Mojo Horn Section Sibelius Sound Set User Manual
The information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of The Sound Set Project. The software described by this document is subject to a License Agreement and may not be copied to other media. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced, or otherwise transmitted or recorded, for any purpose, without prior written permission by The Sound Set Project.
Contents 1. Introduction 4 2. Overview 5 2.1 Requirements................................................................. 5 2.2 Package Structure........................................................... 6 2.3 Files................................................................................ 8 3. Installation 9 3.1 General........................................................................... 9 3.2 Mac OS X.................................................................... 10 3.3 Windows........
1. Introduction Thank you for choosing The Sound Set Project. The Sibelius sound set you are using is a product of countless hours of trial, error, research, and development working towards an integration that not only provides deep functionality, but does so in an intuitive, easy-to-use, and flexible way that meets the diverse needs and workflows of our users.
2. Overview 2.1 Requirements Minimum system requirements for the Mojo Horn Section Sibelius sound set are set out below, separated by the version of Sibelius with which the sound set is to be used. Sibelius 5 Mac OS X 10.4 or higher Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7 (32-bit/64-bit) 2GB RAM Sibelius 6 Mac OS X 10.4 or higher Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7 (32-bit/64-bit) 2GB RAM Sibelius 7 Mac OS X 10.
2.2 Package Structure Each sound set package contains a variety of files that serve different purposes in the integration of that sample library or hardware MIDI device. To better distinguish these files and make installation quicker, we have separated them by function and structured each sound set package in a consistent manner. After extracting the sound set .
03 House Styles A majority of our sample library integrations include House Style files in the .lib format. These files contain additional settings such as playback dictionary entries, custom instrument staves, and percussion mappings. House Styles are version-specific, meaning they are designed for a specific version of Sibelius. When included, there will be a minimum of three .lib files in this folder.
2.3 Files The following files are included and required to use the Mojo Horn Section Sibelius sound set. 01 Documentation Mojo Horn Section Sound Set User Manual.pdf - Sound set user manual 02 Sound Sets Vir2 Mojo Horn Section.xml - Sound set (automatic loading) Vir2 Mojo Horn Section Lite.xml - Sound set (automatic loading - lite instruments) Vir2 Mojo Horn Section (Fixed).xml - Sound set (manual loading) 03 House Styles Vir2 Mojo Horn Section (5).lib - House Style (Sibelius 5) Vir2 Mojo Horn Section (6).
3. Installation 3.1 General Sound set installation is a series of copy/paste actions. Before you begin, close Sibelius and all other running programs. We suggest placing the sound set package on your desktop for convenient access during the installation process. The most frequent problems encountered during installation are a result of file and folder name mistakes, so read each step carefully and you’ll be able to avoid those issues.
3.2 Mac OS X Installation under Mac OS X requires copying files to the Sibelius user settings directory which can be found in the following locations: Sibelius 5 Users/username/Library/Application Support/Sibelius Software/Sibelius 5 Sibelius 6 Users/username/Library/Application Support/Sibelius Software/Sibelius 6 Sibelius 7 Users/username/Library/Application Support/Avid/Sibelius 7 Note: If using Mac OS X 10.7, the user Library folder is hidden by default.
3.
Copy the .sib file for your version of Sibelius from the 05 Manuscript Templates folder to the Manuscript paper folder in the Sibelius user settings directory. Note: In Sibelius 7, manuscript templates can be organized by placing the .sib file in a subfolder of the Manuscript paper folder. The name of the subfolder (e.g., “Sound Set Project Templates”) becomes a category in Sibelius’s score setup dialog and will group all sound set manuscript templates together.
4. Preparing the Score 4.1 New Scores Launch the Sibelius program and create a new score from the Quick Start dialog or File > New in Sibelius’s menu. Select the Blank template (no staves) from the list of manuscript papers. It’s okay to select a different template, however, the instrument staves will need to be replaced so the Blank template may save some time. Before adding instruments to your score, the House Style file must be selected.
4.2 New Scores (Manuscript) The manuscript paper template is an alternative method of creating a new score that does not involve selecting a House Style, removing instrument staves, or moving back and forth through the score creation dialogs. While functionally the same as the process described in Section 4.1 - New Scores, using the manuscript paper template is perhaps a bit faster and, optionally, allows for inclusion of a second House Style during score creation.
4.3 Existing Scores In order to use the Mojo Horn Section sound set with an existing score, the custom staves, playback dictionary, and other settings must first be brought into the score. This is accomplished by importing the Mojo Horn Section House Style and changing certain elements of the file, a process referred to as “converting” the score.
Continue through the rest of the score, repeating these steps for every staff you want to playback through the Mojo Horn Section library. Finally, any device or patch assignments manually made in the mixer need to be reset. With the mixer open, shift-click the device readout (number “1” in the images below) and select (auto). This sets all devices to their automatic assignment.
5. Playback Configuration 5.1 Selecting the Sound Set Now that the score is ready, a new playback configuration needs to be created so Sibelius knows which plugin(s)/device(s) and sound set(s) to use for playback. To create a new playback configuration, open the Playback Devices dialog from Play > Playback Devices in Sibelius’s menu (Sibelius 5 and Sibelius 6) or by clicking the dialog launcher button in the Play > Setup group in the ribbon (Sibelius 7).
5.2 Manual Sound Sets There are several ways in which Sibelius allocates and assigns sounds depending on the type of sound set being used. Perhaps most familiar is the automatic (loading) method, such as is used by the Sibelius Player, whereby Sibelius loads, assigns, routes, and manages all sounds automatically without requiring direct user input. Automatic loading, however, is not available for all plugins and isn’t always preferable even when it is available.
5.3 Assigning Sounds In order for Sibelius to allocate sounds correctly, a manual sound set is required when automatic loading is either not available or not being used. If you haven’t already, please take a moment and read Section 5.2 - Manual Sound Sets before proceeding with these instructions. Manual Sound Set Tab Continuing from Section 5.1 - Selecting the Sound Set, in the Playback Devices dialog select the Manual Sound Sets tab to display channel assignment and routing options.
For each channel assignment in your manual sound set, find and load the instrument patch of the same name, assigning it to the same channel as you did in Sibelius. Repeat this for each device in the configuration that uses a manual sound set. When finished, click the Save button at the top of the Playback Devices dialog to save your completed configuration and close the Playback Devices dialog.
5.4 Using Multiple Sound Sets Creating a playback configuration that combines multiple sound sets is, for the most part, the same as creating a configuration for a single sound set. There are, however, some addtional things to consider depending on what type of sound sets are being combined. Multiple sound sets may also result in duplication of instruments (i.e., instruments available in more than one active sound set) requiring use of Preferred Sounds for proper allocation (see Section 5.
The best way to avoid this is to create your mixed automatic and manual loading playback configuration before opening a score. This will allow you to create the configuration and save your manually loaded sounds before Sibelius attempts to load anything automatically. Once saved, open a score and Sibelius will then load those sounds it can automatically, preserving your manually loaded sounds and preventing the doubleloading problem.
5.5 Preferred Sounds When multiple sound sets are used in the same playback configuration there is a good chance that some instruments will be available in more than one device. For example, “Library A” and “Library B” may both have a solo violin sound. Even though the patch names in the sound sets are probably different, to Sibelius these two solo violin sounds are equivalent because the underlying sound ID is the same.
An important aspect of preferred sound assignments is the use of wildcard characters in the sound IDs that are selected. Using the solo violin example, the complete rule is: For the sound ID: strings.violin.* prefer this device: My Plugin While it’s the use of wildcards that makes Preferred Sounds so flexible, each rule should be evaluated to see what effect it may have on other sounds.
6. House Styles 6.1 Instrument Staves Within the Mojo Horn Section House Style are custom instruments staves for each root patch in the library. A root patch is any patch defined as the default sound for an instrument (e.g., a basic sustain sound). Staves are not defined for individual articulations (e.g., pizzicato) as these sounds can be triggered by an appropriate articulation or technique instruction in the score.
The staff name displayed in these dialogs consists of the library prefix, the patch name, and any additional identifying information (e.g., transposition). This name is for your reference only and will not print in the score. The names written in the score generally reflect standard naming conventions for the instrument. In-score names can be changed to whatever you like without compromising functionality.
6.2 Playback Dictionary The workhorse of the Sibelius playback system, the playback dictionary contains the instructions (usually sound ID changes) that tell Sibelius which sound ID should be used when a certain articulation, line, symbol, or text instruction is written in the score. Using the changes defined in the dictionary, Sibelius is able to match written techniques to the appropriate sound in a library or device, or choose the closest matching sound if an exact match is not found.
6.3 Fonts A House Style file is made up of many interdependent settings that impact the way a score is displayed. The ability to move these settings collectively is one of the factors that makes integrations like this one possible, however, it comes with an unfortunate side effect: playback and staff settings can not be separated from score presentation.
7. Working with Sounds 7.1 Articulations/Techniques There are three primary ways of changing articulations and playing techniques in your score, articulation markings, text instructions, and lines. Symbols may also be used, but are not as common. Through the sound set these instructions are interpreted and the appropriate MIDI data is generated, whether that be a keyswitch, continuous controller change, or other similar message, invisibly, and automatically.
Text Instructions Given that there are a limited number of articulation markings but seemingly infinite technique variations, text instructions are responsible for a substantial number of sound changes. Typically entered using Expression and/or Technique Text, nearly all b 6 instructions ‰ in effect ‰ until explicitly disabled making text remain b8 Œ ˙ ™ them an ideal choice œ œ for sound changes that should persist pp for an extended period of time. Text Instructions N q.
Lines Staff lines are similar to articulation marks with two notable differences: they may act on multiple sequential notes, and the length of the line determines the point at which the technique or effect ends. Staff lines require less discussion than articulations or text instructions, but the behavior of three common lines deserves a mention. Playback of slurs is dependent on a minimum of two notes, the first note to which the slur is attached and the last note (and any notes in between).
7.2 Dynamics Fundamentally, dynamics in Sibelius consist of two parts, the Attack strength and the Dynamic level. The Attack and Dynamic values are set in the playback dictionary, with a number in the range 0-127. Attack and Dynamic are assigned to MIDI functions in the sound set for each patch, and optionally, for specific articulations/ techniques, allowing the values set in the playback dictionary to be sent using whatever MIDI function(s) a device responds to.
Dynamics, Hidden 2 & Ó Œ #œ p ~C11,51 ~C11,52 ~C11,53 ~C11,54 ~C11,55 ~C11,56 ~C11,57 ~C11,58 ~C11,59 ~C11,60 ~C11,61 ~C11,62 ~C11,63 ~C11,64 ~C11,65 ~C11,66 ~C11,67 ~C11,68 ~C11,69 ~C11,70 ~C11,71 ~C11,72 ~C11,73 ~C11,74 ~C11,75 ~C11,76 ~C11,77 ~C11,78 ~C11,79 ~C11,80 ~C11,81 ~C11,82 ~C11,83 ~C11,84 ~C11,85 ~C11,86 w ~mf U bw ~C11,109 ~C11,110 ~C11,111 ~C11,112 ~C11,113 ~C11,114 ~C11,115 ~C11,116 ~C11,117 ~C11,118 ~C11,119 ~C11,120 ~C11,121 ~C11,122 ~C11,123 ~C11,124 œ œ ˙ w ~ff U ∑ ff This w
7.3 The Mixer The Sibelius mixer provides control over a variety of parameters associated with playback, including MIDI volume level, panning, plugin audio levels, effects, and sound assignments. With the exception of sound assignments, all of these behave as you would expect and allow for finer control of the sounds used in the score. Audio and MIDI Levels and Control An important distinction needs to be made between audio and MIDI levels as controlled by the meters in the Mixer.
The explanation lies in the way Sibelius allocates sounds. Sibelius determines how to allocate a staff based on the sound IDs available in the sound set, the Best Sound defined in the instrument staff’s settings, and any manual sound set or Preferred Sounds directives present in the playback configuration. This is repeated for each staff in the score until all staves are allocated to an appropriate device and sound.
7.4 ‘Implied’ Articulations In Section 7.1 - Articulations/Techniques mention was made of the difference between a live player’s contextual interpretation of the score and the literal interpretation 2 used by Sibelius.
8. Common Terms While working with the sound set, reading this manual, or corresponding with The Sound Set Project, you may encounter unfamiliar terms. To alleviate confusion and improve understanding, some common terms associated with the integrations are given below. ASIO A low-latency audio driver for Windows systems that accesses sound hardware directly, improving performance. AU Audio Unit, the native Mac OS X plugin format.
Manual Sound Set Instrument channel and device assignments. Part of a playback configuration. Manuscript (template) A Sibelius file containing customized settings, such as those found in a House Style, used as a template when creating a new score. Playback Configuration Parameters that determine what plugin(s) or device(s) a score will use for playback. Playback Dictionary Assigns sound ID changes and other MIDI functions to notation markings. Plugin A software virtual instrument.
9. Contact and Support A number of resources are available if you run into trouble using the sound set, including our Knowledge Base with articles describing common issues, error messages, behaviors, tips, and more. If you don’t find an answer to your question, or have additional concerns, you can submit a support ticket or contact support directly by email and we’ll work with you to resolve the issue.
10. Credits Integration The Sound Set Project Project Lead Jonathan Loving Mojo Horn Section Support David Das Chris Peck User Manual Joel Avery Jonathan Loving Musical Excerpts W. A. Mozart, Horn Concerto No. 3 in E flat major, K.447 (p. 36) Richard Strauss, Horn Concerto No. 1 in E flat major (p.
Appendices
Appendix A: Additional Playback Terms The following tables list the terms added to the playback dictionary by the Mojo Horn Section House Style.
Appendix B: Instrument Tables The following tables provide an example of instructions that can be used in the score to trigger specific sounds in the Mojo Horn Section library. Articulation The articulation or technique and keyswitch note (when applicable) as shown in the plugin.
Mojo Horn Section Instrument Table Articulation Score Entry Bari Sax F6 Swell Long (t) swell long E6 Cresc. Short (t) crescendo short D#6 Cresc.
Mojo Horn Section Instrument Table Articulation Score Entry Alto Sax G6 Trill (l) trill F#6 Swell Short (t) swell short F6 Swell Long (t) swell long E6 Cresc. Short (t) crescendo short D#6 Cresc.
Mojo Horn Section Instrument Table Articulation Score Entry Soprano Sax D6 Run Octave Down { (t) down (l) glissando } C#6 Run Octave Up { (t) up (l) glissando } A6 (t) stab Stab G#6 Staccato (a) staccato C6 Doit (s) doit G6 Trill (l) trill F#6 Swell Short (t) swell short F6 Swell Long (t) swell long E6 Cresc. Short (t) crescendo short D#6 Cresc.
Mojo Horn Section Instrument Table Articulation Score Entry Tenor Sax F5 Sub Tone (t) sub-tone G#5 Rise to Hit (t) hit A5 (t) pow ‘Pow’ Trumpet B6 Sustain* A#6 Bend Down D6 Run Octave Down (l) bend { (t) down (l) glissando } C#6 Run Octave Up { (t) up (l) glissando } A6 (t) stab Stab G#6 Staccato (a) staccato C6 Doit (s) doit G6 Trill (l) trill F#6 Swell Short (t) swell short F6 Swell Long (t) swell long E6 Cresc. Short (t) crescendo short D#6 Cresc.
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