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Human Playback Preferences - Instr. Techniques dialog box

How to get there

Choose Edit > Preferences and select Human Playback.
Click the Instr. Techniques tab.

Or,

Choose Window > Playback Controls.
Click the Playback Settings button on the Playback Controls.
Click HP Preferences.
Click the Instr. Techniques tab.

What it does

These settings allow you to define and customize performance techniques, such as pizzicato or flutter-tongue. They also provide a way to take advantage of the full range of sounds in a given sound library and allow you to specify settings for an individual playback device. For example, if GPO and SoftSynth are both used in the same document, different Human Playback instrument techniques can (and should) be used to accommodate for the unique properties of the playback device. This is particularly the case while using combinations of other sound sample libraries (e.g. Garritan Personal Orchestra, Garritan Jazz & Big Band, and EWQL). Using these settings, Human Playback is able to produce more accurate and realistic playback, and can take full advantage of any combination of sound devices.

All available instrument techniques are listed in this window. Each technique listed includes the name, action summary, filter, and check box to specify whether the technique is active. Folders are used to organize techniques and are expanded and collapsed by clicking on the triangle next to the folder name. Techniques and folders can also be dragged and dropped, although you cannot create a folder within a folder.

Instrument. This drop-down menu lists instrument categories and individual instruments that have special techniques generally available in sound libraries.
Technique. The techniques listed here depend on the Instrument drop-down selection, and correspond to the type of techniques possible for the selected instrument. The technique chosen is enabled by the notation, whether it be articulations, expressions, Smart Shapes, or by the musical context (e.g. a détaché passage). Choose Custom Text, and then type in the Filter text box to use specific expression text to trigger a technique.
Action 1 • Action 2 • Action 3. Using these drop-down menus, you can pinpoint specific properties (such as keyswitch or controller data) for the chosen technique. The drop-down menus and text boxes to the right are values for the specific actions, depending on the kind of action. The actions you should select for a given technique depend upon the features available in the sound library in use.
Filter. Choose an item from this drop-down menu to apply an additional filter for the technique. Enter text into the text box to the right to specify a particular variable. For example, you might apply a technique only if the playback device’s name includes GPO. This field is also used to specify expression text for the Custom Text technique.
New Folder. Click this button to create a new folder in the Techniques window.
New Technique. Click this button to add a new technique to the selected group.
Duplicate. Click this button to duplicate the currently selected technique or group. Using Duplicate is a convenient way to begin designing new techniques if only some items require changes.
Delete. Click this button to delete the selected technique.

Working with instrument techniques

Expand a technique folder and click a line to select a technique for editing.

Let’s take the Pizzicato technique within the Garritan: Strings group as an example:

The first pop-up is the kind of instrument. It can vary from instrument type or family, to isolate instruments:

Not all instruments are listed here, only the ones that have special techniques generally available from sample libraries. A similar technique will be applied by priority to each individual instrument. For instance, if “pizz” is defined twice, first for “Strings” and then for “Violin”, the “Violin” pizz will be applied by priority to violin staves, ignoring the “Strings” pizz.

For the strings, the following techniques are available:

The subsequent action lines provide progressively fewer options. In our example, we have:

The other drop-down menus to the right are values for the specific actions, depending on the kind of action. Also, the last drop-down menu with an attached text box provides an additional, even more precise, text-based filter:

This last filter is particularly important. In our case, the pizz, as defined here, will be applied only for slots (VST external through MIDI Setup) which have a name containing “Garritan”. In Vienna Symphonic Library, for instance, (packaged with Kontakt software), the KS sample Violin Ens 14 (All X) would require different settings: violin only, keyswitch note 18, use CC#1, device name containing “kontakt”.

In the case of the SoftSynth (General MIDI) pizzicato technique, we have:

The program change #46 applies only to SoftSynth or external MIDI playback. It is important to emphasize that Human Playback scans all available playback devices automatically, whether they are VST-based, SoftSynth, or external playback (MIDI setup), but always leaves the choice of customization.

Types of actions

Many other items are available in addition to keyswitches:

Controller has 2 parameters: the controller# and the value. Controllers are generally used for any type of sound and tone change, depending on the sound library context.
Dynamic CC#1 … Dynamic: Velocity Only have no parameter. They simply tell Human Playback to force a particular dynamic approach. In Action 1, this is only used for the technique “Dynamic Controller” which, in conjunction with the filter text box, may override the global setting (see Human Playback Preferences - Dynamics & Volume) for some specific channels, staves, or devices. In Action 2 or 3, this is used for the pizz to specify the type of dynamic approach, locally. Timpani rolls are another example: timpani hits are velocity-based, but rolls are generally CC#1-based (in EWQL SO), so both approaches must be able to coexist within the same notation context.
Channel Change has one parameter, the MIDI channel. Channel change can be used in place of keyswitches to change sample.
Staff’s Channel. This means to go back to the original staff’s channel. This is generally used for “Ordinario” or “Standard” techniques.
Channel Change (Relative). The corresponding pop-up is from –16 to +16. This is particularly useful because it does not depend on absolute channel #, and some prefer to always organize their sample the same way (arco=#n, pizz=#n+1, tremolo=#n+2, as an example).
Staff’s Patch. Goes back to the original staff patch, for patch-based (a la GM) samples.
Program Change … Prgm Chg, Prgm Chg. These four options provide corresponding parameters for changing MIDI bank and/or program change information.

Additional types of actions include: Add Pitch (1/2-Tones) (for use with percussion rolls), Set to Pitch (Absolute), For These Notes Only, and Base Volume.

Filter

The filter text is meant to be case-, space-, and punctuation- independent (dots, dash, accents. …). Different items may be separated by commas.

If Device Name Contains • If Library Name (Aria or Kontakt 2/3) Contains • If Device/Library Name Contains • If Device Name Doesn't Contain • If Patch Name (Aria or Kontakt 2/3) Contains • If Staff Name Contains. As seen above in the example, the device name can be from VST slots, or MIDI setup slots, or “SoftSynth”, or “QuickTime”. Example: “garritan” will filter devices “Garritan Instruments for Finale”, “Garritan Personal Orchestra” or “Garritan Jazz”. Likewise, the filter can apply to the names of instrument patches or staves.
If MIDI Channel Number Is. Human Playback expects channel numbers here (1-based). Example “1-16, 20, 126”. Channels or channel ranges must be separated by commas.
On SoftSynth. Technique will apply only for SoftSynth playback. This is the same as entering “softsynth” when “If Playback Device Name Contains” is selected.
On Default External Playback (MIDI Setup). Technique will apply only for playback through the external MIDI device specified in the MIDI Setup dialog box.
On SoftSynth/Default External Playback. Technique will apply only on SoftSynth or MIDI Setup playback. This is the same as entering “softsynth, external” with “If Playback Device Name Contains”.
Multiple. Multiple allows you to move, duplicate, delete, and edit multiple techniques at once. You can filter techniques for specific library and patch names - #library# and #patch# respectively. For example: "#library#FinaleGPO #patch#Viola KS".
If text expression contains. This option only appears for the Custom Text technique. Here, you can specify text that will be tracked amongst non-playback defined expressions (it also works for Smart Shapes and measure-attached text). For instance, for a Penderecki effect, you might define a new expression “Behind the bridge” that will trigger channel #45, with keyswitch C1. Different wording may be separated with commas (e.g. “behind the bridge, penderecki”). Note that a custom expression effect will override any predefined Human Playback expression. For instance, you may change the way a “pizz" marking behaves.

Technique types per instrument

Sustaining instruments techniques:

Legato (Slurs) is enabled with slurs and ornaments; GPO, for instance, uses CC#68 for the legato effect, but some other sample libraries have devoted patches (QLegato in EWQL, True Legato in Vienna, …).
Staccato can be enabled for series of shorts notes, whether it comes from the notation (staccato articulations) or from the user MIDI stop time value. What “short” means for Human Playback is hard-wired.
Trills are normally created by Human Playback as actual “virtual” notes, but some sample libraries do offer sampled trills. Keep in mind, however, that those sampled trills generally have fixed speed. Sampled trills, if defined in list, will be used only in strictly monophonic context; otherwise, regular triggered Human Playback trills are used.
Dynamic Controller is to be used in conjunction with Use CC#1… Use CC#11+Velocity, Velocity Only types of action (see Types of Actions). It may override the global Dynamic & Volume / Controller for Sustaining Instruments option, for any particular device slot, staff or MIDI channel.
Solo Passage
Tutti (Section) Passage
Custom Text functions as explained above.

Strings family techniques - any specific string instrument:

Due to the quantity of string techniques, the terminology Human Playback uses does not always match the academic vocabulary, but rather a sample library-oriented compromise.

Spiccato, for Human Playback, means very short staccato, whether from actual notation (articulations) or from user MIDI stop time edits.
Martelé (Martellato) means heavily accentuated, relatively short, non slurred, notes. From notation or user MIDI data.
Détaché means non-slurred, normally accentuated, notes, alternating up and down bows. No special notation required.
Tremolo is non-measured tremolo. Notated with 3-mark tremolo diddle (or 2-mark on 8th notes, 1-mark on 16th notes and shorter).
Sul ponticello (text) is playing near the bridge. Canceled by “ordinario” type of expression.
Sul tasto (text) is playing near the fingerboard. Canceled by “ordinario”.
Flautando (text) is a flute-like tone, by slightly touching the string with the edge of the bow. Canceled with “ordinario”.
Bartok Pizz. Snap pizzicato. In Finale, they are notated as a shape-based articulation.
Col legno. Played with the wood of the bow. Human Playback currently makes no difference between bowed or stroke col legno, but the user could, using the text filter.
Harmonics. To be used in conjunction with Human Playback regular harmonic playback. Note that Human Playback now supports natural harmonic playback, using the little “o” on the note (don’t confuse with “0” which means open string).

Certain techniques can be mixed if the samples are available:

Tremolo+mute
Ponticello+mute
Trills+mute

As an example, when sul ponticello is encountered, Human Playback scans backward to determine whether a con sordino precedes, but only if there exists a technique definition (= a technique line) for the combination Ponticello+Mute, and for this particular instrument; otherwise, the plain (= no mute) Ponticello definition is used (if available of course). It works the same for Tremolo and sampled trills.

Woodwind techniques (including saxophone):

Fluttertongue (notated like a strings tremolo). Note that Garritan Jazz and Big Band and Garritan Personal Orchestra have different way of enabling flutter-tongue (in GPO, this is a keyswitch; in JABB, CC#18). Both are supported by the default preferences set.

Brass techniques

Cup, Harmon, Bucket mutes (text). These are found in JABB, enabled by various wording.