Break Free - a short video I made with VSL instruments

[tinycomet]

I regularly come here to listen to people's work, and am always astonished... I am truly not worthy! But I do enjoy composing from time to time for my personal video work. Music is not what I aspire to do for a living (I am a video producer by trade), but I thoroughly enjoy making my own tunes anyway when I can, and always try to make things sound better.

Things really didn't work in my favor on this shoot, after being kicked out of my planned location with time running out before the light was gone, but with all the obstacles considered, I think it worked out pretty well.

The piano and synths were from other VST instruments, and I used the VSL Essentials library in this for all the strings you hear. It honestly sounds fake to me, especially compared to what I hear on this forum. Maybe I don't have enough articulations to really sell the sound as more authentic? More likely though, I imagine it's because I must be doing something wrong. Any tips would be appreciated!

In the meat of the video, I'm using 4 tracks. Legato cello from the Chamber Strings preset, legato violin from the Solo Strings presets, and the sus violins, bass, and viola from the Chamber Strings as well.

Hope you guys enjoy!

[William]

That was really well done!  I like the video - was that woman a ballet dancer?  She was very good.  Also, I didn't hear any problem with the music.  You are too critical!  I am also doing both film and music so it is great to see somebody else working on both.    

[tinycomet]

Thanks William! Yes she was. She was fantastic. I was lucky we got to shoot before she moved away the next day! We very nearly never shot this after being kicked out of the original location. 

Haha, it's very possible I'm too critical! I think what I might be hearing is the dynamics of the strings. I struggle to mimic real-life dynamics, so in the opening notes when she breaks into dance the second time, it sounds a little synthesized to me. 

Anyway, thank you again for the feedback!

[tchampe]

This is absolutely exquisite! I especially liked the tight sound and close-ups in the real world...her handbag and shoes, the distant sound of traffic (on Wahsatch Dr, I suppose), the sharp clicking of her heels on the bridge...it's all outdoors but it feels claustrophobic and closed in. Then, in the dance sequences, slo-mo and just your music. Freedom! Your dancer is wonderful and your cinematography and editing showed her moves beautifully. As for your music, I'm with Bill. Don't be too critical of your work; it fits the video perfectly and sounds great. Bravo!

[tinycomet]

Thank you so much for such high praise! Maybe I've heard the song too many times. I also realized earlier today that I forgot to move the instruments left and right of center. Right now everything is in the center channel... oops!

I should also clarify, the VSL samples themselves are incredible, and it's an instrument that I never get tired of. The problem I feel is that the samples are SO good that they shed a light on my shortcomings as an amateur musician! 

It's so nice to hear that you appreciated the sound design and foley work. In my process, foley work is where I hit a wall and suddenly wish I'd never started the project at all haha. Making music is difficult, but I can do it comfortably with MIDI keys that let me change things until I'm happy, whereas foley... ugh. I'm just not properly setup for that. 

That dancer was so talented! I feel lucky that I got to film with her. It was the last project she did in Utah before she moved away to California the next day, so I was glad we got to work together at all, or this never would have happened!

You're located in Salt Lake City as well? This was shot at the University of Utah close to downtown. 

[Seventh Sam]

@tinycomet said:

It honestly sounds fake to me, especially compared to what I hear on this forum. Maybe I don't have enough articulations to really sell the sound as more authentic? More likely though, I imagine it's because I must be doing something wrong. Any tips would be appreciated! 

I watched the entire film and it was only as it was ending that I remembered there were supposed to be some fake-sounding strings I was supposed to be critiquing.  In other words: nothing jumped out as fake to me 😊  It works!

On a pedantic side note, it's interesting to me that you used the word "fake".  In my opinion, *all* soundtrack music - live or sampled - sounds fake; we simply don't have the technology to truly and 100% accurately reproduce the experience of being within listening distance of a live musician or musicians.  We can get a damn-good approximation, but approximations hardly make great art by themselves 😊  I mean, why do filmmakers choose to film in 24fps when 60fps is much closer to what the human eye actually perceives?  Because - I would posit - the more "fake" 24fps simply looks better from an artistic standpoint.

Another example: the piano in your film.  It sounds "fake" in that it doesn't sound like I'm sitting in the audience of a piano recital.  It also sounds beautiful and perfectly fits the aesthetic you're going for - spaceless, ethereal, warm...almost like the piano is inside the head of the listener rather than in any discernible location.  If it sounded more "real", it would sound more "fake" to me in the context of your film.

So, if I were to nitpick, perhaps what you're hearing is an aesthetic disparity rather than lack of realism.  Upon subsequent scrutiny, I think the reverb on the strings doesn't quite match the piano and other elements, making them stick out in a way you don't like.  Another suggestion might be to ride the dynamics a bit on the strings, make them breath a bit more, but only just a bit; could be as simple as upping the dynamic range slider a tad.

Anyhow, apologies for the essay.  Me + coffee = what you see above.

And nice job!

- Sam   

[tchampe]

@tinycomet said:

You're located in Salt Lake City as well? This was shot at the University of Utah close to downtown. 

No, I'm from Colorado Springs, but I've been to SLC a few times and could tell where you were.

Sam, all I can say about your essay is "+1". You very clearly elucidated what I've long felt about recorded music, particularly as it is used in the cinema. Cinematic orchestral sound has evolved in a way that sounds extraordinarily "fake" but works for its intended purpose. Your remark about the frame rate brought to mind seeing the Peter Jackson Hobbit films in HFR (48fps) 3D. I was struck by how obvious it made it that these were actors in make up performing on an artificially lit sound stage...you could tell that Ian McKellen's beard and nose were fake and the mix of CGI with live actors in the green screen shots just didn't work. It is ironic that a technology that makes the film much more realistic has the troublesome effect of making it clearer that it actually is fake. It is harder to suspend disbelief and just live the story.

This, of course, makes for an interesting problem for VSL, whose whole claim-to-fame has been the extraordinary realism of their products. For those of us hoping to accurately create concert music that we will, in all likelihood, never hear performed by a live professional orchestra, VSL is the only game in town. But for the folks who are sure that they will be the next Hans Zimmer, it's a different story; the hyper-realistic VSL samples need a battery of expensive, complex plug-ins with an El Capitanishly steep learning curve to make them sound "fake" in just the right way. Enter the BBO line. Good stuff, but you have to wonder if VSL has got a long road ahead of them trying to catch up to competitors who have been following this approach for years. What I don't understand: why VSL doesn't focus its marketing on musical hobbyists who actually want to hear music they have composed. Set up a website to present concert music created by customers using their products; contests for concert music (not wannabe film scores) made with VSL stuff, judged by big-name music pros and with nice prizes; you name it. Do you think it is because their products are too expensive for hobbyists? No way! People will pour plenty of dough into hobbies they think will give them pleasure and satisfaction, and music has always been a prime example (do you think that Steinway only sells pianos to the Rubinsteins of the world?). Well, however it goes, I wish them luck. They make great products and I hope they will still be around when I have saved enough pennies to get them. End of rant...

[tinycomet]

@Seventh Sam said:

So, if I were to nitpick, perhaps what you're hearing is an aesthetic disparity rather than lack of realism.  Upon subsequent scrutiny, I think the reverb on the strings doesn't quite match the piano and other elements, making them stick out in a way you don't like.  Another suggestion might be to ride the dynamics a bit on the strings, make them breath a bit more, but only just a bit; could be as simple as upping the dynamic range slider a tad.

This is incredibly helpful Sam, thank you! I think that might be a lot of what I'm hearing. I just took another listen to it, and I'm definitely hearing a little too much reverb on the strings, especially when they really come in strong. They sound a little muddy to me. I'll play with that and see if it helps!

And yes, I'll play with the dynamics as well.

Thank you for the wonderful compliments as well, I really appreciate all the feedback I've gotten with this one! I also really loved your perspective on what "fake" means. You're so right, too. I take that "fake"-ness for granted in the film world because I'm so used to it. The music world is still a bit foreign to me, so I don't recognize the value of "fake" as readily as I do when I see it in film.