Sibelius and EWQL

Hi there,

Since a few months i am the proud owner of some EWQL libraries. I have (had) some issues. I am still stuck with a big problem.

I can't make EWQL go crescendo or decrescendo in sustained notes. There some patches I can load that automatically go crescendo, for example the french horn sfz patch and the trumpet sfz patch. But what if I want my strings to increase their volume in a sustained note, what to do?

So I do understand how to create a crescendo in sibelius, I just dont understand how EWQL will understand this.

If one of you would be able to help me, that would be greatly appreciated!

Kind regards,

Hugo

There is a Sibelius soundset available for EWQLSO now, so you could give that a try, but if you're using professional samples, you need to use a professional program for handling them — a sequencer. Sibelius is meant for notation, not production. The kind of MIDI flexibility you need to produce accurate renderings with sound libraries is only currently found in sequencing programs, so find the one whose workflow and interface suits you best and run with it.

Yup, you need a DAW.

I'm agreeing with all the things Marius has mentioned - however, if you're short on cash, I can help direct you to some DAW freebies.

However, is there any chance you could mention what system you're on + specs???? This sorta thing will probably help for more specific advice.

That'd be great to have a good free or cheap (I prefer free though) DAW. If I think the program is useful in the production of my music, I can consider buying an expansive/good DAW I guess.

My system isnt too good, though. I think it is 4 or 5 years old, and I do not really know what the specs are, only thing I know is that i have 1 GB Ram working memory and something like 240 GB hard disk memory.

My computer is called Scaleo P and is from fujitsu siemens.

Dont know if you can use that information, but thanks for all your help!

grtz

Hmmm..... I suspect 1 GB isn't really enough to load EWQL in a DAW.......so don't be too superised if it crashes as soon as you load it up. Anyway, for Microsoft Windows, there aren't too many choices in terms of freebies. There is LMMS - the one I use, and you can find it on sourceforge.net . For Macs, there's Garageband :) and there is Ardour for a more professional DAW. Find it here: ardour.org Linux also offers Ardour AND LMMS and a whole range of other DAWs, and by far the most flexible for freebies.

You'll find that in a DAW, you can solve problems like crescendo with automation/slide notes. Also, the drum roll I talked about - you can't really fix that in Sibelius, so don't worry for now about it :)

Good Luck!!

Ok many thanks, I will try and download that, and see if my computer can handle it ^_^.

Hey Cheeselord,

I installed LMMS, but I dont know how it works... When I import a midi file it says i need to configure my sound settings, that I need a soundfont. Now I dont know what soundfont I need, and what to do with the soundfont. And how do I make it use EWQL sound samples?

Thx in advance :)

grtz

OK, once when you import a MIDI file, can you show me a screenshot of the MIDI settings screen so I can check. If it is Windows, you shouldn't need to change anything.....just carry on. And here is a short step to step tutorial on using EWQL in it:

1. The problem with LMMS is that EWQL is a VST. It comes up as a soundfont file as soundfonts are usually used for free samples. To get to the stage so you can load VSTs directly, first go to the top of the tabs on the left hand sidebar. Click the one with the magnifying glass to bring up a menu on the sidebar.

2. Then, you have to click on the VeSTige plugin, and drag it to one of the tracks you have imported in. Let go over the bar with default preset, and it should have replace the sf2 sign on the track with the VeSTige sign.

3. Click on it, and it should say "No VST- plugin loaded" Now go to where EWQL VST is located. It should be PLAY (not sure though) Click OK and wait. If it takes longer than 5 mins, then it will probably never load, and you should get some more RAM :) . Try to check with somebody like Marius to find out about specs for running it.

Hopefully you can find your way from there!! I found LMMS to be fairly intuitive, but if there's something you're not sure about, feel free to ask away!!!

Hey Cheeselord,

Thanks for helping me out, yes i do have windows, and now i can load the vst's in :)

grtz

Ok I figured out, that I can change volume of each independent track, and the pan. I can even change the volume of each independent note, but I still dont know how to create a volume change within sustained notes. Can you help me out?

thx

Right..... in LMMS, if you want to change volume in sustained notes, use the automation track. TO use the automation track, look here: first page :) it should be on one of the posts. Use automation to change volume when the note is playing.

Hope this helps!!

Hmm it helped a bit, I know think I know how to change all parameters, but when I have my automation screen, I cant seem to get it into my song editor. Can you help me out?

I have another question to all of you: Does anyone know if ewql can produce (acoustic) guitar chors? (and not those weird slide sounding things when you let them play fortississimo). Ok and if ewql can produce them, then please tell me how :D

I am in desperate need of some good sounding guitar chords, since I started making a spanish piece which already sounds good, but now I really need some chords to sweep it up :)

thx in advance!

Hi Jigaat!!

I'm not sure by quite what you mean by how to get it into your song editor. Do you mean how to add more automation tracks?? If so, there's the button on the left of the pencil sign that lets you add them.

And also, I don't know whether EWQL has guitar chords, but have a search around on websites like hammersound for freebies :) .....it can sometimes pay off. Also, look for DSK, they might have a good guitar VST (not sure though :P)

To get a decent crescendo in any notation program, you need to overdo the dynamics in the piece.

put this under your sustained notes

P hairpin fff

But the best way is to learn how to enter the cc data yourself to control the volumes and velocities of every note.

In Sibelius, you enter cc data above the instrument's stave, but I don't remember more than that. It can be done, but of course it is much easier in a DAW.

Ron

Hey Ron,

I know how that works with midi tekst in sibelius, but ewql doesnt seem to respond to that, so I might have other text to use. I still dont understand... Is cc the same as the MIDI text i mentioned or is this something else?

Hey Ron,

I know how that works with midi tekst in sibelius, but ewql doesnt seem to respond to that, so I might have other text to use. I still dont understand... Is cc the same as the MIDI text i mentioned or is this something else?

If you are entering the cc data (midi data) correctly and using the right cc values, ewql has no choice but to follow the data you give it. All samplers that are VST use cc data to get the info they need to work correctly. Notation programs automatically send a lot of that data to the engine. But you can overide that info by adding the text lines above the stave (at least that is how Sib does it).

Ron

Ok here's how I create a crescendo with midi tekst in sibelius: ( I dont recall it all, so it might be not understandable)

plugins-> playback -> Cresc./Dim. Playback-> And then a menu opens where they want to give me percentages of how strong the crescendo/decrescendo has to be. Is this correct? Or don't you work with sibelius?

I hope you can help me out,

Hugo

Huh this is weird, I just found out I ám able to do the cresc/dim playback, but i just had to check a box that showed up there, which i normally didnt do. The cresc and decresc sound are very limited, but it is there, so i LOVE it :)

thx for the help!