most versatile notation software to be used with Vienna VSL?

[Sergino Futurino]

up to today, is Sibelius still the most versatile notation software to be used with Vienna VSL?

[Bill]

It's the best suported, if that's what you mean...

[Sergino Futurino]

yes thanks

[fatis12_24918]

 

NOTION also has a very advanced management of VSL sounds libraries and articulations, and it has a very effective playback management (e.g. "conducting" tempo creation in real time like Sibelius, but easier, advanced VST mixer and plugin support etc.).

NOTION anyway for engraving is not as powerful as SIBELIUS and fits more basic and more automatic page/score management.

In the close future DORICO PRO is supposed to be a very powerful and integrated notation software with VSL, but the MIDI editor and the Expression maps are still under development, actual status is not 100% operational (e.g. missing control on velocities, bugs and incompatibilities with the pre-existing Expression maps actually imported from Cubase, because native maps are not yet available etc.)

(P.S. it's a pity Finale wasn't developed to enhance articulations management, because I still consider Finale Human Playback the more natural and effective preview-playback in the industry, but at the actual status it's almost unusable with complex VSL matrices, and dynamic management is pretty poor with VSL players).

[PaoloT]

@fatis12_24918 said:

it's a pity Finale wasn't developed to enhance articulations management, because I still consider Finale Human Playback the more natural and effective preview-playback in the industry

One of the nicest things with Dorico is that you can have both NotePerformer and VSL (or other libraries) play either the written or performed notes. So, you can record your playing with NotePerformer, and let NotePerfomer play back the written notes with its own interpretation algorhytyms; and then swtich to VSL, and let it play the notes you performed.

But yes, Dorico is still in an (advanced) development status. Usable, but with still some quirks.

Paolo

[Sergino Futurino]

@fatis12_24918 said:

 

NOTION also has a very advanced management of VSL sounds libraries and articulations, and it has a very effective playback management (e.g. "conducting" tempo creation in real time like Sibelius, but easier, advanced VST mixer and plugin support etc.).

NOTION anyway for engraving is not as powerful as SIBELIUS and fits more basic and more automatic page/score management.

So, just for having the most articulated playback without caring for the engraving, you'd go the Sibelius 8 or the Notion way?

[Bill]

Notion suports the SE collections, not the full instruments.

[patmaddox]

@fatis12_24918 said:

it's a pity Finale wasn't developed to enhance articulations management, because I still consider Finale Human Playback the more natural and effective preview-playback in the industry

One of the nicest things withDorico is that you can have both NotePerformer and VSL (or other libraries) play either the written or performed notes. So, you can record your playing with NotePerformer, andletNotePerfomer play back the written notes with its own interpretation algorhytyms; and then swtich to VSL, and let it play the notes you performed. But yes, Dorico is still in an (advanced) development status. Usable, but with still some quirks. Paolo It sounds like you’ve got Dorico working with VSL... do you have it set to interpret articulations and expressions and stuff like that? Or do you only use it to play back what you play in? I think I’d be fine with the latter - but how do you handle articulation switching? My understanding is that there aren’t Dorico expression maps for VSL yet... so how are you using them together?

[bbelius]

You can import Cubase Expression Maps in Dorico. You maybe have to optimize some things, but it should work (keep in mind that this feature in Dorico is still not 100% complete)

Here a link to the Steinberg forum where you can find more information and hints on what to change:
https://www.steinberg.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=246&t=135922

Best, Ben

[PaoloT]

As Ben says, you can already use the maps supplied for Cubase. You have to do some adaptation, and and not everything will work. But several things already work.

I know it is not the most eloquest example, but here is a comparison between NotePerformer and VSL. I'll try to post something better at a later date. That's just to show that it works.

Paolo

[PaoloT]

Ok, here is something more substantial. The Expression Maps had to be modifed to allow dynamic control via CC1, and the 'sustain' articulation to be replaced with 'Natural'. But it more or less works. The presets supplied by VSL do not contain the most advanced articulations (like the ftz used in this example), so you have to add them yourself.

It is to be noted that the NP example is automatically performed by NP with its algohrythms, reading the notes as they appear in the score. The VSL example is read from the notes as I performed them. So, the difference is not only in the sound, but also in the expressivity, timing and phrasing.

Another difference is in how dynamics are interpreted. The final crescendo/diminuendo makes apparent how the curves are interpreted in a very different way by the two libraries. Dorico seems to lack a user-editable dynamics curve, that would be very useful with third-party libraries.

Paolo