I am looking to purchase VDL2 in the next few weeks. If I write for multiple percussion setups in my pit book, is it possible to have each channel with different sounds? How many? For example, player one plays Marimba, sus. cymbal, impact drum, and tambourine. Player two plays vibes, triangle, crotales, and brake drum. ETC...

right now I am able to switch the program when the samples have to switch.

You will not be able to switch on the fly using the same staff line or midi track, which is the case for all audio software.

Once you assign an instrument to a midi track or staff line in your notation software, that's it. There are combo instruments that combine many percussion instruments into one, so you won't need to load up VDL per cymbal, break drum, impact drum, etc. You will probably want to write with a staff line for all aux instruments (using the provided templates) and in the score you can write a text note to the player indicating that they will be playing a different instrument at that time. Then when you print the part for the player, the notation software can include the mallet line and the aux line together if you want. Or you may just have to make two versions of the music- one for print and one for making the audio file.

Does this mean that if an aux part has chimes for 2 measures, I'm not going to be able to get the chime sound. Why are all of these sounds seperate in VD2 if the most common usage of this program is in conjunction with notation software?

I'm looking forward to hearing these aux instruments, but it sounds like it'll be a ton of work to get there.

Yes, it can be done.

What software are you using?

If you are using Finale, look in your user's manual for ";entering multiple voices using layers";. It is pretty easy.

Yeah, I'm using 2004. I'll check it out. I assumed there had to be some way to do it. I'm assuming that I have to write the different instruments on different layers and assign each a specific sound. Is that it?

Also, is there really no way to do a program change? I can't say at measure 30 to switch voices?

[quote]Also, is there really no way to do a program change? I can't say at measure 30 to switch voices?[/quote]

You can if you have a full version of Kontakt, you will be able to load VD:2 files into seperate banks and can switch on the fly. You can get a bit of a discount with Native Instruments since you are a VD:2 user.

How does that work? I'm just wondering if the same thing can be accomplished using Bidule. Maybe Jim knows?....

[quote=";Cobybos";][quote]Also, is there really no way to do a program change? I can't say at measure 30 to switch voices?[/quote]

You can if you have a full version of Kontakt, you will be able to load VD:2 files into seperate banks and can switch on the fly. You can get a bit of a discount with Native Instruments since you are a VD:2 user.[/quote]

Just to clarify, that's the full version of Kontakt 2 that will allow program changes mid score.

[quote=";mcp";]Yeah, I'm using 2004. I'll check it out. I assumed there had to be some way to do it. I'm assuming that I have to write the different instruments on different layers and assign each a specific sound. Is that it?

Also, is there really no way to do a program change? I can't say at measure 30 to switch voices?[/quote]
You could use channels instead of programs.

Would that be using the midi tool? Up until a month ago, I've been using PrintMusic (coda's $50 version of Finale), so I haven't used some these features before.