New to Sibelius and need help configuring VDL with template

[Michael7]

Hello all,

Sibelius crashes every single time I go into playback configuration and switch it to the VDL sounds set from the writescore.com. Anything that I can do to fix this?

To expirement, I took out the vdl sounds xml file from the "sounds" folder I created and Sibelius does not crash. What am I doing wrong here with the sounds file and the vdl sounds set in playback configuration?

Additional information: I also have Finale 2012 and use VDL with that on the same Macbook. When I open up playback config in Sibelius, it shows 4 different Kontakt 5 devices, is this bad? Three of them are VST and one is AU. Which one do I pick?

Update: I removed the vdl sound set xml file from the "sounds" folder I created and put it back in, now I can't even find it in the sound set portion of the playback configuration in Sibelius! Please help, thank you!

[Hugh Smith]

Hi Michael, welcome to the forum. (Sorry for the delay - vacation.)

Please attach screen shots of what you're seeing. You may also want to review the Readme again to make sure you didn't miss a step.

[Michael7]

Thank you for the reply!

I now have success with the template, but now when I insert hi hats and tam tams, when I play it back, the notes are very soft and are different sounds. For example, if I insert an open hi hat, I get a closed hi hat on playback. I am using latest version of VDL and Kontakt with Sibelius 7.5 on a MacBook Pro.
Thanks for the help!

[Hugh Smith]

Do the notes you're inputting match the mapping diagrams?

[Michael7]

I don't know what you mean with that question. I can give an example of my problem. For example, I have a VDL hi hat. I enter open hi hat notes, when it plays back, they are closed. How do I fix this problem? I have to send this music in on Sunday and am very scared I will not finish it now with this problem. In my playback, the 7.0 soundset is there. Mallet and battery instruments work. Bass drum, tam tam, drum set, etc do not work. What am I doing wrong here?

[Hugh Smith]

I don't know what you mean with that question.

In the package you downloaded there is a PDF file labeled "VDL_Maps_7.0a.pdf". Each unpitched instrument defined in the Template has a corresponding mapping diagram. Your notes in the score need to match the sound you want from the diagram (i.e. notehead number and any applicable articulations). (Jim Casella eluded to this idea in the thread you started on the Tapspace Forum.)

... How do I fix this problem? ... What am I doing wrong here?

I don't know. You haven't given me enough information yet. Exactly which instruments are you having issues with?

My best guess right now is that you just need to use the correct notehead/articulation.

[Michael7]

Okay so what you're saying is that there might not be a problem at all? I am using a MIDI keyboard. So for example, and this is not right I'm just giving a hypothetical example, if an open hi hat is middle C sharp, and I press that note, it should play back an open hi hat correct? Is there other notes that will play an open hi hat that are not mapped on the template?


To be specific, my tam tam notes don't play back at all, and my open hi hat sounds play back as closed or nothing at all.

[Hugh Smith]

Please attach a screen shot of your Playback Configuration.

Send me the file in question. (Sent you a PM.)

[Hugh Smith]

It appears you got it sorted out: http://www.tapspace.com/forums/index.php?topic=4759.msg24487#msg24487

Let me know if you have any other questions.

[Michael7]

Yes! Sorry I meant to post my success in here but I guess it did not go through.

I do have one more question-I now tried to notate the open hi hat on the drum set instrument. With my success I used just the hi hat instrument, but I now I am using the drum set hi hat and I looked at the VDL map, somehow I am unable to playback an open drum set hi hat. Is it different than the hi hat by itself? On the VDL map, it says just an X for open drum set hi hat, no "circle." I tired both but they did not work on the playback.

[Hugh Smith]

Input for the Drumset hi hats are a little different. Are you looking at the diagrams on page 47 or 48? Give it (them) a good study and let me know if you still have a question.

[Michael7]

I just discovered the little numbers underneath the notation in the Map PDF correspond to the notation number in Sibelius! Woah!!!

[Hugh Smith]

Excellent!