VI Tips&Tricks 2

11. Legato between single notes?

Is it possible to play a "legato crossing" between two single notes - between two diminuendos for example?

The answer is "yes" even it is a "botch".
1. While you play the single note - a "pfp4s articulation" in our example - set the keyswitch for the legato type you want to play (Portamento in our case).
2. Play the following note as long as the Portamento needs to finish its changing sound. In the mean time you set the keyswitch for the next single note - a diminuendo 4s in our case.
3. "Place" the diminuendo just behind the end of the legato note.
4. Fiddle around with the midilevels of the notes for a proper adjustment of the volume between the diffrent articulations. Maybe you also need the track automation (later on with the audiotrack) for adjustment.

Click on the picture to enlarge it ...

pfp4s (first 2 seconds)- portamento - diminuendo 4s

Listen to the whole Chrismas Song with its example end

For download: BK VI Tricks Sing Leg Sing.mp3 [614 KB]

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12. Improve weak attacks

Sometimes we have nice samples but they start a bit weak. Maybe their sound needs to long until it reach its typical sound we are looking for...
Combine the sample with another one which has a better attack part.
Examples of combinations:

Sustain with Staccato
Sustain with Sforzato
Sustain with Portato short or long
Crescendo with Portato long
Diminuendo with ...
Legato with Portato short or long... But attention here: You could destroy the nice Legato-Sound. So use the second Sample only with a low volume level.

Tip: This is an effect more ore less. If you can make out it you use it too intense.

Have a look below how to do it

13. BPM ?

The musical tempo is given in Beats Per Minute > BPM

A tempo of 60 BPM means that you will have every second a hit.
So if you have a 4/4 bar with this tempo it takes 4 seconds for playing it.
A tempo of 180 BPM means that you are 3 times faster than the upper example.

14. Fast Repetitions

VSL prepared fast repetition samples for the case of tempos above 150BPM.
Think about the bad gun effect we will get by repeting always one or two samples up to 9 times with this speed..
"Fast Repetitions" means a row of nine 16th notes which are recorded in different tempos. If you want to play only four 16th you have to stop the length of the midi signal after a quarter note at the certain tempo.
But...The Vienna Instrument offers a function which closes every bundle of repetitions with a proper final note.
Therefore make sure that the function (PLAY RELEASE) is "on" (VI-Perform Menu).
So in practice you have to stop before you reach the the last note. In our example of four 16th: Leave the key after three 16th "are over" and the release funktion of the Vienna Instrument will play the last final 16th. So you will get four 16th in the end with natural ending of the sound. Listen to the example:

Fast Repetitions at 180 bpm: Four 16th and nine 16th at the end

15. Setting the Dynamic with Samples

You know that the volume of a midi sound increase the higher the amount of velocity is.
The same effect happens with the sample sounds of the vienna instrument.
As an Example: A 2-Layer Library
The vienna instrument uses different sample types which correspond to different sound levels of a certain instrument.
In other words:
When the midi level increases the volume of the samples inreases as well. In case of a 2-layer library the sound changes at velocity 89 to a second and more forte sounding sample.

Set the Dynamic Sensitivity
You can adjust how strong the vienna instrument shall follow the midi velocity level.

Switch to "Patch Assign" On the left side of the "centre selecting ring" you will find " * 1 2 "
Press "1"
Now you can change the value at "DYN.R." (Dynamic Range).
0 = "no velocity following"
100 = maximum velocity following

A good startingpoint is 15 ... 25

Listen to this example / 4-Layer of the solo violin:
The DYN.R. is "0"

Even if the midi velocity increases: The sample volume is quit the same.
Nevertheless: The sample type changes around 0- 56, 57- 88, 89 - 108, 109 - 127
But the piano sample typ sounds in ff - unnatural!

DYN.R. Dynamic Range = 0

Listen to this example / 4-Layer of the solo violin:
The DYN.R. is "30"

The midi velocity increases again: The sample volume follows the velocity
quite natural.
To switch between different sounds with different samples makes sense now.

DYN.R. Dynamic Range = 30

Final Tip

The Dim- and Cresc- articulations often come with a DYN.R. between 8 ... 12.
This doesn't make us able to play a really piano diminuendo for example.
Increase the Dynamic Range to 15 ... 25 as a starting point for the dims and crescs.

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16. Velocity-Crossfading

Instructions

Select "Perform" (Ring with switches Vienna Instr.)
It appears a window where you will make out the fader VEL XF

Further you can see a LED which shows you whether the Cross function is on or off.

Switch it on and try the effect with the fader (using the mouse).

Connecting the X-fader to a controller

Select the second possibility of the "perform-window":
MAP CONTROL

Select the line "VEL.xfade ON/OFF"

Assign now a Controller by selecting "SOURCE .... your choice"
For example "Control Change"

Select the line "Velocity Crossfader"
Assign now a Controller by selecting "SOURCE ... your choice"
For example "30 free Midi Controller"
Further, you are able to go out of shap the controller curve.

Check out if the two assigned controller work fine

17. The Difference between VI and VE

The "VI"

The Vienna Instrument is a Sample Player which can hold lots of articulations of the Vienna Symphonic Libraries.
Use it in a single instrument track or midi track in your host program such as Logic, Cubase, Sonar or whatever. This Sample Player (VI) is able to load up to 144 (12x12) articulations into one MATRIX (see picture above)
It makes sense to do this for one single instrument like the C Trumpet or the orchestra cellos for example.
Further: It makes sense to use each of the possible 12 Matrixes for an "articulation family".
Load short articulations into Matrix 1 - called by Keyswitch "C0" for example,
Load sustained articulations into Matrix 2 (Keyswitch C#0) sustained articulations
Load legato articulations into Matrix 3 (D0)... etc.

That means: You use 4 VIs for a string quartet - for each instrument one VI. Each of these VIs is in its own track of your host program.
Important to know: The VI is not able to understand any midi channel - it ignores midi channel information but not midi controller information. These controllers can be used to switch and control possibilities of the VI, such as X-Fade, Pitch Controll, Volume Control etc.

The "VE"

The Vienna Ensemble is a host, so to say. So it is able to host up to 16 single Vienna Instruments. At the same time it only uses one track/ one open VSTi space. Each integrated VI will be controlled and played by/with an assigned Midi Channel.
An application for the VE could be:
Load 16 Vienna Instruments into the Ensemble - each with another Concert Organ Stop. All stops with the same assigned midi channel will play together...
An other possible VE-application:
Prepare a VE with a VI for each Woodwind-Instrument, and a VE with a VI for each String-Instrument... and save these ensembles as Woodwind-Ensemble and String-Ensemble with all the necessary positioning effects etc.
By the way: You can do this «Creating of Ensembles» in Cubase, Logic... as well! But you will need more than on track.

So the advantage of VE is:
Groups of VIs can be saved, an easy PowerPanning, 1VSTi hosts 16 VIs, Save an Ensemple Setup with all pannings and effects, ...

If you are new and not so familiar with VSL, ignore the Vienna Ensemble for the moment and get some exeperiences with the Vienna Instrument first. The VE can be usefull later on.

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