Studio Setup

Eventually found a studio setup that works. Much help from Music Chef's videos and info at YouTube and musicchef.pro.

Hardware

• HP Zbook G10

• Audient EVO 4 USB soundcard

• Evolution MK-361-C MIDI keyboard/controller

Software

• Windows 11

• VB-Audio Matrix for audio routing

• Vienna Ensemble Pro for hosting VST instrument libraries. Planning to run this on a dedicated Windows server. For now running on the same machine as everything else – works well so far with 32 GB RAM.

• Fender Studio Pro 8 DAW (former Studio One).

• Dorico 6 for notation.

• BomeNet for setting up virtual MIDI ports.

• Max MSP for creating custom audio and MIDI tools and functions.

• MidiRouter (Max). Routes MIDI from MK-351-C keyboard to select virtulal MIDI ports.

• MidiSwitcher (Max). Test utility for sending CC32 messages to a select virtual MIDI port.

• dorico_mtc_start (Max). Synchronizes Dorico and Studio Pro. An alternative to TXL20 Timecode Plug-In which I didn't want to pay for.

• Spitfire Symphony Orchestra (SSP). Music Chef's setup uses channel switching exclusively for articulations. Berlin Free Orchestra and subsequent paid variants can use channel switching, but SSO cannot. My setup uses CC32 for articulations, not channel switching. Spitfire Audio have their own solution for this with their UACC standard.

• Berlin Free Orchestra

• Microtuner (Max). A standalone custom built sound generator for setting up and playing in different tuning systems. More info here.

Template files

• Location: D:_Studio Setup\Spitfire Symphony Orchestra

• SSO.vesp64: All VST instruments are located in this VE Pro file. Instrument families as separate instances.

• SSO.song: Studio Pro as the hub for everything. MIDI from Dorico, MIDI to VE Pro, audio from VE Pro, audio out to VB-Audio Matrix. Use just as a hub, record MIDI from controllers or Dorico, record audio from controller, Dorico or local MIDI track. Build on this when it comes to functions and tracks. Copy it for production.

• SSO.dorico: Sends MIDI to Studio Pro. The main and largest Dorico template focused on a symphony orchestra. Make more templates here if needed.

• Expression maps folder: Expression maps for Dorico.

• Percussion maps folder: Percussion maps for Dorico.