Hi
I’m trying to setup a system with Dorico and Cubase 15. My string arrangement runs in Dorico and all tracks are routed to Cubase via the built in system in Mac. The expression map used in Dorico for my setup is VSL Synchron Strings Pro and of course I would like to transfer all MIDI and mapping to Cubase, but I struggle a bit on how to do the setup.
Anyone here with experience in this matter?
Regards Musicmind
You may want search Music Chef’s videos. He’s successfully working with both Dorico and Cubase 15, has a lot of good information.
It should be as easy as droppibg the expression map into Cubase, IIRC. Or use the import map feature in Cubase, and choose the Dorico version
Hi
I have watched this channel thoroughly but there is a problem:
Example:
In Dorico I have 1. violins from BBS SO Strings - Spitfire. It’s a fairly small map, so much easier to see what is going on. My test bar in Dorico looks like this:
The track are routed to MIDI port Dorico Out 01 and connected to Cubase 15 via the MIDI network set-up. Cubase records the MIDI including the key switches.
Now I want to prepare the track in Cubase to receive this MIDI, so I import the expression map used in Dorico into Cubase. It looks fine, but it’s not, because now the key switch F-2 no longer triggers staccato but flautando!
It seems that Cubase simply list the expressions in a random order assigning key switches from C-2 and forward. So the key switches gets mixed up!
Anybody with a solution?
I don’t think that I can import a vst expression map with the extension .doricolib into Cubase, can I?
When you click the import button, choose the any file type (*.*) option. Then you choose a .doricolib map.
Maybe I misunderstand, but if you import the midi from Dorico to Cubase, why would you need expression maps in Cubase at all?
Because if you subsequently change stuff in Cubase you will be able to apply the same articulations that you had in Dorico.
I’m not fluent in Cubase, but MIDI>Expression Map setup… and click the import map button and set the file type gives me…
Okay, you are on windows. There are no such box on Mac!
But could you give it a try and see, if the map is imported with the SAME key switch?
Uh, what do you mean? The screenshot you’re showing from Cubase shows flautando is sending the keyswitch D#-2. What keyswitch should flautando be?
I don’t have BBCSO so I have no way of knowing whether D#-2 is correct for flautando or not.
I also can’t check the key switch that Cubase has for staccato because you don’t have staccato selected in the screenshot but flautando. Only the key switch for the currently selected slot is shown.
What you might be getting confused by is the “trigger” column that shows you the Remote Keys that are assigned to the slots in Cubase. Those aren’t the key switches.
The Output Mapping panel on the right is equivalent to the Actions panel in Dorico. In other words, this screen area in Dorico’s expression map editor:
Is equivalent to this area in Cubase’s expression map editor:
Dorico calls it “Actions”, Cubase calls it “Output Mapping”, but it is the same thing.
No I’m not confused, but I have suddenly realized the following:
Dorico expression maps don’t have “normal” triggers. They use the score and the musical expression in it and symbols to determine which expression to send to the player. In Cubase I am used to use key switches to select the expressions, which then are sent to the player!
So in a set-up where Dorico acts like an advanced MIDI player for Cubase sending all MIDI inclusive different key switches, it is not possible to use the VST expression maps in Cubase because Dorico does not send them.
Ex.
This simple violin line in Dorico is using BBC SO Pro 1. violins:
In Cubase (the track hasn’t any map assigned) it looks like this:
If the track has the map assigned, this is the result:
The staccatos are now misinterpreted as flautande, because Dorico send the actual key switch for the player and Cubase wrongly thinks it’s the key switch for the expression map!
I was dreaming of arranging in Dorico and the “live stream” the MIDI to Cubase, which would recognize what expression I wanted, but this can’t be done.
Solution: I have to change all the key switches here:
to match the ones here (from Dorico):
I hope you get my point! I know you from VI control and from Musik Chefs streaming session!! And thanks a lot for your interest.
Yeah that’s correct, the concept of “Remote Keys” from Cubase does not exist in Dorico, so the maps when brought into Cubase get those set to some default ascending from C-2.
Yes, I understand what you are doing, but it is a little unusual and isn’t really using things in the way that was intended. Hooking the Dorico MIDI output up to the Cubase MIDI input and doing a play in Dorico / record in Cubase kind of thing is an interesting way of bringing in expression map entries, but it has some serious limitations. Specifically, it requires that all key switches used are just singular. It wouldn’t work with the Synchron Strings Pro you mentioned in your first post because that will use probably 4 keyswitches to select just a single articulation from menus and submenus and so there’s no way to get that to be converted to Cubase expression maps, since remote key triggers are always just a single key.
Personally I prefer workflows that don’t require workarounds like this.
