Hello.

I am writing drumline music using Kontakt 2, VDL:2, and Sibelius 4 for Windows XP.  On the snare part, I want to also add ribbon crasher notes to it.  I am able to get the snare voice and the ribbon crasher voice in the same instrument bank in Kontakt 2, but I do not know how to indicate that I want a note on the snare voice to register as a ribbon crasher hit.  Would someone please tell me how I do this?  I just don't know how to incorporate both the snare and ribbon crasher voices into the same part even though I have them in the same instrument bank.

Thank you very much.

Tim

[quote author=Timothy link=topic=1554.msg7330#msg7330 date=1170619325]
Hello.

I am writing drumline music using Kontakt 2, VDL:2, and Sibelius 4 for Windows XP.  On the snare part, I want to also add ribbon crasher notes to it.  I am able to get the snare voice and the ribbon crasher voice in the same instrument bank in Kontakt 2, but I do not know how to indicate that I want a note on the snare voice to register as a ribbon crasher hit.  Would someone please tell me how I do this?  I just don't know how to incorporate both the snare and ribbon crasher voices into the same part even though I have them in the same instrument bank.

Thank you very much.

Tim

[/quote]

Hi Tim, there are a couple things you'll need to do depending on how deep you want/need to go. The important thing you'll need to do is first send a program change from Sibelius to Kontakt. Let's say your snareline is loaded into slot 001 in your instrument bank. On slot 002, you've loaded your ribbon crasher. To switch from snare to ribbon crasher, you'd enter a simple midi command as 'technique text' in Sibelius:

[b]~p2[/b]

The ";~"; essentially hides this message so it won't print in your score. In the Sibelius ";view"; menu, select ";hidden objects"; so that they'll show in your score, and you'll be able to see them onscreen (even though they won't print). The ";p"; (lowercase) stands for [i]program[/i], and ";2"; is the program number variable you want to switch to. When you want to switch back to snareline, do the same with ~p1.

[b]The next step is where things can vary depending on your needs:[/b]

[b]If you're simply switching from a ";snares only"; part, to a ";ribbon crasher only"; part[/b], you can enter a staff type change at this point in your snare staff. The staff type change will switch from your selected VDL2 snareline percussion mapping staff type, to another staff type. Do this at: Create>Other>Staff Type Change>Percussion>xxx. Since the VDL2 Ribbon Crasher instrument is pretty basic, there's actually no preset staff type in the VDL2 template for it, so you may just be able to get by with choosing a [i]pitched 5 line (no key sig)[/i] staff type. Or, perhaps you can just keep it on the snareline staff type and use whatever the snareline mapping noteheads give you on those ribbon crasher pitches...that's certainly an option. Just depends on how picky you are with how they should look on the staff.

[b]If you are writing for ribbon crasher/snareline simultaneously[/b] (i.e. RH on crasher, LH on snare), that's a different can of worms. I had this dilemma last season with Cavaliers, and ended up customizing my snareline instrument to simply include a ribbon crasher. This does require some programming knowledge though, and I won't be able to get into those sorts of technicalities here. If you wanted to do that, you'd have to become familiar with programming instruments in Kontakt. Basically, with an instrument bank, you can only have one instrument loaded on the channel at any given time.

The other option (if you need crasher and snareline simultaneously) is to create an ";ossia"; staff for your snareline in Sibelius. This creates a mini staff that stays connected to the snare part. You can assign this ossia staff to its own unique channel in the Sibelius mixer. Then rather than using an instrument bank in Kontakt, simply load the crasher on its own channel. Not completely glamorous, but also not a bad solution.

Let me know if any of the above options needs further clarification.

[i]To anyone else interested:[/i]
I was thinking it might be useful if we just included a ribbon crasher in the snareline instrument, but this is such a customized circumstance it may not fit many people's needs. Some may need cowbell, others woodblock, others splashes. We'd have to figure out where to draw the line so the snareline doesn't become bloated. If anyone has specific thoughts here, I'm open to input.

If that's the case, Mr. Casella, then I have a couple questions for you.  Everywhere on the forums, everybody says that people need Kontakt 2 for using multiple situations on a given staff.  I've purchased it, but I'm having trouble with my situation.  With all do respect, what is the point of purchasing Kontakt 2?

Secondly, how does the ";~p2"; text work?  I wrote it into the part, and it doesn't transmit the command to Kontakt 2.

Thanks.

[quote author=Timothy link=topic=1554.msg7333#msg7333 date=1170625313]
If that's the case, Mr. Casella, then I have a couple questions for you.  Everywhere on the forums, everybody says that people need Kontakt 2 for using multiple situations on a given staff.  I've purchased it, but I'm having trouble with my situation.  With all do respect, what is the point of purchasing Kontakt 2?

[/quote]

I don't think it's been said that you can run access two instruments [i]simultaneously[/i] on the same channel. Perhaps you misunderstood. Certainly you can load multiple instruments into the same bank, so you may swap out one instrument for another without needing to create a separate channel for each instrument. For most people who utilize this method, it's a critical piece of their workflow for the pit in particular. Marimba switches to triangle, then back to marimba, then to concert bass drum. Using program changes this is all possible.

You want more reasons for Kontakt 2? OK. 64-part multitimbrality (VDL2 player gives you 8). Ability to save multis (not offered in current VDL2 player). Improved engine and DFD performance. Ability to edit and program instruments. Have you learned the program at all? It's much more powerful than the VDL2 Kontakt Player. That should be pretty obvious if you've spent any time with the program, but as with any new skill you're not going to learn it overnight.

[quote]
Secondly, how does the ";~p2"; text work?  I wrote it into the part, and it doesn't transmit the command to Kontakt 2.
[/quote]

Without seeing what you've written in Sibelius, and seeing what instruments you have loaded into K2, I don't know. Are you watching that channel in Kontakt during playback so you know for sure? Does that channel go out to an instrument bank? Is program 2 the one you want to switch to?

I've taken a good bit of time to give you thoughtful responses. I'm happy to continue helping, but it'll be easier if you can be extremely specific in your steps including all system information, midi settings, soundcard info, and exact steps of the problem you're experiencing.