VSL SE: open and muted trumpets as different instruments

Dorico
1

Hi there,
since VSL Synchron Player handles “open” and “muted” instruments as separate instruments, i wonder if it’s possibile to use this principle in Dorico, too.
Rather than changing the EMs by adding a Muted Play Technique, doing a Relative channel switch to the next midi channel (which you have to carefully prepare and leave free in VSL Ensemble for every possible trumpet or trombone), it seems much simpler to add a second instrument to the player and assign it the muted sound. Then one can write in galley mode the desired notes. So i tried that out. After a while i got rid of the “To Trumpet” instrument change text and renamed the instrument names above the staff to “open” and “muted” via custom text in Engraving Mode. Seems to work, only problem: the enumeration of Staff names does not correspond anymore. Since i have to call both trumpets (open and mute) identically, (otherwise the staff name would be “Trumpet” or “Trumpet muted”, the second Trumpet get’s allready the number 3.
Sooo, my question. Is there maybe a more elegant solution which does incorporate muted instruments?
Thanks a lot,
frave
Galley View (Trumpet 2 is muted)

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Page View
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2

Before I added a separate instrument, I’d add a separate voice to the original staff and direct its MIDI output to a separate channel holding your muted instrument.

voices

3

Hi Derrek,
wow, exactly what i was looking for! Didn’t know about this feature.
Many thanks! Great software and great community :slight_smile:

4

all the methods have plusses and minuses. I must say I’m generally perfectly happy with adding a second instrument and then switching in galley mode as you’ve been doing. I sometimes get confused handling separate voices (just me probably) and, as you say, you need to make sure your template is properly sorted if going down the relative channel path.

5

You are definitely right, in most cases it is better using different instruments, but for adding or removing a mute changing voices seems quite a good solution.
Regards