I don't mean to be that guy that gets to technical about music... but what do you guys think are good velocity settings. In other words, in midi, what velocities are good for what dynamics using VDL:2 (and how does this vary from inst. to inst.). I know this will come down to personal taste, I was just wondering if anyone had any sweet spots. Peace... And congrats to those that won and participated in the contest (I've already listened to a few and am awaiting download time.).

I guess to answer that, you need to give a bit of context...  are you doing the compositions on a comp program like Sibelius, or straight midi?

I'd suggest looking at where the samples are split by velocity...  that's the sweet spots.

I'm using Finale 2005 and I'm curious just about the battery instruments (snare, tenor, bass). And how do you know where the samples are split? Say for snare, would Piano be around 32 or 64 and Forte be 127 or 100, or do you leave more room for the extreme ends such as FFF, or do you adjust your volume levels after getting to a certain point? (I've read somewhere on the forum that adjusting both Volume and Velocity isn't recommended for a realistic sound). I hope this made sense and thank you for the quick response. Peace...

You'd be able to see them in Kontakt only, really.

Try randomization around these velocities -- set them to what dynamic you want:

125
112
100
86
74
62
46
30

In most cases, those choices will trigger as many different samples as is in the instruments.  That's an estimate, but it should serve.

Also, consider setting your > and ^ to set percentages higher than default.  This will give a better accent/tap dispersion.

Regarding Finale specifically, if you go through the Expression Tool each of the various dynamic indicators will specify what the velocity level is for playback.

ffff = 127
fff = 114
ff = 101
f = 88
etc.

These are by no means the only options because you are able to edit each level individually.


Ted Boliske

Ted, that's the default, correct?

[quote author=drumcat link=topic=1020.msg4243#msg4243 date=1141251126]
Ted, that's the default, correct?
[/quote]

Yes. Those are the defaults. It would not take much time to change them. The one thing to remember is that these are all based on midi information, hence the ffff=127.

Ted

First off, thank you all for some very quick replies. Second off, I'm staying with what finale has, I was never smart enough really to use the dynamic markings as much as a should have. and I ended up with about 125% for > and haven't set my ^ value yet. Oh and I'm loving VDL:2 the more chances I get to use it. I'm hoping to put out some samples for the director and finally be able to write the book. Keeping my fingers crossed. Peace and thanks again.