I’m new to percussion maps and need some guidance.
Am I right in thinking that percussion instruments and drums all need to be added via the usual Dorico SETUP and endpoint process just like any other type of player/instrument?
So presumably in the Endpoint Setup for say percussion or drums every item will have an expression map entry (catering for the keyswitch selected articulation types) just like any other instrument except that in addition they will also have an entry in the percussion map column?
My last initial question concerns sample libraries such as OT’s Sangara where range(s) of notes apply to individual articulations, each producing a slightly different version of say single hits i.e. some articulations may have more than one group of notes at different points on the keyboard all playing variations of single hits. How to accommodate this kind of information in the Dorico 5 percussion maps is my question.
Thank you for those links. I studied the guidance in the latest Dorico manual but I think it assumes some prior knowledge of earlier Dorico percussion tutorials. Your list is a great help thank you.
This specifically is a common issue I have found unique to percussion libraries, where they are often mapped randomly across a keyboard, with recorded variations for the same articulation or technique. Unfortunately it’s not straightforward, but after a lot of trial and error myself, I can recommend two approaches.
1. Individual playing techniques with unique noteheads for each sample.
Details
Create a playing technique + corresponding playback technique, for every variation on the sample. For clarity this can be labelled as simple as hit1, hit2, hit3 etc., since you won’t actually see these written in the score. Then, you would connect each of these to every possible sample variation in your percussion map (read the help for more details on how to do that). Next, in the Setup page for your instrument, go to Edit Percussion Playing Techniques, and in the top part of the window you can add new noteheads for every playing technique (hit1, hit2, hit3). You can select different styles if you want, or leave them all as a default circled notehead. If all goes well, you’ll be able to cycle through the available samples in your library with the note selected using alt+shift+up/down.
Pros - ideal for drums with a minimal amount of samples, where you might be using fast repeated notes (8ths and beyond); this makes it a lot easier to notate and work with.
Cons - obviously it’s a lot of setup time and elbow grease. Worth it for a library if you will use it frequently, but maybe not for the one off triangle or cymbal hit you’ll use sparingly. Which brings me to:
2. Midi Trigger Regions
Details
This is a much faster setup, because you don’t have to worry about percussion mapping whatsoever. You simply add a midi trigger, press the corresponding key on your keyboard (and select velocity), and you’re done. If you want a different sample variation, easy to just play another key.
Then in your score I recommend notating it as usual, with ‘suppress playback’ for the notehead.
Pros - faster and easier with minimal setup. Ideal for hits which may not be used frequently or quickly in a piece, such as gongs, bowed percussion, scrapes, special effects etc, especially if your library has a lot of these to choose from. If you only see yourself using it every now and then, go with this method and skip the map.
Cons - not ideal for drums requiring fast and frequent repetition such as 8th notes or 16th notes. You can technically repeat midi trigger regions using ‘r’ on a 16th note grid, but it becomes quickly confusing and unwieldy to edit or navigate.
So for these reasons - I simply ask myself how I will intend to use the instrument, and decide from there whether or not it is worth the labor of percussion mapping. Hope that helps to get you started.