@PaulR said:

[ And also, is this the 'new' Dan Dean horns along with the VSL horns? [H]

Sorry. Check that. I was thinking of Kirk Hunters Virtuoso Series Orchestral Brass Ensembles. My mistake. [:O]ops:

I agree with Evan on treating the virtual orchestra seriously - in fact, you can treat it MORE SERIOUSLY than a live orchestra, contrary to what many people believe because you simply are not allowed to do to a live orchestra what you can do to a sampled one - go over and over a passage to the point of psychopathology to get it right.

Also with Paul that this is very interesting way of working - it could be inspiring to some composers and generate more enthusiasm in the middle of a project though to others it could be damaging to the process.

however Paul - no, No, NO, NO, NO, NO!!!

"Legend of Hell House" is not bad at all - it is Richard Matheson's excellent riff on The Haunting, and very atmospheric and well done. Also it has an extremely effective analog synth score - very subtle, not at all 70s though the film was made in 75 - with a few orchestral sounds integrated like horns playing open to stopped on one note and a contrabass clarinet.

Though you are very right Paul about "The Haunting" original and "The Innocents" - two of the high water marks for horror films. Also black and white - it has been pointed out that black and white affects the mind differently than color, and is especially suited to psychological horror due to its abstraction of reality, contrasted to color's more ordinary replication of it.

@William said:

however Paul - no, No, NO, NO, NO, NO!!! "Legend of Hell House" is not bad at all .

Is it not bad Bill? If I can't remember something, I usually write it off as shite. I'll check it the next time it's on and come back.

Paul,

Perhaps I shouldn't be so vehement (especially since I don't know what "shite" is) but I really like "Legend of Hell House" partly because of the mysterious Pamela Franklin. Who was in "The Innocents" as the young girl, and in LOHH as a medium.

She has vanished from the face of the earth, and no one can trace her. A beautiful English actress who was a child star and later had important parts in "Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" (not a favorite film of mine - Maggie Evans tends to gag me - but Pamela was great in it) and a number of others. She apparently cannot be traced nowadays - perhaps because her later roles deteriorated to exploitation films, and she had a desire to permanently retire?

Maybe you as a countryman might have some inside dope on her?

Wow - this has gotten a bit far away from Benny, hasn't it? Have to do something about that I suppose.

@William said:

Wow - this has gotten a bit far away from Benny, hasn't it? Have to do something about that I suppose.

Happy to oblige. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Benny Hill is one of the great musical talents of the last century and the model for all British composers since.

Paul must be proud indeed.

Dave Connor

Dave, I couldn't have said it better. I especially admire how Benny would integrate the burlesque numbers into the rest of his awesome and subtle work.

An inspiration to us all, but most especially - I would venture to say - for our British members here on the forum. Some of them have such high esteem for Benny (naturally) that I think it's very appropriate for us Americans to comment in an unbiased way.

@PaulR said:

...this is a G5 with which sequencer?

Actually it's a Dual 1.42Ghz G4 running Logic Pro and a few instances of EXS with my own brand of "super ALL" instruments.

Piccolo Legato
Bass Clarinet ALL
Contra Bassoon ALL
Contra Basson Legato
Horns Legato
Dan Dean Horns Ambient
Dan Dean Horns Muted Ambient
Contra Bass Trombone
Piatti (2 players)
Calliope
Timpani
Post Steinway D Acoustic Piano
Violins Legato
Violins ALL
Violins Pizz ALL
Violas ALL
Cellos Legato
Cellos ALL
Cellos Pizz ALL
Contrabasses ALL

That's it. 20 EXS Instances and 2 Altiverbs. I shortened the Altiverbs to 85% duration for a kind of PHASE4 sound. AltiVerbs are 100% wet. No dry signal (as it was intended).

The rest is in the orchestration and composition!

[[:)]]

OH!!!!

By the way, last night I ordered a Dual 2Ghz G5 / 3.5GB RAM / 160GB+250GBSATA HDs.

Anyone want a Dual G4 1.42Ghz with 2GB RAM and 3 Drives inside (120GB, 250GB, 250GB)? I think $2300 is the right price. Maybe More. That's Maximum RAM and 620GB HD inside. I also have a new 250GB I could put in the 4th slot for a total of 870GB HD on internal ATA busses.

Gonna change systems in the middle of this project! [:(] No problem! [[:)]]

Evan Evans

@William said:

Paul,Perhaps I shouldn't be so vehement (especially since I don't know what "shite" is) but I really like "Legend of Hell House" partly because of the mysterious Pamela Franklin. Who was in "The Innocents" as the young girl, and in LOHH as a medium. .

Evan,

I don't wish you to be contaminated by this post in anyway, so don't read it.

Ok Bill. so now the truth comes out aye? Phrases like 'beautiful English actress' and 'mysterious' may be a bit of a giveaway. Got a thing for our Pamela then? [[[;)]]] Hmmmm! The inside dope? I seeeee! Well, she hasn't vanished as a matter of fact, and she appears from time to time on television dramas over here. Born in Japan, 1950 (her father was import/export) which probably means he had a double O link somewhere [[[;)]]] ) Looks pretty much the same. I remember her as the medium, with the medalion type thing, and also in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie with, I think you mean, Maggie Smith?
When she was just starting out, she was going to be the obligatory female Dr Who assistant, but the part went elsewhere. (Notice how polite I'm being up to this point).

However.....however......

You two young lads, yes, you and Dave, WILL be punished for this. Maybe not now, or even soon. BUT...but.. once is barely acceptable, twice is pushing the boat out. I'm like an elephant. I don't forget, and I will have my vengeance ( Christ, I sound like Gladiator)!

[6]

Sorry, quite right Paul, I meant Maggie Smith.

To return to Herrmann,
many people have criticized his conducting. However, I like it very much, especially his conducting for later lp recordings of his scores.

The reason people have criticized it is because his tempos are slow. (Also, because he was a total a**h*** to the musicians. Just like Gustav Mahler. Why that would ever create any problem I can't imagine.) But slow tempos are a typical problem with composer-conductors not constrained by tempo tracks. The reason is they are trying to soak every last iota of expression out of the music, and that usualy entails slowing down. But if you listen to the lp recordings Herrmann did, they are fantastic. Like the best of them - "Fantasy Film World of Bernard Herrmann." An incredible sound showpiece, and partly because he took his tempos slowly and wrung every last drop of expression and color out of those amazing scores.

Also, his conducting of Arthur Bliss's tremendous score to "Things to Come" which was featured on "Great British Film Scores." The last section, which has a triumphal brass chorus is spectacular, and yet he had the brass lay back a little, around forte not ff as written in the score, and slowed the tempo far below the film's, to create a truly majestic sound. An example of how saving the loudest dynamic to the very last chord can create a much more powerful effect than having everyone blowing as loud as they can constantly - as is done all too often today.

@William said:

...create a much more powerful effect than having everyone blowing as loud as they can constantly - as is done all too often today.

As it is in my main Titles! [[:)]] lol

No, but it's the main Titles. And there will be some soft passages. Also, I can make any note louder than any other note at any time just through orchestration.

I ain't afraid of no "notes"!

Who ya gonna call!? Notesbusters!

[[:)]]

Evan Evans