How do I make VST respond to dynamics?

I’m using the BBC Spitfire library. I normally use the premade BBC playback template and when I do the dynamics work correctly. If I put p the instrument plays quieter and if I put F the instrument is louder.

But the issue is when I create a new project and I’m not using the BBC template and I use the VST then the dynamics no longer work. I see that when it’s working, the CC1 and CC11 must be mapped to the dynamics in Dorico, but when it’s not working those mappings aren’t happening. So how can I manually link the dynamics to those CC if I’m not using the BBC template? Thanks!

If you are using the Spitfire VST, then your instruments will still need appropriate expression maps.

Looking deeper in this, I can see that the BBC template adds the CC1 and CC11 to Expression and CC dropdown and that the Dynamics curves are duplicated to those. So somehow they are linking-I just don’t know where that is happening.

Are expression maps somehow added/changed when switching Playback templates? I don’t see anywhere to add or edit Expression maps within Playback templates.

A playback template includes VST settings, expression maps and the assignment of maps to instruments.

So what are you supposed to do if you use VSTs from multiple vendors? From what I can tell, you can only load a single Playback Template. Every time you get a new VST you need to create a whole new playback template that adds that one VST?

You can create the Endpoints for each library from each vendor. Then you assemble these Endpoints into the template for playback.

And here I thought I was actually going to get to write some music this week, lol…

It’s tedious, but it’s extremely worth it. I made small project files for the portions of the libraries I used most often (e.g. XYZ Woodwinds), so that I can route them, assign (and double check) expression maps, and then save these endpoints.

But what I get back is so much more - I have several templates, some of which re-use the same endpoints and others use different ones (e.g. ABC woodwinds), depending on whatever criteria. In comparison with Cubase, this is an incredible feature, in my opinion.

Can you guys tell me if there’s a better way? I am in the middle of a project with several VSTs from different vendors. All is working fine-including dynamics. Loading the BBC the dynamics doesn’t work, but if I switch to the BBC Playback template then all my other VSTs get deleted and I need to rebuild everything. So how does one go about adding a single VST from a new vendor in to a project and not have to rebuild everything?

In this project, where everything is working well, save that entire project routing as one Endpoint and a new Playback template.

Where can I look and see what endpoint configuration is happening for the BBC stuff when I load their Playback template? Where can I see that CC1 and CC11 are assigned to dynamics that are linking to Dorico?

In other words, can I go in manually in to this current project and get the dynamics working for those specific instruments?

Open an empty project. Apply the BBCSO playback template.
Go to the Expression maps. Select all the BBCSO entries and export them as a library.

Now, whenever you need to add BBCSO to your project, just import the BBCSO Library (and apply the appropriate map to any BBC instrument)

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Hey that worked! Thank you so much for taking the time. I would have never figured that out…