Sibelius 5.2.5 -- Mixer: Auto versus Manual

[randallshinn]

I seem to get best results with dynamics when I set the mixer to (auto) with each instrument, and let it find the mixer assign channels and instruments based on the manual soundsets and soundIDs I created. But if I have something like four individual horn parts and three trumpet parts, the auto setting sometimes assigns instruments and channels unrelated to the ones I want. I can get the correct instrument by manually choosing Vienna Ensemble and the proper channel, but then the dynamics are sometimes ignored. Any suggestions or solutions?

[andi]

Hi Randall!

If you have four horn parts written in four staves, you will also need four channels on the Manual Sound Sets tab reserved for horns, as well as four channels in Vienna Ensemble.

Unfortunately sometimes Sibelius confuses channels and Sound IDs if there are more instruments of the same kind. Normally this problem can be solved with the Sibelius mixer the following way.
If the Sound ID (3rd line in the Sibelius mixer) of one instrument is wrong, click on the sound ID and choose the one you set in the Manual Sound Sets tab. Be sure to choose the correct instance of that instrument. For example if you want to correct the sound ID of the second horn, click on the second brass.horns.french horn line.
If one instrument gets played on the wrong channel, correct the channel number.
Repeat that for all instruments playing on wrong channels or with wrong sound IDs. First always correct the Sound IDs.

I have never heard about Sibelius ignoring the dynamic. Are you sure your dynamics connect to the right staff?
Or maybe if you have two instruments playing on the same channel and they have different dynamics they can't be played at the same time.

Best wishes,
Andi

[randallshinn]

Thanks, Andi. Two questions in one day from me, and both of them answered quickly and helpfully. The dynamic problem only effects two staves, so I'll search and see if I find some issue. Randall