Xmap, endpoints, playback templates

Dorico
1

Hi,

I finally got around to saving my large orchestral template into endpoints with expression and percussion maps and saving those endpoints into a playback template – all good and tested.

This morning, I started a new project and realized a particular expression map from one of the above endpoints needed some tweaking. I made the modifications, saved the expression map and saved the endpoint. After switching projects to the one where I built the playback template, I noticed that none of my expression map changes were saved.

Question: When a playback template is loaded, why doesn’t it use the saved endpoints? My guess is that the playback template contains a static copy of the endpoints (and expression maps) from when it (the template) was saved last.

Question: In order to save the changes to, say, an expression map, do I need to re-save the endpoints and the playback template? I think the answer here is: yes.

If I have to save the endpoints and the template, what happens if I have a subset of instruments per endpoint in a project and save the endpoint (and playback template), will those missing instruments that still show the expression maps in the endpoint configuration dialog disappear?

Sorry for the long winded post, but this is a bit confusing and I don’t want to “play” with the playback template that took me hours upon hours to set up.

Thanks for any guidance.

1 Like
2

If you re-export your endpoint configurations, your playback template will use the updated endpoint configurations only when you apply or re-apply the playback template to a project.

The expression map is included in the endpoint configuration (together with things like playback techniques and playing techniques).

3

Do you mean “Save Endpoint Configuration”? Or actually export? I don’t think I’ve ever exported an endpoint configuration.

As for re-appling the template–that makes sense as it re-reads the endpoint configuration files.

4

Sorry for my imprecise language. Yes, I mean to save the endpoint configuration again, overwriting the existing version.

5

With all the new traffic here, I hate to resurrect (sort-of) closed threads, but I’m still a bit taken aback by the behavior here.

If one saves a Project Template with a custom Playback Template, creates a new project (A) based off said template, modifies an endpoint configuration (and saves it). Then, creates a new project (B) based off said template, all changes made earlier are lost (lost in the Project Template, though, endpoint changes are still on disk), basically, the playback configuration from A is different than that from B, but yet they’re based off the same Project Template.

Why, when creating a new project from a template with a Playback Template applied, doesn’t Dorico re-read the endpoint configurations from disk. Instead, one must actively re-apply the Playback Template from the Play menu to pick up the changes made in another project (again, saving changes in the endpoint).

Normally, this would be just a minor inconvenience (Noteperformer, Halion etc.), but when one has a huge template with custom instruments and complicated independent voice routing etc., re-applying the playback template completely trashes the routing (e.g., each voice gets a new endpoint instance etc.) – really, really very messy.

What is the rationale behind maintaining a “frozen” copy of the playback template inside a project (or project template)? All the individual pieces (endpoints [xmaps, pmaps, custom techniques etc.], playback templates) are logically implemented to be able to take advantage of the this type of dynamic loading.

Sorry for the rant, I’m just a bit confused.

2 Likes
6

When it comes to expression map updates, the expression maps are included in the Dorico project files themselves. If you send the Dorico file to someone else, even if they don’t have the map otherwise, they will get it through the file, and it will use the same version (even if they have a newer one installed on their system). This way if you send someone the file, and it was based on a pretty standard map but you customized it yourself, they will get your customized version instead of using the similarly named (and possibly newer) version of the map on their local system.

You can always select an expression map in the expression maps list and click the “Reset to Library Defaults”, which will update the local copy of the currently selected expression map in the active Dorico project file with the latest system-wide version. This way you could update just the expression map without reapplying playback templates.

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I often have to use that function with my Dorico projects that use VSL expression maps, after fetching the updated maps with the VSL Dorico Wizard.

1 Like
7

whoa … so you are saying, whichever project I’m in that is based off a Project Template, I can do the above and the project will re-read just the expression maps from the file system without re-applying the Playback Template (and subsequently trashing all routing)?

If so, this is huge for me. It doesn’t quite solve changes to endpoint routing, but definitely makes life easier – thank you.

I’ll test today.

8

Yes, I do this all the time with the VSL ones created by the Dorico Wizard. I have to select each map one by one in the list and click “Reset to Library Defaults” to get the latest additions, once my template has been updated by the Dorico Wizard. This process isn’t too bad because there generally aren’t that many maps involved. This way I get the new maps without reapplying the playback template.

1 Like
9

Thanks.
I’m going to mark this as the solution even though it is only a part of the “problem”, but it’s enough for me to move on.

10

Great tip! But shouldn’t this button really be called “Reset to Endpoint defaults” or maybe even “Reset to Playback template?”

11

We use the same term throughout the application for consistency, so that you can build an understanding of how these settings can be modified and reset.