I have a string quartet instance in VE Pro that is correctly connected to Dorico.
When I click on a note or move through the notes using the arrow keys, the notes sound correctly. When I press Play, the playback line moves but no MIDI data is being sent to VE Pro.
Any ideas on what I should check?
**Leigh
This sounds very odd, and I’m afraid I don’t have any particularly bright ideas, but can you make sure that you have chosen appropriate VST Expression Maps, at least to the point where the appropriate volume type is used, for each of the channels in your Vienna Ensemble instance that you’re sending MIDI to? You do this by clicking the little cog icon next to the VE Pro instance in Dorico’s VST Instruments list and choosing the right Expression Map for each channel.
I thought it odd, too. VE Pro shows MIDI activity on all four channels immediately after Play is pressed, then no more MIDI is received until Playing ends.
Here’s the expression map setting:
**Leigh
Thanks, Daniel. Expression maps seem to be the right direction. This works for playback with articulations like staccato but not for techniques like pizz. and col legno:
The result is the same with the SE and SE+ maps. Is it something with how I have the instrument configured in VE Pro?
**Leigh
I’m afraid I don’t know enough about VE Pro to suggest what might be a good next step. I expect if you start a new project and use Dorico’s default HSSE/HSO sounds, everything works as you would expect?
Leigh,
Which versions of VEP and VIP are you using?
What happens if you select different Presets in VEP?
Silly question, which I hope is not worth asking: you don’t have a Mute selected anywhere, do you or one of the VSL sliders right down (to zero)? Forgive me… 
Hi Mark,
Asking about Mute being selected is a great suggestion. I’ve spent time more than once on a “problem” only to discover it was something that obvious. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the case here.
VIP: 2.4.15962
VEP: 6.0.16502
Thanks for the preset question; I wasn’t using the VSL cubase presets. Installing them gets the articulations to sound unpredictably and the switch from pizz. to arco to work but not reliably. Also, some notes don’t sound at all. So, progress of a sort.
Do you have it working reliably?
Yes, using HSO pizz. and arco work along with the articulations.
**Leigh
Leigh,
Thanks for not minding my asking the… obvious. We’ve all done it 
Yes, that’s what I’ve got - give or take a few builds
Thanks for the preset question; I wasn’t using the VSL cubase presets. Installing them gets the articulations to sound unpredictably and the switch from pizz. to arco to work but not reliably. Also, some notes don’t sound at all. So, progress of a sort.
Which makes me think it may indeed be a question of using the correct preset - it always was/is with Sibelius. Have you tried asking on the VSL and Notation Software forum… Andi almost always jumps in and offers guidance about such things.
Do you have it working reliably?
Yes; a string 4tet like you.
I’ll look tomorrow at my configuration and see if I can spot any differences.
Could you post a picture of one of your expression maps?
In the Play window it shows Playing Techniques and the first one is Natural which was not defined in the VSL Strings emap. Adding this definition has gotten it to mostly work:
It looks like Dorico is not sending some sort of initialization correctly because if the very first note is staccato, VEP doesn’t switch to it. If the second note is staccato, it will switch to it.
Mark, your suggestion to check with Andi is a good one. I’ll do that.
**Leigh
Since you’re using presets you need to make sure that you’re sending 2 key switches initially for each articulation, one to switch to the correct matrix (leftmost in VEP) and another one to switch to the correct articulation within the matrix itself…
That looks like what’s happening here:
MIDI note 25 (C#1) to select the matrix and CC1:20 to select the matrix cell.
Is that not what you meant?
The failure to switch is only with the very first note on the staff, which is what I don’t understand.
**Leigh
Not really… in your screen dump above, on the left side, you would have to send Midinote C2 to select the topmost matrix. That matrix is set up to use SPEED (note density) to select articulations horizontally, and CC1 to select articulations vertically.
I’m not in the studio now, but e.g. a pizz. would typically live in the Matrix named Articulation combi, where horizontal selection is by another Key Switch (rather than speed) so you would have to send midinote D3 immediately followed by the Midi note for pizz. (and then possibly CC1 value to go vertically.)
in VEP, if you select the MATRIX tab, rather the the PreSET tab, it MIGHT be that your existing XMaps work better …
There is a bug which will be fixed in the forthcoming update which you may be encountering here: if the playing technique at the very start of the score isn’t respected then that will be this bug.
Sounds like two things going on. First the bug, thank you, Paul. Second the matrix selection issue, thank you fratveno. I am new to VSL so I will dig into the VSL docs and see what I can learn.
**Leigh
Leigh,
I’d start with making sure you have the correct Preset; that may involve experimenting a little.
Please do say if my own configuration would help… my apologies for not providing that today!
Hi Mark,
Dorico 1.2 fixed the first-note-not-playing problem so that’s good!
Does this look like the correct preset for Solo Cello (from “VSL_Strings_Expressionmaps_v.1.11–>VSL Strings - Violins, Violas, Celli.expressionmap”):
**Leigh