Elliot Wright's EWQLSO Manual Sound Set Templates Available for Download 31 January 2013

Happy Holidays, everyone! Looks like the world didn't end on December 21st (thank goodness, because I had tickets to the ballet that night, and I would've been out by about a hundred bucks if there'd been a volcanic eruption during the Entr'Acte).

But guess what? I have a present for you! Now, the whole package won't be ready until a month from now, but it's still pretty awesome. I'm pleased to announce that I am working on a User Manual for my EWQLSO / Sibelius 7 Manual Sound Set Project Templates, and I intend to release the whole set of template and configuration files for public download at ElliotWrightMusic.com on January 31st 2013.

For those of you who are new to my work, I'll fill you in. About two years ago, after a year of minor experiments with the idea, I set about building a Playback Configuration in Sibelius (and of course, a Score and Playback Dictionary to go with it), which, all together, could be used to play the full orchestral range of EastWest-Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra (Platinum) patches, using a fundamentally manual approach to controlling the playback. The result, after plenty of time and effort, is the EWQLSO / Sibelius 7 Manual Sound Set Project, a template based, sequencer-like key-switching method for controlling your EWQLSO patches in order to create scores and audio mock-ups simultaneously in Sibelius 7. A demo of this was produced in October 2011, when I posted this little abbreviation of two selections from Swan Lake:

"Swan Lake Selections" October 2011: An Entirely 'in-program' Sibelius performance, produced using an early version of my EWQLSO / Sibelius 7 Manual Sound Set Template.

When released, the system will consist of a Score (a .sib file) with all the pitched instruments in the library, as well as several drums, a triangle, and a crash cymbal (full instrumentation list below). It's accompanied by a set of Playback Configuration files, which tell Sibelius how to set up the various instances of PLAY in order to play back the score. In case of any complications, a set of multis (patches which can be loaded into PLAY which include several instruments and their various adjustments) have been provided, which can be loaded manually if needed. A further set of "individual instruments" multis are included, which feature individual instruments like the First or Second Violins, Solo Flute, Bassoon, etc.; all with the appropriately-adjusted key switches so that the user can modify and create their own templates using the same system.

As described (approximately) in this video I released last year, the system works by using a small, hidden staff under each instrument staff, which silently plays the key switches for that instrument's patch - the same as you might do in a sequencer program, only instead of a piano roll, you have a score (which acts like an auto-quantized piano roll anyway). Some simple automation exists for certain sounds, while manual key-switching control can be used for shaping phrases or various other tricks which can help The genius behind the system is that every possible key switch in the library has been auditioned and arranged so that every instrument's miniature 'key-switching' staff behaves essentially the same way; making it possible to copy a phrase and its accompanying key-switches from one instrument to another, while maintaining approximately the same expressive effects.

A much smaller 'free' version of the template will be available for download on the site soon after the release, so you can try out the basics of the key-switching system and see if you like it first. The main package will consist of the "Master Template", and the accompanying Playback Configuration files and PLAY multis, and may include a 'silent' version with no patches loaded (for users on slower systems of other versions of EWQLSO to load patches as desired), and a Sibelius 6 version of the template, also "silent". An "add-on" pack of smaller wind, brass, and string ensemble templates will be made available as well, shortly after the main release.

Master Template Instrumentation:

(All patches described are 'Solo' patches, unless otherwise noted)

Piccolo

Flute

Alto Flute

Oboe

English Horn

Clarinet

Bass Clarinet

Bassoon

Contrabassoon

Horn (2 staves, polyphonic)

Piccolo Trumpet

Trumpet (2 staves, polyphonic)

Trombone (2 staves, polyphonic)

Tuba

Timpani

Triangle

Snare Drum 1

Snare Drum 2

Snare Drum 3

Field Drum

Tenor Drum

Funeral Drum

Concert Bass Drum

Crash Cymbals

Orchestral Bells (swappable with Vibraphone)

(all 'keyboard'-style percussion patches are also available)

Harp

Solo Violin 1

Solo Violin 2

Solo Viola

Solo Cello

Solo Contrabass

Violin [Ensemble] 1

Violin [Enswemble] 2

Viola [Ensemble]

Cello [Ensemble]

Contrabass [Ensemble]

[Hall Noise]