when / why to Applying articulations?

[sadicus]

what are some real world use case examples to  Applying articulations?
 

[Glenn Stanton]

i use them to create different rhythmic patterns with my guitar VI - if they don't have a native one, i simply create one - effectively similar to the key switching but with some extra features on how they're applied and packaged nicely and reusable.

[JnTuneTech]

I (finally) began using them when I started programming some MIDI for several sample-based instruments, primarily creating horns/brass & some string parts that use the keyswitch method of changing the sample variations. I have found the articulations track to be much more useful than trying to program the keyswitches in MIDI manually.   -Yep - pretty basic, but you asked!

Edited August 20, 2023 by JnTuneTech

[msmcleod]

Articulations were introduced mainly to make using VSTi's that use key switches easier.  A fair amount of Kontakt libraries fall into this category, and some guitar VSTi's (e.g. AmpleSound, Shreddage ) also extensively use key switches to switch strings, hand position, palm mute etc.

@Creative Sauce did a great video showing life before and after articulations:
 

 

[Glenn Stanton]

one more cool thing (at least with the AAS Strum GS-2) - if you have multiple sections -- same chords / notes -- but want to use program bank changes or CC to switch between keyboard, guitar and loop, you can "stack" the articulations and the corresponding parts play when put into the given mode (because they're mutually exclusive in accepting the switches...). ?

[Promidi]

On 8/21/2023 at 4:04 AM, sadicus said:

what are some real world use case examples to  Applying articulations?
 

Keyswitches. 

If the notes that do the keyswitching are simply MIDI notes events, then if you ever need to transpose the MIDI track containing the keyswitch notes, the keyswitches would end up triggering the wrong articulation. You would have to remember to only select non keyswitch notes every time.

Of course you could always put the keyswitch notes on a separate MIDI track and route that MIDI track to the synth with the articulations.

Both scenarios would mean constant scrolling or switching between tracks.

Articulations solves all of that .