Playback Templates and single vs. ensemble instruments

Dorico
1

I think I understand playback templates well enough now to use them. There’s little documentation on this, but the YouTube videos covered it. I’m confused about a few things still, though.

  1. Is is really the case that SATB ensembles aren’t the same instruments as when you add S, A, T, and B as single players? An endpoint config for one doesn’t appear to apply to the other. Why is this?

  2. When I apply a playback template with an endpoint for SATB to a project with other instruments, sometimes the SATB gets its own instance of the Halion VST, while the other instruments get their own instance, but sometimes they’re combined. It’s hard to tell the difference in the Track Inspector Routing, since the instances often have the same name. It looks like multiple instruments are mapped to the same port & channel. Could this be caused by setting the channel count in the endpoint to more channels than needed?

  3. Sometimes when I load a Playback Template, the endpoint isn’t completely set. One or more channels have the wrong patches. Reloading the template usually fixes this. A bug or operator error?

The Playback Template system seems powerful, but also excessively opaque. I hope that it can become easier to use in future versions.

Thanks for any clarification.

2

When an endpoint configuration is created and saved, an xml file is written by Dorico to capture all of its specs. One of the parameters contained in that file specifies whether or not the instrument is held by a solo or a section player:

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I haven’t seen an instrument definition itself distinguish between solo and section, only the player (i.e. I believe that distinction is likely made at the endpoint level).

3

Interesting. I didn’t expect that players were important in the endpoint config, just instruments. Any idea why that is? Thanks!

4

I think it’s related to saving and correctly recalling the right playback routing (including for any needed increment of divisi), but that’s just my guess.