Can't solo instruments!. Vel X fADE after recording??

[Fergal O_Mahony]

Hi there, I am officially a newbie to this. I've worked in music for years but a few weeks back decided to take the plunge and go digital. Have armed myself with a Mac, logic and also purchased VSL SE1. I'm finding it quite hard to get to grips with and keep hitting walls, which is so frustrating and time consuming. I still don't really understand what Vienna Ensemble is! Do you need it? Doesn't it just contain the same stuff as the logic window/ mixer etc. I followed a youtube vid which showed me how to root 16 instruments from Ensemble into Logic. However now if I click on the S in logic, which would usually solo an instrument during playback, all 16 S's light up yellow and it just plays everything still. Also, do you have to 'perform' velocity X fades as you play stuff in. Surely you can add this to the notes afterwards!!? I can't figure out how though... Any help greatly appreciated

[Beat Kaufmann]

Hello and welcome to "the family"

X-Velocity is controlled by a midi controller (-curve). You can draw it after recording the notes within your DAW.

Maybe this Link helps for even more understanding the X-velocity

http://www.beat-kaufmann.com/vitutorials/vi-tips--tricks-3/index.php ...24. A) - 24.B)

and also

http://www.beat-kaufmann.com/vitutorials/vi-tips--tricks-4/index.php (30.)

This is a typical piece with X-Velocity-Fade (Air Bach)

http://www.beat-kaufmann.com/downloads/bk_air_matthias_church.mp3

(Part 1 just Chamberstrings II, Part 2 Chamberstrings II & Appasionata Strings, played with "Matthias Charch-Reverb")

I wish a lot of success

Beat

[chj501]

Hi,

in short:
Vienna Ensemble is a way to put several Instruments (a lot of) in viennas own mixing console.

Do you need it? Depends on the way you work!

For larger projects I use e.g. one VE for Violins, one for Viola, one for Cellos, one for double basses, one for woodwinds,... and so on.

In vienna ensemble I can then route for example 20 violin patches to channel "violin 1" which is panned left, another 20 violin patches to channel "violin 2" which is panned center/left, and so on.

So I mix the orchestral sections in vienna ensemble and the sections itself in the host sequencer (I use Cubase).

Of course - when you solo the virtual instrument which is an vienna ensemble, all instruments in this VE-Instance will play.

In Cubase I have to solo the "midi-track" - not the instrument - so that only the instrument plays that is listening to the configured track number.

The thing with "velocity X-Fade" was mentioned above... I map it to the breath controller and map my modulation wheel to cc2 (breath).

So I can controll and record velocity-x-fade with my modulation wheel (and also can record it later - if there is a need on an own midi-track)

Best regards

  Chris

[Beat Kaufmann]

Hi again

Just back from dinner...

In addition to Chris' Reply:

I recommend only to use the Vienna Instrument (Sampleplayer) for collecting first experiences.

The VI doesn't recognize any midi channel information. So normal is that you use a midi track for each Instrument (Violin1, Violin2, Viola,...). Then Each of these tracks get its own VI with the corresponding samples.

If you are more familiar with it you can use it together with the Vienna Ensemble.

As Chris mentioned above you will be able to collect some VIs together within a VE. An advantage is that you will be able to combine a whole orchestra sections within one VE. As an example: You can save a string section in a VE incl. routing effects, panning etc. Later on you are very fast in combining an orchestra with such VE-modules.

Example

Instead of a VI you insert a VE on a Midi track which now contents all the necessaray melodies for the used VIs within the VE.

Of course you need to assign now each voise or melody a midi channel so that the corresponding VI inside the VE can play the certain voice.

There are other and more possibilities with VE but this example lets you probably better understand what the VE is for.

Nevertheless and once more: For getting first experiences in using the samples I recommend only to use VIs.

Beat

[Fergal O_Mahony]

Wow. Thank you both for your help. Very interesting stuff. At the moment some of the things you mention sound a bit advanced for me. However I have invested in a breath controller which should arrive in next few days, so I will assign it to the vel X fade and see if it helps. I'm still not sure exactly how to apply vel X fade to a melody that is already recorded, as opposed to applying the X-fade in real time as you are recording. I am working on my first ever orchestral piece, only short, less than 2 mins. Its basically there note-wise. It just doesn't sound quite right yet though. The main problem is (as I'm sure is typical) the strings. They are jerky and do not sound musically phrased. I have tried to use Logics hyper draw (expression and volume) but hasn't quite done the trick. I'm hoping this breath controller will solve all my problems. :) Also, I've never mixed a track in my life so that's going to be tricky for sure, and somewhat daunting. Annoyingly, when I playback and listen, there is a tutti chord near the end that keeps sounding after it should have stopped and covers the quiet music that follows. No idea why this is happening but it is frustrating as hell! The only way to stop it is to stop the piece completely and then start it again!... Thanks again for your help....

[Beat Kaufmann]

@Another User said:

I'm hoping this breath controller will solve all my problems. 😊...

I know a lot of producers who use such controllers... Even if I play the saxophon I prefere to draw these curves... 

You will find your own way.

Hope that helps a bit.

Beat

BTW: I used 1 day just for assining the X-velocity for the string part of the 4 min.-piece above... So making music with samples takes a lot of time.