What’s the best way to get a very dry recording studio sound on playback on Dorico Pro 5? I’ve tried muting the reverb on the mixer, as well as going to the “play” dropdown at the top, then selecting “Space Template” and “Recording Studio”. I primarily write big band jazz charts and don’t want the brass to sound like they’re playing in an airplane hangar or crescendo into each note. Also, the staccato doesn’t seem very staccato.
This depends largely on the library being used. If using the Halion sounds, some of them can have a reverb setting. NotePerformer also has its own reverb setting. In addition to the Dorico mixer, you’ll need to make sure there are no reverb settings in the UIs of all the libraries you’re using.
I’m using Halion Sonic 7
If you open up the Halion UI from Play mode:
Then select the various instruments, you’ll see some of them, but not all, have reverb settings:
There may well be other settings that will affect the sound that you want to change. I don’t use Halion, so I’m not very familiar with its settings.
Thanks for the info. Which one do you use, and where would I get it?
I use NotePerformer. I highly recommend it, but its primary purpose is not for production per se. It’s stated purpose is to give composers and engravers a reasonable rendering quickly and effortlessly. You can download a demo at NotePerformer.com or check out their YouTube channel.
While NP will never be used for professional production, it’s pretty common for composers to share NP renderings and I’ve read from one film composer that they had no issues using NP for demoing for directors. I have exported dry NP stems by turning the reverb to 0% (NP has a global reverb, not per instrument) and then mixing those stems in Cubase. You can get a fuller sound that way, but it’s not going to make it sound more realistic.
I should’ve told you at the beginning of this thread that I’m not looking to produce recording-quality sound files. My interest is in hearing a clear ensemble sound while writing scores and exporting the audio as a mp3 file that are a high enough quality to send to publishers as a demo along with the scores. I used Finale for 30 years but now that I’m more competent on Dorico 5 I prefer it. However, it’s much more frustrating and convoluted to get Halion to sound like a big band in a studio rather than in an empty airplane hangar. If you believe NotePerformer offers what I’m looking for, I’m very willing to pursue it. I have no idea how to import it into my Dorico, but I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.
I think you’ll be very happy with NP. You can decide for yourself with the demo.
EDIT: I forgot you mentioned Big Band at the top. Janus is correct, NP is geared for classical and doesn’t necessarily do jazz particularly well. That may or may not be an issue for you. Fortunately, you can try before you buy.
NotePerformer is excellent, but it is perhaps more suited to Classical Orchestra than Big Band? There are numerous threads here that discuss the pros and cons.
You can get a 30-day free trial (or purchase on a rent-to-own to spread payments over time) to check it out for yourself. It is simple to install and includes a playback template.
Can you tell me the web address for Janus, or send me a link?
The link for NotePerformer is in the post above. Or just google it.