I am not clear on what an “internal effect” is in Dorico.
I am currently working with custom playback of accents with an expression map where the Playback Technique “Accent” is defined on its own and in combination with other Playback Techniques.
Sometimes I am getting the intended effect, but other times it seems something about the “Internal Effects: Accent” is overriding the settings I am adding to the Exp Map.
What exactly is an “Internal Effect” and what am I supposed to expect from it, especially in conjunction with other techniques?
So I read that through a couple of times and I’m still finding it a bit confusing.
I think part of it is that it is not clear about what the combination is doing when you combine the techniques, as I don’t see visual feedback in the MIDI data that seems to represent the final result of the combinations.
In a few cases I noticed that when using an “Accent” switch in the expression map, that when it combines with others it may apply the higher dynamics to playback without rendering any “bump” in the velocity and/or CC dynamics in the key editor.
Here is an example of the difference in MIDI data for another “internal effect”- legato:
With the first slur, the MIDI notes in the key editor overlap as expected.
When I add accents to the 2nd slur, you can see that it fails to draw the MIDI note overlaps.
It seems to still be playing back the overlaps however.
But, additionally, the first slur in your example is interpreted by Dorico as “natural”, as you can see at the bottom pink lane, which means the technique it applies to that passage is the default note without any special designations. Dorico should write the name of the technique as you have it programmed in the expression maps, so this is a useful indicator that something isn’t working.
If you like, post the expression map file or a project with these two bars and we can trouble-shoot.
You can’t “turn the internal effects off”, but some things do override them:
In this case I chose a staccato, then checked the “length” parameter and set it to 100%. The result is that it draws the MIDI note at 100% and plays that back as well:
As far as I know, it should only be marked “Legato” as it is in your example if “Legato” has been defined in the Expression Map you are using. Otherwise, it should appear as “Natural” with “Legato” as an internal effect.
An internal effect, as I understand it, is a factory-made “script” that automatically generates some features for the chosen list of articulations. For example, it’s automatically shortening the duration of the MIDI notes it would generate for staccato playback or lengthening it for notes connected with a slur; or it’s creating an automatic bump in expression curves for accents.
IMHO, the internal effects are basically pre-processing of the notes in the score for the MIDI playback but they do not link to any sample library. This is why it’s possible to see “Base Switch: Natural” - the expression map side of this - and “Internal Effect: Legato” - the internal “script” side.
In other words, a “Base Switch: Natural” and “Internal Effect: Legato” indicate an incomplete set up for playback: Dorico processes the notes for some techniques but they are not yet routed to a sample library.
It can be confusing unless one is clear that the process involves 3 steps: input the notes, convert them to MIDI out, and finally route to samples. At least that’s how I understand it. Someone, please correct me if I got it wrong.
Ah, I don’t think you understand. The setup here is not “incomplete” without a legato switch. I am using physical modeling for the VSTis (Sample Modeling, SWAM, Aaron Venture etc.). They all generate legato playback directly from overlapped notes (which Dorico produces with the slurs). There are no “Legato” key switches to be used because they are not a separate set of samples to be triggered that way.
In SWAM strings at least, you will not be able to generate cross-string legato without applying a CC change, which of course would require a playing technique defined in the expression map. You won’t be able to generate legato over the tenuto or legato over staccato notes without an entry in the expression map.
But if all you need is a generic legato, then of course this isn’t an issue to worry about at all.
Sorry, but you are now just distracting from the point I was making about the legato technique and its representation in the Key Editor.
In the third post (the one with the pink circles) I am pointing out that when a legato combination technique is used (in this case legato+accent), that the MIDI in the Key Editor is not drawing out the note overlaps.
And oddly, notice that it removed the overlaps for even the notes that are not accented.
But, that is not how it plays back. It plays the slur overlaps just like the original.
So it is showing one thing, and playing another.
Also, as an experiment, I found no way of altering the played lengths of the notes under that slur when the accents are present; not by changing the note length of the “Accent+Legato” switch or by changing the note length values in the Playback Options.
This all goes back then to a question: What am I to expect from internal effects? This is not well defined and seems somewhat arbitrary.
