Organize Your Orchestral Template With Bidule

Bidule is modular cross-platform application. One of the many uses of it is to host an entire orchestra utilizing multiple instances of Kontakt. An entire orchestra uses a lot of resources and requires an efficient organization strategy. Today’s tutorial will take a look at how you can Organize Your Orchestral Template With Bidule.

Bidule is the brainchild of Plogue Art et Technologie and is a cross-platform application that is arguably the new standard in modular music software. Bidule can connect VST/AU plugins and Bidule groups to your favourite ReWire-capable sequencer. You can host any arrangement or layering of virtual instruments in Bidule, and connect these to a ReWire-capable sequencer application. Bidule can even synchronize plugins with the sequencer’s tempo.

Bidule is interesting because it can be used in a variety of ways. It can be used to to host AU or VST plugins, it can be used to create unique textures using the built-in spectral manipulation tools, you can save any collection of bidules together as groups for later re-use, you can mix multichannel audio files offline or online, for complex ambisonic or surround mixes or you can use Bidule’s DSP building blocks to create your own custom effects.

When it comes to an orchestral templates, Bidule is used to host multiple instances of Kontakt. This has many advantages such as been DAW-agnostic, allows you to break the 32-bit barrier if you use a 64-bit DAW, loading large templates is faster in Bidule then it is in your host, hosting VSTs or AUs in Bidule can sometimes be more efficient than your DAW and its easier to organize large templates with Bidule’s modular layout.

When it comes to organizing your template, there are no rules. Use what’s comfortable for you. But there are limitations so you must your resources efficiently. Rewire only supports 16 midi channels and 64 stereo channels. The best use of these are to put like instruments together on the same midi channel. In modern orchestra, an entire orchestra consists of Woodwinds (Flutes/Piccolo, Oboes, Clarinets/Bass Clarinet, Bassoons/Contrabasson), Brass (French Horns, Trumputs, Trombones/Bass Trombone/Tuba), Percussion, Strings (Harps, 1st Violins, 2nd Violins, Violas, Cellos, Double basses) and Keyboards. So for examples Woodwinds can all go on Midi Channel 1, Brass can use 2-5, Percussion 6-9, Strings use 10-15 and Keyboards use 16.

All instruments can then be routed to independent audio channels.

Until next time…now go make some music.