Can anyone from Vienna comment on this product and its usefulness to those of us using Vienna samples with Sibelius? What is the gain? Does this sort out existing problems in which instruments do not change articulation, especially problems encountered when using two instances of the same instrument - usually violin I and II?

Thanks.

Due to a different way Notion handles playback and MIDI channels, this problem does not exist in Notion.

Best,
Andi

 Hi Lubo,

Since last friday I've became an user of Notion SLE for Windows-XP and I'd like to make you some questions, since I did not find the answers in the user manual:

1-What would be the best way to export a Notion file incluiding the settings of VE-VI, regarding the articulations, dynamics, tempo, etc, in order to finish the mixing process in Nuendo 4?

2-How do you make visible and available the VI instance, directly from the score page, without going to the mixer? You do it in the video tutorials by using some short cut that I can't find in the user manual.

3-In the demo files how do you have difined the close-far relationship of the instruments in terms of reverb?

4- I do not have a Notion SLE folder in the preset select section of VE-VI instances, vhen I load a template. How should I proceed to solve this issue?. (I have installed the latest versions of the software). I have sent a e-mail to the support option regarding this issue.

Thank you very much in advance, Lubo.

Best regards,

Paco Monge

Hi Paco,

Sure, let me help you with that.

Q: 1-What would be the best way to export a Notion file incluiding the settings of VE-VI, regarding the articulations, dynamics, tempo, etc, in order to finish the mixing process in Nuendo 4?

A: If you export a MIDI file it would keep all of the keyswitches within the file. You will find them "underneath" the notes in the piano roll view. To use those and get the same playback in your sequencer, simply load the corresponding .fxp preset into your sequencer track, for example, lets say you used Violins I in NOTION SLE - you need to export the MIDI file and then in your sequencer load the Violins I.fxp patch for that VI instance.

However, what I would probably do is tweak the MIDI part in NOTION SLE and then simply export .wav files to mix and master the wavs in Nuendo. You can export as wav the whole score or sections of the score or individual parts. To export the whole score just choose Export Audio (make sure Real Time export is selected in Preferences if you use Vienna Ensemble). To export a section or individual part, select the part (highlight it, you can click on it and use the Ctrl+Shift+A shortcut) and then choose export as wav. This will then export only the Highlighted part into a wav track. 

Another option is to use ReWire and Slave NOTION SLE to your sequencer. You can then get the audio directly in the project. 

Q: 2-How do you make visible and available the VI instance, directly from the score page, without going to the mixer? You do it in the video tutorials by using some short cut that I can't find in the user manual.

A: The shortcut is Ctrl+I (Cmd+I on Mac)

Q:3-In the demo files how do you have difined the close-far relationship of the instruments in terms of reverb?

I used the stereo pan option for each instrument and reduced the stereo spread for instruments that I want further away. Then, I simply use one instance of the VSL Convolution reverb and that does the trick.

Q:4- I do not have a Notion SLE folder in the preset select section of VE-VI instances, vhen I load a template. How should I proceed to solve this issue?. (I have installed the latest versions of the software). I have sent a e-mail to the support option regarding this issue.

A: We save those into the default VSL Custom Data folder. However, if you changed this in the Directory Manager, the NOTION presets may not appear. Here's where they are. On a PC: <Your NOTION SLE folder>\Support\PluginData\VSL\Presets.

On a Mac, you need to right-click your NOTION SLE app in the Applications folder and choose Browse Package Contents, then go to Contents/Resources/PluginData/VSL/Presets.

In there you'll find all the fxp's you need. :)

Let me know if this helps. You should also receive a response from our Tech Support on Monday. But in any case, let me know if this resolves your issue. 

Sincerely,

Lubo Astinov

Hello Lubo,

I'm having a lots of hope in Notion3 and I've let me tempted by it's SLE conterpart. I've seen, from your Notion VIenna Instruments Preset that most (if not every) Articulation available in Special edition Plus is acessible with keyswitchs. But i'm having a hard time finding out ways to trigger some of them via writen notation inside Notion! Perf-Repetion patchs or even Detache are no where to be found. I finaly manage to trigger short detache with a Mezzo-Staccato symbol. And how about such cells like on keyswith D0 sustain/detache with your Solo violin preset. How can i invoke that particular cells with a marking in Notion?

Ultimatly is there a way to Edit your articulation. Association keyswitch of my choice to an articulation. For expemple, making the Staccatisimo Symbol send a F0/D-1 keyswitch to trigger your the perf-rep Spiccato cells (or a real spiccato since I also own some DVD instruments).

Thanks,

Y-

Hello.

I've been working a bit with this notation software now, and so far I'm getting very impressed with the way it's handling the string articulations!  Plus, the score is looking very nice, too!

I'm quickly becoming a fan of Notation, and I'm thinking that I should change over from Sibelius and Finale.  I'll have to work with it some more, but it's so nice to easily put in the articulations and have the show and sound correctly!

I have a question;  I have the Strings + and several woodwind and brass download instruments.  Not the entire VSL SE Plus library.  I also have the extended addon, too.  Can I get the download instruments articulations to work in SLE?  The strings seem to be playing the + articulations well.

Nice work!

 Hi Yanick,

On to your questions:

Actually, detache is triggered by the '-' /dash/ symbol, however it is triggered only if the conditions are "right" for a detache. That is if the sound is "main" sound - i.e. you're not using "sordino" or "ponticello" and if the time of the note is enough to allow for the detache sanple, yet not too long as to make the detache appear like a bad choice (e.g. a detache on a whole note in 4/4 at tempo 90 ).

You can try it - place a half note in the violins with tempo Q=90 and then place the dash on top of the note. This will trigger detache. If you are using a different technique (such as ponticello) or your note is too long, the dash will not trigger the detache (because you dont want to jump from ponticello to non-ponticello) but it will shorten the note just enough to give you a separtaion.

Now, about the Perf-Rep sample and the Detache combined with the sustenuto - you are very observant :) Those currently do not have associated articulations, they will be added on the next update (soon), since we'll also optimize some other things.  You can just wait for the next update, but if you really can't live without it, here's how you can manually change the articulation association:

Q:Ultimatly is there a way to Edit your articulation. Association keyswitch of my choice to an articulation. For expemple, making the Staccatisimo Symbol send a F0/D-1 keyswitch to trigger your the perf-rep Spiccato cells (or a real spiccato since I also own some DVD instruments).

A: Yes. It is a bit technical, but I think it can be done relatively easy. I'm not sure what system you are on, but here is what to do. Here's how to manually re-program the staccatissimo to triger the perf-spiccato.

1. For PC: In your NOTION SLE folder (where the program is installed) go to Support\PluginData\VSL\Rules.

2. Open up the VSL_Instruments.prules file with a text editor. Then find this text: <rule name="staccatissimo KS">. This is the playback rule for the staccatissimo articulation.

3. Under it look at the last 2 lines of the rule. Change those to be:

<key-switch type="note-on-prefix" midi-pitch="2" velocity="1" /> 
<key-switch type="note-on-prefix" midi-pitch="17" velocity="1" />

You're done. Now repeat this for the other 2 prules files so that it works in VE and VE PRO.

Just be careful when manually editing those. For one, you need to back up both the original and your changes, because if you want your changes kept when we update the software, you may want to have your rules saved. But also, if you are not careful and do not follow the proper format and say the syntax is wrong, your rules will stop working.

Again, unless you are comfortable with editing xml files, I would just wait for the update .

Thanks, Hope this helps.

Lubo Astinov

 Hi Dennis,

Thanks for the kind words. Yes, you can get the download articulations to work too. In your score, simply bring up the VI interface and replace the patches with the corresponding download instrument patches.Then make sure you save the score. This should work fine.

Lubo Astinov

 Hi Lubo,

Thank you very much for your answer.

The issue of the Notion SLE folder is now fixed.

Regarding the exporting possibilities to Nuendo, all the options you suggest are good. However, since VE, and also the Notion folder's presets are also available to be used in Nuendo, I wonder if is it possible to load also the presets or the corresponding file of VE. Sorry if this is an obvious question, but until now I've been working in Nuendo, using only VI instances, so I'm not used with VE possibilities.

Eventhogh, if you allow me, I'd like suggest, for further developments, a VST plugin that would allow the integration of Notion and Nuendo, maybe like Melodyne and other tools. I think there is any score editor application in the market that offers this possibility.

Also I'd like to say that my first impressions of Notion are very good and I think it will be a tool that will make easier the composing process.

Thaks again, Lubo

Best regards,

Paco Monge

 Hi Paco,

Thanks for your kind words. Yes, I think you should be able to simply save the VE preset from the NOTION score as a viframe and then open that in Nuendo. This should work fine. Let me know if you run into problems.

Lubo Astinov

Thanks Lubo,

I've been coupling my Vienna Library with many notation software over the years, (Finale, Sibelius and Overture), But Notion seems to be all i needed from the start. It's a perfect fit. I was looking foward to peek under the hood of the playback rules. I see now the limitless possibility of editing the "Prules" to my needs, and i've already included some of my big DVD collection articulations to the mix (don't worry I'm keeping a backup:) ).  I cant wait to see how you'll automate the Perf-repetition trigger in XML.

Long Live Notion,

Y-

Being an early adopter of Vienna Instruments, I'm strictly a DVD collection user - no Special Edition stuff at all. Will Notion SLE be worthwhile for me? Is it relatively easy to get the DVD collections to work? Could someone provide a quick walk-through of how I would do this?

thanks in advance.

James.

Hi James,

Although NOTION SLE is designed to work for Special Edition, there's nothing stopping you from bringing up the VI or VE interface(s) and simply substituting the corresponding SE patches with the DVD collections Instruments.If you do that on the presets, then you'll get them everytime already setup.

Hope that helps.

Lubo Astinov

Of course, that makes sense. I also saw the post on customizing the .prules files, which seems reasonable as well. All things considered - and particularly with that amazing price(!) - I can't see any good reason not to give it a try! 

thanks,

J.

If someone at Notion or VSL can do this for all the VSL DVD products I would buy Notion in a heart beat.

I think it would be well worth your, Notion's, time to map the VSL content. There are a lot of SE users and many of them have 

at least some of the other DVD collection(s).

I have all the collections and it would take weeks to map the content. Time I don't have.

DM33

Hi DM33,

Thanks for your post. Just a quick note to let you know that our plans are to continue expanding functionality with our VSL integration in the future.

Lubo Astinov

That is great news and good to hear!

DM33

 Hi Lubo,

I downloaded the  N3 demo, and like it very much, but it seems the demo works only on 32 bits , isn't it ? It work fine when I try the VSL Strings , but not as well when i replace the strings by Strings +, what can I do ?                                                                                                 

Also I will install it on a computer that isn't connected to internet , should I send you the serial number to get the key ? It is a very impressive notation software , do you will develop it , for film scoring , aka , being able to synchronize with a video source ???

Thank You

Hi Pro-Arte,

Q: I downloaded the  N3 demo, and like it very much, but it seems the demo works only on 32 bits , isn't it ?

A: Yes, NOTION3 is a 32bit application.

Q: It work fine when I try the VSL Strings , but not as well when i replace the strings by Strings +, what can I do ?

A: If you are using the Vienna Symphonic Library VST presets for the Strings,  they already include all of the articulations from both Standard, Extended and PLUS Standard and Extended libraries. In other words, you shouldn't need to substitute anything. I'm afraid I'm not quite sure I understand the problem correctly. When you launch NOTION and enter Score Setup, you should see the Vienna Symphonic Library group in the Instrument Entry Palette. From there you just enter your instrument (say Violins I) and it already includes the Plus articulations (try it by placing a trill on the violins, it will trigger the trill patch).Are you running into a different issue?

Q: Also I will install it on a computer that isn't connected to internet , should I send you the serial number to get the key ?

A: Just make sure you contact our tech support and they will guide you through the manual authorization process.

Q:It is a very impressive notation software , do you will develop it , for film scoring , aka , being able to synchronize with a video source ???

A: Thank you for your kind words. We will continue to expand functionality in NOTION for film scoring but I also wanted to point out that right now you can use ReWire to slave or host to a sequencer for any film scoring projects you are working on.

Again, thanks and I hope that helps!

Lubo Astinov