# Making my own library with legato transitions



## Jackles (Nov 10, 2018)

Hi,

I've been searching (maybe not well enough) but couldn't find anything covering legato transition in Kontakt.
I guess it's possible, as there are plenty of libraries with that feature, but I reckon how could I do it myself.
Say I have 10 sustain samples (I'll start with one dynamic layer for now...), do I actually have to record the transitions of all the sustains (100 transitions) ?

For the scripting part, I don't know where to start. I did program very simple things but nothing that made me guess by myself how to get the transitions working.

Thanks for any help


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## d.healey (Nov 10, 2018)

If you want to do what is called "true legato" then you need to record a transition from every note to every note (usually +-12). So you'd record every transition from C3 all the way up to C4 and all the way down to C2, and do the same for C#3, D3, D#3, etc. until you've recorded the transitions for every note. Then comes the editing, then comes the scripting :D I used to script all of the crossfades between transitions and sustains (and sometimes scripting is still the most suitable approach) but I find it simpler now to use flexible envelopes for the crossfades and use the scripting to enable the right groups at the right time.


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## EvgenyEmelyanov (Nov 10, 2018)

d.healey said:


> If you want to do what is called "true legato" then you need to record a transition from every note to every note



As I remember you had a video in your video course how to program/record/edit legato transitions. I think it is better to see once than to hear one hundred times.


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## d.healey (Nov 10, 2018)

EvgenyEmelyanov said:


> As I remember you had a video in your video course how to program/record/edit legato transitions. I think it is better to see once than to hear one hundred times.


Yes a couple of the classes include building true legato instruments and they include a little bit about recording and editing.


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## gsilbers (Nov 10, 2018)

d.healey said:


> If you want to do what is called "true legato" then you need to record a transition from every note to every note (usually +-12). So you'd record every transition from C3 all the way up to C4 and all the way down to C2, and do the same for C#3, D3, D#3, etc. until you've recorded the transitions for every note. Then comes the editing, then comes the scripting :D I used to script all of the crossfades between transitions and sustains (and sometimes scripting is still the most suitable approach) but I find it simpler now to use flexible envelopes for the crossfades and use the scripting to enable the right groups at the right time.



Do you find it that doing chromatically is the way to go or skipping a note or two also works in the same interval. Like a minor 3rd can be used for both c to e flat and also d to f?.


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## StefanoM (Nov 10, 2018)

The True legato is not easy to do about the script , and its very difficult to sample, a lot of work ... and lots of samples. For a good job, there are at least 200 samples per articulation if the range is large....


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## d.healey (Nov 10, 2018)

gsilbers said:


> Do you find it that doing chromatically is the way to go or skipping a note or two also works in the same interval. Like a minor 3rd can be used for both c to e flat and also d to f?.


I've only ever recorded true legato samples once and I did it chromatically. I haven't used true legato transitions in any of my own sample libraries, although I've scripted it for several other developers.



StefanoM said:


> The True legato is not easy to do about the script , and its very difficult to sample, a lot of work ... and lots of samples. For a good job, there are at least 200 samples per articulation if the range is large....


Actually the scripting is not that bad, you can do it in 20 lines of code. It's the sampling and editing and tweaking the crossfades that make it difficult.


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## INCIRIOS (Nov 10, 2018)

If you are looking to get in to samples seriously, spend months thinking, weeks recording, hours editing and however long it takes tweaking. The thinking stage should be the longest and it will save you SO much time - take every single shortcut, cheat, macro, automation etc you can. If you find you're having to do something really laborious for a very long time, you'll find it's better to go back to the thinking stage - almost every single boring thing about making samples can be shortcut with out of the box thinking. My first private library took me about a month to edit post ready for samples, after revisiting methodology, every library I created since was edited and kontakt ready within 3 hours of loading it up - spend more time thinking or researching shortcuts so you don't go crazy!


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## StefanoM (Nov 10, 2018)

d.healey said:


> I've only ever recorded true legato samples once and I did it chromatically. I haven't used true legato transitions in any of my own sample libraries, although I've scripted it for several other developers.
> 
> 
> Actually the scripting is not that bad, you can do it in 20 lines of code. It's the sampling and editing and tweaking the crossfades that make it difficult.



Yes I know, 20 lines of code...but the correct code. 
Anyway... Yes I'm Agree. The hard work its the sampling and editing. I know it very well.


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## Jackles (Nov 11, 2018)

still_lives said:


> And John Williams can make you feel like a space wizard saving an entire galaxy far, far away in just 20 bars of music. But if he tells us that writing those 20 bars is actually pretty easy, that only serves to make us commoners feel kind of stupid.
> 
> (sorry mate, just being facetious. I love your work and your contributions to the community)


Haha, so we have the John Williams of Kontakt programing ?! Goog to know 
Anyway, thank you guys for taking the time to give me some precious advice.

I'll get back to thinking a bit before getting any further then.
Although, I'd like to practice Kontakt programing while still focusing on my needs (legato transitions programing).

Maybe by making a very simple "couple of notes" instruments, just to get the hang of it. Where could I find some documentation on that subject ?

Thanks again !


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## CatComposer (Sep 12, 2021)

I am at the same point as the OP, and I cannot see any help given to answer the question, nor is there any direction to a good resource for help.

I have scoured Youtube and Google and the closest tutorials are about Fake legato scripts.

So can anyone give some basic pointers on how to get true legato samples working a new Kontakt Instrument?

(the reason I didn't start a new thread is because I know that some people on this thread are experts on this and can hopefully drop some pearls of wisdom!) 😊🎶


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## d.healey (Sep 12, 2021)

I cover this in my Kontakt scripting tutorials (lesson 3 if I remember correctly). The scripting is the easy bit.


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## CatComposer (Sep 12, 2021)

d.healey said:


> I cover this in my Kontakt scripting tutorials (lesson 3 if I remember correctly). The scripting is the easy bit.


Wow, that's exactly what I need!
Looks amazing!
😁👏
Thanks for making those for us.


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## d.healey (Sep 12, 2021)

Sseltenrych said:


> Wow, that's exactly what I need!
> Looks amazing!
> 😁👏
> Thanks for making those for us.


You might also find this interesting (it's for HISE though not Kontakt).


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