Using Garritan libraries in SONAR X2

Garritan instruments are used in SONAR 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 SONAR 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 SONAR

In order for the ARIA Player plug-in to be available in SONAR, the ARIA Player VST plug-in must be copied to SONAR’s plug-in folder. The ARIA player is available as both a 32-bit plug-in (ARIA Player VST_x86.dll) and a 64-bit plug-in (ARIA Player VST_x64.dll). Make sure that you're copying the correct plug-in for 32-bit or 64-bit SONAR.

ClosedTo copy the ARIA Player VST plug-in into SONAR's plug-in folder:
  1. Copy the ARIA Player VST.dll from C:\Program Files\Garritan\ARIA Player\VST
  2. Paste it in C:\Program Files\Cakewalk\Vstplugins
ClosedTo update the plug-in list in SONAR:
  1. Select the Edit menu, and then choose Preferences.
  2. Under the File category on the left, choose VST Settings.
  3. Add the appropriate VST folder if needed.

You only need to add a folder if you have VST plug-ins in locations on your computer other than C:\Program Files\Cakewalk\Vstplugins.

  1. Click the Scan VST Folders button, click Apply, and then click OK.

Setting up tracks

Garritan libraries are available in SONAR as a Soft Synth. You can assign MIDI tracks in your project to the channels within the ARIA Player.

ClosedTo set up tracks using Garritan instruments:
  1. From the Insert menu, choose Soft Synth > Garritan > ARIA Player VST.
  2. In the Insert Soft Synth Options dialog box, check ,MIDI Source, First Audio Output, and Synth Property Page, and then click OK. The ARIA Player opens.
  3. Click empty on slot 1 and load an instrument.

Note that the number on the left indicates the slot number, while the gray number in the lower right indicates the MIDI channel. You can change the channel of any instrument in the ARIA Player by clicking this number and selecting the desired channel from the list.

ClosedTo assign a track to a channel in the ARIA Player:

Use Garritan instruments for playback by assigning either existing or newly added tracks to the ARIA Player. Add tracks by going to Insert > MIDI track, and then assign them as show below.

In order to see the correct options, make sure you have I/O selected from the Track Control list above the track strips. You can also see additional options in the Track Inspector to the left.  Press I to open or close the Inspector.

  1. In the Output To drop-down, choose ARIA Player.

  1. In the MIDI channel drop-down, choose the appropriate channel from the ARIA Player.

The ARIA Player can load up to 16 unique instruments at a time. If your project uses more than 16 instruments, simply load additional instances of the ARIA Player onto new tracks.

ClosedFind more help from Cakewalk:

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.

To see how these features work, we will use a track with Trumpet 1 KS from GPO4 and the Mod Wheel to add a crescendo.

ClosedTo add a keyswitch:
  1. Right-click the trumpet track and choose View > Piano Roll View.
  2. Use the pencil to draw a note on D4.

When playback reaches this point in the track, the keyswitch note triggers a change to a muted trumpet. 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:
  1. Right click the track and choose View > Piano Roll View.
  2. In the Piano Roll, choose View > Show/Hide Controller Pane (if the Controller Pane is not already displayed).

  1. Select New Value Type from the pop-up menu.

  1. In the MIDI Event Type window, select Type: Control, Value: 1-Modulation and Channel: Channel 1, and then click OK.
  2. In the piano roll, click and drag to draw a crescendo from measure one to measure five.

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.

ClosedFind more help from Cakewalk:

 

SONAR Setup

Adding Instruments

Controlling Playback

 

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