# StaffPad and Berlin Strings vibrato(s)



## did (Jul 15, 2020)

Hi,
In the features of the the Berlin Strings collection for StaffPad, I can read "Sustains with multiplle dynamic layers and vibrato types".
Does the vibrato depends of the dynamic, or is it possible to control myself the vibrato ? I've tried it by writing "con vibrato", "without", but don' t see any difference...


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## dcoscina (Jul 15, 2020)

I think it’s based on dynamics. I’ve noticed the vibrato gets more intense then louder the dynamic. That’s in my experience.


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## servandus (Jul 15, 2020)

Non vibrato sustains are triggered by writing "non vib." above the staff. Then, you can go back to normal vibrato sustains by writing "ord."

You can't automate the amount of vibrato, but you could try to crossfade between non vib. and vib. sustains using a divisi staff, and drawing cresc/dim to/from niente in the automation lane. It's not going to sound spectacularly smooth, but it could do the trick if you really need to fake it somehow.


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## servandus (Jul 15, 2020)

Better than I expected, actually  

Ensembles are always more "tolerant" to layering than solo instruments anyway, so it's always worth a try to see if you can get what you're after. For example, layering accents and legato in BS gives you a fake but very nice detaché, and you can even use the staccatissimo in the default library on top of Berlin to create more variety (the staccatisimo in BS is a very vertical, tap spiccato, so short that it actually sounds like a jeté)

I really wouldn't think of doing this kind of things in an app which is supposed to address other compositional needs, but BS sounds so nice in Staffpad that it's hard not to mess around with it and experiment a bit


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## did (Jul 16, 2020)

Thanks servandus for the answer, and the explicit example.
Yes, it is a real pleasure to work with, but I think lot of things could be improved in staff pad
I don' t know if there is a place to suggest ideas to the staffpad developpers, but for example a tempo
track as there is in Logic should be a good thing, and of course much other things...
But I have to say that since the last update, the recognition works much better.


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## wcreed51 (Jul 17, 2020)

There is a tempo track. Look under Utility in the staff category in score setup.


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## did (Jul 17, 2020)

Yes, but if i don' t miss anything, you can' t control the tempo track as is it possible in Logic. What I like in Logic is to control the speed like a conductor. In staffPad, of course you can change tempo, add "accelerato" or "rallentando", but the cool thing should be to be able to draw tempo curves.


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## Martin S (Jul 17, 2020)

Yes, you can 







https://staffpad.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360002334317


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## servandus (Jul 17, 2020)

One thing that bothers me though about the tempo track is that you can only draw points on the beats, not between them. You can write tempo markings on the paper anywhere you want, and then they show up in the correct position in the tempo lane, but as soon as you try to move them or change the tempo curve, they automatically reposition themselves again on the beat.


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## wcreed51 (Jul 17, 2020)

You can add intermediate points


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## servandus (Jul 17, 2020)

Thank you @wcreed51. I wasn't taking about the control points of the bezier curves though, but about actual tempo points, like the one circled in yellow in the picture. It suddenly jumps to the start of the nearest beat as soon as I touch it in the automation view. I have been looking if there's any option I'm missing to avoid this weird behaviour, but I can't find anything in the manual.


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## did (Jul 18, 2020)

Thanks for thoses answers. Shame on me not to read and re-read and re-re-read the help application


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## dcoscina (Jul 18, 2020)

did said:


> Thanks for thoses answers. Shame on me not to read and re-read and re-re-read the help application


No worries. We are happy to help


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## Leigh (Jan 18, 2021)

servandus said:


> Non vibrato sustains are triggered by writing "non vib." above the staff. Then, you can go back to normal vibrato sustains by writing "ord."
> 
> You can't automate the amount of vibrato, but you could try to crossfade between non vib. and vib. sustains using a divisi staff, and drawing cresc/dim to/from niente in the automation lane. It's not going to sound spectacularly smooth, but it could do the trick if you really need to fake it somehow.


Is "non vib." possible with the Berlin First Chair strings? Putting "non vib." over the cello staff has no effect and I still get vibrato on long pianissimos.

**Leigh


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## servandus (Jan 19, 2021)

Leigh said:


> Is "non vib." possible with the Berlin First Chair strings? Putting "non vib." over the cello staff has no effect and I still get vibrato on long pianissimos.
> 
> **Leigh


Sorry, I bought only the sections, so I can't check out if non vibrato samples are included for the first chairs. 

Maybe someone else using the lib can help.


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