I’ve just completed a string quartet using Dorico with NP3 (NotePerformer 3). Being I’ve bought BBCSO Pro (and not yet used it) I wanted to try the BBCSO Pro Template finding the result extremely odd ad not usable, with notes played legato and staccato at the same dynamic with a huge perceived difference. So now I don’t know where to start to fix the problems.
Before reporting this problem I’ve also done another experiment switching to HSSE+HSO where, a part the difference in the strings sounds, the result is dynamically comparable with the NP3 one.
I don’t have any of the BBCSO libraries installed, I’m afraid, so I can’t offer any kind of advice about this problem, but I’ll ask my colleague John to take a look when he gets a chance.
Could you send me the project file, or a small example showing the issue in the Dorico file by email please?
My email address is j.barron at steinberg dot de
Not sure if you’ve sent a file, but I haven’t received a file from you yet. I recreated a few bars from bar 67 and I have a clue.
In BBCSO the staccato (and other short note) samples use note velocity for the dynamics (plus CC11), whereas many of the other techniques use CC1/modulation (plus CC11). This might be the difference you mention.
I didn’t feel that there was one correct way for all styles of music to balance these, so in your piece try editing the expression map for BBCSO Pro Strings Leaders for the Staccato sample by changing the Min value of the volume dynamic to something larger. (The default is 1, and you might want to try say 30.) That way, the minimum note velocity for staccato notes will be higher. You can see an example of this change on the RHS of this image.
Was going to chip in but John more or less took the words out of my mouth. Having tried both velocity and CC1 for staccato across instrumental sections, I agree that velocity gives more manageable results across the board but you’ll find when you get onto orchestral stuff that the way it works is quite different comparing, say, strings and woodwind and different CC11 scaling will be appropriate. I’d be surprised if there’s any specific issue with your score but John will confirm that for you.
