Hi,
I’m creating a series of expression maps, endpoint configurations, and playback templates for all my sound libraries.
In some cases, I want to use more than a single library from an instrument (or an ensemble).
When creating an endpoint configuration, I have to first select one of the available instrument definitions. Since there aren’t custom definition, I will choose, for example, Violin both for a standard violin library, one with extended strings techniques, and another for a generic “Strings Hi” ensemble library.
My playback template includes the endpoint configurations I created from each of libraries. So, there will be, for the Violin, an endpoint configuration with an expression map for library A (standard), one for library B (extended techniques), another for library C (strings ensemble).
When recalled, the playback template will not be able to understand which Violin definition I want. So, it assign one of them to my instruments. Some of them will obviously not be the right one.
I can reassign the routing for each project, but I suspect the playback template and the endpoint configurations will be of no use in this scenario, since they can’t be manually recalled, and there is no way to match a group of custom instruments to an endpoint configuration and the assigned expression maps.
Paolo
I think I have concluded in the same way earlier: with this particular type of setup, playback template are not working.
The best solution seems to be, at the moment, to create a great Dorico project (as a template) including all the staves and routing, from which one will remove the unused staves when duplicating it as a new project.
Still, I think that individual presets for individual staves, in the way Logic allows configuring individual tracks, would be a lot more flexible than playback templates.
Paolo
While experimenting, I’ve decided I should do something different to create a template for my “sketching orchestra”.
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Until custom instrument definitions are not available, I have to build my own staves at each project, and manually configure them.
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I need a way to collect, preserve and recall all the playing techniques and expression/percussion maps I need in most projects. These have to be instantly recalled when applying a custom playback template.
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I have therefore to create a playback template, containing an endpoint configuration, containing all the playing techniques and expression/percussion maps.
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There is no need to link my endpoint configuration to specific instrument definition, because they will always be referring to something different (factory instrument definition offer me a setup for a Violin, but I need one for an FX Orchestra).
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All the expression/percussion maps can be collected into a single VSTi instance, or a few of them, with each of the MIDI channels used as a repository for one of the expression/percussion maps to be saved in the endpoint configuration, and then in the playback template. Instrument names will remain empty, but this is not important because I don’t need to automatically link them.
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When I have assigned an expression/percussion map to each MIDI channel in the Endpoint Setup dialog, I can create as many players/instruments as VST Instruments. I link each of them to one of the VST Instruments, to be sure they will be saved with the endpoint configuration.
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At this point, I can save a custom endpoint configuration. This will be added to my custom playback template.
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When starting drafting, I create an empty project. I add “generic” players/instruments starting from the custom instrument definitions (for example, a Violin for an Hi Strings ensemble). In VEPRO, I choose the corresponding sound, placed according to a schema to keep things organized. Then, I use the Endpoint Setup dialog to assign an expression/percussion map to that sound. Finally, I link my stave to that VSTi instrument and channel.
This seem a long process, but it isn’t. A sketch doesn’t need many staves, so manually configuring them is not a long task. What I must be sure to have is all the needed playing techniques, the expression/percussion map linking them to sounds, a clear schema to immediately placing everything where it should, without forcing me to create an order at each project. Something like this:
Paolo
