Using Garritan sounds in Live 9

Garritan instruments are used in Live by opening the ARIA Player plug-in. Once your tracks are set up, add keyswitches and MIDI messages to bring realism to the performance of your music, and fine tune the sound of Garritan instruments. Garritan libraries use both keyswitches and MIDI messages to change instrument techniques, articulations, and effects.

This article will walk you through setting up Live to recognize the ARIA Player, selecting Garritan instruments for your tracks, assigning channels, and adding MIDI messages to affect playback.

Setting up the ARIA player in Live

In order to use the Garritan libraries in Live, verify that the proper ARIA Player components are installed in the Audio Units or VST Plug-In folder that Live uses, and that the Garritan ARIA Player is showing in your Plug-In Device Browser.

ClosedTo set up the ARIA player on Mac:

The ARIA player plug-in is located in Macintosh HD > Library > Audio > Plug-Ins > VST. To verify that it will be available in Live, open a Live Project and then open Preferences.

  1. From the Live Menu, choose Preferences.

  1. Click the File Folder category on the left.
  2. Verify that Use Audio Units and/or Use VST Plug-In (either System or Custom Folder*) are On.
  3. If you are using a custom folder to store your plug-ins, click the Browse button, choose the folder, and then click Rescan.

The ARIA player will now be available as a plug-in from the Browser Sidebar.

ClosedTo set up the ARIA player on Windows:

The ARIA player plug-in is located in C:\Program Files\Garritan\ARIA Player\VST. To verify that it will be available in Live, open a Live Project and then open Preferences.

  1. From the Optionsmenu, choose Preferences.

  1. Click the File Folder category on the left.
  2. Verify that Use VST Plug-In Custom Folder is turned On.
  3. If you are using a custom folder to store your plug-ins, click the Browse button, choose the folder, and then click Rescan.

The ARIA player will now be available as a plug-in from the Browser Sidebar.

Setting up tracks

ClosedTo set up tracks using Garritan sounds:
  1. From Live’s Browser window, navigate to Plugins > VST/AU > ARIA player.
  2. Double-click ARIA Player to load it onto the selected track within your Session. The ARIA Player opens.

  1. Click the word "empty" on slot 1 and load an instrument sound.
ClosedTo assign a track to the ARIA player

Live is an excellent program for routing MIDI channels to Software instruments. In this screenshot, notice how I have routed each MIDI track to the ARIA Player. I only need one ARIA Player in order to play back my session.

  1. Choose View > In/Out.
  2. In the MIDI to section, choose ARIA player. A second drop-down menu appears.
  3. Choose the appropriate channel from within the ARIA player.

ClosedTo change sounds in the ARIA player

If you close the ARIA Player window, you can re-open it to change instruments or make other adjustments to the plug-in

  1. Make sure that the ARIA Player track is highlighted, then click the wrench icon at the top left of the instrument device.

The ARIA Player opens.

  1. Click the word "empty" on slot 1 and load an instrument sound(s).

Controlling Playback

Use MIDI messages and keyswitches to make your music more expressive and realistic. In Garritan libraries, Keyswitch instruments are identified by a KS in the name. The keyswitch is created by adding a specifically designated note found below the instrument's range into the instrument track.

For this example, we'll use a track with Koto KS from Garritan World Instruments and the Mod Wheel to add a crescendo.

ClosedTo add a keyswitch:
  1. Double-click a clip slot to view the clip details.
  2. Use the pencil to draw a note on D0 and another on A0.

When playback reaches this point in the track, the keyswitch note will trigger a change between a Tremolo Release and a Bend Down.

Refer to the section on Keyswitches in your Garritan manual to find out what keyswitch patches are available in your library and how to use them.

ClosedTo add a crescendo using the Mod Wheel:

MIDI data can be drawn into the Envelop Box for the clip you want to control.

  1. Double-click a clip slot to view the clip details.
  2. Click the E button to view the Envelop Box.
  3. Choose CC#1: Modulation from the drop-down menu.

  1. Draw the dynamic changes in the clip view.

Each Garritan library includes a wide variety of instrument effects that can be added by using MIDI controllers. Refer to your Garritan manual for a full list of MIDI controls for the instruments in your library.

 

Live Setup

Adding Instruments

Controlling Playback

 

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