Playback Options for dynamics

You can change how the dynamics of all instruments project-wide are interpreted in playback on the Dynamics page in Playback Options.

Dynamic Curve

The graph at the top of the Dynamics page in Playback Options maps a continuous curve. This curve determines how the volume of dynamics increases across the default range  to .

A dynamic curve power of 1 creates a straight line, producing a steady dynamic increase. The difference between  and  is the same as between  and .

A dynamic curve power higher than 2 creates a curved line, producing a faster dynamic increase in the middle of the range. The difference between  and  is much smaller than the difference between  and .

The higher the dynamic curve power, the greater the contrast between dynamics in the middle of the range, and the smaller the contrast between dynamics at the ends of the range.

Tip

If your project uses a wide range of dynamics, including dynamics such as  and , you might want a lower curve power with larger differences between the extremes of the range.

If your project has a smaller range of dynamics, such as a minimum of  to a maximum of , you might prefer a higher curve power, so the differences between the dynamics in the middle of the range are more discernible. You might also prefer a smaller dynamic level range, such as -2 to 2 for this example.

Humanize

Humanize allows dynamics to vary randomly, to mimic the natural fluctuations in a live performance.

For sound libraries that use MIDI CC 1 to control dynamics, you can see the effect humanization has on dynamics in the MIDI CC 1 editor.

Polyphonic Instruments

In the Polyphonic Instruments section, you can enable/disable polyphonic voice balancing and rules for contrapuntal music, which automatically adjust dynamic levels between voices belonging to the same instrument.

These options are most useful for instruments that can play multiple musical lines simultaneously, such as piano, harp, guitar, and pitched percussion.

Note Dynamics

In the Note Dynamics section of the Dynamics page, you can set how much the volume of notes in playback is affected by stresses and articulation marks.