I play trombone and am writing arrangements for trombone quartet. I am having many notes not sounding in playback because the program has decided they are out of the instrument range, but they are not. Does anyone have a workaround so that these low notes in the bass trombone range (I’m specifically not hearing pedal G (G1)) and high notes in the tenor trombone (Specifically not hearing a high C (C5)) can be heard?
Welcome to the forum, @tom_and_jocelyn !
This is a limitation not of Dorico itself, but of the sample libraries which are included with it. If a sample library didn’t record someone playing those notes, then there’s no way to get the library to play it back for you.
If you’re interested in good, quick, inexpensive playback, I would recommend purchasing NotePerformer and using it with Dorico. NP uses a combination of samples and generated sound, so it’s not constrained by what was recorded – it can play back notes that aren’t even physically possible on instruments!
2 Likes
@tom_and_jocelyn, you should not be seeing out of range for those notes. Indeed C3 (middle C) is in prime territory for a tenor trombone! Notes from E1 to Bb3 should be fine. And if one has the chops to go higher, it’s not unreasonable to push it a bit higher, or lower with a trigger.
Are you sure you have the correct instrument applied to the player! That would be the first thing I would check.
— Jim
Welcome by the way (where are my manners!)
1 Like
Sorry. That was a typo. C4 is middle C and it’s the C above that (C5) that I meant to type.
1 Like
Thank you. I will definitely look into that.
You could also use the Halion Sonic Selection Playback Template. Which doesn’t have the range limitation, but has poorer quality sounds.
C3 / C4 — some software lets you set either on as middle C! Either way Bb above middle C (and a few notes more with good chops) is reasonable. (I remember being confronted with a high B-natural in a high school Jazz Band chart and not having a clue how to play it!) I normally work with the understanding that C3 is in the MIDI standard as middle C. I could be wrong, and it may be that the MIDI standard deviates from accepted terminology!
I’m still learning Dorico so there may be others who can chime in to help. And if you are able to post your file - or a short segment - I’m sure someone can see what’s going on.
Edit: I just realized - using my iPad - that the on screen keyboard identifies C4 as middle C. So that is (at least) Dorico’s convention! I also see that it can be changed to C3 or even C5 if preferred!