Ivory is a comprehensive virtual instrument reproducing the sounds of the world’s finest grand pianos. Ivory’s creators ...
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Table of Contents 1 • What is Ivory? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2 • Installing Ivory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 3 • Using Ivory in a Host Application (Macintosh)13 4 • Using Ivory in a Host Application (PC) . . . . . 21 5 • Ivory’s Structure and Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 6 • The Main Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 7 • The Effects Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 8 • The Velocity Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 9 • Saving and Loading Presets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 10 • Making Ivory Work for You . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 11 • Troubleshooting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 12 • Ivory Factory Presets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
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1 • What is Ivory? Ivory is a comprehensive virtual instrument reproducing the sounds of the world’s finest grand pianos. Ivory’s creators are accomplished pianists as well as programmers, and know that no single piano, no matter how great, is right for all players, all styles or all recording situations. Therefore, Ivory contains more than 40 Gigabytes of carefully assembled, unlooped and untransposed samples of three distinct world-class instruments: a Bosendorfer 290 Imperial Grand, a German Steinway model D nine-foot concert grand, and a Yamaha C7 grand. Each can be installed separately, or you can install them all together. Ivory also contains its own 32-bit playback and DSP engine, which was designed from the ground up to perform the various specialized tasks of reproducing piano performance, and which can be hosted on every major workstation platform on Macintosh and PC computers.
What makes Ivory unique? All 88 keys of every piano (and in the case of the Bosendorfer, the extended lower octave as well) are recorded individually, in stereo, with phase coherence, and stored as 32-bit samples. These pianos were tuned and regulated by expert technicians, and were recorded in superb-sounding studios and concert halls. Up to ten dynamic levels are sampled for each key. Every recording is a complete sustained note, with a full, natural decay to silence—there are no loops. Every set of recordings, or “keyset”, can be customized by the user in terms of stereo perspective, width, timbre, key noise level, velocity response, dynamic range, and tuning. In addition to the primary recordings, there is an entire set of release samples for each key. Because the sound of the damper muting the string differs according to how long a note has been sounding before the key is released, Ivory’s release samples have been taken not only at different key velocities, but at different time intervals after the onset of the note. The playback engine keeps track of each note’s duration, and when the key is released, it triggers the appropriate release sample. Therefore note releases have extremely realistic decays, whether stopped by the release of a key or by the release of the damper pedal. Separate samples are provided for “soft pedal” (una corda) playing, also at multiple velocities. Either of these features can be disabled to reduce the amount of required CPU power and/or RAM.
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Sustain Resonance is an exclusive DSP function that accurately reproduces the resonances created in a real grand piano by the strings and the soundboard. Rather than use individual “sustain samples” like some piano libraries, which don’t take into account the interaction of multiple notes being held by the pedal, Ivory uses DSP to recreate the sound and response of the damper pedal’s true functions. These models are based on the resonances created by real instruments, and the amount of resonance can be adjusted. Changing the characteristic and the level of the resonance can be likened to changing the placement of the microphone relative to the strings of the piano: the higher the resonance, the more inside the piano the mic is located. The Key Noise feature is also unique to Ivory. When recording a piano, different players and engineers like to have different amounts of mechanical noise in the sound. Ivory addresses this by using a specially constructed filter that tracks the mechanical component in the sound, and allows users to attenuate or boost the noise to their taste. In addition, Ivory contains a Timbre control, which is essentially a lowpass filter, but which is implemented so that it is most useful for piano performance. Rather than being a simple filter, Ivory uses a different set of filter parameters for each dynamic level, and the Timbre control scales the entire range of filters. The result is that the “brightness” or “dullness” of the instrument, as determined by the Timbre control, is uniform across the entire dynamic range. A Velocity Map feature allows the player to tailor the velocity response of Ivory to his or her playing style and controller keyboard, creating a harder or softer “action” and also allowing for Ivory’s full dynamic range to be played even by a keyboard that does not produce a full range of MIDI velocity values. A useful Effects section includes a two-band equalizer, a chorus/flanger, and an ambience processor to add realistic room sound. Finally, in addition to the piano sounds, an additional synth-pad layer can be added for easy creation of pop-style textures in recording and performance. All of these functions make Ivory a uniquely flexible and realistic tool for any musician or studio. We hope you enjoy playing and recording our instrument!
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2 • Installing Ivory System Requirements (Macintosh) Audio Units, RTAS, VST 2.0 host.
Minimum Requirements Macintosh G4 450 MHz CPU 1GB RAM 11GB free hard drive space Mac OS 10.2.x or greater Mac OS 9.2 or greater DVD ROM drive for installation
Recommended Requirements Macintosh G4 1Ghz CPU 2GB RAM 41GB free hard drive space Mac OS 10.2.x or greater Mac OS 9.2 or greater Hard drive speed of at least 7200 RPM recommended for all systems.
System Requirements (PC) RTAS, VST host.
Minimum Requirements 1.3Ghz CPU Pentium 4 or equivalent 1GB RAM 11GB free hard drive space Windows XP DVD ROM drive for installation
Recommended Requirements 2Ghz CPU Pentium 4 or equivalent 2GB RAM 41GB free hard drive space Windows XP Hard drive speed of at least 7200 RPM recommended for all systems.
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Installing Ivory (Macintosh) Insert the disk Ivory Install 1 into your DVD drive. Double-click on the disk icon if the window doesn’t come up automatically. Double click “Install Ivory” to launch the installer and follow the instructions. You’ll be prompted to read and accept our license agreement and read a short text file before proceeding with installation. Once in the installer, you have the choice of installing any of the plug-in formats along with any of the piano libraries. The piano library choices are: Bosendorfer Imperial Grand: Bosendorfer 290 Imperial Grand (16.5 GB) German D 9’: German Steinway D 9' Concert Grand (13.5 GB) Studio 7’: Yamaha C7 Grand (11 GB) To install all formats and all libraries, select Easy Install from the pulldown menu at the top of the window. Once you’ve made format and library selections, choose a location to install the large library files. Use the pull-down menu at the bottom to select the disk and location. Choose a disk that is fast and has enough free space; you’ll probably achieve the best results if you choose a drive that isn’t being used for system files. To install the entire library you’ll need 41 GB of free space.
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After making selections and choosing a destination folder, click Install.
The installer may ask you to locate specific folders that it needs to find in order to properly install the plug-ins that you’ve specified. When the next DVD is needed, the current one will eject, and the installer will prompt you and wait for the next DVD to be inserted. Installing the large library files is resource-intensive, and may take up to a few hours to complete. You may click on the Pause button to temporarily stop the installation process if you’d like to take care of other tasks without bogging things down. Simply click Continue to continue the installation. When installation is complete, the installer will ask if you’d like to authorize your current copy of Ivory. This procedure is described on page 11.
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Installing Ivory (PC) Insert the disk Ivory Install 1 into your DVD drive. Double-click on the disk icon if the window doesn't come up automatically. Double click Install_Ivory_PC to launch the installer and follow the instructions. You'll be prompted to read a short welcome message, and then to read and accept our license agreement before proceeding with installation. You will be asked to choose a location to install the large library files.
Use the file browser at the bottom to select the disk and location. Choose a disk that is fast and has enough free space. To install the entire library you’ll need 41 GB of free space. After you've chosen a library location, you have the choice of installing any of the plug-in formats along with any of the piano libraries.
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The piano library choices are: Bosendorfer: Bosendorfer 290 Imperial Grand (16.5 GB) German D 9’: German Steinway D 9' Concert Grand (13.5 GB) Studio 7’: Yamaha C7 Grand (11 GB) By default, all plug-in formats and all libraries are selected. The next screen verifies your choices.
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Click Next to begin the installation. The installer may ask you to locate specific folders that it needs to find in order to properly install the plug-ins that you’ve specified. VST applications only: VST applications (such as Cubase, Nuendo, and Logic) require VST plug-ins to be installed into a special folder. In most cases a VST application accepts plug-ins installed in the Vstplugins subfolder under the main applications folder. Steinberg hosts may also use a shared plug-ins folder. If you want to use Ivory in more than one VST application, manually copy the VST.dll file, which you have installed into the chosen folder, to the appropriate VST-compatible host application folder. For example, Cubase VST hosts VST plug-ins in its Vstplugins folder. Cubase VST 5.0 can also host plug-ins in a shared folder called Shared VST Plug-ins Folder. This folder is usually located at C:\ProgramFiles\Steinberg\Vstplugins. In any case, in order to install the Ivory plug-in in other VST compatible applications, you should refer to the particular application's user’s guide.
After the plug-ins and other program data files are installed, the Ivory Library installation starts. When the next DVD is needed, the installer will prompt you to change disks and press OK to continue the installation. Installing the large library files is resource-intensive, and may take up to a few hours to complete. You may click on the Pause button to temporarily stop the installation process if you’d like to take care of other tasks without bogging things down. Simply click Continue to continue the installation. When installation is complete, you must run the Authorize Ivory utilty, located in the Ivory Items folder, to authorize your current copy of Ivory. This procedure is described on page 11.
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Authorizing Ivory After you install Ivory, you will need to authorize your current copy. To do this, you’ll need a web browser to access our registration page at http://www.synthogy.com/register. On the Macintosh, the installer will ask you if you want to authorize Ivory. Press OK to proceed with authorization, and you will see the Ivory Authorization Tool dialog box. On the PC, you must run the Authorize Ivory utilty, which is located in the Ivory Items folder.
Use this number, along with Serial Number, to register your copy of Ivory at the Synthogy web site.
Enter Unlock Code (sent by email after registering on web site) in this field.
Macintosh Authorization Dialog Box
Use this number, along with Serial Number, to register your copy of Ivory at the Synthogy web site.
Enter Unlock Code (sent by email after registering on web site) in this field.
Windows Authorization Dialog Box To register, you need the Machine ID displayed on the Ivory Authorization Tool dialog box. You will also need the Serial Number found on the inside cover of your manual. Additional copies of the Serial Number are in the Ivory box.
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Go to the Synthogy web page and enter this information along with your email address, etc. into the required fields, and you’ll be emailed an Unlock Code. Type or copy/paste this Unlock Code into the Ivory Authorization Tool to complete authorization, and you’re done! If you are unable to access the World Wide Web for Authorization, please refer to the Troubleshooting chapter of this manual for further assistance in authorizing Ivory. The installer creates a folder named Ivory Items at the location you specified during installation. This folder contains the library files, text files, presets, and additional tools. If the library installation is interrupted at any time, either by Quitting it yourself, or by some other unforeseen occurrence, you may continue the installation where it left off by launching the Ivory Library Installer (Mac) or Ivory Library Tools (PC) found in Ivory Items >Tools. Installation will proceed with the last file that was being installed. If you choose not to authorize Ivory when completing the installation, you may do so at any time by launching the Authorize Ivory tool located in the Ivory Items folder. However, we highly recommend you authorize Ivory immediately upon installation. After first launching Ivory or running the Authorize tool, you may use Ivory for five (5) days before completing the authorization process.
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3 • Using Ivory in a Host Application (Macintosh) Like most plug-ins or virtual instruments, Ivory does not work as a stand-alone application, and cannot be launched by itself. It must be “instantiated” inside a host application. The host application handles MIDI data going into Ivory and audio data coming out of it. Launch the host application first, then open Ivory from within it. Every host application has its own way of dealing with virtual instruments. On this page and those following, find the section that pertains to the host application that you wish to use. Note: With OS 9 host applications such as Cubase VST 5 and others, it will be necessary to increase the memory size requirements of your host application as much as possible.
Apple Logic 7 or Logic 6 (OS X only—AU) Under the Windows menu, select Track Mixer. Go to an Audio Instrument Channel on the channel strip. Open an Instrument Insert Slot, and select from the pop-up menus Stereo > Audio Units > Synthogy > Ivory To get MIDI data to Ivory, make sure you have an empty Audio Instrument on the Arrange page and that it is set to “Record” (Logic should do this for you automatically).
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MOTU Digital Performer 4.x (OS X—AU) From the Project menu, select Add Track > Instrument Track > Synthogy: Ivory (stereo)
In the Tracks Window, select a MIDI Output for the track you want to record on, set it to “Ivory-1-1”. (Actually, you can use any MIDI channel, since Ivory doesn’t discriminate.)
Activate Record enable for that track.
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Steinberg Nuendo, Cubase SX3 or SX 2 (OS X—VST) From the Devices menu, select VST Instruments. Click on an empty slot in the pop up menu and select “Ivory” from the popup.
Go to MIDI Output for that track and select “Ivory”.
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Steinberg V Stack (OS X—VST) In the VST instruments window, click on an empty slot (“No VST Instrument”) and select “Ivory” in the popup.
Click in the MIDI input popup (which says “Not Connected”), and in the popup select the input device or Port you wish to use to control Ivory. If you’re not sure what this is, select “All MIDI Inputs” .
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Cubase VST 5 (OS 9—VST) From the Panels menu select VST Instruments. Click on an empty slot in the popup menu and select “Ivory”.
Select a MIDI Track to record on.
Click on the MIDI output popup menu for that track and select “Ivory”.
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Digidesign Pro Tools (OS 9 or OS X—RTAS ) From the File menu, select New Track. (Pro Tools 7 users go to the Track menu and select 'New'.) At the dialog, select 'Create 1 new Stereo Audio Track' and press Create. In the Mix window, click on one of the insert effect popup menus on the new track, and select Ivory as a stereo multi-channel plug-in.
In the File menu, select add Track. At the dialog, select 'Create 1 new MIDI Track' and press Create. In the Mix window, recordenable the newly created MIDI track by clicking on the “r” button once to highlight it. Make sure MIDI Thru is enabled in the MIDI pulldown menu.
On the MIDI track, click on the output popup menu, and select Ivory from the list of possible outputs.
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Granted Software RAX Under the Source menu, select Instrument > Synthogy > Ivory from the popup menus.
In the Instruments panel, click the AU button on the module labeled Ivory to access Ivory.
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Apple GarageBand From the Track menu, select “New Track”.
In the New Track selection window, click Software Instrument from the tab at the top, then choose an instrument category on the left (Pianos and Keyboards), and an instrument on the right (Grand Piano).
Click OK. Double click the new track to bring up the Track Info window. Expand the Details by clicking on the triangle at the bottom of the window. In the Generator popup, choose “Ivory” near the bottom of the list.
Press the pencil button on the right of the Generator column to bring up Ivory's editor.
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4 • Using Ivory in a Host Application (PC) Like most plug-ins or virtual instruments, Ivory does not work as a stand-alone application, and cannot be launched by itself. It must be “instantiated” inside a host application. The host application handles MIDI data going into Ivory and audio data coming out of it. Launch the host application first, then open Ivory from within it. Every host application has its own way of dealing with virtual instruments. On this page and those following, find the section that pertains to the host application you wish to use.
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Digidesign Pro Tools (RTAS ) From the File menu, select “New Tracks...”. (Pro Tools 7 users go to the Track menu and select “New”.) At the dialog, select “Create 1 new Stereo Audio Track” and press Create. In the Mix window, click on one of the insert effect popup menus on the new track, and select Ivory as a stereo multi-channel plug-in.
In the File menu, select “New Tracks...”. At the dialog, select 'Create 1 new MIDI Track' and press Create. In the Mix window, record-enable the newly created MIDI track by clicking on the “r” button once to highlight it. Make sure MIDI Thru is enabled in the MIDI pulldown menu.
On the MIDI track, click on the output popup menu, and select Ivory from the list of possible outputs.
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Steinberg Cubase (VST) From the Devices menu, select VST Instruments. Click on an empty slot in the pop up menu and select “Ivory” from the popup.
Go to MIDI Output for that track and select “Ivory”.
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Cakewalk Sonar 4 After installing Ivory, it is important to register the VST plug-in using the VST Adapter provided by Sonar. From the Windows Start menu, choose Programs >Cakewalk >Cakewalk VST Adapter 4 >Cakewalk VST Adapter 4. Follow the instructions in the wizard to add the Ivory plug-in. Refer to the Sonar documentation for more information regarding this process.
From the Insert menu, select DXi Synth >VST Ivory VST. (Note: The location of the VST on the Insert menu, and the exact name, could vary depending on the preferences you chose using the VST Adapter.)
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Choose how you want Ivory to be inserted into a track. For most purposes, the default options of MIDI Source Track and First Synth Output (Audio) will be fine.
In the Track Window, most of the settings for the audio and MIDI portion of the track should be setup if you have Sonar setup properly. If you need to, you can select a specific output for the audio, as well as a specific MIDI input. Activate Record on for the MIDI track. p
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5 • Ivory’s Structure and Controls The Ivory interface consists of three screens for accessing and editing performance parameters. The Main screen is where sounds are selected, major performance parameters are set, and Programs and Sessions are saved and loaded. A Program contains all of the parameters that define the piano you are playing. It consists of a set of samples of a particular piano, or “Keyset,” release and resonance parameters, and settings for dynamic range, key noise, and timbre. The Program also includes whatever Effects you have set up. Program parameters—and the Effects button—are all grouped on the left side of the main screen. A Session contains a Program, as well as all other performance and processing parameters, including tuning and transposition, stereo perspective, master gain, polyphony limit, and other non-musical parameters, as well as the settings on the Velocity screen. Session parameters—and the Velocity button—are all grouped on the right side of the main screen.
SESSION Tuning / Transposition / Perspective Gain / Polyphony / Velocity settings
PROGRAM Keyset Release samples Resonance / Synth Pad Dynamic Range / Key noise / Timbre Effects EQ / Chorus / Ambience
An Effects Preset is a snapshot of the settings on the Effects screen. Effects settings include EQ, chorus, and ambience. A Velocity Map Preset is a snapshot of the settings on the Velocity screen. Programs, Sessions, Effects Presets, and Velocity Map Presets are all small files which are stored in the “Ivory Items” folder, located on the same drive and folder where you installed the sample data.
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Controls Ivory contains several types of intuitive controls: Selectors are drop-down menus, which allow a selection from a list. On-Off buttons enable or disable functions with a single click. Toggle switches alternate between two states with a single click. The Save and More buttons are actually small drop-down menus that handle file management. Rotary knobs set continuous parameters. There are two ways to move a rotary knob, depending on the host software.
AU and VST: Click on the dot where you want to set the control or drag the cursor in a circular motion.
RTAS and some VST: Click on the knob and drag the mouse vertically
On AU platforms, and most VST platforms, the movement is radial: click on the spot on the knob’s travel you would like it to move to, or click and drag the cursor in a circular motion around the knob. Moving the cursor outward from the knob as you move in a circular fashion will give you finer resolution control. On RTAS platforms and some VST hosts (which allow you to select the mode as a Preference), movement is linear: click on the knob and drag the mouse up or down to change the value. Rotary knobs all have as an alternative an accompanying text box, into which parameter values can be directly typed. The value is entered when you press the Enter key. In some cases, there are a limited number of values that a parameter can have, and if you type in a value that is between two of these values, it will be rounded up or down. For example, the Key Noise parameter in the main screen is only adjustable in 0.5 dB increments, so if you type in “0.3”, it will be rounded up to 0.5. Up-down arrows also set continuous parameters, but are used for parameters that are normally incremented, rather than reset by large amounts. Up-down arrows also have accompanying text-entry boxes.
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6 • The Main Screen
Program functions Programs are the primary objects you will use in Ivory to call up and play sounds. They have been specially created to take advantage of Ivory's samples and features in the most musically useful fashion. The Program selector menu is located just to the left of the Ivory logo at the top of the screen. When you first instantiate Ivory, the Program selector will say “Default,” which is an empty program that makes no sound. To select a Program to play, simply click on the Program selector and choose a Program from the drop-down menu. Notice that your selected Program name will also appear on the “fallboard” of the piano graphic.
Once your Program is loaded, you will see a Keyset appear in the Keyset selector, which is just over the lid of the piano graphic. (Note that Keysets can be quite large, and may take 5 or 10 seconds to load.) Keysets are your collection of source piano sample key mappings, such as Bosendorfer_8_Level, a Bosendorfer sample Keyset with 8 velocity switched dynamic levels.
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Here is the complete list of Ivory's Keysets: Bosendorfer 10 Level Bosendorfer 10 Level II Bosendorfer 8 Level Bosendorfer 8 Level II Bosendorfer 6 Level Bosendorfer 6 Level II Bosendorfer 4 Level Bosendorfer 4 Level II Bosendorfer88 10 Level Bosendorfer88 10 Level II Bosendorfer88 8 Level Bosendorfer88 8 Level II Bosendorfer88 6 Level Bosendorfer88 6 Level II Bosendorfer88 4 Level Bosendorfer88 4 Level II
97 note Imperial grand with 10 Dynamic Levels 10 level keyset w/ alternative velocity switch points* 97 note Imperial grand with 8 Dynamic Levels 8 level keyset w/ alternative velocity switch points 97 note Imperial grand with 6 Dynamic Levels 6 level keyset w/ alternative velocity switch points 97 note Imperial grand with 4 Dynamic Levels 4 level keyset with wider timbral range 88 note version of 10 Level Bosendorfer 88 note, 10 Level keyset w/ alternative vel switch 88 note version of 8 Level Bosendorfer 88 note, 8 Level keyset w/ alternative vel switch 88 note version of 6 Level Bosendorfer 88 note, 6 Level keyset w/ alternative vel switch 88 note version of 4 Level Bosendorfer 88 note 4 Level Bosendorfer w/ wider timbre
German D 10 Level German D 10 Level II German D 8 Level German D 8 Level II German D 6 Level German D 6 Level II German D 4 Level German D 4 Level II
Steinway D with 10 Dynamic Levels 10 level keyset w/ alternative velocity switch points Steinway D with 8 Dynamic Levels 8 level keyset w/ alternative velocity switch points Steinway D with 6 Dynamic Levels 6 level keyset w/ alternative velocity switch points Steinway D with 4 Dynamic Levels 4 level keyset w/ alternative timbral range
Studio 7ft 8 Level Studio 7ft 8 Level II Studio 7ft 6 Level Studio 7ft 6 Level II Studio 7ft 5 Level Studio 7ft 5 Level II Studio 7ft 4 Level Studio 7ft 4 Level II
Yamaha C7 with 8 Dynamic Levels 8 level keyset w/ alternative velocity switch points Yamaha C7 with 6 Dynamic Levels 6 level keyset w/ alternative velocity switch points Yamaha C7 with 5 Dynamic Levels 5 level keyset w/ alternative velocity switch points Yamaha C7 with 4 Dynamic Levels 4 level keyset with wider timbral range
* “II” keysets have an alternative set of velocity switch points that will favor the softer dynamics through the mp-mf playing range. Note: 88 note versions of Bosendorfer pianos will save on RAM usage. If you know you will not be using the extended bottom octave, these Keysets will require less memory to load.
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The buttons below the Keyset selector turn on and off the Release Samples and Soft Pedal Samples that are associated with the selected Keyset. Turning the Release Samples on makes a more realistic piano performance, and is one of the unique features of Ivory. On the other hand, not using the Release Samples lowers the RAM requirements of the software. The Soft Pedal Samples are also unique to Ivory, and can add significantly to the sense of realism. You must use a separate footswitch sending MIDI Controller 67 to engage the soft pedal.
To the right is the Stereo Width control, which sets the apparent width of the piano’s image in the stereo field, from 0% (mono, centered) to 100%. To the left is the drop-down menu for selecting a Synth Layer sound. The Synth Layer sound doubles the piano sound, and provides an easy way of creating the layered keyboard textures used in pop music. The menu offers a variety of Synth sounds. In addition, the relative level of the Synth layer can be adjusted ±24 dB by the knob below the menu, and the layer can be instantly turned on and off with the button on the left.
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Above the Keyset selector are four knobs for adjusting the piano sound’s characteristics.
The Release knob scales the envelopes of the samples by the displayed factor (from 0.2x to 3.00x), making the release longer or shorter as desired. Key Noise changes the balance between the mechanical noise of the piano keys and hammers, and the sound of the strings. At 0 dB, the Key Noise sounds at the level it was recorded. The range is ±24 dB. The Timbre knob controls the overall brightness of the sound by introducing a dynamically-controlled low-pass filter. At 0, the sound has an optimal default velocity to filter response. Negative values make the piano sound duller, while positive values make it brighter. The scale is -99 to +99. At the maximum value +99, the filter is wide open, and the sounds play as originally recorded. The Dynamic Range knob sets the overall dynamic range of the piano from 0 to 60 dB. It works in conjunction with the parameters on the Velocity page (below). The setting here determines the difference in loudness from the minimum key velocity to the maximum key velocity. For classical solo piano, this control would normally be set high. For rock piano in a complex mix, this control can be set lower. Setting the dynamic range so that the piano sound fits right into a mix can be helpful in that it can make the use of a compressor on the track unnecessary.
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At the upper left of the screen is the drop-down menu for selecting Sustain Resonance. Sustain Resonance is a DSP function that realistically simulates the resonances in a grand piano created by the “harp” and the soundboard when the Sustain Pedal is pressed and all of the dampers are raised off the strings. Ivory offers six Sustain Resonance models to choose from, the character of which varies from dry and clean to highly resonant: Clean Soundboard 1 Clean Soundboard 2 Medium Resonant 1 Medium Resonant 2 Extra Resonant 1 Extra Resonant 2 Each of the factory Program Presets has a particular Sustain Resonance chosen for it, but you can also experiment matching different Sustain Resonances to different Keysets. You can also think of the Resonances in terms of where the microphones are placed: putting a mic underneath the piano's lid and flush with the soundboard, for example, causes it to pick up a great deal of resonance from the soundboard, so selecting a soundboard Resonance and increasing its level can simulate that mic placement. The relative level of the Sustain Resonance (-6 to +6 dB) can be adjusted by the knob below the menu, and the function can be instantly turned on and off with the button on the left. All of the functions and settings listed so far (which you will notice are located on the left side of the screen) are part of a Program. A Program can be named and saved using the Save button at the top of the left half of the screen. See Chapter 9 for more about Saving and Reloading Programs.
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Session functions The controls on the right side of the main screen make up the parameters of a Session. A Session contains a Program—the one that was current at the time the Session was saved—plus other parameters (listed below), as well as all the parameters on the Velocity screen. Sessions are saved and loaded using the drop-down Session selector and the Save and More buttons on the top of the right side of the screen. It’s often a good idea to name a session after the current song.
Gain sets the output gain of Ivory. It is useful for matching the instrument’s level to that of other software instruments or audio tracks in the same workstation environment. The range is ±24 dB. The Stereo Perspective switch reverses the stereo image of Ivory’s piano. When it is set to Performer, the lower notes of the piano are on the left side of the stereo image. When it is set to Audience, the lower notes are on the right side. Used in conjunction with the Stereo Width control, Ivory offers you many possibilities for your piano’s imaging. The four up-down arrows above the Tuning switch control the basic pitch of Ivory’s piano. A4 pitch sets the pitch of the A above middle C. This value defaults to 440.0 Hz, but some recording or performance situations require a different reference pitch. The range is 420.0 to 460.0 Hz. Fine Pitch similarly adjusts the pitch of the piano recordings, but is calibrated in Cents, or 1/100ths of a semitone. The range is ±99 cents. The A4 pitch and the Fine Pitch controls work in conjunction with each other. Octave and Transpose modify the MIDI data as it comes into Ivory. The Keysets themselves are not altered in pitch. The range of the Octave control is ±4 octaves, and the range of the Transpose control is ±11 semitones. The Voices control sets the number of stereo voices (“polyphony”) available to Ivory. It is adjustable from 4 to 160, in increments of 4. The more voices assigned, the greater the load on the memory and CPU, so try not to assign more voices than you need. Polyphony is assigned using a highly sophisticated algorithm that weighs the start time, duration, and envelope of each note, to be as unobtrusive as possible when it has to “steal” voices. The default value is 24, which is a good place to start. If you have a fast CPU and hard drive, and you plan to use lots of sustain pedal and big chords, you can increase the number of voices. Conversely,
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if you have an older CPU and are running other applications and plug-ins simultaneously with Ivory, you can reduce the number of voices. Buffer size controls the overall performance of Ivory by adjusting the amount of RAM used by the program to generate notes. The choices of settings are Small, Medium, or Large. Slower computers will usually need to use a larger RAM buffer, while faster computers can use a smaller buffer. When you change this parameter, the Keyset has to re-load so it will take a few seconds. This setting does not affect latency. (For more information on performance issues see Chapter 10.) The Tuning switch selects between two methods of tuning a piano: Equal-tempered and Stretch. In Equal temperament, the frequency of each note is a precise ratio higher than the note below it. The ratio between half-steps is the 12th root of 2, or approximately 1.05946:1. This ratio is also referred to as 100 cents. Equal-tempered tuning means that the intervals within any scale are the same, regardless of the root note of the scale or the key signature. It allows the composer to freely modulate among all key signatures. This type of tuning is most often used when layering sounds in an ensemble (acoustic or electronic) context. The trade-off is that all of the intervals in an equal-tempered scale have a slight built-in dissonance. Stretch tuning is a practice used by professional piano technicians in which the entire scale of the instrument is slightly expanded, so as to cause the overtones in the lower-pitched notes to more closely match the fundamental frequencies of the higher-pitched notes. This adjustment greatly improves the overall consonance of the instrument, since metal strings are by nature not entirely linear in their production of harmonics. Stretch tuning is the more “natural” method of tuning the piano, and it will result in the most pleasing sound for solo piano playing. The Stretch tunings found in Ivory are the real-world results of the some of the best concert technicians in the business, who were employed for the sampling sessions, and who had great familiarity with each of the respective instruments. However, it may not be the best choice when Ivory is used with other instruments in an ensemble, and therefore we have also provided equal-tempered tuning.
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Diagnostics The features described below are useful in determining whether your audio and MIDI connections are working: On the right hand side of the Main Screen below the Buffer Size display is a MIDI indicator light. If you have MIDI being successfully received by Ivory, then this light will flash accordingly. If you are sending MIDI and this indicator does not light, you should check your MIDI connections and settings. Another helpful diagnostic feature in Ivory is the ability to play sound directly from the Main Screen by clicking on the Keyboard of the Piano Graphic Model. Clicking on the Keys of this graphic will play notes on the currently selected Program or Keyset. Clicking closer to the fallboard of the piano plays the notes softer, while clicking further to the edge of the keys will play them louder.
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7 • The Effects Screen Clicking on the “Effects” button on either of the other two screens brings up the Effects screen. Here you have access to a two-band equalizer, a flanger/chorus, and reverb/ambience. Each of these effects can be enabled or disabled with individual On-Off buttons.
Effects settings can be saved by themselves as an Effects Preset, and your effects preset selection (but not the settings themselves) are saved when you save a Program. (The “Effects” button is on the left side of the main screen to remind you of this.)
EQ The EQ section is a two-band shelf filter, with each band having a separate gain (-24 dB to +24 dB) and frequency control (20 Hz to 10 kHz). The Low Shelf section controls the filter’s frequency and gain for the bottom of the spectrum, and the Hi Shelf section controls the top of the spectrum.
Chorus This effect can be used for flanging as well as chorus. Wet/Dry determines the balance between the direct and processed signals. Negative values mean the processed signal is phase-inverted from the direct signal. Depth (0-100%) controls the amount of pitch modulation. This control changes the LFO amplitude while compensating for the LFO speed, in order to keep the pitch fluctuation constant. Rate (0-4.0 Hz) controls the speed of the LFO so as to give long, sweeping effects to fast “jittery vibrato” effects, or anything in between.
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Delay is the nominal delay time of the process, from zero to 30 milliseconds. Shorter delays give a flanging effect, while longer ones create a chorus effect. Feedback controls how the delays are fed back into themselves, to create repeating delays. As with most digital delays, setting this control to extreme levels will send the unit into self-oscillation, creating a distinct pitch which will vary with the delay time (and the LFO). Negative values indicate that the signal is phase-inverted when it is fed back into the circuit. Damping controls a low-pass filter in the feedback path of the delay. Its shelf frequency is adjustable from 20 Hz to 20 kHz, which is the –3 dB point of the filter.
Ambience This section adds room-type reverb to the piano sound. The following room models are available from the Room Type selector menu: Room Studio Jazz Club Live Venue Recital Hall Concert Hall Curved Space The Room Size parameter allows the virtual room to be expanded or reduced. 1.00x is the nominal value for the room, while lower settings create shorter reverb times, and higher settings create longer ones. The range is 0.50x to 2.00x. Wet/Dry determines the balance between the direct and processed signals. Negative values mean the processed signal is phase-inverted from the direct signal. Predelay inserts a delay before the piano sound is sent to the reverb. Predelay can increase the feeling of space in a reverb, and also can be used when you want a lot of reverb effect, but you don’t want to obscure the direct sound (which is not affected by this control). The delay is adjustable from 0 to 100 ms. Damping controls a low-pass filter that is applied to the Ambient sound, effectively shortening the reverb time at frequencies above its shelf frequency. The filter frequency is adjustable from 20 Hz to 20 kHz.
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8 • The Velocity Screen Click on the “Velocity” button on either of the other two screens to bring up the Velocity screen. Here you can adjust the velocity response of Ivory to suit your MIDI controller and your individual taste. Some controllers, for example, don’t transmit the entire MIDI velocity range of 1 to 127, which means that without some kind of compensation, you can’t take advantage of Ivory’s wide dynamic range with that controller. In other situations, you might want your controller to exhibit more or less “resistance” to suit your playing style. The combination of parameters on this page make up a Velocity Map. Velocity Maps can be saved by themselves, so they can easily be applied to other Programs and Sessions, and the velocity map selection (but not the settings) are saved with the session. (The “Velocity” button is on the right side of the main screen to remind you of its association with the session.) The graph in the middle of the screen gives an accurate representation of the Velocity Map, showing its high and low limits, and its “slope,” that is, how Ivory responds dynamically to changes in velocity. The Arc Type determines the shape of the velocity curve, varying the degree to which incoming velocities are remapped. There are four “conventional” curves: Mild, Moderate, Medium, and Maximum. Upper Bias nonuniformly affects louder velocities more than softer ones, and Power is provided for particular circumstances where a very large bend in the curve is desired. Hardness determines the curvature of the velocity slope. When this is set to zero, the relationship between changes in velocity and changes in Ivory’s levels is linear. When it is set to a positive number, the velocity slope rises quickly, so that the instrument is more sensitive to changes in velocity of relatively soft strokes than it is to differences in velocity of hard strokes. When it is set to a negative number, the opposite is true: the
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slope rises slowly, so that there is less sensitivity to velocity changes at the soft end, and more sensitivity at the hard end. Min Velocity and Max Velocity are useful when you are using Ivory with a MIDI controller that does not send out the full MIDI velocity range of 1– 127. It can also be helpful when you want to be able to increase Ivory’s dynamic range without playing very softly or very hard, or when you want to expand the dynamic range of a sequenced track without changing the velocities of the notes on the track. These controls work in conjunction with the Dynamic Range control on the Main Screen. Any note with a velocity lower than or equal to the Min Velocity setting will cause Ivory to play that note at the lowest end of its Dynamic Range. Any note with a velocity equal to or higher than the Max Velocity setting will cause Ivory to play that note at the highest end of its Dynamic Range. You can use your MIDI controller itself to set the minimum and maximum velocities with the Set function. When you click on Set, Ivory will ask you to play a note on your controller at a pianississimo (ppp) level. Then it will ask you to play a note at a fortississimo (fff) level. The velocities of these two keystrokes are then automatically transferred into the Min Velocity and Max Velocity parameters. The Save and More buttons behave just like their counterparts on the Main Screen’s Program side. When you save a Session, the current Velocity Map is saved with it.
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9 • Saving and Loading Presets Ivory lets you create a library of Programs, Sessions, and other Presets so that you can recall settings easily. These files can also easily be moved from one computer to another, so if you are using Ivory in different locations you don’t have to re-program the instrument from scratch each time you use it. For the purpose of this chapter, when you see the word “Preset,” it refers to all types of Ivory files, including Programs, Sessions, Effect Presets, and Velocity Map Presets.
Where are the Presets? All Presets are stored in a folder called “Presets” inside the “Ivory Items” folder, which is located on the hard disk where you installed Ivory. Inside the Presets folder, each type of Preset has its own folder. This means that you can assign the same name, for example, to a Session and a Program without creating any confusion. Be sure to maintain the integrity of these folders if you are moving files around, since a Preset that’s in the wrong place won’t be recognized by Ivory.
Managing Presets Whenever you launch or instantiate Ivory all of the Presets are set to “Default.” The first time you launch Ivory, the Default Program is empty, with no Keyset loaded, and it makes no sound. If you go to the Program selector, you will see the available Programs in the drop-down list. Select a Program, and it will load: the Keyset associated with that Program is loaded in, the fallboard on the on-screen piano will show the Program’s name, and the other Program parameters will set themselves accordingly. You load an Effects Preset, a Velocity Map, or a Session the same way. When you load a Session, it loads a Program, the Program’s Keyset and Effects Preset, and a Velocity Map Preset. When you make any changes in a Program or any other Preset, the name of the Preset goes into Italics. This tells you that the Preset has been edited. Save an edited Preset by clicking on the appropriate Save button. The Save button is actually a small drop-down menu, offering the choice of “Save” (use the same name for the Preset) or “Save As...” (use a different name). If you want to write over an existing Preset, use the “Save” function.
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The Presets that are provided with the Ivory disks, known as “factory” Presets, appear in the selector lists with bullets in front of their names. Presets that you create (“user” presets) do not have these bullets. You can overwrite any of the factory or user presets with either the Save or Save As… functions. However, when you try to overwrite a factory Preset, Ivory will warn you that you are doing so. The Default presets cannot be renamed. The More button gives you other file-management tools. Reload lets you revert to the saved version of the current Preset, and discards all of your current edits. (Selecting the current Preset from the list will not reload it automatically.) Delete takes the current Preset off the list and calls up the next one (or the previous one if there isn’t a next one). You can Delete the factory presets, but you will be warned, and you cannot delete any of the “Default” presets. Rename lets you rename the current Preset.
Saving and recalling your edits If you leave an edited Session, Program, or Preset without saving it, by selecting another item on the list, the edits you made are not forgotten: the next time you recall that item from the list, it will re-load in the state that you left it in. But the name will be in Italics to remind you that you are not seeing the saved version. To recall the saved version, use the Reload function. When you save a Preset that has dependent items—that is, a Program or a Session—you are saving the current state of those items, but the dependent items themselves are not specifically saved. For example, if you save a Program in which you've changed some Effects parameters, the name of the current Effects preset is stored with the Program. Recalling this Program will recall the Effects preset as if you chose this Effects preset from the popup menu. However, the Effects parameters themselves are not saved as an Effects Preset unless you explicitly do so. If you want those Effects settings to be recalled the next time you instantiate Ivory, you should save them as an actual Effects Preset.
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Saving Ivory parameters in a host sequence Since Ivory is always used within a host application, when you save a sequence or project in the host, you will save all of Ivory’s current parameters as well. You do not need to save the Program or Session in Ivory for this to happen: it’s automatic. When you re-load the host sequence or project, Ivory will revert to the state where you left it. This isn’t a substitute, however, for creating a library of your favorite setups for Ivory. An Ivory Session saved in a host sequence cannot be used in any other sequence, or in any other application, since there’s no way to call it up without opening the host sequence. If you haven’t saved any of the Ivory Presets, then every time you use Ivory in another sequence, you have to start from scratch. But if you have saved any Sessions, Programs, Velocity Maps, or Effect Presets, they will always be available whenever you launch Ivory.
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10 • Making Ivory Work for You Once you have Ivory installed and you have a basic familiarity with how it works, this chapter will show you how to adapt Ivory to your particular system and how to use it most effectively.
Optimization Ivory’s custom software engine has been developed to use your computer’s CPU in the most efficient manner possible. It has also been designed to provide the features that are most important to realizing a true and accurate piano performance, and only those things that are necessary for that job. Of course, not all computer systems and CPUs are equal, and therefore many of Ivory’s features have been designed so that they can be customconfigured to meet the needs of individual users and their systems. If your system has an older/slower CPU, or does not have a large amount of RAM, then you might find it helpful to follow these tips: • Choose a fewer number of Voices. Using less polyphony uses less CPU power and reduces the demand on your hard drive. So if your processor is not fast, or your hard drive is slow, or if you are trying to do many other things in addition to running Ivory, like running other software synthesizers or processing plug-ins, lowering the number of voices will save on CPU cycles and hard drive bandwidth. • Turn Release samples off. The Release samples add greatly to Ivory’s realism when the piano sound is heard alone. But if your Ivory piano is going to be part of an ensemble with other instruments, perhaps they won't be as important. Turning them off will greatly reduce the amount of RAM that Ivory uses. • Similarly, you can use Piano Keysets that have fewer dynamic levels. The overall dynamic range of Ivory will be the same, but the timbral range may not be as great, or change as subtly as you play louder and softer as it does in Keysets with more dynamic levels. Using Keysets with fewer dynamic levels reduces the amount of RAM used. • Turning Soft Pedals off also reduces the amount of RAM used. If you know you will not be using the Soft Pedal in your recording or performance, disabling this feature will improve the performance of your system as it relates to RAM usage. • Turning off the Effects and/or Sustain Resonance will save CPU power.
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• Turning the Synth Layer off will save both CPU and RAM, though the synth layer is not very demanding in either case. • Adjust the Buffer Size to suit the balance in your computer between CPU speed and RAM. A Buffer setting of Large gives better performance with a slower computer, but it uses more RAM. A faster computer can use a Buffer setting of Small, which frees up more RAM. NOTE: This setting does not affect latency (see below). • The speed of your hard disk has a large impact on the performance of Ivory. When disk accesses are slow, you may see a 'slow disk' indicator appear to the left of the MIDI light on the Main screen. Individual voices may abruptly stop playing and result in a “click” if the disk accesses are really overloaded. Here are a few suggestions to get the most out of your hard disk system: - Reduce the number of voices to prevent too much data from playing at any one time. - Install the library files on a faster hard drive. Internal ATA drives are usually faster than external FireWire drives. But drives that are used for other significant things, like your system disk, or another disk used for recording/playing audio data are not good choices. See Chapter 11 for more information on hard drives.
Latency Latency is the measure of time between a MIDI keystroke and the sounding of the actual note. All digital instruments, both hardware and software, exhibit a certain amount of latency. Ivory has been optimized to be a very low-latency application, and changing the internal settings in the program do not affect the latency. If you experience a delay, adjustments should be made in your host application’s buffer settings. Consult that host application’s user guide for information about how to optimize this for your particular system. There is more information on Latency on page 54 and page 61 of this manual.
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MIDI Response Besides Note-ons and Note-offs, Ivory responds to these MIDI commands: Controller #64, Sustain pedal. Engages the Sustain Resonance, if it is active, and holds the sustain segment of the envelopes of sounding notes. Controller #66, Sostenuto pedal. This functions just the way it does on a real acoustic grand piano, sustaining only on those notes that were depressed when the pedal went down. Controller #67, Soft Pedal. Engages the soft pedal samples for that Keyset, if they are active. Controller #7, MIDI Volume. Ivory's volume level can be controlled in your MIDI track or by your MIDI controller via the standard MIDI control for volume, cc#7. Pitchbend, Modulation Wheel, Channel Pressure (Aftertouch), and Program Change commands do not have any effect.
Rendering Audio It can be very useful to render your MIDI-controlled Ivory tracks as audio tracks within your host application. Playing audio tracks is much easier for a host application than interpreting MIDI data and producing instrument sounds “on the fly,” so turning your Ivory tracks into audio (in AIFF, SDII, WAV, or Broadcast WAV formats) is a great way to free up CPU resources in your production environment. Many host applications offer a way to bounce instrument tracks either in real time or offline. Depending on the host application, the feature may be referred to as “Bounce”, “Freeze”, or “Mix to Disk”. Consult your host application’s user guide for more information. During offline processing, Ivory is no longer limited by disk, processor, and memory resources that normally affect its ability to produce continuous sound in real time. As a result, you may take advantage of this by increasing resources in Ivory. For example, you may choose a keyset with more levels, turn on release samples, or add more effects. Ivory uses all of its editor settings when processing commences except for the Voices parameter. Ivory will always use 120 voices unless the Voices parameter is set to value higher than 120.
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Updates Please check our website at www.synthogy.com for updates and additions to Ivory’s software, programs, effects, velocity maps, demos, and more. News on future upgrades will appear first here as well.
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11 • Troubleshooting Diagnostics Ivory’s diagnostic features can help you to determine whether your audio and MIDI connections are working. On the right hand side of the Main Screen below the Buffer Size display is a MIDI indicator light. If you have MIDI being successfully received by Ivory, then this light will flash accordingly. If you are sending MIDI and this indicator does not light, you should check your MIDI connections and settings. You can play sound directly from the Main Screen by clicking on the Keyboard of the Piano Graphic Model. Clicking on the Keys of this graphic will play notes on the currently selected Program or Keyset. Clicking closer to the fallboard of the piano plays the notes softer, while clicking further to the edge of the keys will play them louder.
Authorization The fastest and most convenient way to authorize your copy of Ivory is to access our web registration page at http://www.synthogy.com/register. However, if you do not have access to the World Wide Web, you may authorize Ivory via email. Send your Machine ID (from the Ivory Authorization Tool) and your Serial Number (from the inside cover of your manual) in an email message to
[email protected] and your unlock code will be emailed back to you. If you do not have email you may call our toll-free Tech Support line at 800-745-8020. Outside the US please call +1-207-439-1052. Be prepared to have your Machine ID and your Serial number ready, so that you may receive your unlock code. You will have five (5) days to authorize Ivory after first launching the program or running the authorize tool.
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Troubleshooting Ivory on the Macintosh Installation Problems when Installing Library Files If you suspect you may have had a problem installing the library files during installation, you may confirm that the library files are intact by launching the Ivory LibCheck tool. You can find the Ivory LibCheck tool in Ivory Items >Tools. This tool will confirm that all installed sample data is intact. Each library file will be verified and receive a PASS or a FAIL. If any library file gets a FAIL, its sample data is corrupt. Throw away the failed files and re-install them. Continuous reports of failure may indicate that your hard drive has a problem.
Authorization Issues Didn’t receive Unlock Code via email after website registration Since your Unlock Code email is sent automatically from software instead of an actual human being, some spam filters may flag it as an unwanted message. The unlock code email is sent from
[email protected]. If you’ve checked your mail filters and still haven’t received the code, simply contact our tech support via email or phone and we can quickly provide it for you. Unlock Code doesn't work The Registration web site won't accept my Serial Number 99% of the time, this is due to a typo when entering numbers into our site, or into the Authorize Ivory application. Make sure that all capitalization and dashes are correct, and that there are no leading or trailing spaces left in the fields. The Registration web site reports that my maximum number of authorizations has been reached. We understand that things happen from time to time that may cause authorizations to be used up unintentionally. Contact us with your Serial Number and Machine ID, and we'll usually honor any reasonable unlock requests above the original three.
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Authorizing without web access The fastest and most convenient way to authorize your copy of Ivory is to access our web registration page at http://www.synthogy.com/register. However, if you do not have access to the the world wide web, you may authorize Ivory via email. Send your Machine ID (from the Ivory Authorization Tool) and your Serial Number (from the inside cover of your manual) in an email message to
[email protected] and your unlock code will be emailed back to you. If you do not have email you may call our toll free Tech Support line at 800-745-8020. Outside the US please call +1-207-439-1052. Be prepared to have your Machine ID and your Serial number ready, so that you may receive your unlock code. You will have five (5) days to authorize Ivory after first launching the program or running the authorize tool. Installing and authorizing Ivory on more than one computer You may authorize Ivory on up to 3 machines, in accordance with our End User License, where only a single user would use the machines, and only one machine would be in use at a time. If you wish to have multiple users running Ivory on more than one machine, please consult our distributor ILIO about a multi-user site license.
System Management Moving Ivory to a different Hard Drive. The libraries can be dragged to another volume without having to reinstall. Just move the Ivory Items folder to the new location. Then, all you need to do is update an alias that needs to point to this folder. The alias is called 'Ivory Items', in OS X it is located in: /Users/{Home}/Library/Preferences/Ivory Preferences/ In OS 9 the alias is located in: /System Folder/Preferences/Ivory Preferences/ Now you can either throw the alias into the trash and let Ivory ask you to find the new location the next time it starts up (recommended), or update the alias yourself by clicking once on the alias, press Cmd-I for Get Info, click the Select New Original button, and select the Ivory Items folder at the new location
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Uninstalling Ivory The large audio files are all kept in a folder called Ivory Items. Simply deleting this folder will remove most of Ivory's data. The location of each plugin is: OS X VST: /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST/Ivory (OS X).vst OS X AU: /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/Ivory AU.component OS X RTAS: /Library/Application Support/Digidesign/Plug-Ins/Ivory RTAS (OS X) OS 9 VST: usually /Cubase/VstPlugIns/Ivory VST (OS 9) OS 9 RTAS: /System Folder/DAE Folder/Plug-Ins/Ivory RTAS (OS 9) Finally, you may discard the Ivory Preferences folder located in OS 9: /System Folder/Preferences/ in OS X: /Users/{Home}/Library/Preferences/
Troubleshooting Performance problems Pops, clicks or dropouts when playing Ivory. Performance issues are generally related to some bottleneck in your system. If your CPU meter is maxed out, this indicates that the CPU cannot run fast enough to keep up with its demands. Refer to the section on CPU/Bus Speed (page 53). If the clicks coincide with the appearance of the Slow Disk message to the left of the MIDI light on Ivory's main page, refer to the section on Disk Performance (page 53). Otherwise, in OS X, the culprit is likely a RAM issue. Refer to the section on RAM usage (page 54).
General Comments Ivory's feature implementation was designed to work on a wide range of computer speeds. Each feature has an On/Off button in order free up resources on older computers, or those with significant bottlenecks, or
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otherwise during a resource-intensive session. Every system, no matter how meticulously optimized, will be limited by one of these three things: •CPU/bus speed. •Hard drive speed. •RAM. Ivory will bump up against one of these more noticeably on slower computers, but you'll hit one of these when pushing Ivory on any computer. CPU/Bus Speed The best way to determine if CPU/Bus speed is too slow is to call up and watch the host's CPU usage meter. If the meter maxes out, then you will need to reduce CPU load. Turn off any unnecessary features: •Sustain Resonance. •Ambience. •Chorus, etc. •Set Key Noise to zero (12 o'clock). •Reduce the number of maximum voices. Disk Performance If the words 'Slow Disk' appear to the left of the MIDI light on Ivory's main page, you may be experiencing some disk related performance problems. This is often accompanied by a 'click' as a voice abruptly stops playing. The quickest remedy to this problem is to reduce your polyphony or voice count. If the voice count exceeds the amount of data that can be streamed from your drive, then this will result in the ‘slow disk’ message. Back the polyphony count down incrementally until you no longer get the message. The other solution to this problem is to optimize your disk performance and/or choose a faster drive to install Ivory on. We recommend having Ivory installed on its own dedicated hard drive, at least 7200 RPM. Note that internal laptop drives are slower than this. Consider using the RAID feature in OS X for optimal performance, and see the tips below on hard drive performance for more helpful details.
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RAM usage Unlike OS 9, OS X uses a virtual memory system that cannot be turned off. So what may seem like a performance problem in OS X may in fact be related to RAM. If you are experiencing dropouts without the Slow Disk message appearing to the left of the MIDI lights on Ivory's main page, then it's probably a RAM issue. RAM issues can also become apparent when other sample-based plug-ins (e.g. samplers or sampling reverbs) are used alongside Ivory. The following methods will reduce Ivory's RAM usage: •Turn off Release samples. •Turn off Soft samples. •Decrease Ivory's Buffer Size. •Choose a keyset with fewer dynamic levels. Latency Latency is one of the most misunderstood topics in the industry. Ivory itself has very little if nothing to do with latency. The speed of your computer will have a significant impact, but it is mostly introduced by the audio hardware in your system and can be controlled with the hardware buffer size setting in your host software. In Digital Performer, the setting is called "Buffer Size": Setup > Configure Audio System > Configure Hardware Driver In Pro Tools, the setting is called "H/W Buffer Size": Setups > Playback Engine In Logic, the setting is called "I/O Buffer Size": Preferences > Audio > Drivers > Core Audio Default values are usually set to 256 or 512. Selecting a lower value will improve latency. The trade-off is CPU load, so setting this too low may cause other performance problems. In addition to hardware buffer size, increasing your hardware sample rate will also improve latency. And finally, some effects plug-ins impose a delay due to the nature of how they process audio. The host may compensate for this during normal session playback, but will be exposed while playing Ivory in real time.
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More Hard Drive Tips Ivory is a streaming application, which means the program's performance, and the number of voices of polyphony you can get out of your system is directly related to the speed of your hard drive and the hard drive interface you are using. For example, users with Powerbooks often have slow internal drives (5400RPM), so using an external drive is going to result in better performance in almost every instance. We recommend using drives that are at least 7200RPM or more. However, there are additional factors related to your hard drive that also influence performance. These are discussed below. Bus Interface Serial ATA is probably the fastest interface out there (with the exception of some very expensive SCSI solutions). After this FireWire 800 is next, followed by FireWire 400 and regular ATA, which are roughly equivalent in speed. So choosing to install the Ivory Library on a drive off of one of these faster interfaces will gain you more performance. Ivory on its own drive When using internal drives, we advise against installing Ivory on your system drive, or on the same drive that you will be recording and playing back digital audio to. When the drives have to be accessed by the system or other applications while Ivory is running, it slows the disk, and reduces the throughput of data from the drive. This can greatly hamper Ivory's performance. So we recommend if possible to install Ivory on a disk that is *not* your system drive or digital audio drive. Configuration Sometimes people like to use a dedicated 'sounds' drive where they store the sounds to all their soft synths and samplers. This is generally fine, unless they will attempt to stream other sounds from that drive from another sampler or application while Ivory is also streaming. However, if the sampler or other application just plays the samples out of RAM the speed of that drive will not be affected. Fragmentation/Partitioning Other factors that may adversely affect hard drive performance (and as a result, Ivory performance) are whether the drive is fragmented or near capacity. Any hard drive that is nearly full will get very slow. Of course we know from years of experience with digital audio what fragmentation will do (another good reason to keep Ivory separated from your digital audio drive). Partitioning can also be a problem. When a disk gets partitioned, the newer partitions on a disk will generally be created on a slower part of the disk.
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RAID By far the fastest hard drive system we have used is a striped RAID volume. A RAID volume consists of 2 or more physical hard drives combined into a single volume that appears on your desktop. In a striped two-disk RAID setup, the work of accessing the stored data is distributed among two drives instead of one. We have found this to be the single biggest gain in Ivory system performance yet. It can effectively double the amount of polyphony you can get out of Ivory in most cases. If you need the highest performance you can get, we highly recommend building a RAID with FW 800 drives. OS X provides RAID support without additional software by using the Disk Utility application found in Applications/Utilities. To create a RAID volume, launch Disk Utility, click on the RAID tab, set it for Mac OS Extended, Striped, then drag the drives into the empty box below and hit Create. It's a very simple procedure. RAID performance is optimal when drives are identical. A RAID set with 2 FW 800 drives may be used on a single FW800 bus provided there are no other devices connected to this bus. Connecting a single FW400 device to a FW800 bus will often bring the entire bus down to the slower speed. It is also possible to set up a RAID using drives on different buses. For example, using two FW400 drives on separate FW400 buses will usually perform better than if they are on a single bus. If you decide to use some of your existing drives as a RAID, keep in mind that this will create a new volume with these drives, and therefore completely erase anything that is currently on them. So be sure to move/ backup any data that is currently there that you may wish to keep.
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Troubleshooting Ivory on the PC Installation Ivory does not show up in host If Ivory doesn't show up in your host after installation, make sure that the plug-in itself is properly installed. For RTAS, there should be two files named “Ivory.dpm” and “Ivory.dpm.rsr” located here: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Digidesign\DAE\Plug-Ins The VST file is named "Ivory VST.dll" and is installed at the location you specified while running the installer. If you don't remember where it was installed, perform a Windows Search for the name of the file. Once you've determined that this file is on your hard drive, you may need to tell the host application where it is. Each host is different, so please refer to individual host documentation on how to load VST plug-ins.
Problems when Installing Library Files If you suspect that one or more of your library files was not installed correctly, you can test the files after the installer has finished. Run the "Ivory Library Tools" program. You can find this program in your "Ivory Items\Tools" directory. After starting the program, choose the "Verify Libraries" tool. This tool will confirm that all installed sample data is correctly installed. Each library file will be verified and a diagnostic message will be printed in the program's main window. If a file is missing or damaged, an error message will be displayed. If any library file (for a library that you chose to install) generates an error message, its sample data is corrupt. Move any files that generated error messages into the recycle bin. Then run the installer program again to reinstall those libraries. You need only select the libraries that have missing files. Continuous reports of failure may indicate that your hard drive has a problem.
Authorization Issues Didn’t receive Unlock Code via email after website registration Since your Unlock Code email is sent automatically from software instead of an actual human being, some spam filters may flag it as an unwanted message. The unlock code email is sent from
[email protected]. If you’ve checked your mail filters and still haven’t received the code, simply contact our tech support via email or phone and we can quickly provide it for you.
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Unlock Code doesn't work The Registration web site won't accept my Serial Number 99% of the time, this is due to a typo when entering numbers into our site, or into the Authorize Ivory application. Make sure that all capitalization and dashes are correct, and that there are no leading or trailing spaces left in the fields. The Registration web site reports that my maximum number of authorizations has been reached. We understand that things happen from time to time that may cause authorizations to be used up unintentionally. Contact us with your Serial Number and Machine ID, and we'll usually honor any reasonable unlock requests above the original three.
Authorizing without web access The fastest and most convenient way to authorize your copy of Ivory is to access our web registration page at http://www.synthogy.com/register. However, if you do not have access to the world wide web, you may authorize Ivory via email. Send your Machine ID (from the Ivory Authorization Tool) and your Serial Number (from the inside cover of your manual) in an email message to
[email protected] and your unlock code will be emailed back to you. If you do not have email you may call our toll free Tech Support line at 800-745-8020. Outside the US please call +1-207-439-1052. Be prepared to have your Machine ID and your Serial number ready, so that you may receive your unlock code. You will have five (5) days to authorize Ivory after first launching the program or running the authorize tool. Installing and authorizing Ivory on more than one computer You may authorize Ivory on up to 3 machines, in accordance with our End User License, where only a single user would use the machines, and only one machine would be in use at a time. If you wish to have multiple users running Ivory on more than one machine, please consult our distributor ILIO about a multi-user site license.
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System Management Moving Ivory to a different Hard Drive. The libraries can be dragged to another volume without having to reinstall. Just move the Ivory Items folder to the new location. Then, all you need to do is update a file that tells Ivory where the Ivory Items location is. This path is stored in a text file: C:\Program Files\Synthogy\Ivory\LibraryPath.txt Either throw this file into the trash and let Ivory ask you where the new location is when it starts up (recommended) or open the file with a text editor and type the new path. Uninstalling Ivory The large audio files are all kept in a folder called Ivory Items. Simply deleting this folder will remove most of Ivory's data. The location of each plugin is: Win RTAS: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Digidesign\DAE\Plug-Ins Win VST: Location depends on where you initially chose to install it. You may also discard the Ivory program folder: Win: C:\Program Files\Synthogy\Ivory
Troubleshooting Performance problems Pops, clicks or dropouts when playing Ivory. Performance issues are generally related to some bottleneck in your system. If your CPU meter is maxed out, this indicates that the CPU cannot run fast enough to keep up with its demands. Refer to the section on CPU/Bus Speed (page 60). If the clicks coincide with the appearance of the Slow Disk message to the left of the MIDI light on Ivory's main page, refer to the section on Disk Performance (page 60). Otherwise, in Windows, the culprit is likely a RAM issue. Refer to the section on RAM usage (page 60). On Windows systems, you may try disabling background services like Indexing to improve audio rendering performance. These may get in the way of real time audio processing tasks on some systems.
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Most newer Intel Pentium 4 processors have a performance feature called Hyper-threading. Some audio hosts don't run well when Hyper-threading is enabled. Please refer to your host's documentation to determine if Hyper-threading has a negative affect on performance. Hyper-threading can be disabled in the system BIOS.
General Comments Ivory's feature implementation was designed to work on a wide range of computer speeds. Each feature has an On/Off button in order free up resources on older computers, or those with significant bottlenecks, or otherwise during a resource-intensive session. Every system, no matter how meticulously optimized, will be limited by one of these three things: •CPU/bus speed. •Hard drive speed. •RAM. Ivory will bump up against one of these more noticeably on slower computers, but you'll hit one of these when pushing Ivory on any computer. CPU/Bus Speed The best way to determine if CPU/Bus speed is too slow is to call up and watch the host's CPU usage meter. If the meter maxes out, then you will need to reduce CPU load. Turn off any unnecessary features: •Sustain Resonance. •Ambience. •Chorus, etc. •Set Key Noise to zero (12 o'clock). •Reduce the number of maximum voices. Disk Performance If the words 'Slow Disk' appear to the left of the MIDI light on Ivory's main page, you may be experiencing some disk related performance problems. This is often accompanied by a 'click' as a voice abruptly stops playing. The quickest remedy to this problem is to reduce your polyphony or voice count. If the voice count exceeds the amount of data that can be streamed from your drive, then this will result in the ‘slow disk’ message. Back the polyphony count down incrementally until you no longer get the message.
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The other solution to this problem is to optimize your disk performance and/or choose a faster drive to install Ivory on. We recommend having Ivory installed on its own dedicated hard drive, at least 7200 RPM. Note that internal laptop drives are slower than this. Consider de-fragmenting your hard drive. Windows XP includes a program named “Disk Defragmenter” that will accomplish this. RAM usage Windows XP uses a virtual memory system that usually shouldn’t be turned off. So what may seem like a performance problem in Windows may in fact be related to RAM. If you are experiencing dropouts without the Slow Disk message appearing to the left of the MIDI lights on Ivory's main page, then it's probably a RAM issue. RAM issues can also become apparent when other sample-based plug-ins (e.g. samplers or sampling reverbs) are used alongside Ivory. The following methods will reduce Ivory's RAM usage: •Turn off Release samples. •Turn off Soft samples. •Decrease Ivory's Buffer Size. •Choose a keyset with fewer dynamic levels. Latency Latency is one of the most misunderstood topics in the industry. Ivory itself has very little if nothing to do with latency. The speed of your computer will have a significant impact, but it is mostly introduced by the audio hardware in your system and can be controlled with the hardware buffer size setting in your host software. In Pro Tools, the setting is called "H/W Buffer Size": Setups > Playback Engine In Cubase, the setting is located in the audio driver settings. Devices > Device Setup > VST Multitrack > Control Panel Default values are usually set to 256 or 512. Selecting a lower value will improve latency. The trade-off is CPU load, so setting this too low may cause other performance problems. In addition to hardware buffer size, increasing your hardware sample rate will also improve latency.
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And finally, some effects plug-ins impose a delay due to the nature of how they process audio. The host may compensate for this during normal session playback, but will be exposed while playing Ivory in real time.
More Hard Drive Tips Ivory is a streaming application, which means the program's performance, and the number of voices of polyphony you can get out of your system is directly related to the speed of your hard drive and the hard drive interface you are using. For example, users with laptops often have slow internal drives (5400RPM), so using an external drive is going to result in better performance in almost every instance. We recommend using drives that are at least 7200RPM or more. However, there are additional factors related to your hard drive that also influence performance. These are discussed below. Bus Interface Serial ATA is probably the fastest interface out there (with the exception of some very expensive SCSI solutions). After this FireWire 800 is next, followed by FireWire 400 and regular ATA, which are roughly equivalent in speed. So choosing to install the Ivory Library on a drive off of one of these faster interfaces will gain you more performance. Ivory on its own drive When using internal drives, we advise against installing Ivory on your system drive, or on the same drive that you will be recording and playing back digital audio to. When the drives have to be accessed by the system or other applications while Ivory is running, it slows the disk, and reduces the throughput of data from the drive. This can greatly hamper Ivory's performance. So we recommend if possible to install Ivory on a disk that is *not* your system drive or digital audio drive.
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RAID By far the fastest hard drive system we have used is a striped RAID volume. A RAID volume consists of 2 or more physical hard drives combined into a single volume that appears on your desktop. In a striped two-disk RAID setup, the work of accessing the stored data is distributed among two drives instead of one. We have found this to be the single biggest gain in Ivory system performance yet. It can effectively double the amount of polyphony you can get out of Ivory in most cases. If you need the highest performance you can get, we highly recommend building a RAID system. RAID support is not built into Windows XP. To set up a RAID system, you may need to purchase a third party solution. RAID performance is optimal when drives are identical. You may also experience a performance increase by putting two slower drives each on its own bus. This prevents the bus speed from creating a bottleneck as data from two drive compete for bandwidth.
Configuration Sometimes people like to use a dedicated 'sounds' drive where they store the sounds to all their soft synths and samplers. This is generally fine, unless they will attempt to stream other sounds from that drive from another sampler or application while Ivory is also streaming. However, if the sampler or other application just plays the samples out of RAM the speed of that drive will not be affected. Fragmentation/Partitioning Other factors that may adversely affect hard drive performance (and as a result, Ivory performance) are whether the drive is fragmented or near capacity. Any hard drive that is nearly full will get very slow. Of course we know from years of experience with digital audio what fragmentation will do (another good reason to keep Ivory separated from your digital audio drive). Consider de-fragmenting your hard drive with “Disk Defragmenter” that comes with Windows XP. Partitioning can also be a problem. When a disk gets partitioned, the newer partitions on a disk will generally be created on a slower part of the disk.
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Using Ivory Library Tools on Windows XP An easy-to-use diagnostic program is provided with Ivory. You may wish to use this if you suspect that your Library files are damaged. This program is located in your Ivory Items\Tools folder. Double click on the Ivory Library Tools icon to start the program. You will see a screen with four tool choices: Check Libraries, Verify Libraries, Convert Libraries, and Delete Libraries. Check Libraries runs very quickly and will perform a simple check of your object data. It will also confirm that the sample files are installed and that they are in the correct format. However, it will not check all of the sample data. For that, you will use the Verify Libraries tool. If Check Libraries finds a problem, you can correct it without running the Verify Libraries tool. Verify Libraries runs all of the same tests as Check Libraries. In addition, Verify Libraries will read all of the sample data and test it. This can take almost as long as library installation, so please be patient! If any errors are found, they will be reported on the main screen. Convert Libraries is useful if you manually copied files from your Ivory Install DVDs. The files on the DVDs are in Macintosh format, and cannot be used on your PC without conversion. The Ivory Installer automatically converts them for you. If you copied them manually, you can use Convert Libraries to perform the conversion. You may need to use Delete Libraries if you find a problem with one of your libraries. After choosing Delete Libraries, you will be asked to choose a library for deletion. After you delete a library, run the Ivory Installer again, choosing the library that you want to reinstall. Note that the Synth library is used by all of the other libraries. If you delete the Synth library, you can choose any of the other libraries in the Installer program to reinstall it. After any operation is performed, the tool selection screen is displayed again, so that you can choose another operation. Choose Cancel to exit from tool selection, and then choose Quit to exit the Ivory Library Tools program.
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12 • Ivory Factory Presets Programs Default
Programs using the Bosendorfer 290 Piano samples Bosendorfer 290 Imperial
Bosendorfer Concerto
Bosendorfer Imperial 6
Bosendorfer 8 Dry
Bosendorfer Imperial 4
Bosendorfer Imperial 10
Bosendorfer Recital
Jazz Imperial 10
Bright Bosendorfer
Imperial Hall Grand 10
Warm Bosendorfer Imperial
Bosendorfer Big Hall 10
Mellow Bosendorfer 290
Bosendorfer 10 Dry
Bosendorfer Studio
Salon Bosendorfer 10
Jazz Bosendorfer
Soft Hammers and Dampers
Ambient Bosendorfer
Ambient Bose Scape
Programs using the Steinway D Piano samples German Concert D
Pop Grand & Pad
Concert D 6 Level
German D 8 Dry
Concert D 4 Level
German Concert D 10
Concert D Recital
Session D 10 Level
Bright Concert Grand
Jazz Steiner 10
Warm Concert D
Distant Concert D 10
Mellow Concert D
German D 10 Dry
Jazz Club D
Expressive Concert D 10
Ambient Concert D
Vibrant Concert D
Live Rock Grand
Orchestral Grand
Live Rock Grand & Pad
Wrapped in Blankets
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Programs using the Yamaha C7 Piano samples Studio Grand
Warm Eastern Grand
Studio Grand 5
Stage Grand & Strings
Studio Grand 4
Honky Tonk Pianer
Jazz C7
Studio Grand 8
Rock C7
Intimate Jazz Club Piano 8
Bright Rock Studio Grand
Pop Dynamic C7
Pop Grand
Close Mic Rock Grand 8
Solo Jazz Piano
Studio 8 Dry
Studio 6 Dry
Ballad Studio Grand 8
Chorus Grand
Rockin’ Stage 88s
Pop Ballad Keys
Lush Chorus Grand 8
Gospel Ivories
Tripped Out Grand
Basement Upright
Just Synth Pad
Velocity Maps Default Linear Easy 1 Easy 2 Easy 3 Hard 1 Hard 2 Hard 3 Warm Touch 1 Warm Touch 2 Rocker's Touch
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Effects Default
Bosendorfer Salon
Bosendorfer Imperial fx
Soft Hammers fx
German Concert D fx
Bright Grand fx
Studio Grand fx
Jazz Grand fx
Recital Hall
Rock Grand fx
Live Hall
Pop Grand fx
Ambient Concert Hall
Lacquered Hammers
Jazz Concert Hall
Rock Player's Effect
Bosendorfer Hall
Basement Upright
Resonant Church
Jazz Imperial fx
Bosendorfer Imperial 10 fx
Ballad Studio Piano fx
German Concert D 10 fx
Pop Grand fx 2
Distant Hall fx
Close Mic Rock fx
Bose Hall
Rockin 88s fx
Distant Bose Hall fx
Chorused Grand
Orchestral Piano fx
Pop Excited Chorus
Warm Hall
Chorus Hall
Small Club
Sweet Chorus Grand fx
Small Room, Close Mic
Honky Tonk Saloon
Close Mic
Ambient Bose Scape fx
Small Dark Ambience
Under A Thick Blanket
Steiner Club
Trails
Piano Studio
Note: Default presets are generally ‘blank’ presets. They can be overwritten, but they cannot be renamed.
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Keysets Bosendorfer 10 Level Bosendorfer 10 Level II Bosendorfer 8 Level Bosendorfer 8 Level II Bosendorfer 6 Level Bosendorfer 6 Level II Bosendorfer 4 Level Bosendorfer 4 Level II Bosendorfer88 10 Level Bosendorfer88 10 Level II Bosendorfer88 8 Level Bosendorfer88 8 Level II Bosendorfer88 6 Level Bosendorfer88 6 Level II Bosendorfer88 4 Level Bosendorfer88 4 Level II German D 10 Level German D 10 Level II German D 8 Level German D 8 Level II German D 6 Level German D 6 Level II German D 4 Level German D 4 Level II Studio 7ft 8 Level Studio 7ft 8 Level II Studio 7ft 6 Level Studio 7ft 6 Level II Studio 7ft 5 Level Studio 7ft 5 Level II Studio 7ft 4 Level Studio 7ft 4 Level II
97 note Imperial grand with 10 Dynamic Levels 10 level keyset w/ alternative velocity switch points* 97 note Imperial grand with 8 Dynamic Levels 8 level keyset w/ alternative velocity switch points 97 note Imperial grand with 6 Dynamic Levels 6 level keyset w/ alternative velocity switch points 97 note Imperial grand with 4 Dynamic Levels 4 level keyset with wider timbral range 88 note version of 10 Level Bosendorfer 88 note, 10 Level keyset w/ alternative vel switch 88 note version of 8 Level Bosendorfer 88 note, 8 Level keyset w/ alternative vel switch 88 note version of 6 Level Bosendorfer 88 note, 6 Level keyset w/ alternative vel switch 88 note version of 4 Level Bosendorfer 88 note 4 Level Bosendorfer w/ wider timbre Steinway D with 10 Dynamic Levels 10 level keyset w/ alternative velocity switch points Steinway D with 8 Dynamic Levels 8 level keyset w/ alternative velocity switch points Steinway D with 6 Dynamic Levels 6 level keyset w/ alternative velocity switch points Steinway D with 4 Dynamic Levels 4 level keyset w/ alternative timbral range Yamaha C7 with 8 Dynamic Levels 8 level keyset w/ alternative velocity switch points Yamaha C7 with 6 Dynamic Levels 6 level keyset w/ alternative velocity switch points Yamaha C7 with 5 Dynamic Levels 5 level keyset w/ alternative velocity switch points Yamaha C7 with 4 Dynamic Levels 4 level keyset with wider timbral range
* “II” keysets have an alternative set of velocity switch points that will favor the softer dynamics through the mp-mf playing range. All Trademarks are the property of their respective holders.
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Acknowledgements Production and Sound Design: Joe Ierardi Software Engine, Interface and DSP: George Taylor Graphics: Mike Abbott (Vantage Graphics and Design) UI Design: George Taylor, Joe Ierardi, Mike Abbott Additional Sample Editing, Processing: Scott Mackey Additional Software: Rick Cohen, Roy Lovejoy Additional Sound Design: Geoff Gee, Chris Martirano Demos: Jordan Rudess, Geoff Gee, Lily von Ballmoos, Michael Bearden, Volker Rogall, Larry Hopkins Many thanks to our Beta Testers: Scott Mackey, John Richmond, Chris Martirano, Chris O’Brien, Geoff Gee, Cory West, Pierre-Yves Bessuand, Brandon Vaughn, Ken Hickey, Dan Kalin, Mike Babbitt, Brian Qualls, Todd Campopiano,Tom Salta, Steve Herbert, Jordan Rudess, Tony Shepperd, Jeff Williams Documentation: Paul D. Lehrman, Rob Huffman, Max Albert Package design, Photography and Graphics: Element 18, LA Web Design: Mike Abbott Legal: Patti Jones Additional Legal: Kathy Chapman Accounting: Roy Lamb, Jeff Murphy
Piano Recordings All sessions produced by Joe Ierardi
Bosendorfer 290 “Imperial” Sessions Austin Peay State University, Clarksville TN Engineering: John Newton & Soundmirror Pianist: Janice Weber Post Production/Consultation: Mark Donahue & Soundmirror Bosendorfer 290 “Imperial” prepared by Gerhard Feldmann, Bosendorfer New York
Steinway D Sessions Le Domaine Forget, Saint-Irenee, Quebec Engineering: John Newton & Soundmirror Pianist: Janice Weber Concert Technician: Michel Pedneau
Yamaha C7 Sessions LAFX, North Hollywood, CA Assistant Producer: Chris O’Brien Engineering: Tony Shepperd & Ulysses Noriega Pianist: Joe Ierardi Concert Technician: Keith Albright
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Distribution Exclusively by ILIO Thanks to Mark & Shelly Hiskey, Chris O’Brien, Brad Strickland, Jeff Allison, Brian Qualls, Martin Tichy, Todd Lampe, and the entire ILIO team… you guys ROCK!!!
Special Thanks Ray Kurzweil, Gerhard & Lisa Feldmann @ Bosendorfer, Greg Mathieson and his C7, Eric Day, Ed Gray, Jonathan Odo, Jay LeBoeuf, Tom Dimuzio, Cory West and all @ Digidesign. Jim Cooper and all at MOTU. Eliot Sedegah @ Apple DTS, Scott Wilkie @ M-Audio, Sascha Kujawa, Panos Kolias, Stefan Gretscher and the rest of the team @ Apple/Emagic, Joel Gilbertson White from Sony Pictures, Rick Scott and everybody @ Parsons Audio. John, Mark, Stephanie, Blanton and everyone @ Soundmirror. And Extra Special Thanks to Janice Weber, Patti Jones, John Powers, Tony Shepperd, Chris Martirano, and Bill Gardner for going above and beyond… we couldn’t have done it without you!
Personal Thanks George would like to thank Mom, Dad, Meghan, Joe and Michele, John and Jen, and Maggie for all of your support and friendship through the busy times. Thanks to Molly for walking me. Thanks to Scott, Rick, and John for all of your extra effort. And thanks always to James Windsor, Matthew North, and Ignatius Ierardi for keeping it real and continuing to making it all happen. Joe wishes to thank the Ierardi and Gosselin families for their love and support, especially my wife and children, Michele, Hannah and Camden… and to my partner George. Ivory is dedicated to all the great players out there, past, present and future. Thanks for your inspiration.
Copyright Notices Copyright © 2004, 2005 Synthogy, LLC. All Rights Reserved. All Trademarks are the property of their respective holders. Ivory™ and Synthogy™ are registered trademarks of Synthogy. Bosendorfer™ is a registered trademark of Bosendorfer. Steinway™ is a registered trademark of Steinway Musical Instruments, Inc. Yamaha™ is a registered trademark of Yamaha Corporation. RTAS™ is a registered trademark of Digidesign. VST™ is a registered trademark of Steinberg.
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Synthogy End User License Agreement This End User License Agreement (“License”) is a legal agreement between you and Synthogy, LLC (“Synthogy”) regarding Synthogy’s Software and Soundware, IVORY and the accompanying documentation (collectively the “Software/Soundware”). CAREFULLY READ THE FOLLOWING LICENSE. USING THIS SOFTWARE/SOUNDWARE INDICATES YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THIS LICENSE. IF YOU DO NOT ACCEPT OR UNDERSTAND THE TERMS OF THIS LICENSE, YOU SHOULD NOT INSTALL THE SOFTWARE AND PROMPTLY RETURN THIS PRODUCT TO THE PLACE OF PURCHASE FOR A FULL REFUND. 1. License Grant. Subject to the restrictions set forth below, Synthogy, LLC, as Licensor (hereafter “Synthogy”), hereby grants you, the Licensee (hereafter called “you”), a non-exclusive, perpetual license to use the Software/Soundware in accordance with the applicable end user and technical documentation provided by Synthogy. Use of these sounds in the product is limited to use within original music compositions. YOU MAY: (a) install the enclosed Software/Soundware on more than one computer; (b) physically transfer the Software/ Soundware from one computer to another provided that it is used only by the purchaser, and only on one computer at a time; (c) make one copy of the Software/ Soundware, in machine-readable form, solely for backup purposes; provided you include all copyright and other proprietary rights notices on the copy. You may not distribute copies of this Software/Soundware or accompanying documentation. All rights not expressly granted herein are reserved. 2. License Restrictions. Unless expressly permitted by this Agreement or otherwise applicable law, you may not, or allow any third party to, (a) rent, lease, sell, loan or otherwise transfer the Software/ Soundware, the programs or sounds it contains or any of your rights and obligations under this License, except as expressly provided herein; (b) install, electronically transfer or post samples of the Software/ Soundware on a network for use by multiple users, unless each user has purchased a license; (c) reverse-engineer or disassemble the Software/Soundware in whole or in part; (d) remove or destroy any copyright notices or other proprietary markings of the Software/ Soundware; (e) modify or adapt the Software/ Soundware, merge the Software/Soundware into another program or create derivative works based on the Software/Soundware; (f) make copies of or distribute, for profit or otherwise, the Software/Soundware, except as expressly stated above; (g) make any alteration, modification, connection, disconnection, improvement or adjustment of any kind to or use the Software/ Soundware or any of its sounds except as explicitly
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provided in the enclosed documentation and in this License and (h) sublicense, transfer or assign this License or any of the rights and obligations granted under this License. Any purported transfer or assignment will be void. 3. Copyright. This Software/Soundware and accompanying materials are copyrighted. Unauthorized copying of the Software/ Soundware, in whole or in part, is expressly forbidden. Use of the Software/Soundware or any of its sounds in another digital sampler, or mixing, filtering, reprocessing, re-synthesizing, or otherwise editing the Software/Soundware for use in another product is strictly prohibited. Synthogy, LLC retains all rights not expressly granted. Nothing in this Agreement constitutes a waiver of Licensor’s rights under the U.S. Copyright laws or any other federal or state law. Synthogy monitors other Soundware and Software releases in vigilance of any copyright infringements, and will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law. Music producers may use Synthogy libraries on any commercial music release (including music libraries) with the confidence that the sounds are guaranteed 100% COPYRIGHT CLEAN. Every sound on a Synthogy disc has been pre-cleared for musical use. Once you have purchased a disc, no additional licensing fees are required to use it in your music compositions. However, all products require a specific crediting for Ivory in the liner notes of the music release. Screen credit for Film/TV use is not required. Multimedia and Game Music use of Ivory is restricted to use within the musical compositions themselves. 4. Ownership. The license granted hereunder does not constitute a transfer or sale of ownership rights in or to the Software/ Soundware. Except for the license rights granted above, Synthogy retains all right title and interest in and to the Software/Soundware including all intellectual property rights therein. The Software/Soundware is protected by applicable intellectual property laws, including United States copyright laws and international treaties. 5. Term and Termination. This License shall be effective upon installation of the Software/Soundware and shall terminate upon the earlier of (a) your failure to comply with any term of this License; (b) return, destruction or deletion of all copies of the Software/Soundware in your possession. Synthogy’s rights and your obligations shall survive termination of this License. 6. Updates. Synthogy may, from time to time, revise the performance of its products and in doing so, incur NO obligation to furnish such revisions to any LICENSOR customer. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, any new features that augment or enhance the current Software/Soundware, including the release of new properties, shall be subject to terms of this License, and shall be provided at the sole discretion of Synthogy.
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7. NO OTHER WARRANTIES. EXCEPT AS SET FORTH ABOVE, THE SOFTWARE/SOUNDWARE IS PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” BASIS. YOU ASSUME ALL RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE/SOUNDWARE. SYNTHOGY AND ITS LICENSORS AND SUPPLIERS MAKE NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR OTHERWISE, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, NONINFRINGEMENT, AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. LICENSOR DOES NOT IMPLY THAT THE OPERATION OF THE SOFTWARE/SOUNDWARE WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS, BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR FREE. SOME STATES/JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW EXCLUSIONS OF AN IMPLIED WARRANTY OR LIMITATION ON HOW LONG AN IMPLIED WARRANTY MAY LAST, SO THIS DISCLAIMER MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. 8. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY. YOU AGREE THAT IN NO EVENT WILL Synthogy BE LIABLE FOR ANY CONSEQUENTIAL, SPECIAL, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES WHATSOEVER, EVEN IF Synthogy HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. IN NO EVENT SHALL SYNTHOGY’S LIABILITY EXCEED THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF THE FEES PAID FOR THE SOFTWARE/SOUNDWARE. SOME STATES/ JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR SPECIAL DAMAGES IN CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. 9. General. This License is governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the United States of America, without regard to conflict of laws principles therein. The federal and state courts within the County of Suffolk, Massachusetts shall have exclusive jurisdiction to adjudicate any dispute arising out of this License and you hereby consent to the personal jurisdiction of the federal and state courts within the County of Suffolk, Massachusetts. This License is the entire agreement between you and Synthogy and supersedes any other communication with respect to the Software/ Soundware. No modification of or amendment to this License will be effective unless in writing signed by both parties. If any provision of this License is held invalid or unenforceable, the remainder of this License will continue in full force and effect.
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Support Synthogy is committed to providing a product that is powerful, reliable and user friendly. Please check our website for user tips and updates. If you require immediate assistance, the quickest support response will usually come by contacting your local Synthogy distributor. If your situation requires additional help that your distributor is unable to provide, contact us directly and we will help you as soon as possible. www.synthogy.com
[email protected] 800-745-8020 (U.S. Toll Free) +1-207-439-1052
Index • 1
A A4 pitch 34 AIFF 47 Ambience 38 Audio rendering 47 Audio Units 5 Authorization troubleshooting 49 Authorizing Ivory 11 B Broadcast WAV 47 Buffer size 35 C Chorus 37 Copyright Notices 70 CPU 5, 45, 52, 59 Cubase Macintosh 15 PC 23 Cubase VST 5 17 Customer Service 74 D Diagnostics 36 Digital Performer 14 Disk, see Hard Drive Dynamic Range 32 E Effects 37 End User License 71 EQ 37 Equal temperament 35 F Fine Pitch 34
G Gain 34 GarageBand 20 H Hard Drive 5, 8, 46–47, 51–56, 59–63 I Installation 6 Instantiation Macintosh platform 13 PC platform 21 Ivory 3 playing directly from the Main Screen 36 Ivory Authorization Tool 11 K Key Noise 32 Keysets 30 L Latency 35, 46, 54, 61 Logic 6 13 Logic 7 13 M Machine ID 11 Macintosh applications 13 Main Screen 29 MIDI 47 MIDI indicator light 36 MIDI Volume 47 N Nuendo 15
Index • 2
O Octave 34 Optimization 45 P PC applications 21 Polyphony 34, 45 Presets list of 65 saving and loading 41 Pro Tools Macintosh 18 PC 22 R RAID 56, 63 RAM 5, 35, 45–46, 52–54, 59– 61 RAX 19 Release 32 Release Samples 31 Rotary knobs 28 RTAS 5 S SDII 47 Serial Number 11 Session 34 Soft Pedal 47 Soft Pedal Samples 31 Sonar 24 Sostenuto pedal 47 Stereo Perspective 34 Stereo Width 31 Stretch tuning 35 Support 74 Sustain pedal 47 Sustain Resonance 33
Synth Layer 31 System Requirements 5 T Timbre 32 Transpose 34 Troubleshooting 49 Macintosh platform 50 PC platform 57 Tuning 35 U Unlock Code 12 Updates 48 V V Stack 16 Velocity 39–40 Voices 34, 45, 46, 47 VST 5 W WAV 47 Windows applications 21
