The key is clicking on the staff to which you want to add the pizzicoto articulation and then pressing the single-quote character before typing "piz" to change the mouse cursor to "pizz.", after which you can click on the beat of the measure where you want to start the pizzicato articulation . . .

THOUGHTS





(1) Click on the staff to set focus to it.

[NOTE: On the Mac, this is a press and release for the single-quote character, not a press and hold . . . ]

(2) Press the single-quote key; release it; and then type "piz" to change the mousse cursor to "pizz."

(3) Click on the beat of the measure on the staff of the instrument where you want pizzicato to begin.

(4) Press the "esc" ("escape") key to return the mouse pointer to normal, which will be an arrow.

(5) If you want to cancel pizzicato or switch to another articulation, then it's the same procedure but what you type after pressing the single-quote character key will be different, of course.

Lots of FUN!

in addition to the above, shift z works for pizzicato. shift zz will place arco instruction.

I couldn't get strings to change to a pizzicato sound, by typing pizz. I have Notion 6,8.0, and am using it on a Mac with OS Big Sur (11.2.2), In my search for an answer, I came across a message on my Mac about an audio plug-in. The plug-in is Vbox SE 1.3 vst (dated July 14, 2007), and I got a note from the computer that it is not compatible with Big Sur's 64-bit processor.
So it looks like Notion should upgrade that plug-in. I can't continue with my composition until it does.

I tried Shift-z, and it worked despite my computer saying that vbox SE 1.3 vst was incompatible with 64-bit architecture. Thank you so much! I tried MuseScore but its timpani sound tinny. Love these Notion sounds!

johnbachman wroteI couldn't get strings to change to a pizzicato sound, by typing pizz. I have Notion 6,8.0, and am using it on a Mac with OS Big Sur (11.2.2), In my search for an answer, I came across a message on my Mac about an audio plug-in. The plug-in is Vbox SE 1.3 vst (dated July 14, 2007), and I got a note from the computer that it is not compatible with Big Sur's 64-bit processor.
So it looks like Notion should upgrade that plug-in. I can't continue with my composition until it does.

It's press and release the single-quote character and then type "piz", not "pizz" . . .

THOUGHTS

Regarding "Vbox SE 1.3 vst", this is not a NOTION product, and it's not NOTION's responsibility to provide an update for it . . .

i tried to find information on "Vbox SE 1.3 vst", but did not find anything definitive regarding what it does . . .

It appears to be associated with something called "Peak 4", but this also led nowhere useful . . .

QUESTION: What is "Vbox SE 1.3 vst"; what does it do; and why do you need it?

Lots of FUN!

Sorry. I haven't checked these posts for awhile. The reason I want Vbox is because I want to use the instrument Music Box, which I used a lot with Sibelius. In Notion it's available but you have to go through the Plug-in Manager, and that's Vbox SE 1.3 on my Mac. However, when I try to use it, I get the message that it won't work with a 32-bit OS. I now have Big Sur, and since Catalina everything has to be 64-bit on the Mac.

So, I can't access the Music Box (and many other instruments). I've been using the Celeste as a substitute. I'm going to go to Apple's site and express my desire to see them upgrade this part of their OS.

Oh, on another topic, I had complained about dynamics not working for some instruments. I found that I can get them to work if I put the dynamic above the staff continuing the notes I want to change the velocity of.

John Bachman

Perhaps vbox is not a Notion file. When I click on the Score Setup icon (3 horizontal lines) in the menu bar at the top of the Notion window, I get its window with a list of options in the lower right-hand corner, including "Plug-in Manager..." This is what I click, since I want to access the instrument "Music Box." When I click on it (Plug-in Manager), I get a small window with one item highlighted: vbox SE 1.3 Not enabled [and the path to its nested location in a Library folder]. There is an Enable option in the lower left-hand corner, but when I click it, it says, "This plug-in can't run in a 64-bit intel host." My Mac OS Big Sur is 64-bit only.

I used to use an audio-editing app called Peak, and maybe that's where it's from. But why does Notion show me it when I click on "Plug-in Manager?"

Because of this dilemma I can't access many instruments, including some I paid for. There are many reasons to like Notion, and I wish I could solve this problem.

Thanks to all of you who have contributed.

John

The good news is that there is a virtual festival of excellent 64-bit VSTi and AUi virtual instruments and VST and AU effects plug-ins . . .

THOUGHTS

The bad news is that nearly none of them are free . . .

I think most folks made the transition from the 32-bit computing universe to the 64-bit universe several years ago, long enough ago that it's not a memory one way or the other . . .

Yet, now that I recall it, the reality is two-fold:

(1) It was a hassle that took a few years to resolve, due to most third-party vendors taking quite a while to develop 64-bit versions of the products--in particular IK Multimedia.

(2) It was expensive, since the 64-bit products were major releases, hence at best only paid upgrades were available.

This affected Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) applications, virtual instruments and effects plug-ins, and in some instances affected external digital audio and MIDI interfaces . . .

For the most part, the only things which were not affected were guitar strings, microphone cables, and headphones, as well as real instruments and guitar picks, where the great thing about guitar picks is that they exist independently from computers and software . . .

Among other digital music production software, here in the sound isolation studio these are the primary products I use:

(1) Studio One Professional and NOTION

(2) Digital Performer (MOTU) and MachFive 3 (MOTU)

(3) Nearly every software product from IK Multimedia, except MODO Drums which requires Intel processors that have AVX Instruction support (basically, newer Macs)

(4) Kontakt (Native Instruments), including several instrument collections from Native Instruments

(5) Realivox Blue (RealiTone), my favorite virtual soprano, which is a virtual instrument for Kontakt, where technically Kontakt is the VSTi virtual instrument, while Realivox Blue is a virtual instrument that runs in Kontakt. For reference, this is the way all the instruments from Bolder sounds run; and its also the way quite a few other instruments run, including the various instrument collections offered by Native Instrument, where the Cuba Collections is a personal favorite. Orange Tree Samples has a wide variety of guitars for Kontakt, and I have the SLIDE Lap Steel guitar, which is excellent.

(6) Nearly everything from FabFilter Software Instruments

(7) Nearly everything from Wave Arts

(8) Several effects plug-ins from Waves

(7) Cyclop (Sugar Bytes)

(8) Stutter Edit (iZotope)

(9) Reason (Reason Studio, formerly Propellerhead Software, same company but new name)

(9) A few products from Antares Audio Technology

(10) EW Composer Cloud X (subscription)

(11) Addictive Drums and Addictive Keys (XLN Audio)

(12) Nearly everything from Bolder Sounds

(13) Melodyne Editor (Celemony)

(14) Every effects plug-in from McDSP (subscription)

(15) A few products from UVI

If these are new purchases, then the total cost is approximately $7,500 (US), but if they are upgrades, then the cost is lower, of course . . .

I did not get all this stuff at once, so it was a matter of getting something every once in a while, nearly always when it was on sale at a significantly discounted price . . .

For example, the MSRP for Kontakt is $400 (US), but almost like clockwork Native Instruments has at least one discount sale during the Thanksgiving holiday, and sometimes they have a discount sale in the Summer, as well, where Kontakt is discounted 50 percent to $200, which is significant . . .

Since this stuff is expensive even when discounted, my strategy is to get on email lists from the various companies and then to wait until there is a discount sale . . .

My experience is that none of these companies bombard you with emails, and once you are on their email lists they let you know when there is a discount sale, and a few of them have free products every once in a while . . .

[NOTE: Some of these products require an iLOK USB dongle for licensing purposes . . . ]

FREE PRODUCTS

Free Software (IK Multimedia)

FREE Kontakt 6 Player (Native Instruments)

Komplete Start FREE (Native Instruments)

FREE Products (Waves)

FREE UVI Workstation 3 (UVI)

FREE DEMOS (XLN Audio)

Most companies have 10-day or 30-day trial versions . . .

The FREE products include useful sets of instruments, effects plug-ins, and sampled sound libraries; so this is a good way to get started . . .

SUBSCRIPTIONS

A few companies have subscriptions (monthly and yearly), which can be an affordable way to get huge amounts of digital music production software (virtual instruments and effects plug-ins) . . .

One month-only subscriptions cost more, but there are by-month yearly subscriptions that are affordable . . .

PreSonus Sphere

EW CloudComposer X

Reason+ (Reason Studios)

Subscriptions (McDSP)

I have the EW CloudComposer X and McDSP subscriptions . . .

I have plenty of PreSonus software, so no need for the PreSonus Sphere subscription . . .

SUMMARY

I think it's reasonable to suggest that 64-bit products are better, although I have most of the 32-bit VSTi virtual instruments and associated collections from IK Multimedia and have imported them into SampleTank 3 as legacy instruments, so they work in the 64-bit universe, and I use some of them, since I think they sound better or are different versions that are not available in the newer versions of SampleTank . . .

There are quite a few more instruments and effects plug-ins than the ones I have, so it's not a complete list of everything . . .

For a while, all I had was SampleTank (IK Multimedia), Miroslav Philharmonik (IK Multimedia), and T-RackS (IK Multimedia), and this is a good set of products for digital music production . . .

Timeless (FabFilter Software Instruments) is the best echo unit available on this planet, and Pro-C (FabFilter Software Instruments) makes "ducking" very easy, so it's another favorite . . .

The full version of Kontakt is used by a lot of third-party instruments (Bolder Sounds, RealiTone, and several others), so it's good to have . . .

The subscriptions provide a vast festival of instruments and effects plug-ins, so they are good and at least for a while save money when contrasted to buying full licenses for each product . . .

My advice is to research the various products and to develop a plan to get the products you like over time rather than all at once . . .

Get on the companies' email lists, which is a good way to be notified when there are discount sales and free products . . .

IK Multimedia provides free Jam Points at various times to celebrate anniversaries, new products, and so forth; and Native Instruments provides free products every once in a while, as well as credits to use on purchases . . .

The more you learn about virtual instruments and effects plug-ins, the more of them you want; but it's something you can do gradually over time, so no particular rush . . .

Being patient and waiting until there is a discount sale helps to get the most stuff for the least money, which over the long run maps to getting a lot more stuff than if you paid full price for everything; and in this respect, overall you probably will spend the same amount of money, but with discount sales you get two or three times as much stuff, which is good . . .

Lots of FUN!

johnbachman wroteBecause of this dilemma [not being able to run 32-bit instruments] I can't access many instruments, including some I paid for. There are many reasons to like Notion, and I wish I could solve this problem.

There were, and might continue to be, "bridge" utilities that made it possible to run 32-bit instruments in 64-bit applications like NOTION . . .

THOUGHTS

NOTION 4 was 64-bit, and at first there were only a few companies that had 64-bit instrument products; so a few folks devised "bridge" utilities to make it possible to use 32-bit virtual instruments in 64-bit applications like NOTION . . .

These were, and might continue to be, available for Mac and Windows systems; so this is something to explore . . .

This link has information on some of the "bridge" utilities . . .

It's focused on the Mac, but there are links to Windows versions when there are Windows versions . . .

Converting 32-bit plug-ins using jBridgeM or 32 Lives (Mac) ~ Ableton

32 Lives (SoundRadix)

Bridgewize (DDMF)

IMPORTANT

These "bridging" utilities were current circa 2013 and worked with operating systems around the same time . . .

Whether they work now in 2021 with newer versions of operating systems (Mac and Windows) is another matter; and so far, I have no information on this . . .

I strongly advise making a bootable, full backup of your primary SSD or hard drive before doing any experiments, so that if something goes wrong, you can restore your system . . .

Folks who have been using NOTION for a long time know, or at least knew at one time, so I think the reason nobody is mentioning this mostly is a matter of having the general perspective that it's better to get new 64-bit virtual instruments and effects plug-ins than to attempt to run 32-bit products via a "bridging" utility . . .

My advice, as delineated in my previous post, is to move forward boldly into the 64-bit universe rather than trying to run 32-bit stuff in a "bridging" utility . . .

It's highly likely there are 64-bit virtual instruments that are very similar to the 32-bit virtual instruments you like; so doing a bit of research will be beneficial toward the goal of vigorously embracing the 64-bit universe . . .

WARNING

These "bridging" utilities might cause unrecoverable problems, hence the strong recommendation to make a bootable, full backup before doing experiments . . .

Lots of FUN!