# Articulate Presets for the Vienna Symphonic Library: NEW unprecedented DAW integration



## symphonic riot (Dec 9, 2018)

Symphonic Riot just released *Articulate Presets* for the Vienna Symphonic Library. These are extensive presets for Vienna Instruments Pro, that allow you to tap the full potential of a growing list of VSL libraries - including the full Symphonic Cube.​





*Turn your library into an instrument!*​
Articulate Presets are complete, consistent across the entire orchestra and give you unprecedented control over your sounds.

*Completeness*: Articulate Presets include all articulations of VSL libraries and arrange them in over 100 matrices per preset, accessible by program change messages.
*Consistency*: All Presets have the same layout, including controller assignments, so you can move sequences from one instrument to another and they play as expected.
*Control*: Articulate Presets give you unprecedented control over your music and allow you to shape the nuances of the performance in an up to 3D sound-space ...




​Parameters that can be continuously controlled depend on the available sampled versions for a given articulation and include:

Section size
Attack behavior
Vibrato intensity
Legato performance
Tremolo intensity
Mute strength
Bowing position
Harmonic content
Learn more ... 

Introductory price: 25% off until end of December​


----------



## symphonic riot (Dec 16, 2018)

The list of Articulate Presets for VSL is growing: already 14 full collections are supported (including 71 individual instrument libraries), which cover most of the orchestral sounds in the VI Super Package!




​We have just released “Articulate Presets for Strings L”, giving you complete control over the full content of the epic Appassionata Strings Libraries (as well as Orchestral Strings). 

Check out all the great features of Articulate Presets at ...

www.articulate-preset.com


----------



## symphonic riot (Dec 19, 2018)

We have just released various Demo matrices that allow you to check the striking 3D Control of Articulate Presets out.

Download the free Demo content now at …

www.articulate-preset.com

and see for yourself!


----------



## Wolf68 (Dec 26, 2018)

a demo video would be helpful


----------



## Ronny D. Ana (Dec 27, 2018)

Wolf68 said:


> a demo video would be helpful


+1

What about the synchronized libraries (Synchron Player)?


----------



## symphonic riot (Dec 27, 2018)

Thanks for the suggestion! A video should be online in the next days.

Articulate Presets for Synchron Strings, that are compatible with those of the Vienna Instruments libraries, may follow in the future.


----------



## Wolf68 (Dec 28, 2018)

symphonic riot said:


> Thanks for the suggestion! A video should be online in the next days.
> 
> Articulate Presets for Synchron Strings, that are compatible with those of the Vienna Instruments libraries, may follow in the future.


hey thanks looking Forward to it. I bought the "L" Version of your Presets but I have to admit I am pretty at a loss to use it propperly. but I still love the vsl samples and see the potential that is in them!


----------



## Tfis (Dec 28, 2018)

Why is CC1 "wasted" for articulation selecting instead of using it for dynamics?


----------



## symphonic riot (Dec 28, 2018)

Articulate Presets are quite intuitive and easy to use. All presets have the same layout and react to the same control events:

- with program change (PC) messages you select the typically over 100 qualitatively different articulations of an instrument (e.g. sustained notes (PC1) or staccato (PC9))
- with the section controller (CC20) you can blend different section sizes (in particular in case of the Strings L, these are the Orchestral and Appassionata Strings; if you only own one of these libraries this controller has no effect and should be kept at a value of 0; in case you only own the Appassionata libraries please use the “inverted” versions, with an “i” in front of the name).
- with the vertical (CC1) and horizontal controller (CC3) you can select or continuously blend various different versions of a given articulation
- finally there is VSL’s A/B switch (CC4)

What the vertical and horizontal controllers do depends on the particular articulation. Once you have set up your Midi hardware to send these controllers, you can simple check it out - or see the large table III in the manual, where the effect of these controllers is listed in detail. E.g. for the sustained articulation (PC1), the horizontal controller (CC3) continuously dials the vibrato intensity and the vertical controller (CC1) the attack behavior.

Please contact us if you have further questions or experience problems.


We have followed the standard VSL convention, that Velocity X-fade is controlled by CC2. If you want to control it with your modwheel you could simply have your modwheel send CC2. However, we are listening, and in case this convention represents a major problem for many users, we will consider to release alternative versions of the presets where Velocity X-fade is controlled by CC1 and the vertical controller by CC2 instead.


----------



## woygw (Dec 29, 2018)

I have just bought the Strings L presets and I have to say they are sounding very good. Over the years I have pretty much acquired the entire VSL librabry and working on Cubase and VEPRO. I have a question and am aware that I may sound extremely stupid. I am used to selecting a matrix with a key switch (usually from bottom C). However as you provide such a huge amount of matrix this is obviously not possible. How do you enter "an event" while playing a piece live? The only alternative I can think of is to choose a few matrix that I like and assign key switches to them but this rather defeats the whole object of the presets. Is there an easy way to enter a program change from a keyboard?


----------



## symphonic riot (Dec 29, 2018)

Thanks. As far as the sound is concerned, all the credit surely goes to the VSL team, but if you are referring to the additional sound capabilities owing to the continuous control then your comment is much appreciated .

Your question is not stupid at all. For live playing key-switches are very convenient. Yet, as you mentioned, they come with the downside that keyboard keys are limited (and far from being sufficient for the huge VSL sound content) ... and above all key-switches mess up the score.

A main goal of Articulate Presets was to turn the Vienna Symphonic "Library", with dozens of folders and sub-folders of patches, into an "instrument" where all sounds are at your fingertips and you can quickly and easily access all the content by sending program change messages and continuous controllers from your master keyboard. Program change messages are an integral part of the MIDI standard and all master keyboards as well as many digital pianos can send them (many keyboards can also send program up/down commands that let you step through the list of articulations) - please see the documentation of your keyboard on how to do this.

When it comes to live playing, entering a program change number can take a bit too long in fast passages with lots of articulation changes (yet, depending on how efficiently program change messages are handled by your master keyboard, this can still work). There are several ways to overcome this:

Firstly, Articulate Presets try to minimize articulation switching by combining as many articulations as is possible (and musically reasonable) in a single matrix: try e.g. the universal interval matrix (PC24) for live playing, which includes most of the available performance interval patches (legato, marcato, spiccato, trill) and allows you to play very diverse musical lines while merely moving the modwheel.

Secondly, there is a wealth of (inexpensive) MIDI hardware and apps for smartphones and tablets that allow you to assign program change messages to a range of buttons, drum pads, ..., to quickly access different articulations. Moreover, in the dedicated VI pro App for tablets you get a scrollable list that allows you to select all matrices (and send the corresponding program change messages).

Finally, in Logic, which offers the required MIDI transformation capabilities, an advanced key-switching solution will be available soon. Key-switches are transformed into the appropriate program change messages before they enter the sequencer - and will thereby allow the user to quickly and conveniently select all 128 matrices by key-switches (via the novel concept of articulation banks). Here is a sneak peek showing the complete integration of Articulate Presets directly into Logic's main window:






As far as I know, Cubase does not offer the required MIDI capabilities to implement something like this, so there are no such plans for Cubase at present. Maybe an external MIDI tool could offer a similar solution for other sequencers (including Cubase) in the future.

(Adding additional (ordinary) key-switches for your most often used articulations directly in VI pro is in principle also an option for fast articulation selection while playing. In this case program change messages still work and there are simply two alternative ways to select an articulation. As discussed above there are definitely better ways to select articulations, that don't affect the score, but I don't think that doing this would defeat the purpose of these presets.)


----------



## woygw (Dec 30, 2018)

symphonic riot said:


> Thanks. As far as the sound is concerned, all the credit surely goes to the VSL team, but if you are referring to the additional sound capabilities owing to the continuous control then your comment is much appreciated .
> 
> Your question is not stupid at all. For live playing key-switches are very convenient. Yet, as you mentioned, they come with the downside that keyboard keys are limited (and far from being sufficient for the huge VSL sound content) ... and above all key-switches mess up the score.
> 
> ...


Thanks so much for responding and the further information. In fact, (as I think has been mentioned before), a couple of demo videos addressing this would be enormously helpful. Do keep up the excellent work, it is really worthwhile!


----------



## Gil (Dec 30, 2018)

Hello,
I would like to know if one of your product can be used with VSL Symphonic Cube *Standard* (not full) please?
Another question I'm asking is: is it useful when using Sibelius with VSL Symphonic Cube Standard (through VEPro 6)?
Thanks for your answers!
Regards,
Gil.


----------



## symphonic riot (Dec 30, 2018)

Thanks for your interest. Yes, there are dedicated products for VSL Standard Libraries that are optimized for the smaller set of articulations. "Articulate Presets for Basic Orchestra Standard" cover the better part of the Standard version of the Symphonic Cube. The additional instruments in the Cube (and more) are covered by another package that will be released very soon.

However, these Presets are intended for the use in Digital Audio Workstations / Sequencers, like Logic or Cubase, since only these can handle the additional continuous controllers, that enable their advanced features, like 3D-Control. Notation programs like Sibelius require special settings and are not supported at this point.


----------



## symphonic riot (Jan 17, 2019)

Articulate Presets are getting better: the year starts with all new presets !

We have just released new versions of all Articulate Presets that allow you to use your modulation wheel (CC1) for Velocity X-fade in order to control the dynamics. This is in accordance with libraries of many other companies that you might use, like Spitfire or Orchestral Tools … yet these surely don't offer the same flexibility and all the advanced control features as the VSL when accessed via Articulate Presets in VI pro. The original versions of the presets—which follow the VSL convention that velocity X-fade is controlled by CC2 and the modulation wheel selects the most important variations of a given articulation—are surely still included. Thereby you have now complete freedom to choose how you want to control your orchestra!

A video is in the making and will be out soon, sorry for the delay ...


----------



## Rey (Jan 17, 2019)

any presets coming up for special edition instruments?


----------



## symphonic riot (Jan 19, 2019)

Thanks for your interest. Right now we are busy with other new features, but if there is sufficient interest in a Special Edition version (which would be more restricted due to the limited sample content in the SE) this could be a target in the future.


----------



## symphonic riot (Feb 9, 2019)

Articulate Presets are getting better all the time!

We have just released a comprehensive Logic Articulation Set for Articulate Presets, that allows you to select all articulations included in the VSL via Logic's convenient Articulation ID feature. The articulation ID stores the information, which articulation is to be played, directly in a note event and automatically sends the required MIDI messages to VI pro. Using the maximum number of 255 Articulation IDs, this Articulation Set is one of the most comprehensive sets ever created.






The VSL is still unmatched when it comes to recorded dynamic transitions, phrases, ... . They can strongly increase the realism, but for most users they likely sit unused on their disk since up to now they required a signiﬁcant eﬀort. With Articulate Presets and the Logic Articulation Set, using them couldn't be simpler: for the most important ones (dynamics, trills, repetitions, grace notes, ...) you can simply select a note in Logic's Editors (Score, Piano Roll, Event) and directly assign the speciﬁc articulation version via its full name, e.g. _muted medium decrescendo 2s_, from the corresponding menu—everything else is done automatically and no additional control events are required. And due to the consistency of the VSL and of Articulate Presets all this still works even when you move the sequence from one instrument to another one.






There was never a more convenient way to tap the full potential of the VSL! But stay tuned, there is more to come ...


----------



## Tfis (Feb 10, 2019)

symphonic riot said:


> A video is in the making and will be out soon, sorry for the delay .


----------



## Dewdman42 (Mar 13, 2019)

Anyone using this yet? Would love to see some independent reviews...


----------



## symphonic riot (Apr 3, 2019)

In addition to the previously released Logic Articulation Set, we have just released a colossal Cubase Expression Map for Articulate Presets that raises the bar as to what can be done with Cubase Expression Maps! With over 100 implemented attributes and directions and over 2500 individual expression definitions this is very likely by far the most extensive and detailed Expression Map ever created. It allows you to access _all_ articulations with _all_ their different versions directly and conveniently in Cubase’s various editors via standard musical symbols (like “-” for portato or “^” for marcato) and clear text (like “con sord.”, “slow” or “2s”)—yes, we really mean _everything_ included in supported VSL full libraries! I.e. no additional Midi events besides the notes are required and you do not have to memorize program change numbers and controller assignments to access all sounds—including phrases realized via VI pro’s Auto Playback and Pattern (APP) sequencer.

Wherever possible, the Articulate Presets Expression Map adapts the conventions of the VSL factory map to make it easy for users that have used it before. I.e. the score symbols and text identifiers deﬁned there are also available in the Articulate Presets Expression Map, but the Articulate Presets Expression Map introduces many more identifiers and gives you thereby far more control over the playback of your music. In particular it fully supports Articulate Presets's signature 3D-control.

The VSL is still unmatched when it comes to recorded dynamic transitions, phrases, ... . They can strongly increase the realism, but for most users they likely sit unused on their disk since up to now they required a significant effort. With Articulate Presets and the Cubase Expression Map, using them couldn't be simpler: E.g. you can conveniently select a recorded fast minor upwards run in G♯ by selecting the score symbol “↑”, representing an upwards run, and the three text identifiers ”fast”, “min.” and “6/G♯” from the list—or similarly the third version of a downward whole tone run realized within the APP sequencer by selecting “↓”, “whole” and “III”. As you can see the usage is completely self-explanatory.







In addition to the standard program change messages used by Articulate Presets, there is also a version of the Expression Map that allows you to access the main articulations directly via key switches. These follow the universal layout introduced by Babylon Waves's Art Conductor. Due to the additional continuous controllers employed by Articulate Presets, a single octave gives you access to all essential articulation versions (as well as the intermediate nuances), so that you have everything at your fingertips.


Since we want to give you the chance to check Articulate Presets and the unprecedented integration into major DAWs out, we have also released a comprehensive Demo package. It contains the complete Articulate Preset for the Second Flute (both Standard and Full versions), selected matrices from other libraries, as well as the complete Cubase Expression Map and Logic Articulation Set. Moreover, it includes the full documentation so that no questions should remain unanswered.

We are sorry that due to unforeseen technical problems there is still no video, yet. However, trying Articulate Presets yourself should be even better anyway. To celebrate this release, we have also extended the introductory pricing until end of April. Enjoy testing Articulate Presets and see for yourself!


----------



## GregD24 (Jul 12, 2019)

Hi Symphonic Riot,

I recently downloaded the Strings S articulation presets and I love the playability! So far I’m only using it with Solo Strings 1. 

I’m considering purchasing Solo Strings 2 and Chamber Strings this month, as string products are 30% off in July, to get full playability of the Strings S matrices. However, I already have Dimension Strings 1 and 2. Therefore I’m hoping you guys might come out with Articulation Presets for the Dimension Strings Bundle? This way I could possibly avoid having to purchase Chamber strings and could instead use the Dimension Strings sections and desks assigned to the slot fade for section size. 

I’m also interested in further implementation with the solo strings bundle, solo violin 2 and cello 2. Would like to also try with Appasionata matrices but I don’t currently have orchestral strings either. I love the cc control and the coolest function so far is the slot x fade between vibrato samples but I have yet to use the slot x fade for section size. Looking forward to it! Thank you.


----------



## axb312 (Jul 12, 2019)

Why would anyone pay for this stuff.


----------



## GregD24 (Jul 12, 2019)

axb312 said:


> Why would anyone pay for this stuff.


Seriously? Have you setup customized matrices of this sort on your own before? It’s helping my vsl libraries come alive and be more expressive, playable, and realistic already and I haven’t even utilized all of the deep PC, CC, and expression map functionality available.


----------



## axb312 (Jul 12, 2019)

GregD24 said:


> Seriously? Have you setup customized matrices of this sort on your own before? It’s helping my vsl libraries come alive and be more expressive, playable, and realistic already and I haven’t even utilized all of the deep PC, CC, and expression map functionality available.



Obviously I've set this kind of stuff up myself, exactly the way I want it. Have you tried? 

Guess it's an easy way to make money though. Kudos to the "developer".


----------



## GregD24 (Jul 12, 2019)

axb312 said:


> Obviously I've set this kind of stuff up myself, exactly the way I want it. Have you tried?
> 
> Guess it's an easy way to make money though. Kudos to the "developer".


Hmmm well yes I’ve put together my own matrices but not with this level of detail or playability. Especially in regards to the slot x fades between vibrato and non vibrato samples. I’m open to suggestions as to where to find similar presets with corresponding expression maps as a starting point, especially for Dimension Strings if available.


----------



## Mark Schmieder (Jul 13, 2019)

I too have done my own matrices, not to the level of these, and I echo Greg's comments on the slot x fades as well as waiting to see if the Dimension libraries get covered, as I am gravitating towards Synchron Player for a lot of stuff now anyway.

Also, I own Cubase but never use it (though that will eventually change), so it feels like I am best off first learning Cubase (I use Digital Performer, and occasionally Logic), getting familiar with Cubase Expression Maps and possibly buying a MIDI controller that takes better advantage of them, before trying out these articulation presets.

More demos will help. It's hard to find time to dig into stuff like this, with so much on the plate, so demos will always cut the amount of time required for analyzing and evaluating the product's usefulness in one's personal workflow and production techniques.

It's obvious that a lot of work went into creating these, so I do not share the opinion that no one should pay for this stuff.


----------



## symphonic riot (Jul 13, 2019)

Hi Greg and Mark,

thanks for your nice feedback!

Greg, glad to hear that you are happy with the control features that you have with the Solo Strings 1 library alone. However, as you write, with Chamber and or Solo Strings 2 you can shape your string sound in much more detail (VSL Chamber Strings is still an awesome library!).

Since you already own Dimension, there is good news: Articulate Presets for Dimensions String (1-3), that include everything in these extensive libraries and are fully consistent with all other Articulate Presets, are nearly finished and will be out soon .

The Dimension Strings package will even offer two full sets of Presets:

- The first includes a separate preset for each individual player that offers full string control and allows you to record every player individually for maximum realism (or record one and use the non-destructive editing in your DAW to create different versions of the same sequence).

- The second set could be called "Dimension Strings made easy". It includes a single Preset for each instrument section and will indeed provide full Section Control for all articulations. The Section Controller lets you quasi-continuously control the section size (e.g. 8,6,4,3,2,1 violins) with full Auto-Divisi (i.e. if you for instance select two players per note and play a chord, its different voices will automatically be distributed among the different desks)! At the same time the Section Controller also lets you manually access all the different groups and desks individually for full flexibility. At the same time you surely have detailed control of the sound via VI pro's Humanize feature. With many hundreds of thousands of samples per preset. these are by far the largest ones ever created and in every way stretch the limits of VI pro.

And also Articulate Presets for Violin 2 and Cello 2 are already in the making. they will be added to the Strings S package and will be a free update for registered users. So a proper string quartet or distinct first and second chamber violin sections (created by blending in the corresponding solo violin version as "first desk") will be possible soon.

Hope this helps for your decision!


----------



## Mark Schmieder (Jul 13, 2019)

Excellent news! I think I will wait for the Dimension release then, as those are the libraries I have had the biggest struggle with, in terms of establishing good templates and workflows, so I get lazy and don't use them as much as I should. But yes, Chamber Strings is also my favourite of the older libraries and still gets used a lot.


----------



## symphonic riot (Jul 13, 2019)

This picture shows how this is realized in VI pro ...


----------



## symphonic riot (Jul 13, 2019)

axb312 said:


> Why would anyone pay for this stuff.



Hi axb312, 

thanks for your question.

I am sure you did not fully understand what these presets can do. So let me explain ... 

They include everything included in (typically even several) VSL libraries in a single preset and give you instant access to all articulations via program change messages and controllers. They are completely consistent across the entire orchestra so you can move a sequence between different instruments and it plays as expected (with all its different articulations and the continuous control described below). VI pro standardly offers one continuous controller (cell XFade) that allows you to add/blend two different sounds (e.g. to control the vibrato). You are right that this is easy to set up for two articulations of an instrument. If you want to do this for all articulations of an entire orchestra this will already take a long time. 

However, Articulate Presets go far beyond this and offer three (quasi-)continuous controllers that allow you to control e.g. the vibrato intensity, the attack behavior and the section size simultaneously! As an example take the sustained articulation of the trumpet. There are three different vibrato versions (strong, light and no vibrato) each in three different attack versions (sustained, portato and marcato attack) and finally there is both the solo trumpet and a 3-trumpet ensemble. The three controllers supported by Articulate Presets allow you to intuitively and continuously control these three musical parameters (attack, vibrato and section size) so that all the 10+ available sampled versions are crossfaded and you get a continuous and fully balanced transition within this 3D sound space.

Such detailed intuitive control was so far only available through physical modeling, which despite its expressiveness clearly lacks the realisms of actual samples. Articulate Presets give you a similar expressiveness without any sonic compromises, owing to the time-tested VSL recordings.

Furthermore, Articulate Presets also offer the most comprehensive DAW integration out there. They include e.g. by far the largest Cubase Expression Map ever developed, that allows you to access every articulation included in VSL libraries directly in Cubase's Score Editor via 100+ score symbols, without the need for any additional control events.

If you own some VSL libraries, you can simply download the free demo and check out some of the features of Articulate Presets yourself (including the DAW integration) ...

Have a nice day


----------



## GregD24 (Jul 13, 2019)

symphonic riot said:


> Hi Greg and Mark,
> 
> thanks for your nice feedback!
> 
> ...



Great news! The auto divisi for sections in addition to individual player presets for dimension strings is precisely what I’m looking for. I will purchase as soon as it is released. Thank you very much.


----------



## Tfis (Jul 14, 2019)

Still no video?


----------

