EastWest Hollywood Orchestra Opus Edition Virtual Instrument Plug-In (Download) - Manual (Page 64)

HOLLYWOOD ORCHESTRA OPUS EDITION C O N T E N T S <
CHAPTER 3: BROWSE 64 C H A P T E R <
3.2.5 How to Produce Realistic Performances
Using MIDI Continuous Controllers (CCs) to shape volume, dynamics, expression, vibrato
and more, is essential to achieving realistic performances.
Instruments in the Hollywood Orchestra Opus Edition use MIDI CCs to cross-fade
between samples of varying dynamics and vibrato amounts, giving the composer much
more continuous control over both the loudness and the timbre.
The basic idea of a cross-fade is that 2 or more samples of the same instrument—but
that differ in some aspect, such as loudness, timbre, and/or vibrato—are played back
simultaneously. And the mix of how much of each sample makes it into the audio output
is controlled by MIDI CCs.
Commonly used MIDI CCs include:
• Mod Wheel (CC 1)
• Volume (CC 7)
• Expression (CC 11)
The Mod Wheel (CC 1)
The Mod Wheel (CC 1) implementation depends on the library and instrument type. In
instruments that feature independent control of both dynamics and vibrato (Hollywood
Orchestra Opus Edition Strings and Woodwinds), CC 11 (Expression) controls overall
loudness and dynamics, while CC 1 (Mod Wheel) controls vibrato amount. In other cases,
such as the LITE instruments in Hollywood Orchestra Opus Edition Strings, CC 11 (Ex-
pression) controls overall loudness, while CC 1 (Mod Wheel) handles both dynamics and
vibrato simultaneously. In yet other cases, instruments with ‘MOD’ in their name use the
controller to switch between articulations.
Volume (CC7) and Expression (CC 11)
Both of these MIDI CCs work on any and all instruments, however Volume should be
used to set a loudness level relative to other instruments, while Expression should be
used to shape the continually changing dynamics and expressiveness of each instrument
individually.
Note Velocity
Note Velocity affects loudness (and dynamics) for short instruments like Staccato, Stac-
catissimo, and Marcato. Note Velocity measures the speed at which you strike a key, on
a scale of 1 (minimum) to 127 (maximum). On the lower end of the velocity range, notes
will playback quieter (softer dynamics), and on the higher end of the velocity range,
notes will playback louder (loud dynamics).
PLEASE NOTE: If there’s any doubt as to how an instrument works, check out the Descrip-
tion Box of the Browse page for a detailed description of the articulations used in each
instrument, and how to control them in terms of MIDI CCs.