Producing audio

I have recently been working on some enormous projects in Dorico, and I am ever more astounded at how intuitive and how much faster it is than anything else.

My main project at the minute is to create a full virtual orchestra version of Hänsel & Gretel for the University opera program.

I have written in every single note, dynamic etc. and set tempi and rubati in the play window.

Two tiny problems keep turning up:

  1. whatever I do, the crushed notes will not play faster than a 1/16th. I have even tried setting them to 1/1024th, but they still come out as 1/16ths.

  2. Sometimes the Timp roll drowns out everything else. I have marked it ppppp and everybody else p, but still it is far too loud, even if I set the volume very low in the play window. I know I can set the volume in the noteperformer interface, but then the timps are too soft in other places.


    My main question, though, is this;

How do I complete this project? I need to make a really good audio recording for the singers to sing to, which will then be streamed. I have exported the audio and listened to it. It is really very good, but it needs work to balance it properly. How can I master and adjust individual instrumental dynamics? I know that this can be done in the play window by adjusting the volumes, but with this many instruments, I was wondering whether there is another way. Do I need another program like Cubase to do this (I have no idea how Cubase works, though)? If I do this, will the sounds be from Noteperformer? Can I then reimport it into Dorico to clean up any musical glitches, or to adjust tempos? Or is there just something basic that I do not know about the play window and how it works with noteperformer? Is there a good tutorial somewhere?

Sorry for the many questions; I have been arranging music most of my life, but this year sees me needing to up other skills.

Thanks as always for Dorico, and for the depth of knowledge on the forum.

Nick

Nick, have you used the NotePerformer mixer to adjust overall levels of different instruments? I’d recommend starting there. In Play mode, in the right VST panel, click on the “e” to display the mixer.

You can also export stems: individual audio tracks of each instrument. Then you can import them into a DAW and make slight adjustments there. But you should be able to do everything you need (regarding overall sound at least) in the NP mixer.

Hi Nick.
That’s really impressive to have inputted the whole opera!
Crush notes=acciaccature ? Just wondering… I think there’s a setting in Playback options for that (cmd/ctrl-shift-P) but I suppose you already tried it.