I’ve just started using Dorico from Sibelius and am trying to set up a balanced orchestral template mainly using Kontakt and Spitfire libraries.
In Cubase, I think it is possible to use one instance of Kontakt for each instrument with each articulation loaded in as a separate patch on its own MIDI channel, you can therefore adjust the respective volumes of each articulation easily. For instance, the piccolo flutter-tongue volume can be lowered as it is very loud. But unlike Cubase there seems to be no way in Dorico when setting up an expression map to have a different MIDI channel for each articulation.
There also seems to be no way to assign a velocity or CC11/7 value to individual notes. If more experienced users can give advice on how to balance these articulation levels it would help me very much indeed.
You’re quite right that, at the moment, Dorico does not allow you to specify a different channel for each playing technique in a VST Expression Map: we definitely plan to expand in this direction in the future, though I can’t say exactly when this will be done. We also plan to add tools to manipulate continuous controller data over time in Play mode, similar to the controller lanes found in Cubase.
Thanks, Daniel. I have just remembered that with Spitfire libraries there is an option where you can set the mic levels independently for each articulation, so I think this is a way to get the same result. I will hope that you are able implement this extra Expression Map option and add controller lanes in the not too distant future.
I have bought Dorico not really for engraving, but in the hope that I will have a ergonomic notation editor behind which there is a modern MIDI sequencer and look forward to this. There are probably more like me who have bought Dorico for this reason.
Yes, there are certainly lots of people like you, sturmgoat, and it is our goal to satisfy you, along with everybody else, as we continue to mature the application. Thanks for joining the Dorico community. We are working hard to make the software as useful as we can for as many musicians as possible.