Tutorial: Using Drum Maps to control Keyswitches in EWQLSO

Here is a video tutorial I put together on how I use the Drum Map feature in Sonar to map keyswitches within my EWQLSO orchestral template:

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZOqXA4Gq9Y&fmt=22
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdU4PiG2K58&fmt=22

Suggestions and comments are welcome.  I'd also like to see any videos or screenshots that others want to share regarding their workflow, especially related to the use of templates in post-production work.  I always learn something when I see other users' working environments .

I've got a mop around here somewhere...

I finally feel like I'm getting the handle on the EastWest articulations.  This is after a year of owning the orchestra.  Now the Vienna Pro Ensemble (VST server with Sonar on the client end) is adding one more layer of complexity.  Very useful complexity, no doubt.  Still learning what I can do with that one, but it's a server for all my Kontakt stuff now from a second computer.

papa2005

...wicked


I hope you include some sponges and paper towels, because you just blew my mind all over the place. 

That is some seriously detailed setup for articulations, wow!

The use of KS for changes in articulation is an absolute "need to know" if one is serious about creating realistic orchestral parts. The method used in EWQLSO is quite simple on the surface. The manual goes through each patch and describes the use of KS (where relevant to the patch)...It's a worthwhile read for anyone using the software...

 
Exactly.  In fact when I created the KS maps I did just that for each articulation, line by line in the manual then in the template, many times over.  It helped get me very familiar with how each instrument and each articulation sounds, when and when not to use the Round Robin Reset, Repitition, and Legato features (and Portamento, though that one sounds very subtle to me).
 

Wow, that was wild, man!
Thanks for taking the time to put this together.
I really need to start playing more with EWQLSO.

This is the best thread I have found on EWQLSO and key-switch drum maps.  Thanks for all of these posts.  I was hoping to find pre-configured drum maps for EWQLSO somewhere for download but I have yet to find anything really detailed yet.  So, I decided to start creating them for myself.  I apologize in advance if this is duplicate info but I wanted to share these with the community just in case other people may be able to benefit from them as well.
 
You can find the drum maps here:  I have tried several times to post a link but for some reason it keeps getting removed from the post.  If anyone knows how to post a link, let me know and I will add it to this thread.
 
I created three drum maps for each key-switch instrument in EWQLSO for Strings, Brass and Woodwinds as follows: 

1. The drum maps with the suffix KS+ contain both the key-switches and all of the playable notes for the instrument.
2. The drum maps with the suffix KS contain just the key-switches.
3. The drum maps that do not have a KS+ or KS suffix (I will call them non-KS here after) contain just the playable notes for the instrument.  These are named EWQLSO-InsName where InsName is the name of the instrument as it appears in EWQLSO.

Note: 

1. I created these for the Keysw versions - not the Old Keysw versions. 
2. C0 is used for round robin reset 
3. You will most likely need to change the MIDI channel and ports for the drum maps so they work with your DAW setup.  To do this, go to the Drum Map Manager, load the drum map, click and set the first item's MIDI channel, hold down Ctrl+Shift and click and set the last item's MIDI channel.  Do the same for the ports.  Even though the settings will save when you save your project in SONAR, I highly suggest saving the modified drum map anyway so that it will be set correctly the next time you use it in another project.

I created separate KS and KS+ drum maps because they empower me to compose more naturally.  Sometimes when I am starting off a new composition or start to work on a new section, I like to layer instruments and play them in real-time so that I can compose more freely and still have the ability to switch several instruments' articulations quickly and easily. 
 
While layering like this, when using the KS+ version of the drum map, some of the playable notes in one instrument range will conflict with the key-switches of another causing a change in articulation.  The solution to this problem is to have key-switch drum maps that do not contain the key-switches.  This filters out the key-switch notes and stops potential key-switching from occurring while layering instruments.
 
I find the combination of KS and non-KS versions of key-switches suitable for setting up real-time, orchestral performance environments where I can compose naturally.  While composing in this mode, I will typically have separate tracks dedicated to both the KS and non-KS versions of the drum maps.  I usually do not set an input for the KS version of the drum map and will change the articulation via mouse clicking the note in the drum map.  This allows for very fast and intuitive changes in articulations especially when I have 6 to 8 KS drum maps open at once.  No need to open the VST window, click through the drop down to get to an instrument and finally click the key-switch for the articulation I want to use.  All I have to do is go to the drum map's window and click the key for the articulation.  You will need to set the Lock Content in the drum map view in order to have multiple views open.  I just set the size each window so the height fits all the key-switches and the width is wide enough to display the instrument's name. This way I can identify it easily.
 
Of course, once the composition (or a section of it) starts to come together, I will usually change over to the KS+ drum maps where I can easily change the articulations when needed and make them permanent in Sonar.
 
I hope this helps the community.  And again, I hope this is not duplicate info but I found very little on this.
Cheers!
FrankieC
 

Jerry,  I was going to do that but I did not want to get shut down by the forum police ;-).
 
Here is the info for the link.  I will leave it up to you to figure out how to piece it together:
 
The url is https colon slash slash app dot box dot com slash s slash 8nlx9r3aiit4d6q6bwlx
 
Let me know if you have any issues getting to the file.
 
FrankieC