Using Garritan libraries in Pro Tools 10

Garritan instruments are used in Pro Tools 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 Pro Tools 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 Pro Tools

Pro Tools uses the proprietary RTAS plug-in format. When installing Garritan libraries, make sure to select the RTAS plug-in format included with the installer. If you have already installed your Garritan library, run the installer a second time, and choose to install only the RTAS plug-in.

ClosedTo set up the ARIA Player on Mac:

 Installing the RTAS plug-in for the ARIA Player will automatically install the necessary components to one of the following directories:

ClosedTo set up the ARIA player on Windows:

Installing the RTAS plug-in for the ARIA player will place the plugin into one of the following directories:

Setting up tracks

Loading and operating Garritan libraries in ProTools can be easily done, using either a stereo Instrument track, or a MIDI track with an Auxiliary Input track.

Instrument tracks in Pro Tools take a MIDI input, and create an audio output. ProTools allows you to create separate MIDI input tracks, which can be sent to the ARIA Player for playback. This is an advanced way of setting up the ARIA Player, but is more RAM-efficient.

ClosedTo set up instrument tracks using Garritan instruments:
  1. Open your session, or choose File > New Session to create a new one.
  2. After your session has loaded, choose Track > New.
  3. When the New Tracks window appears, choose 1 new Stereo Instrument Track, and then click Create.

  1. Choose Window > Mix to display the Mix Window.
  2. Locate the instrument track you’ve just created, and click the Insert Selector near the top of the Instrument Track, and choose multichannel plug-in > Instrument > ARIA Player (stereo).

If the ARIA Player does not show up in your list of plug-ins, make sure you are using a stereo instrument track. The ARIA player is not available on a mono instrument track.

ClosedTo use Garritan instruments on a MIDI Track with an Auxiliary Input Track:

We’ll be telling Pro Tools to send MIDI data from your MIDI Track to channel 1 of the ARIA Player. As long as the ARIA Player is loaded on the Auxiliary Input Track, and the Auxiliary Input Track is routed to your Master Channel Output (Analog 1-2), you can load instruments and hear playback. MIDI tracks are the most efficient way to use multiple Garritan instruments. Simply create new MIDI tracks for each instrument, and assign their output to different channels within the ARIA Player. Additionally, send instruments within the same ARIA Player to separate audio outputs by creating a new Auxiliary Input Track, and then by selecting Input as plug-in > ARIA Player (multi).

  1. Open your session, or choose File > New Session to create a new one.
  2. After your session has loaded, choose Track > New.
  3. When the New Tracks window appears, choose 1 new MIDI Track.
  4. Click the Plus button (+), and choose 1 new Stereo Aux Input
  5. Click Create.

  1. Choose Window > Mix to display the Mix Window.
  2. Locate the Auxiliary Input Track you’ve just created. Click the Insert Selector near the top of the track, and choose multichannel plug-in > ARIA Player (Multi).

  1. Locate the MIDI Track you’ve just created. Click the Input selector (under the I/O category in the track, above the pan knob), and choose your MIDI Keyboard or input device, or, leave the input set to All.
  2. Click the Output Selector, and choose ARIA Player (multi) > Channel - 1. This tells your MIDI Track to send its data to the ARIA Player.

  1. Click ARIA Player (multi) from your Auxiliary Input Track. The ARIA Player opens.
  2. Click empty on slot 1 and load an instrument.
ClosedTo change instruments in the ARIA Player

Whenever you need to make changes to how the ARIA Player sounds, open the plug-in by clicking on it from the Insert Selector in the Mix Window.

  1. Click the ARIA Player from your track to open the ARIA Player.
  2. The ARIA Player opens. 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.

ClosedTo add a crescendo with the Mod Wheel:

In ProTools, many audio-based plug-ins such as compressors, reverbs, or equalizers are controlled through ProTools’ automation system, using automation lanes and recorded data. In the ARIA Player, however, many of these controls, including specific instrument controls like Vibrato Speed and Air Sound, are altered through MIDI continuous controller messages. In the ARIA Player, each of these CC## values are listed above the corresponding knob in the Controls tab. Locate the CC## value for the sound you’d like to change, and then edit your MIDI data to control this change.

  1. From inside your session, choose a MIDI or Instrument Track that has a region with existing MIDI notes.
  2. Double-click the region to open the MIDI Editor. The Piano Roll and an automation lane for Note Velocity appear.

  1. Click this menu to open other options, including expression and continuous controllers.
  2. Navigate to the Controllers menu to see a list of common controllers (breath pressure, mod wheel, etc), and click Add/Remove Controllers. The Automated MIDI Controllers window appears.

  1. Choose Mod Wheel (1) and click Add.
  2. Click OK.
  3. Back in the MIDI editor, select the automation lane menu, and choose CC1.
  4. COMMAND+click anywhere in the automation lane to add a value between 0 and 127. COMMAND+click again to draw the crescendo.

Each Garritan library includes a wide variety of instrument effects that can be added by using MIDI continuous controllers. Refer to your Garritan manual for a full list of effects and their corresponding controller messages.

ClosedTo add a keyswitch:

Keyswitch patches (identified with a KS in the name) contain multiple playing techniques for the instrument, such as pizz and arco for strings, or various mutes for brass instruments. Changing between these sounds is controlled by adding a keyswitch note to the track.

  1. From inside your session, choose a MIDI or instrument track that has a region with existing MIDI notes.
  2. Double-click the region to open the MIDI Editor. The Piano Roll and an automation lane for Note Velocity appear.

  1. To add a note, double-click the note that corresponds to your keyswitch from the MIDI editor. The available keyswitches can be found by opening the Garritan ARIA Player, and locating the red and yellow notes, which are found an octave below the available range of the instrument.

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.

 

Pro Tools Setup

Adding Instruments

Controlling Playback

 

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