Configuring and Using Garritan Premium Libraries
- Garritan Setup and Issues
- Garritan Key Switches For Custom Technique Sounds In Human Playback
- Creating Multi-Technique Devices for Any Premium Library
Configuring and Using Kontakt
- Setting Up Kontakt
- Finale Issues in Kontakt
- Keyswitches in Kontakt
- Changing the Keyswitch Number in Kontakt
- Percussion Layouts for Kontakt
- Mapping Controllers With Expressions
Configuring and Using East-West’s Play
Configuring and Using NotePerformer
- Note Performer Installation
- Note Performer Configuration
Configuring and Using Garritan Premium Libraries
About Garritan Premium Libraries
Finale supports Garritan Premium Libraries in its Human Playback Techniques. Key Switches work “out-of-the-box” when installation and setup are complete for some of the Libraries. Others need to have techniques added; but most common ones work immediately.
Garritan Setup and Issues
In order for Finale to recognize Garritan Premium Libraries like Garritan Personal Orchestra, Garritan Instant Orchestra, Garritan World Instruments, the Band libraries, and the Harp, Organ and Piano libraries, as “Devices,” the Device Annotation xml files need to be in place. They reside in the Device Annotation folder, in your Finale version’s Folder, in Make Music folder in Application Support in the User’s Library Folder (at least on the Mac). There are also .soundmap files that need to go in the right place. The new Garritan installers are doing much better housekeeping than they used to. The instructions are here.
Key Switches For Custom Technique Sounds In Human Playback
Most technique expressions will work out of the box. In some instances (such as No Vibrato flute in GPO) you need to create a technique in Human Playback Preferences>Techniques.
Most are pre-configured to interpret exact Text Expression text keywords. In cases where your desired technique is not included in Finale’s list in Human Playback Preferences>Techniques, it might still be available as a Keyswitch for the instrument, as with the Non-Vibrato flute sound, and many string techniques.
Garritan ships 2 versions of its Premium Libraries – “Notation” and “Standard.” Once installed, they’re selectable in the Aria Player. The difference between these is the MIDI note location of the Keyswitches. The Notation version puts them 5 octaves below middle C, at MIDI notes 0, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, & 11 (C-2, D-2, E-2, F-2, G-2, A-2, and B-2).
The Keyswitch references in the Garritan manuals for each instrument are for the Standard (“performance”) version, which are just below the instrument’s playable range, for easy access from a keyboard during live performance. These don’t work in Finale.
Finale specifies its Keyswitches in Human Playback Preferences>Techniques, and also lists them on its website (links below) – but only by MIDI note number. In the Finale App itself, they’re referred to as “Keyswitch #”. Remember that “Keyswitch #” equals “MIDI note #”
Downloading the Garritan Manual for your Library will show you all the techniques available for all instruments in the library. You can get a hint as to what the Finale Keyswitch number will be by looking at the keyboard key. Any C in the manual would C-2, a/k/a MIDI Note #0, for Finale’s purposes.
Once you know the Keyswitch number that will call it up into Finale, you can create a Human Playback Technique for it, specifying the sound you want via its Keyswitch number, and create the expression text keyword or words that will trigger it. All Keyswitched samples are pre-loaded in the Aria player, waiting to be triggered.
Creating Multi-Technique Devices for Any Premium Library
If the sample or technique isn’t in the available Keyswitches, but you can find it as an independent sample in the same Library, then you’ll want to create a Multi-Technique device, with one Bank containing samples for numerous specialized techniques.
Premium Libraries have a lot of individual special technique samples. Save the Bank in the Aria Player for reuse, if you want. Configure the controls for certain sounds and save it as a default for your custom Bank.
Then create Text Expressions for each Technique, with their Playback tab set to Type: Channel, then input the Channel number of the Player slot holding the sample for that technique.
Configuring and Using Kontakt
About the Kontakt Player
Native Instruments’ Kontakt Player is a sampler rack of up to 8 stereo multi-timbral instruments. It’s a resource-efficient means of getting a lot of additional sounds into Finale for playback. There are hundreds of Libraries and tens of thousands of sounds available for Kontakt from various vendors, in addition to Native Instrument’s own offerings. Most of the best-known libraries have Kontakt versions.
Setting up the Kontakt Player
For pitched instruments, just add the player as a Device in the Score Manager, click “Edit Player” and add your instrument(s) in the available slots. Midi Channel Assignments should update automatically. If you don’t hear any sound, that’d be the first thing to check. Most Finale Human Playback data should work “out of the box” with your Kontakt library. If it doesn’t, it’s a question of finding out which controller is not communicating, and restoring the communication by assigning that controller to the correct knob or fader in the Kontakt Player.
Finale Issues in Kontakt
There are 3 configuration issues in Kontakt that you may need to address:
- Keyswitches
- Percussion Maps
- Expression controllers
Keyswitches in Kontakt
Many Kontakt libraries are pre-configured for Keyswitches, but you can also edit them and create your own. Kontakt is a completely user-configurable player that enables users to build instruments from samples virtually from scratch.
Changing the Keyswitch Number in Kontakt
The first issue that presents itself is Keyswitches. Your violins won’t go to pizzicato, for example, or your trumpets won’t go to mutes. You can edit them either on the Finale side in Human Playback Preferences>Techniques, or you can fix them on the Kontakt side. We suggest leaving the Finale side alone, particularly if you have any Garritan instruments still active in your score, or you want to avoid breaking things for future projects.
In Kontakt, hit the Wrench icon, then the Group Start Options tab, and set “Group Starts on Key” and set it to match Finale.
Percussion Layouts
For Percussion Instruments, in order to have them fully functional in Finale, you’ll need to create a Percussion Layout for your particular Kontakt percussion section or drum set. Please see our complete tutorial on the subject.
Mapping Controllers With Expressions
You can configure Text Expressions in Finale to transmit controller data to any controller in any instrument or effect in Kontakt. Most of the data coming from Finale will automatically go to the right place in Kontakt. If it’s not, you can look up the controller number and assign it to the correct controller in Kontakt.
Configuring and Using East-West’s Play
East-West’s libraries are similar to Garritan Premium libraries in that there are multiple technique variants for all of the instruments, and also, like Garritan, Keyswitch instruments with a wide variety of technique options.
Although you can edit the Keyswitch numbers in Play, they don’t get down into the default Human Playback Technique range. You’ll have to create new Human Playback techniques targeting their default Keyswitches, and filter them by Library name so they don’t conflict with the default Finale set. You can also create a Multi-Technique device for each instrument along with the Channel-change text expressions to trigger them.
Configuring and Using NotePerformer
About NotePerformer
NotePerformer installs easily and works exactly as advertised. It’s a very lightweight Device with highly advanced interpretive algorithms, using controllers with their own built-in sample library to create highly realistic performances. It’s so good with score markings, it’s a really great way to proof the articulations you’ve assigned to the score.
It’s designed primarily for orchestral and other classical music. It does handle Jazz, but lacks all the jazz effects, available in Garritan’s Jazz and Big Band library, like Brass falloffs, doits and shakes.
Everything defaults to what sounds like too much reverb for us, although that is adjustable on a per-instrument basis – rather than a per-bank basis as with the Aria Player.
There’s a bit of latency in response, as it performs the necessary calculations to do its magic. To avoid this latency delay for note entry, finish the score with Garritan, then change the Soundmap Priority to NotePerformer and reassign sounds. when you’re ready to hear it.
Note Performer Installation
Just follow the prompts.
Note Performer Configuration
Drag NotePerformer to the top of the Sound Map Priority List and choose “reassign playback sounds.” It’ll load automatically.