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Newbie Questions

Newbie Questions

Postby ghess1000 » Mon May 19, 2014 8:32 am

Hi,
New to Custom rules and trying to wrap my head around them. I've nosed around this discussion looking for some answers and watched some YouTube videos on N3 Custom Rules, but I still have some questions. Please forgive me if they've been asked and answered before.

1. The video mentions a file CustomRules.pdf. It's no longer on the website. Is it available or is it too out of date to be of use? Is there a list somewhere that supersedes it? I've managed to open techniques.xml in the Mac package. It lists the technique codes, but I'm not sure if that's all that's needed? All other list files are .tpk and I can't open them.

2. How complete are the built-in custom rules for VSL, EW and GPO?

3. Without custom rules, do the standard rules Notion uses for the built-in samples apply? I know the VST has to be able to respond to the messages received.

4. Assuming 3 is correct, how easy is it to create conflicts with existing rules or worse do something to make it so no rules work?

Thanks for any replies
George Hess
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Re: Newbie Questions

Postby idiotSavant » Sat May 24, 2014 8:25 pm

George, I haven't dived into Custom Rules, there are others here who know a lot more than I do, but I can tell you that the presets for VSL that come with Notion 4 work very well.
Michael

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VSL Dimension Strings
VSL Special Edition 1,2, Plus
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Re: Newbie Questions

Postby Migot » Mon May 26, 2014 8:26 pm

Ghess,

Idiotsavant is RIGHT.

I'm working exclusively with Notion and VSL Special Edition Full + MIRx.

I write Orchestral score and I get wonderful result.

Alain
Alain LeBlond
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Re: Newbie Questions

Postby Surfwhammy » Tue May 27, 2014 10:51 am

ghess1000 wrote:Hi,
New to Custom rules and trying to wrap my head around them. I've nosed around this discussion looking for some answers and watched some YouTube videos on N3 Custom Rules, but I still have some questions. Please forgive me if they've been asked and answered before.


The key to making sense of stuff like this is a skill I call "scouting around", which in many respects is enhanced when one is able to enter a heightened state of mentation characterized by being unencumbered by knowledge, which is a hallmark of the "by ear" strategy for composing and performing music . . .

The Japanese have a name for this heightened state of mentation, which is "A Mind Like The Moon" ("Tsuki no kokoro"), where the general idea is that distractions are like clouds blocking the light of the moon. The goal, therefore, is to avoid being distracted so that the moon can shine equally on everything . . .

Explained another way, to the worthy acolyte who knows nothing, there is no question that cannot be asked or answered . . .

Currently, one of my favorite answers is that "There is only one 'Middle C' on a grand piano" . . .

ghess1000 wrote:1. The video mentions a file CustomRules.pdf . . .


The documentation for NOTION 4 custom rules, with examples, is found on the "Other" tab of the Notion Music "Downloads" page . . .

Image

Downloads (Notion Music)

This is the link to the ZIP file that contains the various documentation and related files for NOTION 4 Custom Rules:

"N4 Custom Rules Documentation" (Notion Music) ~ ZIP file

However, there are more files, and it is easiest to examine the various files that come with NOTION 4 if you do this on the Mac, since everything is contained in the application "package", which you can examine by right-clicking on "Notion.app" and then selecting "Show Package Contents" . . .

Image

This is the high-level contents of the Mac application package for "Notion.app", where the key folder is "Resources":

Image

These are the various subfolders and files found in the "Resources" folder:

Image

This is the Generic Rules file for NOTION 4, and the file is found in the "Generic" subfolder of the "PluginData" subfolder of the "Resources" folder:

Image

There are other subfolders in the "PluginData" subfolder, and they contain a combination of (a) Individual NOTION 4 scores ("*.notion") for each instrument or instrument section and (b) custom rules ("*.prules") in a "Rules" subfolder . . .

The various rules files ("*.prules") are focused on providing the text for MIDI messages (notes and control changes) that are sent by NOTION 4 to the respective virtual instrument engine based on the specific music notation for a note and the note's respective articulation, dynamic, playing style, and so forth, which from a different perspective maps to incurring a bit of overhead, since this requires additional processing as compared to a note which requires no additional processing, but even when there are no articulations, dynamics, playing styles, and so forth, there is additional processing, because there is a rules file and its various conditional tests need to be performed . . .

[NOTE: This is part of the rules for the Miroslav Philharmonik French Horn I COMBI ("fhr1"). . . ]

Code: Select all
      <rule>
         <if flag="fhr1"/>
         <if technique="trem"/>
            <channel-change channel="5"/>
      </rule>


[NOTE: This is part of the rules for the Miroslav Philharmonik Ensemble Brass COMBI ("ebrs"), where the Miroslav Philharmonik COMBI has French Horns assigned to MIDI Channel 1 and the purpose of this particular rule is to instruct Miroslav Philharmonik to use MIDI Channel 1. There are more conditional tests, based on the current MIDI channel being used, but they all set it to MIDI Channel 1. If the French Horn I COMBI was being used (see above) and it was set to MIDI Channel 5 to use the tremolo playing style, then changing the MIDI channel to MIDI Channel 1 for a staff where Ensemble Brass COMBI is used causes a different type of French Horn to be used. Doing a bit of inferencing, this probably is the way the individual NOTION 4 score ("*.notion") files are used, since COMBI information is stored in a NOTION 4 score when one is using Miroslav Philharmonik for an instrument . . . ]

Code: Select all
         <!-- French Horns Flag-->
      <rule>
         <if flag="ebrs"/>
         <if midi-channel = "1"/>
         <set-flag name = "hrns" />
      </rule>
      
      <rule>
         <if flag="ebrs"/>
         <if midi-channel = "2"/>
         <channel-change channel="1"/>
         <set-flag name = "hrns" />
      </rule>


The "*.notion" files are opened with NOTION 4, and typically there is one for each instrument (solo and section). I am not certain about the specific purpose of the individual "*.notion" files, but I think they are part of the behind-the-scene mapping process where one hypothesis is that in some instances they are used to select a predefined COMBI or MULTI; and I base this hypothesis on some of the rules files ("*.prules") having code that does channel changes, which only makes sense with a COMBI or MULTI is available and loaded, where the key bit of information is that something provides the information NOTION 4 needs to know when to use a predefined COMBI or MULTI for an instrument . . .

You can examine most of the other files on the Mac with "TextEdit.app", but it is best to copy the file and then to paste it, at which time you can examine the copy rather than the actual file in the Mac application package . .

[NOTE: On the Mac, you just need to double-click on the file, and it will open automagically in TextEdit . . . ]

This is the case for "*.prules", "*.xml", and "*.tpk" files, but I like to use UltraEdit, since it has color-coding for XML files that makes them easier to read, as well as making it easier to avoid errors when you make changes and create your own user-defined custom rules . . .

UltraEdit (IDM Computer Solutions)

On the Mac, you need Xcode to view some of the other files, where Xcode is the integrated development environment for Mac OS and iOS developers such as myself, but for the most part none of that stuff makes a lot of sense unless you are a software engineer . . .

[NOTE: You do not need to be a registered Mac OS and iOS developer to download Xcode, but there are advantages to being a registered Apple Developers Connection (ADC) member, since there is a lot more information, nearly all of which is proprietary . . . ]

Xcode 5 (Apple Developers Connection)

ghess1000 wrote:2. How complete are the built-in custom rules for VSL, EW and GPO?


They have a lot of information, which you can verify yourself; but there are levels of "complete", and I think it depends on the way one defines "complete" . . .

Now that MIDI is making a bit more sense to me, my primary observation is that the rules I have examined are not vastly extensive in terms of being intimately focused on extreme minutiae . . .

I have a version of Garritan Personal Orchestra (via Finale), and the NOTION 4 custom rules for GPO appear to be focused on velocity, duration, and various keyswitches, which probably is useful for something, although I have no idea what it might be at the moment, since I do not use GPO other than to do various MIDI experiments with the Aria player . . .

ghess1000 wrote:3. Without custom rules, do the standard rules Notion uses for the built-in samples apply? I know the VST has to be able to respond to the messages received.


This is an interesting question, and at present I am pondering the idea of providing more detailed information for the betterment and enlightenment of novices . . .

ghess1000 wrote:4. Assuming 3 is correct, how easy is it to create conflicts with existing rules or worse do something to make it so no rules work?


When you create your own user-defined custom rules and put the rules file ("*.prules") in the "Rules" subfolder of the folder where your NOTION 4 score ("*.notion") resides, NOTION 4 will use your user-defined custom rules . . .

This avoids conflicts, and so long as your user-defined custom rules are working correctly, there you are, which is fabulous . ..

Fabulous! :)

P. S. The recommended strategy is to avoid modifying anything contained in the Mac application package, where one of the reasons is that updates overwrite "Notion.app", hence with an automatic update, your custom rules would be overwritten. Another reason is that tinkering with certain files can cause NOITON 4 either (a) to stop working or (b) to exhibit unusual behaviors, although a few adventurous folks have done this . . .
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