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  4. Copland - Quiet City

  • Copland - Quiet City

    H
    H
    Jay Bacal sent us this wonderful and touching version of Aaron Copland's "Quiet City"

    http://www.vsl.co.at/Player2.aspx?Lang=13&DemoId=4891

    thanks a lot Jay
    Herb
  • C
    C
    Jay you rock, I've always loved this piece @.@
  • B
    B
    excellent work as always! I can't wait to hear a J.Bacal Bruckner or Brahms full orchestra.
  • G
    G
    I like that juicy trumpet sound. Very nice!
  • R
    R
    Excellent string programming Jay. Some of the best I have heard. I am always so picky about strings - NEVER was I thinking 'sampled strings.'

    I should set your tutorial (and probably will when I have time, but can you tell us how you approach the string works. Particuliarily the eq and verb. Vel cross fading or dyn samples or both, etc.

    Sounds like ample verb with out smeering away the sound. How did you get this?

    Thanks Jay.


    Rob
  • W
    W
    Jay:

    Fantastic! That Trumpet sounds amazing. Also the strings and English Horn sound great too. What are you using for your second violin section? The strings sound very lush and smooth.

    Tom
  • JBacalJ
    JBacalJ
    Thanks everyone for listening and commenting!

    Rob-- One of the "tricks" I discovered was to layer the "vibrato-down" solo string articulations during the softer dynamics. These articulations have warm attacks with strong but evolving vibrato. Try them, you'll like them.

    Also I tried to prioritize the tone and timbre even above proper articulation. In other words, for example, if the forte legato ensemble cellos were too harsh for a passage, I searched for other articulations with a warmer tone and then layered the solo cello on top to sew the phrases together.

    I also did tons of volume (CC 11) shaping as well as frequent use of the crescendo and diminuendo samples. I avoided the modwheel crossfade patches. Why? I just like knowing exactly which dynamic level I'm working with. Although for certain long-note passages the crossfade patches can be indispensable.

    I used no EQ. I have EQ-phobia. For me, chosing a pleasing reverb and finding articulations with a pleasing timbre are 90% of the battle. But I do wish I had a better understanding of how and when to use EQ. It remains a mystery to me. Things tend to sound worse and not better when I muck around with EQ.

    Speaking of reverb, I used the new Altiverb 5 Vienna Konzerthaus Large Hall with the "color" knob turned to IR.

    Tom-- I used the Appassionata Violins (plus layered solo violin) for both the first and second violin sections. I used Waves S1 to narrow the stereo width of the second violins a tiny bit more than the first violins and I panned them between 10 and 11 o'clock.

    Best,
    Jay
  • F
    F
    Great, so dont you think it is now the right time to give an ultimate VI-answer to Charles Ives "unanswerd question"? [[;)]]
    Steffen
  • R
    R
    Thanks Jay for your reply and information. Very helpful.

    Rob
  • M
    M
    I am trumpet player and I studied this in college. I could never have played it that well. sounds great.
  • Beat KaufmannB
    Beat KaufmannB
    last edited
    last edited

    @JBacal said:

    ...I used no EQ. I have EQ-phobia. For me, chosing a pleasing reverb and finding articulations with a pleasing timbre are 90% of the battle. But I do wish I had a better understanding of how and when to use EQ. It remains a mystery to me. Things tend to sound worse and not better when I muck around with EQ.
    Jay

    Hi Jay
    Congratulations also from my side - it's another "JBacal". Great work and the details of
    the instruments are very well worked out.
    I would have a suggestion which you could try out... but what a pity that you have an EQ-phobia...
    my suggestion has to do with EQing... may I go on?... If you start to sweat now please stop
    reading this post.

    [*-)]:
    If not...

    As you know the solo instruments where recorded at silent stage very close
    to the microphon.
    In your piece the Trumpet and the English Horn should sound far away. They do it but they
    sound too voluminous in my opinion. For example the English Horn in the mid (more forte) part.
    Please go to my tutorial EQing / cutting frequencies There are examples...
    Try it out with the EH and the Trumpet if you want.

    All the best from a currently very
    hot Switzerland (33-34°C)

    Beat Kaufmann
    - Tips & Tricks while using Samples of VSL.. see at: https://www.beat-kaufmann.com/vitutorials/ - Tutorial "Mixing an Orchestra": https://www.beat-kaufmann.com/mixing-an-orchestra/
  • JBacalJ
    JBacalJ
    Thanks, Beat. I'll have a closer look at your tutorial and try to be braver with EQ on the next piece. [:D]

    Best,
    Jay
  • G
    G
    Great work!
  • J
    J
    Jay....

    wow, this programming is amazing...you, and others who post on this forum, are just working on a different level higher than..well, at least myself!

    I also am a trumpet player, and this programming sounds amazing. I hate to disagree with Beat, but I think the trumpet sounds great...I don't disagree with his statement that the trumpet should sound far away per say, but I should note that when I see this piece performed, the English Horn and the Trumpet are in front of the orchestra...where I disagree with him is regarding the trumpet sound...I love that you were able to make the trumpet sound full..that is, have a full body of sound...so many sample libraries rob the trumpet sound of it's darker overtones...I would agree with him about the oboe though... just a thought or two from an electronically uneducated soul!

    Josh
  • J
    J
    a side note...I'll be honest and say that I hope that at some point that the muted samples for trumpet are rerecorded. To me, the muted trumpet sounds like a tinny loud harmon mute...or something...to me it just doesn't sound as good. side thought...haha, maybe it only sounds bad because the rest of the library is so darn good!