[metalmaiden]

Okay, installed SC and VOTA this morning and have been trying to figure out the basics of how this beast works since. Will probably have dozens more questions as my exploration continues, but for starters, here goes:

If you already have notation written for a choir in your host app (in my case, Logic 8), is there a way to export the notation as a .mid file and import the .mid file into WB, so that you can apply sounds to each note? Then, when done crafting your “notation with words” in WB bring the finished file back into your host app? I’m assuming there has to be a way to do this. Otherwise, how do you apply words to your notation?

I tried to simply import a .mid file into WB, hoping WB would see the midi events and allow me to begin applying sounds (this seemed logical), but each time I’ve tried this, WB crashes. So, I’m guessing this is not the way to get your notation into WB.

Any guidance appreciated. My brain hurts from trying to make sense of the user manual. It’s not very intuitive, and I’m really struggling with how to make sense of the software and getting it to “play nice” with Logic 8.

Thanks.

\mm/

[MPDmike]

I think you need to import the MIDI into your sequencer (Logic 8), then get WB to sing the notes that correspond with the MIDI file you imported.

Can't wait to hear SC singing metal stuff !!

[metalmaiden]

Sorry, I don't follow you, Mike.

Let me explain how my Logic project is set up and what my goals are:

I have Logic projects that were developed prior to me purchasing SC. In these projects, I have 16 midi tracks, each with notation for a different choir voice (e.g., Sopranos 1 left, Sopranos 1 right, Altos 1 left, Altos 1 right, etc.). I want SC to achieve a couple of things for me:

1. Enable me to apply voices from the SC and VOTA libraries to these midi tracks.
2. Apply sounds to these midi tracks, which in some cases, will form words and in others just be “oohs” and “ahhs”.
3. Enable me to “craft” the tracks (i.e., finesse velocity, crossfades of consonants, etc.)

Then, I want to take those finished “crafted” tracks and play them back in Logic as part of my project and bounce down a mix.

How would I go about doing this?

I’m still reading through the manual, btw. Just not having much luck making sense of it.

Thanks again.

\mm/

PS- I can’t wait to hear SC singing metal too!

[Jose7822]

I don't have Logic, so I can't help you much with that. But instructions for using SC in Logic are found on page 56 of the SC manual.

What I can tell you though, is that the MIDI information is NOT imported into either WB or PLAY but rather routed to them. You keep all MIDI tracks inside of Logic, but you have to route them to their corresponding instances of PLAY. As per your example, you will probably use one instance of PLAY for the Sopranos 1 left, another for the Sopranos 1 right, etc. The convention is to use the SATB (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass) configuration, but you may have a special arrangement that requires having two of the same voices panned in opposite ways. It all depends on what you want to do I guess. Anyways, from the little I read in the manual, it seems like Logic doesn't support MFX plugins which means you'll have to use WB in stand-alone and create an environment in Logic so that it can be routed to PLAY.

Good Luck!

[metalmaiden]

Thanks, Jose.

I think I understand the basic theory of what you are saying, but I’m still somewhat confused. Let me see if I have this right?

I have a midi track in Logic. Let’s call it “Sopranos”, and I have an EastWest PLAY “Sopranos” patch selected for that track in my channel strip. So, when I play back the track, I hear the nice EastWest PLAY sample, not the not-so-nice Apple factory sample. This I get. If I understand you correctly, you're saying that the midi track in Logic then gets routed to WB? Then, I’m assuming the WB “words” get routed back to Logic, so when I play back the track I hear the WB “words” AND the nice EastWest PLAY sample, yes?

The environment thing I don’t understand. What do you mean by “create an environment”?

Sorry, I’m reeeeeeally new to this.

Thanks for your help and patience.

\mm/

[interpolate]

An environment is a like a sound server which gets used to route the sound into and out of Logic. For example, you would setup the Wordbuilder application to be linked to the output of the EWQLSC synth and get the note data from a MIDI file. Just like any sequencer although I have no experience of doing this in Logic.

I bet this information is wrong but at least I can say I tried,,,

[Jose7822]

MetalMaiden,

Yes, you have the idea of how it all works correct. However, I've never used Logic so my assumption of what an environment is will be close to what Interpolate described. Sorry, but I use another sequencer that uses a completely different way of working with WB than what it is decribed in the manual for Logic (and I've never used Logic in my life). So this is as far as I can go to help you, sorry :-(

Hope a Logic user (there are a lot of them here) chimes in. Good Luck!

[MPDmike]

Sorry mm, I just popped out and missed your message.

I must have misunderstood your earlier post. If you already have the MIDI files within Logic 8 (so you can play them using any instrument) then that is fine. The next thing you need to do is to open WB on the MIDI channel you are are using for a particular voice and input the words (in English, Votox, etc) into the rectangular panel.

You then have to use the "learn" function to get the words to match up with the notes in your MIDI file. If it is not obvious, then you will need to check that each note in your MIDI file has a corresponding syllable in your WB lyrics panel, otherwise the "learn" function will not match every syllable to the corresponding note. It is pretty straightforward, but come back if you can't understand the method.

[peter5992]

Like Mike said, you don't enter midi notes in Wordbuilder, but syllables, preferably in votox. Refer to your manual (pp. 56 and following) on how to set up Wordbuilder and Choirs in Logic. Essentially your midi notes go from Logic into Wordbuilder, which then generates six new midi streams which go into the Choirs multi, each for a different instrument. The audio coming out of Choirs Play then is routed back into Logic, and available for playback or recording / bouncing to track.

[Jose7822]

Originally Posted by MPDmike

Sorry mm, I just popped out and missed your message.

I must have misunderstood your earlier post. If you already have the MIDI files within Logic 8 (so you can play them using any instrument) then that is fine. The next thing you need to do is to open WB on the MIDI channel you are are using for a particular voice and input the words (in English, Votox, etc) into the rectangular panel.

WB cannot be inserted as an MFX (MIDI FX) plugin in Logic. It is integrated in stand-alone and communicating with Logic through an environment. BUT, what she can do in open the choir project she already has and MOVE the MIDI files into the PLAY instances she creates. I'm not sure if Logic has a synth swap feature, in which case that would be the best way to do this. Just clarifying so that she doesn't get confused here. Hope you don't take it the wrong way :-)