Why does my clarinet always play portato when a slur is actually applied? I’m using VSL Synchron Prime library with its official expression maps installed from Dorico Wizard so I guess it might not be any problem with expression maps
Welcome to the forum, @AriaAshwood. I don’t use these expression maps myself, so I can’t offer any expert advice, but my reply and thread title edit might prompt somebody with more experience with this library to chime in.
Aria,
Sorry you are having this issue. I use PRIME with the Dorico Wizard templates, and don’t have that issue. Here is a file you can open in Dorico and see if you have the same issue. The audio clip is 2 bars of slur, 2 bars of portato.
Clarinet Dorico Wizard.dorico (508.4 KB)
First of all, can you see which Technique is being triggered, using the Key Editor in the lower panel?
Hovering the mouse over the “Natural” bar will show more detail.
Essentially, we want to check that the correct expression map is being used, and that the correct expression is being triggered.
At no point does your score trigger the Portato/Loure switch in the VSL expression map (probably because there is no playing technique defined to trigger it). What you are hearing is the legato switch with the length modified by the staccato dots.
I’ll check the key editor for portato expression, too. I only meant to show that the slurs in the example I posted using VSL 's Dorico Wizard for PRIME played back as slurs.
of course your portato is correctly notated – unfortunately to play it, the VSL map (unlike mine) should have an entry for staccato+legato and doesn’t.
The new Prime (with Flow) uses CC64 to trigger portamento. That could be the cause. An earlier version of prime or of the expression maps would certainly not behave this way.
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Yes, I suspect that the new Prime will change things around as you say.
Marc,
You are probably correct. Portato shows up as an available articulation for clarinet in the PRIME expression map, but obviously doesn’t playback in PRIME 2.0. Hopefully, the VSL folks will address this. I can’t find an option to uninstall 2.0 to go back to the earlier version. Seems 2.0 was aimed more at DAW composers. It technically works with the Dorico Wizard, but I have to go into the player and double click on some instruments-especially percussion- to get them to switch back to the ‘original’ player version or they don’t play back.
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( But portato and portamento are different things… )
I agree. But the portamento effect made me think of that new sustain pedal behavior (which could be used in slurred context). Or I am pkain wrong, which is absolutely possible too 
Marc,
I haven’t worked a lot with expression maps, but would adding a legato + staccato combination in the EM allow the portato articulation to play back? It shows as an available articulation for PRIME instruments.
♫ You say potato, I say portato. ♫
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That is cute.