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This stuff is harder than it looks….

music-composer

So I decided to try my hand at writing some sort of dramatic orchestral piece (and I blame this guy Hetoreyn and his VSL Podcast for this you know*)…

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I’ve been holding back from trying to write something like this because, well frankly, my formal knowledge of theory and composition is not really up to the task in my opinion. With traditionally orchestrated stuff, there is a much larger, tighter, and more widely recognized rule set and when you break the rules or don’t know them, it stands out like a sore thumb. I’ve been trying to get up to speed on music theory with the thought that I would move on to more structured studies of composition and arranging. It’s a slow process compounded by my lack of time. But Slow Steady Progress is the order of the day….

Except for those damn podcasts! They make me impatient!

I have many of the tools (or so I thought), some of the knowledge (just enough to be judgmental), and I keep hearing these wonderful compositions. Surely I can come up with … something? Well I m trying my hand at it..and boy is it humbling. Some things I’ve learned in the last 24 hours:

  • I really do need to know my Theory better. Yep. I spent 2.5 hours trying to find the “right” chord progression for the horns and if I knew my theory I’m pretty sure it would have taken me about 10 minutes to end up where I finally did. I’m not even sure where I ended up is “right”. We’ll see if it survives.
  • It’s the articulations, stupid. I have three Orchestral Libraries: EWQL Symphonic Orchestra Platinum, VSL Special Edition, and Miroslav Philharmonik (acquired over the years during various sales and promotions). Between them, I have a pretty good set of different articulations. Unfortunately, I don’t seem to have the particular type of articulation I need for the Horn section that I hear in my head. OR I do, but I need to construct it out of several separate articulations (via a great method offered by Todd Jones in episode 4 of the VSL Podcast), and I don’t understand how to do this. Right now the horns sound tired and extremely flabby despite all types of velocity and expression programming. (They are supposed to be epic and a call to battle!) I think maybe they are just the wrong articulations.
  • Choose your orchestral library wisely. While trying to solve the above problem I thought I’d use bits and pieces of all three libraries to create the arrangement. I discovered that it is very difficult to layer up the EWQLSO and VSL Libraries convincingly without a lot of work on reverb and ambiance. The VSL instruments are recorded really, really dry. This is nice because you can add exactly the type of reverb you want. EWQLSO is recorded with a lot of presence and a big hollywood sound. Even “dry”, it has a good deal of reverb in the recording. Getting the two to play nice requires a good deal of work. I’m sure it’s possible, but I didn’t get there. I had more success combining the EWQLSO with the Miroslav Philharmonic Library. (I use the MPL to provide some bite to the horn section.) So basically the lesson is this: When you pick a library, choose one that you can grow with. The VSL product line has (1) amazing breadth, (2) extraordinary depth, and (3) a breathtaking price should you want to get the whole thing. EWQLSO has (1) a big sound, (2) a fair number of articulations, and (3) a reasonable price (particularly if you can get it on sale). The VSL still wins on the breadth and depth, but it is just too expensive for me.
  • What does a reasonable expression automation curve look like for horns? Cello? Violin? I always read that careful programming of note velocity and expression (cc11) goes a long way to helping your parts sound more authentic. But what does a reasonable expression curve for an instrument look like? Is this a reasonable bit of cc11 programming for a “horn” section?

expression

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Pandora

After a very long hiatus, I’m getting geared up to re-launch subnoto::indico. A lot has happened in the last few months: Family life. (We bought a place. We moved into a place. We unpacked. We are still unpacking.) Work. (And work. And work. And work.)

Moving is a lot harder than I remember it being the last time around. (Less stuff and no toddler back then may have something to do with it.) I finally have a small room (9′ 3″ x 9′ 7″ to be exact) to put my equipment in. Yay!

There’s going to be more happening with subnoto::indico this year. More interviews, more reviews, more tips, and quickprops. In fact, the first podcast will be posted at the end of the month. I’m interviewing Detroit-based ambient performance artist Michael Elliott about his tools, studio techniques, and his upcoming new release. (This may be posted at a future date.)

In any case, I just wanted to post a quick note right now, in part to try out this new theme. I also thought this new widget over at Pandora is pretty cool. I especially like the visual activity representation. (Click the ‘visualizer’ button below.)

nk:e

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New blog theme…a work in progress

underconstructHi folks,

I’m experimenting with a new theme. I like this one quite a bit. I’m working on customizing it. There also seems to be a stylesheet problem for comments in Safari 4.0.2. If I can’t get that sorted out, I’ll need to move to another template.

In the meantime, enjoy and let me know what you think. If you run into a problem with the template, leave a comment with your operating system and browser version info. Thank you very much.

Cheers.

UPDATE: I got it sorted out! If anyone wants to know how, leave a comment and I’ll contact you.

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A New Version of Nodal is on the Way!

Straight from the new Google group set up by Peter McIlwain and crew at CEMA:

CEMA is pleased to announce that it has received additional funding to continue the development of Nodal. We are currently in the process of updating the current version, along with releasing a version that runs under Microsoft Windows. These new versions should be released around February 2009.

Further development of Nodal will continue in 2009, where we will move to charging a small fee to purchase an updated version of the software (Windows and Mac compatible). Fees collected will go back into further developments of the software. Updated versions will include technical support, a more detailed manual and tutorial guides. Please check back on this page throughout 2009 for updates.

This is exciting. I hope they figure out an easy way to sync this thing with my DAW… I highly recommend checking this out at the link below.

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  • More info on Nodal is here.
  • The Nodal Google Group is here.

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NAMM Winter 2009 … and the Impending and Very Sad Demise of a New Year’s Resolution

OK. So I was, um, not thinking. If I had been, why would I make a resolution only TWO WEEKS before NAMM to NOT buy any new synth plug-ins before June 2009? I don’t even have the excuse of being hung over. Oh well…

Here are some damn interesting things announced on the first day of NAMM, several of which will migrate into my possession at some point this year. (Note that except for a short discussion of Live8, this is mostly a list with links. I’ll write more on each of these in the future.)

Ableton announces LIVE 8

The biggest surprise to me was the announcement of Ableton Live8. Caught me completely by surprise.

First, if you have not checked out the videos on Ableton’s site, please do. Reading about the new features is not nearly as effective (IMHO) as seeing some of them in action. I’ve provided links to YouTube videos below, but better quality videos are available directly from Ableton at this link: http://www.ableton.com/home?movie=4

First up, there is an overview of Live8…

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Calling all readers…

Just a quick note. I’d like to increase readership and participation. If you’ve been following the blog (or are just here on a random visit) and like what you see, please consider:

  • leaving a suggestion on what you would like to see covered in the future
  • passing the site address on to others
  • linking to the site
  • leaving a comment
  • signing up for the eventual newsletter (email addresses will NOT be sold, shared, or given out in anyway)

Also a quick update: Unfortunately, I have had to start moderating  comments because there is a constant stream of ‘bot messages that assault the site everyday. I’m pretty good about making sure things get posted fairly quickly however. As soon as I figure out how to install a ‘Captcha’ type verification system (a bit of a PIA IMHO but necessary I guess), I’ll do that and remove the moderation.

To everyone who has checked out subnoto::indico so far: Thanks and please continue!

cheers.

nk_e

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