Octave transposition for two different VSTi

Dorico
1

Hi,

This is my problem: I’m writing for a Contrabass Clarinet. The score is in real notes [concert pitch]. However, as with the Contrabass, I want that the Contrabass Clarinet to be written one octave higher than the sounding pitch.

Since the clefs don’t yet transpose, in Dorico, I can’t simply use the Bass-8vb clef for that stave. I don’t think I’ve found a way to make it play one octave lower in any other way.

My Cb-Cl stave is played by two different VSTi in two different voices. None of them (one is NotePerformer) seems to be able to transpose one of the channels/instruments.

A hidden 8vb line is a (not very elegant) workaround I was thinking about, but you can’t make it only visual, and you can’t hide it.

How would you deal with this issue? How to make a stave play on a different octave than the written pitch?

Paolo

PS: For reference, a similar issue is discussed in two other threads:

2

By “real notes” do you mean you are using a Concert Pitch Score?

3

Derrek, yes, concert pitch. I’m sorry, but I fear I used a false friend for the Italian “note reali”.

Paolo

4

Ok, the best workaround I could think of is this: set the Contrabass Clarinet as a Contrabass. Change the names to Contrabass Clarinet. Reassign the sounds. It seems to work.

Paolo

5

Great that you found a solution :slight_smile:

It is also possible to use your own Expression Map for this.

Duplicate the Expression Map you use for the Contrabass Clarinet.
Edit this duplicate Expression Map so that it transposes one octave higher.
Use this expression map instead of the original one

This solution has the advantage that you do not need to misuse any other instrument or expression map, you just use your own created expression map.

In fact Expression Maps should probably not be the place to deal with transpositions but it’s working

6

This is an effective solution. It may, however, become very time-consuming when the map is very extensive (like in the case of NotePerformer – by my custom ones are not small either).

Paolo

7

If you need a transposed Noteperformer Bass Clarinet then this solution does not work.
Noteperformer acts quite differently from all other VSTis.
There are no Noteperformer expression maps for each instrument as with HS SE for example.
Adding a transposition is easy but it would transpose all Noteperformer instruments!
Reading your thread title I assumed you would use another VSTi for this.

For example I have just set 2 Bass Clarinets played with 2 instances of HSO, each instance using another expression map (one being transposed)
Duplicating the HSO Contrabass Clarinet expression map and adding a transposition is really a matter of seconds.

But in fact this solution is quite unnecessary, as one can as well directly transpose an instrument within the VSTi itself!

So forget what I wrote, I made a completely unnecessary suggestion :wink:

8

You could make a copy of the complete NP map and add the transposition.

Then select the copy just for the contrabass clarinet, the same way that you assign expression map to MIDI channels for any VST.

If you want to be tidy-minded, you could delete all the stuff from the CB Cl. map that isn’t relevant, e.g. mutes, pizzicato, harmonics, etc.

(If there are any contrabass clarinettists here who actually use extended playing techniques, I don’t really want to know about that…)

9

@ Rob Tuley
Ah yes you are right!
For some reason I tried to use a second instance of Noteperformer and this is not possible.
But you are right and indeed one can use several Expression maps in the Note Performer instance.
A transposed duplicate of the original Note Performer expression map is very easy to do and It works as well as with HSO.
Thanks for pointing to it.
In fact it could be even usefull :wink: