Playback playing techniques

Playback playing techniques link together the playing technique items that you input into your music and techniques/articulations in sound libraries in order to produce the correct sounds in playback. They are used by expression and percussion maps to trigger the appropriate commands, such as key switches or control changes.

When you input a playing technique or articulation in Write mode, the corresponding expression map looks for the appropriate playback playing technique. For example, inputting pizz. playing techniques causes expression maps to use the Pizzicato playback playing technique to switch to the pizzicato sound for playback. If the expression map cannot locate the sound, the playback playing technique applied either remains the same as the previous playback playing technique or reverts to the natural playback playing technique.

Custom playing techniques that use playback playing techniques which do not already exist in expression maps do not play back automatically. In order for them to play back appropriately, you must add them to the expression maps for each instrument for which you want to use them. You must also assign an action for each custom playing technique that determines how the switch required to execute the technique is controlled.

You can map playback playing techniques as required for different sound libraries in the Expression Maps dialog, including creating new combinations of existing playback playing techniques, such as Legato and Tremolo, which allows them to be used simultaneously.

You can see which playing techniques are in use at any particular rhythmic position in the Playing Techniques lane, which you can show by expanding individual instruments in Play mode.

Tip

  • If you have input a playing technique but cannot hear a change in the sound, you might be using a combination of playing techniques that the expression map does not expect. For example, if you input a new playing technique without cancelling an existing playing technique, the expression map cannot process the two playing techniques together if the expression map does not have an entry for those two techniques combined.

    To avoid playing technique clashes, input a “naturale”, or “nat.”, playing technique to return the software instrument to its natural state. You can then input new playing techniques without clashes. Alternatively, you can create a combination of those playing techniques in order to use them simultaneously.

  • You can enable independent voice playback for individual instruments to hear different playing techniques in different voices simultaneously.