Noteperformer Handbells

Dorico
#1

For the first time I am entering music for handbells with Noteperformer (which I LOVE). I am immediately faced with two issues.

First, the playback sounds of the handbells don’t sound at all like handbells. The sound is much clankier, less clear, and without the beautiful chiming tone of the handbells that I’ve heard.

Second, despite the fact that I have set my score to Concert Pitch (which works fine for all other instruments), the handbells are sounding a whole tone lower than written.

I’m assuming this is just a bug that I should report.

#2

I agree about the quality of the bell sound in NP. Not great. Now I believe you can mix and match with NP and other sounds, right? How is Halion’s handbell samples?

My handbells play on the correct pitch in NP, FWIW…

#3

Dan,

I’m not finding handbells in either HS SE or HSO.

Also, I double-checked the sounding pitch on the handbells, and they do indeed sound a whole note low in my score.

#4

In that case, this is a very nice handbell library: https://noisefirm.com/product/handbell-choir-samples/

#5

If you click on the mixer in NP and look at the available instruments, you only have (orchestral percussion type) tubular bells, which aren’t supposed to sound anything like handbells.

I think the pitch issue is that the bell sounds in NP have a weird harmonic spectrum (as do real tubular bells), and the fundamental “hum tone” is very weak compared with the initial transient “clang”, so as a solo instrument the pitch is very indeterminate.

#6

Thanks for the heads up, Rob. Sounds like you have hit on explanations of the two problems.

#7

I’ll check it out, Dan.

#8

We don’t have handbells, so you’re getting a fallback sound.

Rather than tubular bells, you could try crotales or glockenspiel. Neither is a perfect fallback for handbells, but they’re probably the best we can offer.

#9

Thanks Arne. I appreciate the response. I realize now I should have checked the instrument list on your website.

LOVE your product.