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  • Note Durations with Performance Tool

    S
    S
    I'm going to ask this question with a real music example because I don't know any other way to ask clearly...

    I am performing a 2 note phrase (at bpm 60) with the performance horn instrument (HO_perf-leg_mf). The simplified 1 bar phrase is 2 half notes in succession: C5 to A4. I am finding that depending on how i play the phrase on the keyboard, I get (at least) 2 different sounding results:

    keyboard technique #1
    1) When I play the C5 and keep that key held down as i play the next note (A4) I get a very nice horn-esque legato slur from the C to the A, however, as i release the C and continue to hold down the A, the A the note falls off after one beat, not holding it's full value.

    keyboard technique #2
    2) if I play the C5 and then release it immediately before I play the A4, then the A4 keeps it's proper half note duration , but I don't get that legato phrase between the C and A.

    Q: How do I get the legato phrasing, AND control the note duration for the 2nd note? I have experimented with legato threshold and release time in the Legatool, but to no avail. Even if I extend the 2nd note's length in the midi editor, it still remains short on playback (which means that certain midi parameters are note directly related to the performance??). Maybe there is some concept that I need clarified about the legato samples and how to get the best performance.

    many thanks in advance -
    solart
  • H
    H
    Hi Solart,

    the note durations of the legato samples are not longer.
    The starting notes (which are no legato samples) are longer.
    But to trigger a starting note needs a little break between the two notes.

    Therefore my personal workaround is to use a second miditrack to combine perf-legato samples and starting and endnotes.
    I often exchange the starting note (using the ghost key function) with dynamic samples, same with ending notes. Especially for solo instruments it helps to get the right phrasing. Ofcourse it also works with normal sustains.

    I know this is no "realtime" workaround, because you have to adjust the overlap between the notes and you also have to set the right volume level level for the two miditracks.

    Generally a solo instrument is more tricky to adjust then ensembles.

    For strings a simple layering with normal sustains works quite well.
    If I remember right Kentaro Sato used this technique in his VSL demo.

    http://www.vsl.co.at/english/demos/User_demos/Kentaro_Sato/As_Time_Goes_By.htm

    best
    Herb
  • V
    V
    Herb,

    Would it be possible to incorporate a crossfading feature in a future release of the performance tool to make it work better & easier? IE: You could load into the performance tool both the legato patch and the sustain patch, and once the target note is played the tools crossfades to the sustain patch assigned to the corresponding legato patch... sounds easy enough right?

    Would this require too much CPU or RAM, or are the sustains and legatos not crossfadable? Seems like this would solve everyone's concerns about notes not being long enough and the performance tool being to difficult to use properly. Just my 2 cents.

    -Valerie
  • H
    H
    An automated crossfade solution or a similiar tool is on our "to do" list.

    best
    Herb
  • S
    S
    Thanks for the work-around Herb. Look forward to the update.

    solart