VDL2 Masters,

Item #1

When I want to write a decresc roll in the tenors on drum 4, I hit the appropriate midi key on my keyboard.  It plays back as the sound I want however, the notation appears to be a standard note head.  When I apply the roll marks on the stem from within Sibelius the sound is changed.  How do I get the best of both worlds, play back [b]and[/b] notation?

Item #2

I want to write a split cymbal part (four part) on one staff.  In the past I have written the part on (treble clef) ";F A C & E"; and then made cmnd T editing marks to indicate crash selection.  Currently, I can get the crashes that I want to playback but (seemingly notated) only for one player.  How do successful VDL2 users notate four players on one part?

Item #3

...currently slips my mind!

Thanks in advance for your help.

Joel,

#1 Are you adding the Z directly from the Sibelius menu?  If you are, go into properties and turn it off.  What's happening is that the buzz from VDL:2 is triggering as well as the Z from Sibelius.

#2 Unfortunately, there's no way to split the cymbal parts besides going under each note and putting a 1 2 3 or 4 to identify each player.  Or, you can create a playback and a print score.

Joel,

To add to what Bill said, you'll only be able to disable the tremolos (rolls, buzzes, etc.) if you are using Sibelius 4.1.

Fellas,

Thank you very much!��

I'll look forward to my 4.1 upgrade in the next couple of weeks.

In the meantime, if you're still using something pre-sib 4.1, the best way to indicate your buzz roll ";Z"; is to simply use something like ";technique text";, and drag the ";Z"; over the stem. It's not elegant, but it won't cause your rolls to play back with all the rapid midi attacks.

If you're already using Sibelius 4, the upgrade to 4.1 is a free download from the Sibelius website.


For the cymbal notation, it might be less hassle (than creating two scores) to simply create two cymbal staves. I.E. ";Cymbals"; (for print), then ";Cymbals Play";. In the mixer, hit the ";mute"; button on the ";cymbals"; staff so it doesn't play back. Then you can make those notes look exactly how you want. In the ";Cymbals Play"; staff, keep it activated for playback, and enter all the VDL2 articulations there. Once you're ready to print your score, select all the staves you want to see (don't select the ";cymbals play"; staff) by command-clicking (mac) or ctrl-clicking them (PC). Then activate the ";Focus on"; feature in Sibelius. Now only the selected staves will display, but you'll still hear the playback cymbal staff which is simply hidden. ";Focus on"; is a pretty cool feature in Sibelius.

good luck!

Jim,

Thank you for your suggestion.�� It is a good idea that would not be difficult to implement.

Joel