[center][b][size=14pt][url=http://rapidshare.com/files/45845499/VDL2_Auto_Stick_v0.6.zip.html";]Click Here to Download VDL2 Auto Sticking v0.6[/url][/size][/b]
**This plugin will not work for AutoRL instruments**[/center]

I decided to write a plugin for Sibelius that will automate a majority of the sticking text entry. This is a beta release, meaning I'm releasing it for public testing. I would highly appreciate your feedback and suggestions. Be sure to view the read me for installation instructions. I hope you find the plugin useful!

[b]What it does:[/b]
[list]
[li]Writes in stickings for all sounds with a designated right or left hand (only battery instruments currently supported)[/li]
[li]Automatically recognizes which instrument(s) you have chosen[/li]
[li]Recognizes accents (currently only the regular accent [b]>[/b] and marcato [b]^[/b] accent)[/li]
[/list]

[b]What it currently doesn't do:[/b]
[list]
[li]Write in stickings for ";chords"; (i.e. a note stacked on another note)[/li]
[li]Write in stickings for any sounds that are not indicated with a right or left hand (i.e. rolls, etc.)[/li]
[li]Write in stickings for any sound that would use two hands i.e. OTH shots[/li]
[li]It is currently not tested with VDL2.5 or Sibelius 5[/li]
[/list]

*I am most concerned about performance of the plugin. If you can, please send me some test scores, the bigger and denser the better!*

[b]I would like your specific feedback on:[/b]
[list]
[li]Sticking conventions you use for your writing (i.e. lowercase for unaccented, uppercase for accented, etc.)[/li]
[li]How you indicate for two hands (i.e. tenor double stops, OTH shots, etc)[/li]
[li]Other instruments you would like to see included[/li]
[li]Other articulations you would like to see[/li]
[li]Mac environment! I don't have a Mac on hand so please test![/li]
[li]Bugs you find[/li]
[li]Other suggestions you may have[/li]
[/list]
[b]
Possible future enhancements:[/b]
[list]
[li]User selectable sticking conventions[/li]
[li]User selectable articulations to capitalize[/li]
[li]More instruments![/li]
[li]Proofreading tools to show you notes without stickings[/li]
[li]Compatibility with VDL 2.5 and Sibelius 5[/li]
[/list]

Please leave your feedback here, pm me, or email at [i]champagne.joshua at gmail.com[/i]!

Enjoy! :)

Josh

Very cool - I have been meaning to write something like this!
I'll let you know when I get a chance to try it. Thanks!

This is a fantastic plugin!  It has potential to save so much time!  Big ups Josh!

Some feedback:

- I use all caps when writing stickings - for clarity sake.  I agree that it makes sense to have unaccented notes lower-case and accented upper, but when I have to lower the Staff Size to get the music on 2 pages or whatever, lower-case r & l aren't as discernible as R & L.  That kind of select-ability would be a great addition.

- I indicate both hands with a ";B"; (for both) with snare drums & tenors.  (But if this is all that I have to manually insert the sticking on...no big deal!)

- The only other option that I think would be of great value would be user-selectable passages to apply the plugin to, instead of the whole document.  Sometimes I don't notate sticking for every note, especially in the Bass Drum part.

---

Nevertheless, THIS PLUGIN IS AWESOME!  No more getting done writing a cool 8 measure riff and then realizing...";crap...(sigh)...stickings..."; R [space] L [space] R [space]....and so on.  I have already started using it!

Thanks again Josh.  You're the man!

FYI:  I used the plugin with
VDL:2
SnareLine Lite
Tenors Lite
BassLine Lite

I hereby vote Josh as ";new guy of the year";!!!  This ROCKS Josh!!!

I tried it with a Mac, Sib 4 & VDL 2.5.  Works great for all I can tell.

I also use ";B"; for the sticking for both hands.  I like the capital letters for accents and lower case for inner beats.  As luck would have it, that is exactly how I write them in.

JOSH RULES!!!!

[quote author=Owen Taylor link=topic=1901.msg9448#msg9448 date=1185730814]
- The only other option that I think would be of great value would be user-selectable passages to apply the plugin to, instead of the whole document.  Sometimes I don't notate sticking for every note, especially in the Bass Drum part.
[/quote]

I agree with this completely too.

[quote author=Owen Taylor link=topic=1901.msg9448#msg9448 date=1185730814]- The only other option that I think would be of great value would be user-selectable passages to apply the plugin to, instead of the whole document.  Sometimes I don't notate sticking for every note, especially in the Bass Drum part.[/quote]

Yikes! Sorry the plugin was originally doing just that, but it seems some last minute changes altered that behavior and I missed it. It will be fixed in the next release!

Cool.  Nice work again man!!!

Alright, I made a quick fix so that folks could get a feel for how the plugin is [i]supposed[/i] to work. It will only add stickings for notes you have selected... hopefully. ;)

Download link updated.

So we should re-download if we have already downloaded it and do a re-install?

No trouble at all on my MacBook Pro.  Great addition to lessen the workload!!

Thanks Josh!

Josh - I haven't yet had the chance to test this on my end, but I think you'll become a hero for many Sibelius/VDL users once this hits the streets. VERY COOL! Big time kudos to you for diving into this project!

To chime in on my own sticking preferences, I'll list those below. I do like the ideas of having some customization over this since not everyone likes to use all caps, or a combination of lower/upper case. For me...

Accent/tap patterns - upper/lower case.

Gradual hairpins w/no accents - I've gone back and forth on this, but have leaned toward lower case. Oftentimes because the cresc/dim will go into a part that contains accents where the upper/lower convention would start back up.

Tenor double stops - either a B (for ";both";), or nothing at all. Since these are usually written on two drums (separate pitches simultaneously) it doesn't seem as necessary to have the B.

Snare double stops - I've seen the R and the L entered simultaneously, giving you a double stop on the same line (noteheads on opposite sides of stem). Again, this is most likely obvious, but to be clear I'm sure I'd enter a ";B"; there as well.

OTH shots from VDL - since this is a sampled double shot, its entry only results in one notehead being displayed, so I'd enter a B there as well, and would write a text note above the part saying ";over the head"; for the players.

Basses - Most often, I find I like to hear unison crushes as double stops, so it might be good to have a B on those notes.

Diddles - For extra right-brained drumlines, I often even place rr and ll underneath diddle figures. Overkill perhaps, but we're often approaching these parts from a very detailed perspective, and the more info you can give to make intent obvious, the better. Especially for younger lines. It might be a nice addition to have an option where you can have diddles enter this way, or a choice not to enter any stickings during diddle figures at all. In most cases sticking during a typical roll passage may not be necessary. So if you didn't want to gum up the score with unnecessary stickings, this might be a nice choice to have.

Regardless of any of the above, this will surely become a popular go-to tool. Can't wait to try it out myself. Thanks again for such a wonderful contribution Josh!!!

[quote author=Dave Ratliff link=topic=1901.msg9469#msg9469 date=1185765480]
So we should re-download if we have already downloaded it and do a re-install?
[/quote]

Hey Dave, yeah you'll want to re-download it and either delete the old files or overwrite them when you re-install.

To Jim and others, thanks for the props. I work in insurance by day (ugh), but I'm a computer science student and musician by night. This kind of stuff is right up my alley, and what I want to be doing in the future, so I figured I'd offer this great tool to this great community.

I'll be working on getting in some user selectable options this week, along with some two handed support, and diddle support. I should be getting in VDL 2.5 soon too, so I'll be able to start testing that and adding in any new R/L sounds.�� So keep an eye out for updates and leave me any other suggestions/bugs you come across.

Thanks!

Thanks again Josh.  I'll do the re-install.

Just an update, marching band season has engulfed whatever free time I had left. I'm sure most of you are in the same boat. ;) Needless to say I haven't been able to devote any recent time to this project.

I'm also waiting to dissect the Sibelius 5 template to determine whether I'll need to maintain seperate plugins for v.4 and 5.

I've also experience an odd bug where the plugin will get into an infinite loop (and bring Sibelius to a grinding halt) when adding the sticking for an appoggiatura (flams). I believe it has something to do with how the ornaments are associated with their parent objects, but I'm not sure. Has anyone else experienced this? It may just be happening on my more recent build.

I haven't had any trouble with the loop when dealing with flams.  Just out of sheer curiosity:  Would it be possible for the plugin to ignore grace notes?  For example, I generally just write in the primary stroke of the flam (when putting in sticking manually) and ignore the grace note since it tends to be understood, based on the sticking of the primary.  Does anyone else do this, or do you write sticking for the grace note as well?