thanks Paul and Mark for your latest contributions. I would agree with you Paul that for a detailed understanding on how samples actually work and work in a mix, then Beat is your man. I really cannot hope to compete. I read his conclusion as basically being that one should consider programming just about every note but most of us don't have time for that and I get the feeling that there is more intelligence built in to the more recent Vienna Instrument versions -- some of his hints and tips seem to be rather old.
Having said that, it must be remembered that he is generally talking in terms of Cubase and that Sibelius does not necessarily have the same programming options or at least not without considerable difficulty. This is particularly the case with the full solo strings package as if you look at the cells actually being used in real time, they don't always correspond to what you might expect, especially with such commands as portato, detache and short in my limited experience so far. Andi is the guy who is most likely to be able to guide folk through the Sibelius soundsets and templates. I'm hoping that down the line, Dorico may be able to offer integrate some of the advantages of Cubase and give us a usable one stop solution. But that's for later.
With these caveats, it might still be worth giving my view about how to approach this whole issue. These are a few of the main things people might want to think about. I am assuming again here that we are wanting to get the best results in notation software even if this might not be the best way to get good results and that my focus is on string sounds, and particularly solo strings.
Let's assume you start with the Sibelius presets in Vienna Instruments. This is essential with the full Solo Strings but as VI's own matrices in the Special Edition are the same as Sibelius presets as far as I can see, it matters less. If you try this you will notice the following a) the CC11 expression controller is set to Velocity Crossfade and b) the Velocity Xfade (vel XF) is active. Using Velocity Crossfade ( VelX) for CC11 means that you have automatically two volume controls, (quite apart from the master Vol CC7) as the Expression slider is also active even if not programmed. To get sufficient volume for the quieter passages this needs to be set fairly high -- around 90 is advised (the template puts 100). However the dynamic range is simply inadequate this way and I advise around 115 for this slider, not 63. Velocity Xfade as previously discussed changed the nature of the sound to a greater or lesser degree depending on context and it's not always musically appropriate. Fortunately you can toggle off/on with CC28 as appropriate. If you switch off the Vel XF then there is no response to hairpins on a single note (and the behaviour of them can be generally a bit flakey anyway)
There is an alternative. This is simply to assign CC11 to Expression and leave Velocity XF unused. This way you have only one volume control and results are more predictable -- hairpins work smoothly as well. You can still use Vel XF this way. To work this way, all you really need to do is adjust the dictionary entries for dynamics from the the House Style defaults as the dymanics range is too high in this case. Boost the lower and reduce the higher dynamics to taste. Of course the DynR slider in VI can also be used but I have not found a setting that works optimally. This how I worked for years until quite recently. Why change to the way the good folks at Vienna recommend? Simply there seems to be more vitality in the sound - it's too flat otherwise in faster and more lively passages.
That's the general starting point. For selecting actual patches, the SE is more straightforward as it tends to for the most part stick with what ever commands or articulations you've written into Sibelius. I find the default sustain patch to be quite often unpleasantly shrill or robotic and would advise legato in slower music where possible and switching between spiccato, detache, short and maybe portato for faster. Rep has a mind of its own but it can work in the Special Edition for non-repetitive passages as well-- just try it. The full Solo Strings has a good deal more variety and naturalness in the sound, especially if you use the Pro version of VI with its humanise function. Patch selection can fly around even if you've not written anything into the score which is why I'll offer no suggestions other than try to get Beat's support if you really can't work out what's going on. I'll probably get stumped myself sooner or later somewhere. I haven't yet experimented with combing patches -- again Beat has a few suggestions in this area.
Finally, it goes without saying that you want a decent acoustic. If you don't already have one (or even if you do) try MIRx Mozartsaal which meets my needs admirably for chamber music.
David
