I use Elements so I am not to creating a user defined expression map.
OT recently published Junkie Brass for their new SINE Player.
I got the trombone and tried to create an expression map with a few simple articulations (legato, marcato, staccatissimo & rip - sometimes called squeeze in jazz lingo as I found out). All 4 articulations were listed in the expression map editor.
Here are some problems I encountered:
despite having rip & squeeze in the map editor, I cannot see how to mark a note with that articulation (shift-P does not even list them)
the KS switch option did not work; the first playback worked OK; the second playback the KS note for that articulation
I was able to get the first 2 articulations to work by using PC. However, PC values in Dorico are zero indexed, whereas in OT they are 1 indexed. Not a big deal but time consuming to discover.
Hello Atudor,
Well, if certain technique does not exist in Dorico - Playing Techniques lists, you need to create it and then to assign Expression Map to it.
Here is how you can do this:
Keep in mind that you’ll also need to create Combined Playing Techniques and Mutual Exclusion Groups in the Expression Maps dialog, this is needed
because still the playback in Dorico isn’t enough advanced to automatically switch forth and back from legato to non legato, vibrato to non vibrato, or to playback simultaneously multiple techniques…!
Personally I hope some more improvements in this area will come with the next major update of Dorico!
Thank you for your reply Thurisaz! I did mention that I am using Elements; it does not allow for creating playing techniques.
Nonetheless … There are three problems that seemingly have nothing to do with using Elements:
a) the techniques available in the expression map list are not the same as those that appear in the shift-P choices creating problem b)
b) defining an existing technique not only that it is not available under shift-P but there is no symbol that corresponds (e.g. rip/squeeze)
c) common articulations don’t reliably work with key switches; they only do when using program change.
This is, inevitably, a complex area. There are two separate concepts in Dorico, playback playing techniques, which are the ones you see in the Expression Maps dialog, and the playing techniques you see in the Playing Techniques panel in Write mode. Playing techniques you can create in the score reference playback playing techniques, so that they can trigger a particular effect on playback, but there is not necessarily a one-to-one mapping between playback playing techniques and Write mode playing techniques. You can see which playback playing technique is referenced by a Write mode playing technique by hovering your pointer over it in the panel: that will show the playback playing technique in the tool tip.
Thank you for this clarification, Daniel!
Could you please comment on point c) above?
My case, specifically is … The first KS playback works as expected; the second playback plays the KS note as though it was part of the score.
You may need to make sure that you define the playing techniques that correspond to those articulations in a mutual exclusion group, with the valid combinations also defined, e.g. if you want staccato+accent to have a specific effect, define that as a playing technique combination, and make sure it’s in the same mutual exclusion group as staccato, accent, staccatissimo, marcato, etc.
