Copying playing techniques between projects

Hi,

I would like to copy an extensive set of playing techniques in a project, and would like to reuse them in all my projects.

Is there a way to copy them to a different project? Saving a partial endpoint configuration only limited to the Percussion VSTi, and adding it to the playback template, is not working. Then, I would like to merge the imported techniques into the general endpoint configuration.

Any idea?

Paolo

Something I’ve tried is to make the original playing techniques favorites (marked with a star). Then, I resaved the endpoint configuration in the target project.

Alas, when removing the star, the new playing techniques disappeared. So, I’m still looking for a solution.

Paolo

So far as I know the only way of making PT’s (I assume you mean custom made) available to other projects is to mark them as favorites using the “star” button. This should make them show up in future projects, not sure that they can be made newly accessible in other projects already started.

I’m happy to stand corrected if anyone knows a way. I’d love it if we were able to export and import PT’s and PPT’s.

There are two things that I would find useful in how custom playing techniques and expression maps are managed:

  1. Make a project self-contained. Every elements needed to play it should be in the project file, instead of partially residing in a general file than may change (and change the project).

  2. Allow importing of playing techniques and expression maps from other project. A bit like InDesign allows for importing text styles from other documents.

I would also love a system allowing for instrument presets, self-containing all the playing styles and expression maps, in addition to range and names, of an individual instrument.

Paolo

Here is another problems:

  • I edit my master template, and add a custom playing technique. Save the endpoint configuration, refresh the playback template.

  • I then go to an existing project. To refresh the list of custom playing techniques, I should apply the edited playback template. But if do it, while using manually created custom instruments, I have all the manually created routing reset to the generic rules set in the playback template.

So, either I manually recreate the custom playing techniques (and playback techniques), or I manually recreate all the routing and instrument assignments.

Paolo

I found another problem, while trying to recreate my playing techniques in an existing project.

  • From my master template, I edited and exported the expression maps.

  • I then imported the edited expression maps into another project.

  • When creating the missing playing technique again, I couldn’t find the matching playback technique, so I created it again.

  • In the Edit Expression Map dialog, however, I could see that the missing playback technique was there, with a different name. For example, “marcato sempre” is “pt.user.marcato_sempre” there. This playback technique doesn’t appear in the list of playback techniques to be associated to a custom playing technique in the Edit Playback Playing Technique dialog.

The only solution I could find was to access to the old playback technique to change its name in the Edit Playback Playing Technique dialog, is to delete it and reprogram a new playback technique to replace it (and name it “marcato sempre” again).

Paolo

As I understand it, every element needed by the file is in the file.

But yes, currently, copying custom Playing Techniques that use custom Playback Playing Techniques which are referenced in Expression Maps from one project to another is not easy.

Hi

Here I posted some of the techniques

Open the menu options on a single file/folder by clicking the three dots and select Copy To… from the dropdown. Hold Command (Mac)/Ctrl (Windows) to select multiple items to copy and then select the Copy To… option.

Next, select the destination to copy the asset to by using the search bar or expand folders in the menu. Create a new folder as well if a new location is needed. Filters can be applied as well to specify folders, projects or teams to search for.

Check off the option to Copy with Comments to copy the comments with the asset. Deselecting this will copy a clean version of the asset with no comments attached. Click Copy to confirm the new location.

When you export expression maps, the playing techniques that are referenced by the expression map are not exported, but when you create a playback template, all of the necessary playing techniques and playback playing techniques are included in the playback template. That’s at present the only practical way to move a particular set of playing techniques from one project to another.

I tried this with the Organteq expression map project that I made, but I cannot get the (many) stop changes to import in another project. I made an endpoint configuration and a playback template, but only the manual change playing techniques appear when I apply the playback template to the project. It looks like the playing techniques that are only part of an Add-On playback technique are not included in the playback template. Or perhaps I am doing something wrong?

Please attach a minimal case that will allow me to reproduce your problem and I’ll take a look.

Sorry for the delay. Here is a minimal test case.

  • The custom playing technique “test” is assigned to the custom playback technique “Test”.
  • The expression map “Expression Map Test” is a duplicate of Default, but with a Base Switch custom playback technique “Test”.
  • The Violin is assigned to HALion Sonic SE using the expression map “Expression Map Test”.
  1. Open the attached file.
  2. In Play mode, save the endpoint configuration as “Expression Map Test”.
  3. In the Dorico resource directory, open EndpointConfigs\Expression Map Test\playbacktemplatedeps.doricolib in a text editor.
  4. Note that the block is not empty. (This appears to be the correct behaviour.)
  5. In Dorico, open the expression map, delete the Test playback technique, and add it again as an Add-on Switch.
  6. Save the endpoint configuration again.
  7. Open playbacktemplatedeps.doricolib again.
  8. Note that the block is empty.

It appears that only the playing techniques that are assigned to playback techniques triggered by Base Switches will be exported, and those assigned to playback techniques triggered by Add-on Switches will not. Consequently, those playing techniques will not be imported into other projects, whether or not the endpoint configuration is included in a playback template.

expression_map_test.dorico (632.7 KB)

Right, yes, I can see the problem here. Thanks – I’ll make sure this gets taken care of.

1 Like

Hope that things get more simple and easy in Dorico 4…

The new Library Manager seems to deal with this type of issues. It should manage duplicate items, by clearly separating them.

I’ve not yet tried it, but it is very promising, and apparently a very clear implementation of a very powerful feature.

Paolo

Great ! I will try this asap !