I guess all I can do is try different methods that people are suggesting. I’ll give it my best shot With my limited knowledge of this application because I’m very new to it.
How do I configure Midi data from Dorico to my Yamaha CP300 keyboard to play it’s instrument sounds?
I think that unless someone is willing to guide me through the steps, that this is a little bit over my head and a bit technical for me. I tried to fill in the data in the expression Mabs dialogue but was unsuccessful. Perhaps someone could give me a step-by-step procedure and very detailed I might be able to do it. I appreciate everyone’s help!
For regular chromatic instruments it’s pretty simple.
- Make sure your MIDI workstation is configured to its 16 channel multi-timberal mode that also accepts bank/program changes.
If you haven’t already…go to the Play tab. Set up a MIDI output for your external workstation.
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While in the Play tab: go to Play/Expression Maps in the main Dorico Menu.
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Bottom Left corner of the Expression Maps window, click the big Plus + icon to make a new instrument. For this example I’ll start with something simple. A piano for my Roland XR unit. I’m going to name mine “XR-Ultimate Grand”.
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I’ve looked in the owner’s manual for the bank and program changes required to call up this instrument. I’ll poke them into the Expression map for the init technique.
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Since this piano only has one ‘playing technique’, all that’s left to do is establish the dynamic type for the instrument. I’ll click the Natural technique and establish that it’s a velocity based instrument.
Done!
I click OK to get out of the Expression Map editor.
Now I need to assign this expression map to the staff that’ll be using it. This is done in the Play tab. In my case I’ve added a MIDI instrument for my Fantom XR. I’ll click the setting cog, and add my new Expression Map for the respective MIDI channel that’ll be using it.
Now channel one of this instrument is ready to be assigned as an end point for a piano stave. It should call up the proper instrument in my Fantom XR.
It gets even better. You can establish template end points and make these default instruments that Dorico will pick automatically. That’s a tutorial in and of itself…I’m out of time to go into it today; plus, I suspect there are some video tutorials out there on the topic.
Be aware that user expression maps save as part of your score. I don’t think they live in a universal place on your system, so as you build new ones be sure to ‘export them’ with the Expression Map editor so you can easily pull them into fresh projects.
Instrument Templates do get some universal love across all projects though. Instruments you set up templates for carry across projects without having to manually re-import the expression maps every time.
You can also use the expression maps to build instruments that ‘change programs’ while playing the score. I.E. Different string techniques (arch, pizzicato, etc.). For those sorts of instruments you’ll begin like we did for the piano, but you’ll need to include the bank and program changes for each playing technique. I.E. For a general MIDI string section…
Natural = CC0, 121; CC32, 0; PC48 / Dynamic type CC11
Pizzicato = CC0, 121; CC32, 0; PC45 / Dynamic type Velocity
On my XR, there are some global settings I need to change for an instrument like this to work/sound smoothly. Research how your CP300 handles rapid program changes on a single channel. I.E. should it cut the previous note off instantly, or should it be allowed to hold over the program change and listen for a subsequent note off event (will cost some polyphony count on voices, but will sound smoother). Many instruments out there have ‘options’ on this, and some can even have different settings independently for each channel (usually there is also a way to set it up with RPN messages that you can include in the init technique), that can be changed in real time at any moment.
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Wow Brian it worked! I’ve been trying to figure this out for several days now and almost gave up but thanks to you this is now solved and it worked perfectly! Thank you thank you thank you so much! I am extremely grateful for your help!
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