How to handle virtual instrument articulations

[HowlsWithWolves]

Hi! I have just started this journey with the free version of Wavefrom (literally today ) and am stuck at the following problem.

I have been able to enter a simple midi tune and connect that to my Spitfire Audio Woodwinds plugin (Originals Epic Brass and Woodwinds). The plugin allows different versions (long, short ...) of the instrument which i can choose from the plugin UI. I can change plugin parameters like what kind of instrument version and the whole midi tune will play in that.

Now comes where I am stuck: how do I enter into Waveform that some midi notes should be from the long samples and others from the short samples (or plugin parameters in general, there are more)?

I have been able to change the velocity for different midi notes but not found a place where I can change the other plugin specific data.

TIA Chris

[Peter Widdicombe]

Is there any documentation with the Spitfire on possible methods of switching articulations:
1. Pressing a specific key on the keyboard, and that MIDI event switches articulation?
2. Controlled via a MIDI cc (control channel) value?

An alternative can be to create additional tracks for the "unique" articulations used and move the midi notes in question to those tracks - easy enough to do, but messy if you have lots...

[HowlsWithWolves]

I can do it all within the spitfire plugin ui. I just have no idea where these parameters would be within Waveform. Sometimes I see some of the parameters (like dry, wet, distort, room) in the bottom section (and then they are gone again ). But I don't really know what to look for. I might be missing the correct vocabulary (I just play piano ) so I don't even know what to look/google for.

Having to split up a tune into different tracks for articulations sounds not very userfriendly. I am hoping that a software would be able to do such a thing (but maybe I don't understand the technical side of this all).

[Etienne1973]

Red are MIDI articulation keyswitches. Add them in Waveform's MIDI editor under the MIDI notes which actually make music in the same track.

Source: Switching Articulations and UACC (Spitfire Audio)

[HowlsWithWolves]

Thank you! As I don't see the reds in my plugin UI I will ask Spitfire how to find out which these are with my plugin.

[Watchful]

There are a bunch of plugins that use this method (I view the "red" keys as something like a shift key on a computer keyboard), and I frequently make cheat sheets for many favorite keyswitches on my favorite plugins to make it faster to reference.

Note that some effects--aftertouch, pitch bend, mod wheels--basically will require an actual keyboard or other instrument to best capture dynamics and expressions. I think there's more of that than articulations in expressive music. Just my thoughts.

[Watchful]

Oh, and just to avoid any confusion--you won't see the red or blue keys in the Waveform properties pane. I think that's out of the Spitfire manual.

What Etienne is saying is that you use the MIDI editor and insert the desired (blue key) note under the note or notes you wish to modify. It will basically look like an interval. The yellow note is the note you wish to sound, the green notes are the articulations modifying how that note sounds.

keyswitches.jpg

You can invert this by having a series of notes play, while a single articulation is stretched out under all of them to affect all those notes.

[Peter Widdicombe]

Yeah, this becomes easier if you have a 61 or higher key count on your controller... Then you simply record that live while recording; but can be fixed easily afterward.

[HowlsWithWolves]

Thank you all. I have seen videos where via Kontact you would actually see the red and the blue and some information about which low key would drive which sample articulation. I am just using the direct Spitfire plugin in Waveform and there I don't see this info neither in the plugin UI and of course not in waveform. Because I do see the other parameters of the instruments I am wondering if for this instrument that is not a parameter you can drive (I just bought a couple of the cheaper instruments to test it all). But I have written Spitfire and hope I will get a reply soon if I can see this missing info somewhere and use it in Waveform.

[gigazaga]

It is possible to create a MIDI note name map and enter text labels for each articulation. Basically like a drum map. Waveform is compatible with those used in Reaper and you can load them by clicking the track header then find "Load MIDI Note Names Map" in Actions. The key switches will then appear on the notes and also popup next to the piano roll. You need to create the maps with a text editor. There are a few default maps for GM, note name, and Spitfire LABs drums in the Waveform settings folder if you want to see the format.

[TWfriend]

download/file.php?mode=view&id=37257

I have this screenshot with a tiny keyboard image circled. When you Left-Click and hold and drag to the right, you will see the Key-Switch keys (green coloured) appear on the main keyboard image at the bottom. By default, this plugin uses really low keys as their Key-Switches. In order to view them you need to click the Down-arrow that is beside the two modwheels and click it twice to actually see the Key-Switches. Hopefully this is the info you were looking for.

[HowlsWithWolves]

Thank you all! I just got an reply from Spitfire Audio that keyswitching is not implemented in the cheaper "Originals" instruments. They suggested to use multiple tracks for the different articulations.

TWfriend I double checked and I don't see the little keyboard next to the lock icon in my plugins (confirming Spitfire Audios reply ) But I will be getting the BBC discover soon, so I look forward to play around with that.

Gigazaga, I will look into that. Thank you for pointing this out!