VE Pro5 loads wrong Sibelius Playback configuration

[wattsjf]

Hello, and thanks for your help in advance.

I am puzzled by this behavior, and can't figure out a solution:

Whenever I launch a Sibelius score, it used to launch the correct instrument configuration in VE Pro. Now (and I'm not sure from when I've had this problem), I always get this odd configuration where there is a sole cembalo and plug-in bus.

Admittedly, I have indeed used this configuration before, but it now takes over any other configurations. And it's odd because initially, VE Pro seems to want to open the correct configuration, but after a few seconds, it stops and defaults on this cembalo configuration!

I have tried deleting plists, reinstalled both VE Pro and Sibelius with no luck, so it may be a problem with the scores themselves... but not sure.

The solution so far is to let the wrong configuration load, and go to the VE Pro "Open Project" menu and load the correct project file, which is a bit redundant.

Any thoughts would be very much appreciated!

[andi]

Hello wattsjf!

The following procedure should help:
- Go to the Playback Devices window
- Load the correct Playback configuration
- Save your score

If you have overwritten the correct Playback configuration, rebuild it, save it and then save your score.

Here's another setting I would recommend for your Sibelius Preferences under Playback:
When starting Sibelis, load this playback configuration: General MIDI (or another playback configuration that loads very quickly)
Opening Files: Let me choose whether to change to the new configuration

Best regards,
Andi

[wattsjf]

Hello Andreas,

Thanks for your prompt response (I only saw this today!) I have tried both of your suggestions, and neither have worked. I have (and always have) saved the instance with the Playback Devices, and the Score. When launching an instance, it ignores the setting. I have set up Sibelius exactly as you have suggested, to no avail.

Here are some hints as to what might be going on:

1. Silbelius (or rather, VE Pro 5) always *tries* to launch the correct playback configuration. For some reason, it always gets interrupted with the odd cembalo configuration. This is the same regardless of what configuration I try to load, and also when I start Sibelius without a VSL instance at start up (as you suggested).

2. I *did* have such a cembalo playback configuration in the past.

3. From 1 and 2 above, I feel there is some stray playback configuration lost in the file hierarchy that is causing the issue. I have tried all sorts of user defined preference files with both Sibelius and VSL. The only success I have had, is when I delete all the playback configuration files in User/Library/Application Support/Avid/Sibelius 7/Playback Configurations.

4. 3 above resolved the situation for a short period - at least one start up session! But after that, somehow the cembalo configuration manages to rise from the dead and dominates the playback configuration, much to my amazement.

My conclusion is that there is some kind of file either with Sibelius or VSL that needs to be deleted and refreshed. So far, all I need to do is close the odd cembalo configuration and open the appropriate one, but this is a hassle after a few times.

Apologies for the long-winded discussion, but any thoughts from your side would be highly appreciated! :)

Thank you and best regards -

[andi]

Hallo wattsjf!

This is really an odd problem. I haven't heard about such a case yet. Maybe you have a copy of this cembalo playback configuration somewhere, where Sibelius also checks for playback configurations. I would do a search for this playback configuration on your computer and delete it everywhere you can find it. Then rebuild it.

I hope this helps.

Best,
Andi

[wattsjf]

Hi Andi,

I'm going to reopen this after several months, I hope you don't mind :)

I have been managing the problem stated above without too much hassle, but would like to resolve this if possible. I've observed a number of things so I'm hoping these will help you pin down where the problem might be.

I still get the problem where even though I link the playback device and soundsets are correctly matched and saved to the Sibelius file, that an old device profile starts up with VEP Server. But I notice the following now:

1. This is only when I use the AU version of VEP. No problem when using the VST version.

2. When I open the AU version and check the VEP Server Interface, there is *always* two instances on the top left corner drop-down menu: "Vienna Ensemble Pro" and "Vienna Ensemble Pro-1", even though I have never called two instances. When I do the same thing with the VST version, there is only one instance, and the drop-down menu says "Default".

3. I somehow once managed to make this go away. It seems to always come back after utilizing VEP Event Input, or multiple instances of VEP.

So, with my limited knowledge of your product, I now suspect that whatever preference or setting that is associated with the launch of VEP AU is corrupt, but I'm not sure which file that may be. It works fine on VST, but I'm worried that I'll get the same problem if I use multiple instances on the VST side as well!

Would you have any thoughts? At your leisure would be fine -

Best regards -

[andi]

Hello wattsjf!

I'm sorry to say that I don't understand your problem.
There shouldn't be any difference between the VST and the AU version of VE Pro. I don't think that your AU plugin is corrupt. Then it wouldn't work at all.

Which software and menu do you mean, when you are talking about the "top left corner drop-down menu"?

If you have one VE Pro instance too much in your Playback Configuration, why don't you just remove it and save your Playback Configuration again?

Can you maybe describe in detail what you have done?

Best regards,
Andi

[wattsjf]

Hi Andi,

I'll take this one at a time :)

I do realize there should be no difference between the VST and AU versions. Yet, the problem only occurs when I choose the AU version under Sibelius' Playback Device Menu. That is, when I configure the exact same set of instruments with VEP in AU, I get the said problem, when I configure using VST, I do not get the problem.

The software menu I am referring to is the VEP Server Interface - there is a pull down menu on the top left hand corner - it should only have one instance, but somehow (under AU) it always opens two instances.

Yes, I can close the one too many instance and save the correct one. But when I open the score again, it will continue to open an extra playback configuration and default on the one that has nothing to do with the score.

Perhaps this helps? I might video tape the problem and upload it on youtube when I get a chance so you can see what I'm doing :)

It's just odd behavior, and I can manually always close and reconnect to the right configuration - but it is a nuisance since I tend to go between many scores frequently.

Your patience is much appreciated.

[andi]

Hi wattsjf!

One Vienna Ensemble Pro Server Interface can only be connected to one Vienna Ensemble Pro instance. Maybe you still have two VE Pro plugins (aka VE Pro Server Interfaces) activated in your Sibelius Playback Configuration. I guess I still don't understand what's going on. Maybe a video would help indeed.

Best,
Andi

[wattsjf]

Hi Andi,

Per my previous posting, I don't know if this is the reason I always get the wrong instance launched despite saving the correct instance with the Sibelius file, but I think it is somehow related -

Here is a screenshot.

Note that I only have one VE Pro plugin activated. Yet, upon every startup of the *VE Pro Server Interface* it will always have two instances open from the very start (Sibelius will only show one plugin in the playback configuration).

Here is another one after I manually open a new instance "Study for Orchestra" (since Sibelius fails to open the correct instance, I have closed the wrong instance and opened the correct one from the VE Pro menu).

After I disconnect and close the erroneous instance as initially loaded, everything goes away and there are no instances in either VE Pro Server, or VE Pro Server Interface. However, when I manually open the correct metaframe (Study for Orchestra), VE Pro Server Interface once again shows two instances as in the second screenshot.

Now we have one instance in VE Pro Server because I have disconnected and closed the erroneous instance prior to opening the correct one, but the two instances in VE Pro Server Interface pull-down menu reappear, and there is still another [New] instance available in the Available Instances window.

Oddly, if I create and call the exact same instance in VST (as opposed to AU, which is the case here) I never have the same problem. That is, the *correct* instance (Study for Orchestra) will open automatically with no problems. No double instances, no trouble.

Thus, I think there is something corrupted in terms of the AU configuration, but I've tried replacing every file I can think of with no avail!

What do you think?

Thanks and regards -

[andi]

I don't think that there is anything wrong with your installation.

It seems to me that you have a preserved and an unpreserved instance of VE Pro. In the preserved instance you made your instrument setup, while the unpreserved instance only includes a Cembalo. In order to connect to your VE Pro instance with all the instruments, it should be enough to click on Disconnect in the VE Pro Server Interface and then connect to your preserved VE Pro instance (Study for Orchestra). This way the unpreserved instance should disappear. Then save your Sibelius Playback Configuration and if you want to your metaframe.

Best,
Andi

[wattsjf]

Haha, I know what you saying, and that brings me back to the first question, which is why Sibelius loads the unpreserved cembalo VE Pro Server configuration despite my never saving that instance, let alone with the Study for Orchestra playback file. When I open the Sibelius file, it always asks me if I want to load the Study for Orchestra instance, and I say "yes" and it always stops half way loading, and brings up the cembalo instance!

I'm sure there is some garbage that is corrupted...or does an unpreserved instance stick around even after all the apps are closed? How would I go about completely deleting the "unpreserved" instance?

>This way the unpreserved instance should disappear

For what its worth, the second instance never disappears although I can disconnect from it - as in the second screenshot - it just stays open as "New". When I reconnect to "New", I don't get a blank instance, it's always the one with cembalo! It also reappears every time I load the Study for Orchestra Sibelius file - despite my not saving it of course...

[andi]

We're moving in circles. Maybe you can make a video as you have suggested in an earlier post.

You could also send me your score and Playback Configuration (xml file and data folder with fxp files) to and I will take a look at it.

On Mac computers Sibelius Playback Configurations can be found at the following place:
Users/your username/Library/Application Support/Avid/Sibelius 7/Playback Configurations
Under Mac OS X 10.7 and 10.8 the Users/your username/Library folder is hidden by default. To get access go to the folder Users/your username. Then choose Go/Go to folder and enter “Library”.

Best,
Andi

[wattsjf]

Hi Andi,

Why don't I make a video for the whole sequence - it's much easier to see what I mean, please give me a while once again since I'm a bit tied up with projects at the moment.

In the meantime, I sent you the files - I'm sure they'll run fine, but it would nonetheless be helpful that I can isolate the problem to my computer.

Best, Watts