NotePerformer 3

Isn't that the truth!

Yeah I think the bonus is you have to be intentional about your dynamics and articulations, rather than just EXP/MOD=127 and ostinato away on your piano.

 

I think the balance is almost hitting it's sweet spot with N3. Make sure you have your fader all set to 85 in Sibelius if not already done.

 

I finally pulled the trigger on NP3 and couldn't be happier. Linking VSL to Sibelius is a step up from the original, but the phrasing and performance in NP3 leaves VSL in the dust.

 

Remember that you can add your own dictionary entries in Sibelius. If you find that the difference between eg. F and FF be too great you can add your own in between entry that NP3 can understand, such as MFF or whatever you want to call it. Just make that new entry half way between F and FF in terms of midi velocity.

 

Thanks for the tip. I've found that accents are a bit too exaggerated in NP3 (especially in the brass), do you think there would be a way to tweak that in Sibelius?

 

In general I would think so yes, but not just for brass. Then you should create an additional softer accent entry in the dictionary to use for brass. The difference from dynamic markings would be that the accent is per note so maybe it is harder to change. You can try and find the one already there and duplicate it and make it softer, I would think that should be possible but not sure. It has been a while since I was messing around with it though. Better check with Sibelius forum. It is often surprising how much you can program if you spent time learning it.

 

Hey guys,

Just to continue with the demos, here's my transcription of the Main Title from Forbidden Warrior rendered this time with Dorico:



I think the samples sound better in Dorico but the software is not as good as Sibelius for interpreting dynamics and articulations. NP3 is only in beta with Dorico so hopefully, that will be improved in the future.

 

Did you make any changes to instrument or ensemble volume? I'm getting to grips with NP3 while orchestrating one of Brahms' piano sonatas and found that there was a bit of tweaking required. From memory I think the trumpets and contrabasses were too loud and all the woodwinds too quiet.

 

No tweaks here.

To get the right balance with Noteperformer you need to reset all your faders in Sibelius (NP3 has a plug-in for that). From experience I think the balance between Woods, Brass and Strings is perfect - As for the rest I think that some of the percussion instruments need some tweaking. For example, the triangle is way too loud, also the piano is too loud in my opinion