I'm a Finale 2002 user, and attempting to create a multi-percussion staff for an auxiliary instrument. But have to admit that I'm kinda clueless. I had no problem creating maps for Snares, Tenors, and Basses. But am stuck on how to create a multi-instrument map that will access multiple sounds from VDL:2. Example: a single staff that might have a concert snare drum, tambourine, triangle, hand cymbals, bd/tam-tam combo, and castanets all on the same stave. Is this possible? THANKS!

If you want to create all of those instruments on 1 stave. The first thing you will need to do is to create a multi instrument similar to the Rack Combo using Kontakt. I personally have not done this but you will need to set up your own midi mapping for each sound. Then create the stave template to match the sounds you are importing from the instrument you created.

Or, you might be able to accomplish it by doing a program change and a staff type change at the same time in Finale after creating a specific template for each instrument and loading it to its own midi channel.

The most flexible way to accomplish this is by using Kontakt 2. Start by loading your desired sounds to one ";instrument bank"; that receives midi input on the same channel that the desired staff in Finale sends out to.

Each instrument you've loaded into this bank (in Kontakt) will have its own ";program number"; assigned to it. When you come to a point in your score where you want the instrument change to occur, you'd select Finale's MIDI Tool, a double click the measure where you want it to send a PROGRAM CHANGE to Kontakt. Set the program number to the desired program number in Kontakt, and then when you play back your score, the sounds will change.

Granted, this method is a little more advanced than what many Finale users may be used to, the functionality is there and works very well. I use it all the time in Sibelius...couldn't live without it actually! :)

Charles,

In Finale you can also create this using the following method. Create a text expression with the words of the instrument you are using. Then click on playback and choose patch in the text expression menu. You can then change the program change in this menu. It will display things like #1-Acoustic piano. Ignore the instrument name, that is just the general midi for that program number.

The nice thing with this method is that whenever you assign the text block to a note, it will change the program number for you every time. I have found this extremely helpful to set up in my template and set metatools for the instruments to speed up the program change assignments in the score.

Another helpful tool I have used is to load the instruments in VDL2 and use the above procedure and have it change channels to the channel I loaded the instrument in. Do this in the text expression tool but choose channel and assign the number you want instead of patch. This keeps you from having to use Kontakt 2, but can really tax your RAM if you have lots of instruments open. It can really juice the polyphony # for that channel also, so be aware.

Hope this helps. Shoot me an email if you need more help.

Tom McGillen
mcgillen@sbcglobal.net

I am running into this same issue, but with Sibelius 5.1

I would like to set up a staff that has a combination of congas, concert toms, and bongos. I make instrument changes for all the other accessories but these instruments are played as one moving line so I'd like them to be on the same staff.

Thanks!

[quote author=Ben_Runkel link=topic=651.msg13215#msg13215 date=1211395294]
I am running into this same issue, but with Sibelius 5.1

I would like to set up a staff that has a combination of congas, concert toms, and bongos. I make instrument changes for all the other accessories but these instruments are played as one moving line so I'd like them to be on the same staff.

Thanks!
[/quote]

As of right now Sibelius won't let you combine instruments in that fashion. You may have to figure out how to make one of the combination instruments work for the time being. Look in the VDL User Guide or the Template Readme to see which Combo instrument might work the best.