Dorico 5 and haven’t seen such a thing in the manual (not that I’ve read all 1900 pages).

[Christian_R]

Sorry, I said all I know on the subject (not so much ).
Possibly someone with more experience with handbells will tell you more.

[bellist]

I think I’m encountering general Dorico issues. Knowledge of handbells isn’t necessary.

[Christian_R]

@bellist

Is there a good discussion on Play that links how playing techniques, playback techniques, expression maps, and endpoint setups all have to fit together for effective playback?

In case you don’t know it, there is a Video series about Playback (playlist with 17 videos, growing):

[bellist]

Thanks. Those videos will keep my busy for a while.

[Derrek]

I do not believe the LV property has any playback function at all unless one adds it oneself in a custom expression map.

[bellist]

I had done that. This post was to figure out why that wasn’t working. I’m glad that for one of my files it is working. I’m still puzzled about the other one.