Sibelius 7 & Mini2USB analogue-to-digital converter

Discussion of playback and midi issues go here.
tnob
Posts: 9
Joined: Fri Mar 21, 2014 8:28 pm

Post by tnob » Sun Mar 23, 2014 6:17 am

Greetings all!

Brand new in this forum - and yes, I'd like to open with a little MIDI matter. But before I do, I first need to explain a thing or two.

In my household, notation is not the sole function of Sibelius 7. It's also coming in very handily as a 'musical instrument generator', as it where: audio playback of instruments I don't normally play (brass, reeds, orchestral strings) captured on an ancient four-track audio cassette deck (since Audacity doesn't “do” MIDI, apparently).

Already a while ago, I purchased a small analogue-to-digital converter, from a US firm by the name of DJ Tech (they have UK representation as well). The article in question is called Mini2USB: a short cable with a stereo mini-jack at one end and a USB plug at the other. The gadget's 'control centre' blob is closest to the mini-jack.

The package in which it originally came contained Audacity for Windows as well. Also included was the actual installation disk - intended, in origin, for cleaning up vinyl/audio cassette crackle, hiss, and buzz.

The whole was bought on a whim, more or less, so I didn't really have a proper purpose for my Mini2USB, at first. This changed when I was informed that Mini2USB will also work with (or on) Sibelius. How wasn't ever explained. But it's food for thought, naturally.

Mini2USB is a full-fledged analogue-to-digtal converter. As such, it could also act as guitar lead, I figure - with a mono jack adapter on top of the stereo mini-jack end. Considering, furthermore, that electric guitar is analogue, too, in principle, theoretically, real-time virtual instrument playback triggered from Sibelius 7 in this fashion should also be feasible, in my reasoning.

I'm curious as to whether this has ever been tried before. And if yes, I'd very much like to hear about experiences and/or results (or lack thereof).

For further information: a manual for the installation disk (Magix Audio Lab SE) manual can be downloaded online for free!

tnob


andyg
Posts: 1727
Joined: Tue Feb 14, 2006 8:55 pm
Sibelius Version: 7.1.3 and 6.2
Operating System: Windows

Post by andyg » Sun Mar 23, 2014 9:53 am

This is an audio to USB converter. Audacity is a free Audio recorder app. I'd visit the Audacity website and download the latest version, which is probably newer than the one you have.

Cheap USB-Audio leads are usually crap, period! If this one works OK, great. If not, and this function is important to your work, invest in a small USB mixer, which will do the job better. You probably won't get much joy plugging a guitar in, even with a stereo to mono adaptor, as the levels and input impedances will be wrong. A mixer would handle this.

Your last section has me puzzled. Real time playback of virtual instruments. That is how Sibelius works anyway! Sibelius has a built in virtual instrument player that works with the dedicated library that comes with it. If you want more virtual instruments, you can buy them - there are thousands out there - but remember that not all of them come with a Soundset so you would need to write your own to get the instrument to work seamlessly with Sibelius.

Your USB-audio adaptor would have no use in that. You might be able to use it to get sounds into Sibelius but that's a whole new can of worms. Te be honest, if you want to do that, you're better off using a DAW.

tnob
Posts: 9
Joined: Fri Mar 21, 2014 8:28 pm

Post by tnob » Wed Mar 26, 2014 8:19 pm

Hi Andy,

Thanks for your reaction.
This is an audio to USB converter. […] Cheap USB-Audio leads are usually crap, period!

If this one works OK, great. If not, and this function is important to your work, invest in a small USB mixer, which will do the job better. You probably won't get much joy plugging a guitar in, even with a stereo to mono adaptor, as the levels and input impedances will be wrong. A mixer would handle this.
My question was in hope for possible potential, rather. But since I have been unable to locate the correct drivers, it probably won't work any which way. Unless levels and input impedances could be adapted to guitar, in one way or another...?
Audacity is a free Audio recorder app. I'd visit the Audacity website and download the latest version, which is probably newer than the one you have.
Coincidentally, my modest but now pleasingly complete audio home studio (mix of analogue and digital) has been overhauled only last week. So my current version of Audacity is probably the latest.

Over the weekend before the previous, however, I discovered that Audacity won't accept MIDI input.

Until very recently, MIDI never worked, for some reason: just audio facilities available – and then on a very limited scale only. So Audacity not accepting MIDI playback from Sibelius (or from anywhere else, for that matter) comes as a bit of a surprise.
Your last section has me puzzled. Real time playback of virtual instruments. That is how Sibelius works anyway! Sibelius has a built in virtual instrument player that works with the dedicated library that comes with it.
You're absolutely right, of course.

Sibelius, through its integrated player and dedicated library included, plays virtual instruments effortlessly and in real-time. No contest there.

And yet.

Sibelius has been designed with notation first and foremost in mind. However, functionalities other than notation - likewise organically incorporated, over the years - may also provide the end user with options not explicitly included in the Handbook or the Reference Guide. All required here is being prepared to think slightly “out of the box”, really, and to look beyond what the manufacturer wants you to see.

For example: on introducing Sibelius to the world, musical instrument playback was probably regarded as 'merely' coming “in the wake” of the main priority, as it were. Not less important per se, perhaps, but although sample quality a necessity in itself, a derivative, all the same, of the primary feature - namely notation. Yet with only a little imagination, the kind of audio quality Sibelius carries, these days, has much more to offer than merely notation support, in my opinion.

I'm a jazz musician, with some three decades of gigging under my belt. I'm not in a band any more - and still not sure as to whether I want to be (again or still). In the meantime, I'd rather work on some musical ideas of my own for a while, I think.

Rhythm (banjo/guitar, bass, drums; a fair bit of ukulele; piano, to some extent) I'll manage pretty much all by myself. But brass, reeds, and orchestral strings definitely not. Accordingly, these effects should be acquired in a different fashion. So if Sibelius is already within arm's reach, why not put this to good use?

Don't get me wrong: I do like notation. Undeniably though, notation can be rather time-consuming, too. And that isn't always practical, in my view.

In Sibelius 6 & 7, any empty, single-stave, single-instrument Sibelius score will act as a virtual musical instrument in its own right - The normal procedure of random selections and all kinds of embellishments introduced beforehand won't even be necessary. In this fashion, any MIDI-enabled piano will treat virtual brass, woodwind, strings - whatever - as if live instruments. What's more: those can be played without any barriers whatsoever; and in real-time, too!

As added benefit, audio output thus released becomes immediately available for recording purposes, of course: clarinet, for instance, brought instantly to an existing Audacity score much more direct and effective, I should think, if laying down ideas “on the hoof” is required. Even Sibelius's internal reverb (in Play>Performance) has advantages of its own.

In other words: those aspects aforementioned do turn Sibelius into a DAW of sorts indeed, I believe. Besides, human touch serves natural 'attack' of any given virtual Sibelius instrument very much better than the very best computer programming. Furthermore, when making music,personally, I don't always want hours of pondering first on values, patterns and such in order to achieve the syncope ultimately desired.

Earlier this week, for instance, I produced some virtual double bass barely distinguishable from live by just putting Sibelius audio playback straight on tape. And getting the hang exactly (or almost exactly) right is enormously good fun!
Your USB-audio adaptor would have no use in that [i.e. working with guitar/Sibelius - tnob]. You might be able to use it to get sounds into Sibelius but that's a whole new can of worms. To be honest, if you want to do that, you're better off using a DAW.
This is something I have been struggling with for a great many years. And even today, I'm still not anywhere near a workable solution.

With a MIDI keyboard, Sibelius sample, some dollops of creativity, and practical skill, setting up a natural - or, at least, credible - trumpet or sax groove may well be feasible. But trying to recreate a string instrument with another string instrument as MIDI controller, has been a headache. And lending this string instrument MIDI controller itself specific virtual audio playback available from Sibelius even more.

I'd much like, at the very least, to hear Sibelius banjo sample in my headset whilst strumming my electric tenor guitar (4 strings, CGDA) at the same time. But nowhere in the whole wide world a MIDI interface capable of doing this for me seems to exist, apparently - and boy, have I searched! So I'm now considering to revert to my initial inspiration and find someone capable of making out of my old electric tenor a MIDI instrument in its own right.

tnob

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