Have you ever wondered why samples sometimes lack that 'live' feel we work so hard to attain? I do orchestral work, and with my paltry collection of bits of this and parts of that, work hard to try and emulate a live orchestral sound.
The imediate response from many composers i've know in my lifetime has been
'Put more reverb in.'
I have to say i've never been satisfied with the results. There an almost invisible line between a dry sound and the ringing waves of over enthusiasm that's hard to find.
Given a superb sample library, i'm sure many of you have got close to this live reality, and it is certain that samples have helped bring us closer to this ideal.
But.......
So, I tried something else.
In an orchestra, and i have played in and worked with a few, there is a natural resonance. An example is: When Brass or Woodwind have a feature part exclusive of the Strings or percussion, they seem to create a sound that is more resonant than the sum of their volume and texture parts.
Why?
Because when they play, the resulting sound 'wave' teases the strings (and to a lesser extent the percussion) into an 'empathic resonance'.
A Contrabass player may be silent for a long period of time, but his instrument is still being 'played' by the 'resonant wave' generated by other instruments.
French Horns in particular seem to be able to do this, and whether it's the 'thickness' of the sound, or the fact they direct sound floorward, and the resulting 'resonance wave' seems to bounce more easily into the shells of cellos and CBasses, i'm not sure. But i do know, that when a clarinet plays solo, there is still a 'echo' of sound behind the real one, as if the stringed instruments are 'sympathetic' to the resulting resonance wave.
How do this relate to writing on a computer with samples?
I played in 8 bars of an oboe solo. (It can be a difficult instrument to manage in a thinly arranged or solo environment)
Behind the solo, and in the general key of the solo being played, i put a layer of strings (violas) just 2 volume marks above zero, playing long notes.
I couldn't hear the violas, but the oboe solo seemed to gain 'something' and sounded more lifelike. I'm sure with a little experimentation It could be improved.
And, in my opinion, this is the big ADVANTAGE of samples. In a digital environment every moment of data is faithfully sent. (dependant on technological serenity and no problems!) So, even if you think you can't hear the 'resonance track', it's still there. I reduced the Reverb and after comparison found a marked reduction in the level needed, for the same 'resonant sense of sound'.
So, for me, my little experiment seemed to work, and the Reverb button gets left alone more often, and when used, at a considerably reduced level.
I'm sharing this because it may help others as they pursue a real sound to their compositions and arrangements.
My regards to you all,
Alex.
The imediate response from many composers i've know in my lifetime has been
'Put more reverb in.'
I have to say i've never been satisfied with the results. There an almost invisible line between a dry sound and the ringing waves of over enthusiasm that's hard to find.
Given a superb sample library, i'm sure many of you have got close to this live reality, and it is certain that samples have helped bring us closer to this ideal.
But.......
So, I tried something else.
In an orchestra, and i have played in and worked with a few, there is a natural resonance. An example is: When Brass or Woodwind have a feature part exclusive of the Strings or percussion, they seem to create a sound that is more resonant than the sum of their volume and texture parts.
Why?
Because when they play, the resulting sound 'wave' teases the strings (and to a lesser extent the percussion) into an 'empathic resonance'.
A Contrabass player may be silent for a long period of time, but his instrument is still being 'played' by the 'resonant wave' generated by other instruments.
French Horns in particular seem to be able to do this, and whether it's the 'thickness' of the sound, or the fact they direct sound floorward, and the resulting 'resonance wave' seems to bounce more easily into the shells of cellos and CBasses, i'm not sure. But i do know, that when a clarinet plays solo, there is still a 'echo' of sound behind the real one, as if the stringed instruments are 'sympathetic' to the resulting resonance wave.
How do this relate to writing on a computer with samples?
I played in 8 bars of an oboe solo. (It can be a difficult instrument to manage in a thinly arranged or solo environment)
Behind the solo, and in the general key of the solo being played, i put a layer of strings (violas) just 2 volume marks above zero, playing long notes.
I couldn't hear the violas, but the oboe solo seemed to gain 'something' and sounded more lifelike. I'm sure with a little experimentation It could be improved.
And, in my opinion, this is the big ADVANTAGE of samples. In a digital environment every moment of data is faithfully sent. (dependant on technological serenity and no problems!) So, even if you think you can't hear the 'resonance track', it's still there. I reduced the Reverb and after comparison found a marked reduction in the level needed, for the same 'resonant sense of sound'.
So, for me, my little experiment seemed to work, and the Reverb button gets left alone more often, and when used, at a considerably reduced level.
I'm sharing this because it may help others as they pursue a real sound to their compositions and arrangements.
My regards to you all,
Alex.
