Dealing with large articulation maps in DP11

Yes, that's one way, but you can also use the pencil tool to move the articulation directly. Or you can use "Set Articulation" (drop-down menu list), to select and assign the same articulation to any selected notes.

I made my own articulation maps for Synchron and Elite Strings rather the VSL mappings using a combination of program changes for main articulations, and CC messages for variations in attack, release, etc, triggered from MetaGrid. I don't know if Duality's stock articulation map is different, but Synchron strings and Elite were more limited to some common combinations than I wanted.

I wish DP had layers of articulation management so we could subcategorize and see vibrato, attack and release variations more easily across Legatos, Longs, etc.

But for now, the above works well for me.

Ok you assign the articulations manually?

I use MetaGrid to assign them in real time when possible. DP stores the last articulation command sent, even in stop, so it automatically assigns the selected art to the first notes recorded (until a new art change command) without having to re-send the selection after record starts. Makes starting a passage easier. I don't think any other DAW does that. Nuendo does not - it always assigns the default unless you specifically record the articulation you want before the first note recorded.

After record, I manually assign alternate articulations and nuances. DP is the fastest for articulation management I've used (Nuendo, Logic, Studio One). Being able to drag arts from lane to lane saves a lot of time too as it stays locked to the grid / note.

stigc56 said:

Hi
I am interested in how those of you, that are DP11 user are dealing with large articulation maps like the ones from VSL in Duality Strings. In DP 11 you have all the articulation lanes beneath each other and will have to drag the marking to the right row. Or is there an other way, smarter maybe?
Regards Stig

Click to expand...

I haven't gone down that road yet. But I look forward to hearing what others are doing. the problem I see is that with large and complex sample libraries, pretty much none of the DAW's provide a good way to handle all the possible combinations in a very usable way. You end up with too many rows in the articulation lane or in the drop down menu to select art, etc. Cubase at least does have the 4 expression map groups which could be used to reduce the number of articulation lane rows needed to represent many combinations. Potentially.

I think my thoughts with all of them, including DP, is to use the articulation map mainly just for the core articulations. a dozen or so. then use other methods for all the variations...which might include using a third party midi scripter...might include using the program change lane in some way, or might include using actual automation of some kind, combined with midi scripting...to provide the "combinations" and resulting key switches. I have sent a feature request to MOTU along these lines and they responded positively but I don't know if that means anything will actually happen.

It starts to come up even more when linking articulations to the quickscribe....Dp11.3 is still a little buggy there, I can make it crash when I get into that. They are working on that. But anyway with quickscribe you can use words and symbols to represent each articulation and its linked to the art map, and for me anyway, often a lot easier to look at compared to the piano roll articulation lane. However, same problem if you have a large complex library with many variations, there is no way to combine articulations to a single note...There is always one articulation for each note...and that menas you need thousands of combo articulations to represent all the combinations and quickscribe then becomes really messy. But should be possible, for example, to combine accent with staccato. The quickscribe should show two actual symbols represent those two aspects...and the art map should have a way to specify that particular unique combination as some set of key switches.. or it can get even more complex if you are basing it on that, and in addition the dynamic level might change which key switch to use, and muting on or off, etc.. cubase can give you 4 dimensions this way...but anyway it's something DP could improve on, but for now, its not really there....so...In my view it means keep a core set of articulations in the art map and then do everything else with scripting. I say scripting so that in the piano roll we can just use CC or parameter automation to specify things, and the script inserts the key switches during playback.

While we're on this topic...does anyone know if it's possible to edit the Program Change preset names somehow? since we're using a plugin, rather than external midi device, I don't think there is a way, but I am wondering if anyone knows a way. That might include using Midi Device Group or might not, I don't know, but I would love to be able to assign names to program change numbers so that if I use a PC lane for this kind of thing, I will see a meaningful name rather than #1, #34, etc..

Ironically, the more accurate our articulations and bowing and all that (that is, the larger the number of articulations included in any given library), the more difficult this problem becomes.

I do appreciate that in DP the Quickscribe (notation window) shows dots, trills, and so on, but that doesn't address the OP's question head-on. At least DP allows a different offset for each articulation - a huge plus, in my book.

From DAW to Orchestra

Just about everything I do ends up with at least some real players involved, which adds another layer to this discussion. In that setting, I'm still not sure whether I prefer using key switch patches or simply putting different articulations into different midi tracks. At least if the tracks are different it makes it dead easy to pass a midi file to an orchestrator who then can put it all on paper.

If anyone has this all figured out I'd be delighted to hear. @dterry seems to have a good approach -- going to try to understand it better.

I would be very interested in a short video, if it`s possible?

dterry said:

I use MetaGrid to assign them in real time when possible. DP stores the last articulation command sent, even in stop, so it automatically assigns the selected art to the first notes recorded (until a new art change command) without having to re-send the selection after record starts. Makes starting a passage easier. I don't think any other DAW does that. Nuendo does not - it always assigns the default unless you specifically record the articulation you want before the first note recorded.

After record, I manually assign alternate articulations and nuances. DP is the fastest for articulation management I've used (Nuendo, Logic, Studio One). Being able to drag arts from lane to lane saves a lot of time too as it stays locked to the grid / note.

Click to expand...

I will try to post a video of my DP articulation setup next week.

dterry said:

I use MetaGrid to assign them in real time when possible. DP stores the last articulation command sent, even in stop, so it automatically assigns the selected art to the first notes recorded (until a new art change command) without having to re-send the selection after record starts. Makes starting a passage easier. I don't think any other DAW does that. Nuendo does not - it always assigns the default unless you specifically record the articulation you want before the first note recorded.

After record, I manually assign alternate articulations and nuances. DP is the fastest for articulation management I've used (Nuendo, Logic, Studio One). Being able to drag arts from lane to lane saves a lot of time too as it stays locked to the grid / note.

Click to expand...

Logic works the same way as DP (you can choose your articulation when in stop mode and once you hit Record the notes will have that articulation assigned), Cubendo doesn't but you can make it behave the same way using Keyboard Maestro (or AutoHotKey for Windows i guess)

I will try to spend some time with DP next week. Thanks a lot for the input.

ravez said:

Logic works the same way as DP (you can choose your articulation when in stop mode and once you hit Record the notes will have that articulation assigned), Cubendo doesn't but you can make it behave the same way using Keyboard Maestro (or AutoHotKey for Windows i guess)

Click to expand...

Yes I know Logic can do it, but until now there are no individual delay compensation for articulations in Logic and that's why DP again is interesting to me.