Howdy,

I just finished working on this chart which uses VDL2 sounds exclusively.

https://www.tapspace.com/vdl2/mp3/VDL2Estancia1.mp3

Hey Jim,
I'd like to know how you have your system organized. are you using the kontakt players in a host program or are you using the full Kontakt program. also, do you have to load a separate VDL2 instrument for each corresponding staff in your score.

Ken

Hi Ken,

I'm using Kontakt 2 and loading VDL2 instruments into it.

In this example I was writing for full battery (no cymbal line though), and 15 players in the pit. Each staff in Sibelius corresponds to an INSTRUMENT or BANK in Kontakt2.

Kontakt2 has four ";ports";, each which can accept 16 channels of MIDI (total of 64). Since I'm writing for more than 16 channels, I have to use two ";virtual midi cables"; to send to those two separate ";ports"; in Kontakt2.


Here's somewhat of an overview of how I've setup the playback device (Kontakt 2) for this type of score:
===============
KONTAKT PORT 1 (items 1-16) - MIDI is sent out of Sibelius via VIRTUAL MIDI CABLE #1 (I'm using MIDI Patchbay (mac) as my virtual midi cable.)
===============

Channel 1: INSTRUMENT - Snareline Lite
Channel 2: INSTRUMENT - Tenors Lite
Channel 3: INSTRUMENT - Bassline Lite

Channel 4:  INSTRUMENT BANK - glock bright plastic, ribbon crasher, glock  brass mallets

Channel 5:  INSTRUMENT BANK - xylo bright, crotale bright, brake drums

Channel 6:  INSTRUMENT BANK - vibe hard lite,

Channel 7:  INSTRUMENT BANK - vibe med lite,

Channel 8:  INSTRUMENT BANK - marimba hard rosewood lite,

Channel 9:  INSTRUMENT BANK - marimba med rosewood lite,

Channel 10:  INSTRUMENT BANK - marimba soft rosewood lite,

Channel 11:  INSTRUMENT BANK - marimba soft synthetic lite,

Channel 12: INSTRUMENT BANK - chimes w/hammer, sizzle cymbal, 15"; K Suspended cymbal

Channel 13:  INSTRUMENT BANK - marimba soft rosewood lite,

===============
KONTAKT PORT 2 (items 17-32) - MIDI is sent out of Sibelius via VIRTUAL MIDI CABLE #2 (I'm using MIDI Patchbay (mac) as my virtual midi cable set to send through a second ";bus"; or ";port";.)
===============

Channel 1: INSTRUMENT BANK - Timpani Med Lite, Ganza shaker, Timpani Hard Lite

Channel 2: INSTRUMENT BANK - 20"; Constantinople sus cym, Meinl Birds, Able 6"; Triangle,

Channel 3: INSTRUMENT BANK - Congas AutoRL, 18"; Constantinople SusCym, Concert Snare, 18"; Symph. Viennese Piatti

Channel 4: INSTRUMENT BANK - Orchestral Tambourine, Chinas All, Bell Plates,

Channel 5: INSTRUMENT BANK - Djembe 14in, Concert BD, 22"; Wind Gong
================

The reason I use BANKS for the pit players is because I'll often want them to switch to a new mallet type, or accessory instrument at which point I'll send a program change from sibelius (~p3 for example for program 3) to swap the patch that's currently assigned to that channel.

Jim

Hi Jim,
I've got a question about using instrument banks. I am not hearing the sounds as I input them on the midi keyboard but they are playing back just fine. This condition only exists when I use a multi instrument bank. When it is just say the snare line, I hear the corresponding sound as I play the note on the midi keyboard. What am I missing?

My system:
Sib 4
Kontact 2
Midiman Keyboard
Win XP
Intel Core 2 Duo PC
SB Audigy 4
4GB ram

[quote author=KenMcGrath link=topic=665.msg6245#msg6245 date=1160763934]
Hi Jim,
I've got a question about using instrument banks. I am not hearing the sounds as I input them on the midi keyboard but they are playing back just fine. This condition only exists when I use a multi instrument bank. When it is just say the snare line, I hear the corresponding sound as I play the note on the midi keyboard. What am I missing?

My system:
Sib 4
Kontact 2
Midiman Keyboard
Win XP
Intel Core 2 Duo PC
SB Audigy 4
4GB ram
[/quote]

Since this is only happening on your channels that use banks, I assume that you have the ";midi thru"; box checked in Sibelius' input devices window. That said, the reason you aren't hearing sounds is probably due to the [b]program[/b] setting in Sibelius' mixer. Whatever this is set to is the sound you'll hear coming out during input.

One thing that's a little deceiving is that Sibelius program numbers (I believe) are labeled from 0-127, and Kontakt 2's bank program numbers are labeled from 001-128. Due to this, if you want Sibelius to playback instrument you have loaded into program slot 003 in K2 (for example), you should set the ";program"; field for that track (in Sibelius) to ";2";. If you get in the habit of ";minus 1"; when setting program field in sibelius it'll line up.

One other caveat. Sibelius [b]staff types[/b] can affect whether you're hearing sounds or not. If this particular staff is assigned to the ";Crash Cymbals"; staff type, but you're trying to enter a marimba part, you won't hear most of the marimba notes. You must first create a staff type change (Create>Other>Staff Type Change>etc). Non-pitched (percussion) staff types will only output sounds from the midi pitches that have assignments whereas a pitched 5-line staff type (for example) will output chromatically. To check what staff type is currently assigned to a particular point in your score, click once on the measure so it's framed, then select ";edit staff types";. Whichever staff type is highlighted in the resulting window is what's currently assigned.

Let me know if this all makes sense and steers you in the right direction. Good luck!

Hey Jim,
The initial program setting did the trick. One other question. Does this mean that even with program changes in the score, I still have to switch the program setting in the mixer window if I want to hear a particular instrument?
For example, If Marimba 1 needs to pla bass and tam hit do I need to change the program setting in the mixer window in order to hear bass and tam as I input them?

[quote author=KenMcGrath link=topic=665.msg6248#msg6248 date=1160767280]
Hey Jim,
The initial program setting did the trick. One other question. Does this mean that even with program changes in the score, I still have to switch the program setting in the mixer window if I want to hear a particular instrument?
For example, If Marimba 1 needs to pla bass and tam hit do I need to change the program setting in the mixer window in order to hear bass and tam as I input them?
[/quote]

Yes. Sib won't know necessarily which program you intend to playback at any point in the score until it encounters the written-in program changes as they occur. So occasionally, you might find it necessary to switch over to Kontakt to double-check the mapping of a certain program (i.e. tambourine - double-click on the program to open it in the K2 editor) to figure out exactly which pitch you want to enter. It's a bit of a limitation, but I've found it's not too much of a pain if you assign the main program for that staff to the instrument you'll be using most often during the chart. Or, as you said, you could change the program number in the Sib Mixer so you don't have to leave Sib. For some reason, that doesn't seem as efficient because you'll likely have to change that program back to another setting when you're done inputting. Still, that method would work perfectly fine if you prefer.

Nice chart Jim!!!