Based on what I’ve seen in previous forum posts, switching from the default playback sounds to a different VST, like Garritan, is quite advanced (seems like it should be easier).
Since the explanations on the forum usually suggest that this is a complicated process, I’m wondering if there is someone who would be willing to meet me on a Zoom session to talk me through the process of switching my Dorico playback sounds to the new Garritan VST that I have just purchased.
Welcome to the forum @john.gove ,
first of all you might be interested into this older thread on the same topic.
Second, for maximum convenience, you don’t want to create you own playback template for Garritan, but @benwiggy created already several ones and they can be downloaded from this page.
You can import playback templates into Dorico by going to the Play mode and then choose from the menu Play > Playback Template… There you can find an import button.
With that in place you simply choose the Garritan template and Dorico will do the rest for you, i.e. load the Aria Player and the appropriate sounds.
As a last step, you can set in the Dorico Preferences dialog the Garritan template as default, so that if you create a new score from scratch, it will use Garritan straight away.
If I am in Play and click VST and MIDI then click Halion Sonic it pops down to Garritan as an option. Clicking Garritan pops up the Aria Player selections familiar from Finale. If I do Play > Playback Template Garritan does not appear as an option. What is the difference? And how is Ben’s Garritan template different from what I see? – Bill
As Ulf said:
Playback templates are “saved states” of which Dorico instrument corresponds to which ARIA instrument (and associated setup); plus the Expression Maps that Dorico uses to translate notation to MIDI commands.
So, Dorico comes with templates for the Steinberg libraries that are bundled with it; but for any others, you need to use an appropriate template.
So, let’s say that you want Dorico’s Solo Violin to be played by GPO5’s GOS Solo n-Violin-01 KS. You’d need to set that up manually (with an Expression Map that knows what keyswitches and CCs that instrument uses). Having done that, you can save that (and the same for other instruments in your document) as an “Endpoint”. Playback Templates are a collection of Endpoints put together.
I’ve create a set of Expression Maps for many of the GPO5 instruments – and a document that explains the process.
Now, the problem is that MM hasn’t updated the Windows version of ARIA player, so while I’ve created a template for GPO5, it will only work on Mac.
However, I’ve created Dorico documents that contain groups of instruments, e.g. Brass for SAM Brass, Strings for GOS Strings, Woodwind, etc. This goes some way for Windows users to add their own Garritan instruments, and create their own Endpoints and templates.
Thank you Ben. That explains a lot. I have successfully imported your Garritan Big Band template into a project. I’m not sure what the next step is. In “VST and MIDI,” the Garritan instruments appear, but they appear as “!! JABB Trumpet !!” with the exclamation points. And the sounds don’t play. Also, HALion Sonic and Dorico Beep appear as VST choices in the drop down menu, but Garritan isn’t there.
Well, it’s John Barron’s JABB template (and while it works, I do have quibbles with it).
Yes, the exclamation marks mean that it’s configured for a VST that isn’t there. Are you on Mac or Windows?
Can you launch the ARIA Player standalone application, and see what version number there is (in the "Settings) tab?
Ben,
Thanks, as always, for your patient tutorial. As I wrote above I have Garritan in my Playback VST’s. (Don’t know why; I guess left over from dear ol’ Finale.) If I download your Finale Default Sounds playback template, will that be what I already have, or something you have refined? And does your GPO5 require a license, or is it free? Or maybe it requires that you already have GPO5 and you are adding expression stuff? – Bill
I’m on a MAC, and the Aria version is 1959.
Aria 1959 seems to have VST3 instruments, but for some reason it isn’t showing up in the Dorico VST list.
To me it seems that you have only the VST2 version installed. Please check on your hard disk under Macintosh HD/Library/Audio/Plug-ins/VST3 if the Aria Player is there. If not and you find it in the VST2 folder (next to the VST3 folder) then you could start Dorico in Rosetta mode and whitelist Aria Player in the Dorico Preferences, then it also should turn up in the list. But better you reinstall Aria and make sure that the VST3 version of it gets installed.
It looks like the VST3 version of Aria is where it’s supposed to be.
I’ll try reinstalling Aria anyway…
No luck. After reinstalling, the ARIA VST3 player is in the plug-ins folder but still doesn’t show up in the drop down in “VST and MIDI” on Dorico.
If it still does not turn up in the list, check if it is blocklisted. Therefore go to ~/Library/Preferences/Dorico 5 AudioEngine/Dorico 5 AudioEngine VST3 Cache and check the file vst3blocklist.xml. Is Aria listed in there? If so, delete that xml file and start Dorico again.
No, see the tilde character, that means in your home directory.
I’m sorry. My computer skills are lacking. How do I find the Home directory? If I use “Go” in the finder and select “Home,” there’s no Library folder in there.
If you use the Go menu in Finder, copy and paste the whole path as I gave earlier and make sure that the first character is the ~ (tilde)
Do a right click on that file and then Open with… and choose a text editor or even Chrome or Firefox browser. I think Safari browser does not like it either. If nothing works, send me the file.
