EWQLSO [Kontakt] Sound Set User Manual

EASTWEST/QUANTUM LEAP SYMPHONIC ORCHESTRA

- KONTAKT EDITION -

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 Jonathan Loving. 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 Jonathan Loving, hereinafter referred to as the "Author".

By installing, using, or otherwise accessing the materials described by this document in any way, you agree that use of these materials is at your sole risk. The materials are provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. The Author expressly disclaims all warranties of any kind, express or implied, including, but not limited to, a warranty of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement.

The Author makes no warranty that the materials will meet your requirements, or be error free. The Author makes no warranty as to the results that may be obtained from the use of the materials. You agree that the Author shall not be liable for any direct consequential or incidental damage, whether foreseeable or not, and that you will be solely responsible for any damage to your computer system or loss of data that results from use of these materials in any form.

User Manual by Jonathan Loving

© Jonathan Loving, 2009. All rights reserved.

Jonathan Loving has no affiliation with Sibelius Software or Avid Technology, Inc..

East West Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra is a ™ or ® trademark of East West Sounds, Inc. Sibelius, SoundWorld, and House Style are ™ or ® trademarks of Sibelius Software, a division of Avid Technology, Inc.. Kontakt is a ™ or ® trademark of Native Instruments GmbH. All other product and company names are ™ or ® trademarks of their respective owners.

CONTENTS

3 | EWQLSO [Kontakt] Sound Set

1. Overview

1.1 Purpose

1.2 Files

1.3 Requirements

2. Installation

2.1 Sound Set and House Style

2.2 Mac: Sample Auto-load

2.3 Windows: Sample Auto-load

3. Using the Sound Set

3.1 Setting up the Score

2.2 Full vs. Lite

2.3 House Style

2.4 Drum Maps

4. Hints and Tips

Contact & Support

Acknowledgements

Appendix: Extended Playback Terms

OVERVIEW


1. OVERVIEW

1.1 PURPOSE

The EWQLSO Kontakt Sound Sets are designed to make the EWQLSO instruments available in an intuitive and familiar way for composers working with Sibelius notation software. The EWQLSO Kontakt Sound Sets - 24 in total - are written to be as flexible as possible, and care has been taken to provide complete integration across every version.

Two different sound sets are included for each version of the EWQL Orchestra in order to provide the same integration for all users, regardless of system specs, without the need for any complex setup or configuration. The advanced user can take advantage of the EWQLSO [Kontakt] House Style which includes a significantly extended playback dictionary as well as percussion staves fully mapped to the EWQLSO patches.

Furthermore, no aspect of the EWQLSO Kontakt Sound Sets or House Style alters Sibelius' standard playback structure. This allows the EWQLSO sounds to be used alongside any other sound source - such as EWQL Symphonic Choirs - while maintaining the same degree of extended functionality and integration.

Using traditional notation practices, it's now possible to achieve playback that accurately reflects the written music, while simplifying the process of working with samples sounds. Technology will no longer hinder the creative process; instead, it will enhance it.

OVERVIEW


1.2 FILES

The following files are included and required to use the EWQLSO [Kontakt] Sound Set:

EWQLSO [Kontakt] Silver.xml* Sound Set

EWQLSO [Kontakt] Silver Lite.xml* Sound Set - Lite Version

EWQLSO Silver [Kontakt].lib* House Style

EWQLSO [Kontakt] Silver Keys (x86)* Registry Keys 32-bit†

EWQLSO [Kontakt] Silver Keys (x64)* Registry Keys 64-bit†

Platinum and Platinum XP users will have four 'standard' and four 'lite' sound sets.

*File name will vary by version †Windows Only

1.3 REQUIREMENTS

Sibelius 5.2.x or higher

EWQL Symphonic Orchestra — any version — Original Edition

Kontakt 2 or Kontakt 3

A MIDI keyboard is recommended for entry of percussion notes.

INSTALLATION


2. INSTALLATION

2.1 SOUND SET AND HOUSE STYLE

Navigate to the Sibelius User Settings directory for your operating system:

Mac: /Users/username/Library/Application Support/Sibelius Software/Sibelius 5

Vista: C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Sibelius Software\Sibelius 5

XP: C:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Sibelius Software\Sibelius 5

Within this directory, look for folders named “House Styles” and “Sounds.” If you do not see them, create them.

Place the sound set(s) (.xml) in the “Sounds” folder.

Place the House Style (.lib) in the “House Styles” folder.

INSTALLATION


2.2 MAC: SAMPLE AUTO-LOAD Auto-load setup instructions display the entries for the Silver edition. Refer to the chart at the end of Section 2 for the correct Library name, ID and plist file for your version.

Navigate to the following directory:

Macintosh HD/Library/Preferences

Open the file named "com.native-instruments.Content.plist" with the Property List Editor. Select the "Root" entry, and then click "New Child".

Select the new entry, and enter the Library ID in the "Property List" field. For Silver, this is "k2lib0970" Finally, in the "Value" field, enter the library name. For Silver, this is "EWQLSO Silver Ed". Close the file, being sure to save the changes.

In the same folder, find and open the plist file for your version. For Silver, this is:

com.native-instruments.EWQLSO Silver Ed.plist

In the "Property List" field, look for an entry named "ContentDir". If it does not exist, create it by selecting the "Root" entry, clicking "New Child" and entering the name "ContentDir". In the "Value" field, verify or enter the path to the EWQLSO library on your hard drive. The path entered should include everything before the "Instruments" folder.

After entering the library path, close the file, being sure to save the changes.

2.3 WINDOWS: SAMPLE AUTO-LOAD Auto-load setup instructions display the entries for the Silver edition. Refer to the chart at the end of Section 2 for the correct Library name, and registry key for your version.

Select the appropriate .reg file for your operating system (32-bit or 64-bit), and double click the file to add the Library ID changes to the registry. Windows will display a

INSTALLATION


warning about modifying the registry, select "Yes" to apply these changes. Windows Vista users with UAC enabled will receive an additional warning, "Allow" the changes in all cases.

Open Regedit by going to Start > Run and typing "regedit". Navigate to the appropriate registry key for your system:

32-bit: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Native Instruments

64-bit: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Native Instruments

Locate the registry key for your version of the library in the folder tree in the left hand pane, and select it to view its contents. For Silver, this is "EWQLSO Silver Ed". In the right hand pane, locate the entry "ContentDir".

If it does not exist, create it by going to Edit > New > String Value in the Registry Editor's menu. After inserting the new string, the cursor will be placed in the strings "Name" field. Enter "ContentDir" as the string's name. If you cannot edit the string's name after creating it, right-click the string, select "Rename", and enter the name "ContentDir".

If the ContentDir string was already present, verify that the "Data" field is pointing to the correct location of the EWQLSO Library on your hard drive. If it is not, or if you had to manually create the string, right-click the "ContentDir" string and select "Modify". Enter the path to the EWQLSO Library on your hard drive in the "Value Data" box, select OK, and exit Regedit.

INSTALLATION


PLIST AND REGISTRY VALUES FOR ALL VERSIONS

*Platinum users must make all the changes outlined for their system for each section of the orchestra separately. †Platinum XP users must make all the changes outlined for their system for each section of the orchestra separately.

Version Lib. ID Name/Reg. Key .plist

Silver k2lib0970 EWQLSO Silver Ed com.native-instruments.EWQLSO Silver Ed

Silver XP k2lib0971 EWQLSO Silver Ed PRO XP com.native-instruments.EWQLSO Silver Ed PRO XP

Gold k2lib0972 EWQLSO Gold Ed com.native-instruments.EWQLSO Gold Ed

Gold XP k2lib0973 EWQLSO Gold Ed PRO XP com.native-instruments.EWQLSO Gold Ed PRO XP

Plat. Brass* k2lib0974 SOBrass com.native-instruments.SOBrass

Plat. Percussion* k2lib0975 SOPercussion com.native-instruments.SOPercussion

Plat. Strings* k2lib0976 SOStrings com.native-instruments.SOStrings

Plat. Woodwinds* k2lib0977 SOWoodwinds com.native-instruments.SOWoodwinds

Plat. XP Brass† k2lib0978 SOBrass PRO XP com.native-instruments.SOBrass PRO XP

Plat. XP Percussion† k2lib0979 SOPercussion PRO XP com.native-instruments.SOPercussion PRO XP

Plat. XP Strings† k2lib0980 SOStrings PRO XP com.native-instruments.SOStrings PRO XP

Plat. XP Woodwinds† k2lib0981 SOWoodwinds PRO XP com.native-instruments.SOWoodwinds PRO XP

USING THE SOUND SET


3. USING THE SOUND SET

3.1 SETTING UP THE SCORE

The EWQLSO [Kontakt] Sound Set does not require any sort of special configuration in order to function. Simply run the "New Score" wizard adding instruments you want and adjusting other settings normally, or you can open an existing score. Although not required, it is recommended that the EWQLSO [Kontakt] House Style be used (especially if the score includes unpitched percussion instruments) as it will enhance the integration of the EWQLSO Orchestra and provide some additional functionality. To use the House Style follow the steps outlined below.

New Score: Select "EWQLSO [Kontakt]" from the House Style page of the "New Score" wizard as shown in the image at the left. To use the pre-mapped percussion staves, after selecting the "EWQLSO [Kontakt]" House Style, click "Previous" to return to the Manuscript Paper page. Select "Change Instruments" and find

the EWLSO Kontakt instrument group. If there are any unpitched percussion instruments in the score, remove them, and then add the instruments you need from the EWQLSO Kontakt instrument group.

Existing Score: Import the EWQLSO [Kontakt] House Style from

USING THE SOUND SET


House Style > Import in Sibelius' menu. Select "EWQLSO [Kontakt]" from the list of House Styles and select the import options as shown in the image at the left. To convert any unpitched percussion staves in the existing score, select the entire staff (triple-click), and create an instrument change from Create > Other > Instrument Change in Sibelius' menu. Find the EWQLSO [Kontakt] instrument group, select the appropriate instrument and click OK.

After selecting or importing the House Style, continue through the rest of the "New Score" wizard and/or resume editing of the score. No further changes are needed to apply the House Style. Once your score is opened, an appropriate playback configuration needs to be set up.

Open the playback device settings from Play > Playback Devices in Sibelius' menu. Select "New", supply a name for this configurations and click OK. Locate Kontakt 2 or Kontakt 3 in the Available Devices list and activate it. Platinum and Platinum XP users should activate four instances of Kontakt 2 or Kontakt 3. Once activated, use the "Sound Set" menu in the right hand pane to select the sound set for your version (i.e. "EWQLSO Silver" or "EWQLSO Silver Lite").

Platinum and Platinum XP users should assign each Kontakt instance to a different EWQLSO sound set (Woodwinds, Brass, Percussion, Strings) for the auto-loading to function properly. Once setup save this configuration and close the playback devices dialog.

Open the Sibelius Mixer window, and click the Speaker button to force Sibelius to assign a patch and channel to the staves using the EWQLSO [Kontakt] sound set(s). Kontakt will commence finding and loading the instruments it needs. Once the patches finish loading, no further setup is required.

USING THE SOUND SET


3.2 FULL VS. LITE

The difference between the "full" and "lite" versions of the sound set lies in the use of keyswitch patches. The full versions use the keyswitch patches by default which offers the most articulations and techniques as possible without the need to use multiple sing-articulation patches. By nature of being "all-inclusive" these patches require more system resources and may be loading samples not needed in the score. This could potentially cause problems in large orchestral scores, or on systems with limited resources.

By contrast, the lite versions do not use the keyswitch patches, but use the single-articulation patches by default. This ensures that only those articulations and techniques needed for playback are loaded. Beyond this there is no difference in functionality between the two versions. Both versions are fully compatible with the EWQLSO House Style, and if so desired, can be used interchangeably.

3.3 HOUSE STYLE

The EWQLSO [Kontakt] House Style offers an extended Playback Dictionary that integrates the unique elements of the EastWest Orchestra. It adds Sound ID's not previously defined in Sibelius in order to automate the use of microphone positions, special effects, articulation variations and other techniques. Although recommended, the House Style is not required for the sound set to function. All standard techniques and articulations will work as expected without it.

One important thing to consider when using the House Style is that certain dictionary entries may need to be used in combination to call the proper patch. For example, if you want to call an "Expressive slow" sound, entering the text "expressive" in the score only modifies the sound ID by adding +expressive. Because the library contains multiple expressive styles, additional entries have been added that specify which of the several expressive patches you want. Enter "expressive~slow" in the score modifies the sound ID by adding +slow in addition to +expressive, which then calls the "Expressive slow" articulation. Because a tilde (~) is placed before the word slow, the score will only display the word "expressive", a common musical instruction, and "slow" will be hidden.

A full list of the playback terms included in the EWQLSO [Kontakt] House Style can be found in the Appendix of this user manual.

USING THE SOUND SET


3.4 DRUM MAPS

Every percussion patch in Symphonic Orchestra has been assigned a staff and drum map in the EWQLSO [Kontakt] House Style. In addition to placement of the notes on the staff and assigning of Sound IDs for each patch, all percussion parts can be input from MIDI keyboard using the same note value as defined in Kontakt. Upon receiving this input, Sibelius searches the drum map and places the note at its designated place on the staff automatically.

In the drum maps that follow, patch/articulation is above, and notehead number below the staff. Depending on which version of the Orchestra you are using, these may not all be available.

USING

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USING THE SOUND SET


HINTS AND TIPS


4. HINTS AND TIPS

VARIOUS SUGGESTIONS TO GET UP AND RUNNING QUICKLY

Set Sibelius to display Program Names rather than Sound IDs from Preferences > Playback.

Disable Sibelius' reverb from the Play > Performance menu.

Disable the Click Track from Preferences > Playback.

De-select "Use same slot for similar instruments" from Preferences > Playback.

Select "Use variant sounds for identical instruments" from Preferences > Playback.

Pan all instruments center ("0") in the Mixer to preserve the placement recorded in the samples.

At the time of this writing there are known stability issues with the current Kontakt 3 VST version 3.0.2 in Sibelius. It's recommended that Kontakt 3 VST version 3.0.1 is used instead. This can be downloaded from:

ftp://ftp.native-instruments.com/Kontakt_3

SUPPORT


CONTACT & SUPPORT Sound Set: [email protected]

Symphonic Orchestra: www.soundsonline.com/support

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Sibelius/SoundWorld Support Sam Butler

Daniel Spreadbury

Beta Testers Tom Field

Tobias Lindahl Freddi Price Pavel Pyrih Peter Roos

René Rovers Mick Ward

www.jonathanloving.com

APPENDIX


APPENDIX: EXTENDED PLAYBACK TERMS

The following table lists all terms the EWQLSO [Kontakt] House Style adds to the playback dictionary. The table consists of four columns:

Score Entry - The text entered into the score Sound ID Change - The resulting Sound ID change Composite - Indicates term may be combined with one or more other terms Use - Indicates a terms specific use (where applicable)

Text Sound ID Change Composite Use

3 +third Y Glissando Interval

5 +fifth Y Glissando Interval

6 +6 Y Glissando Interval

8ve +octave Y Glissando Interval

9 +9 Y Glissando Interval

adventure +adventure

bright +bright

close +close Microphone Position

cluster +cluster

crescendo +crescendo Y

down +down Y

effects +effects

emotion +emotion

expressive +expressive Y

far -close -surround Y Microphone Position

fast +fast Y

fortepiano +fp

Grace +grace

hard +hard

key clicks +key clicks

long +long Y

lyrical +lyrical Y

continued

APPENDIX


Text Sound ID Change Composite Use Major +major Y Glissando Quality

martele +martele

mellow +mellow

pendereki +pendereki

portato +portato Y

psycho +psycho

sfz +sforzato

short +short Y

smooth +smooth

slow +slow Y

soft +soft Y

stopped +closed

surround +surround Microphone Position

Up +up Y

up down +up down

whole +whole Y Glissando Quality

xf +crossfade

EWQLSO [Kontakt] Sound Set User Manual

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