Iconica Sections & Players Templates

Iconica is a sample library by Steinberg and Orchestral Tools recorded in the legendary Funkhaus Berlin.  Iconica Sections & Players provides single instruments and instrumental sections across the orchestra and we have now created a Dorico project template and playback templates for this library so that you can integrate it more easily into your Dorico projects.

Templates

You can load Iconica directly into your Dorico project but as Iconica is highly configurable it requires a lot of data to be saved and will greatly increase the file size of your Dorico project.  We have therefore also created a Dorico playback template and a server template for VSL’s Vienna Ensemble Pro 7, known as VEPro (available separately from VSL.co.at).

To use Iconica directly in Dorico download this playback template, Dorico project file and information document:

• Iconica Template (360MB zip)

You can then use the project file provided, or in your own Dorico projects choose the Iconica playback template from the Play > Playback Templates menu.

To use Iconica in VEPro download this VEPro server template, Dorico playback template, Dorico project file and information document:

• VEPro Iconica Template – Mac (180MB zip)
• VEPro Iconica Template – PC (172MB zip)

Start Vienna Ensemble Pro Server, open the provided server project, start Dorico and choose the VEPro – Iconica playback template from the Play > Playback Templates menu.  Dorico will then be connected to the instruments loaded in VEPro.

For more information on how these files have been set up and how to use them, please watch this Discover Dorico live stream:

Details

Iconica is highly configurable and many instruments have a number of preset options such as Violins I Dynamics, Violins I Long Notes, Violins I Short Notes and Violins I Standard and the techniques you might want to use in Dorico are spread across those presets.  We’ve therefore used the configurable cells in Iconica to make a custom single preset per instrument.

Iconica normally defaults to keyswitches starting at C0 so that they are playable on a MIDI keyboard.  Since Dorico will be controlling the keyswitches we have moved them to C-1 to help standardise them across more instruments and therefore reduce the number of expression maps needed.  Therefore there is one map for Strings, another for all High Winds & Brass, and another for Low Winds & Brass etc.

Each Iconica techniques ‘column’ is then controlled automatically by Dorico using key switches and each ‘row’ is accessed using MIDI CC 14.

Techniques

• Marcato and Fortepiano also layer the Sustain technique so that long notes are also covered, with edits made to the level and attack settings.
• Fortepiano dynamics will use the prevailing dynamic from before the Fp marking in the score but you can of course also make individual edits using CC1 in the automation lane in Play mode.
• For SustainVibrato (where available), depending on your piece you might want to add ‘Vib’ as a playing technique on the score (and optionally hide it in the Properties panel).
• If you prefer the default/natural sound of an instrument to be SustainVibrato or Legato you can edit the expression map so that the ‘Natural’ technique uses C#-1 or D#-1 instead of C-1.
• Short Legato notes use a note length condition to automatically switch to Legato Runs (where available).  If necessary for your piece you can edit the note length condition, and/or add a similar condition for Natural to switch to e.g. Staccato.

If you feel that there should be global changes made to the playback template that would also help others, please get in touch and let us know.