Tip: Gliss playback

Currently, gliss playback is limited to stepping by semitones. However, I have found a way to smooth things out, depending on your sample library.

  1. Create a Playing Technique that triggers the Playback Technique “Glissando Up” and “Glissando Down”.

  1. In your Expression Map, create a Base for Glissando Up / Down. Add CC20 (Portamento), with some suitable value. 80 worked for me. (You may need to turn on Legato controls, too.)

  1. Then use an actual gliss in conjunction with your Playing Technique. It’s a shame that the gliss doesn’t trigger the PTs by default. You can of course hide the Technique mark.

You’ll need another thing in the Ex Map to turn it off. Possibly Add CC20 : 0 to the Natural Base.

Depending on the instrument type and sample quality, the results may vary from risible to accurate.
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2 Likes

Can you get enough pitch bend for the octave you have above? I haven’t used it for this purpose (interesting trick that) but usually it’s -5/+5

What about using sampled glissando? I should check, my libraries should include that in an effects sample I’d think. Instrument specific obviously, trombones being the best.

Yes, because the portamento slides each step of Dorico’s chromatic scale!

If you can trigger your sampled slides in the Ex Map, then anything will work.

Hello benwiggy,

I’m really interested to use your tip to get glissando playback in Dorico.

Does it work with Dorico’s HSO library?

I’m really not good at Expression Map.

I tried to follow your steps, but I didn’t get the viola glissando playback.
I attach the screenshot.
Do you have any idea of what I did wrong?

Thank you for your help :clap:


Are you using an ‘actual’ gliss in the score, AND the Playing Technique?

It’s hard to tell the problem without seeing the whole document.

Thank you for your super quick reply :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:
In the score, I used the Popover Shift P Glissando Up

And the actual gliss as well?

I didn’t add the actual gliss.
I did now but I still get a chromatic scale.

You’ll need to supply a sample document, otherwise I’m just guessing.

Thank you very much.
I attach a Dorico file
Gliss test.dorico (2.8 MB)

Hmm. It’s certainly sending the CC20 value: it may be that 20’s not the right CC for Portamento in HSO, or that the samples just don’t do Portamento.

I couldn’t find anything about Portamento in the HALion documentation.

Thank you so much for your help anyway.

there’s a legato+portamento instrument in Halion but I see no evidence that there is a specific portamento technique, nor any evidence of one in the Expression Maps entries. Portamento is supported on a sample level by all the more advanced libraries. The method varies from specific keyswitches to velocity level and no doubt others though I can’t think of any which are controlled through CC20 (which isn’t to say there aren’t any!).

Glissando as a pure slide rather than the sort of swoop of a string portamento isn’t yet supported in Dorico but it’s certainly on their list!

I’m glad I found this post—very cool trick! I’m wondering, for long glisses over small intervals, I guess you just have to adjust the portamento time (i.e., set it to loooong), yes?

I’m still hoping that a gliss playback in NotePerformer will become possible.

If you have the time, notepeformer glissandos can be automated with midi pitch bend in the key editor.