@dpcon said:
I'm sure we would all love and appreciate a detailed account of how the piece was realized as well (including dynamics and so forth). How much time did it take?
Hi again
As I promised: Here is story about the creation of the VSL- E-Partita-demo:
I think everybody has its own technic to get music with VSL. Maybe it also depends on the equipement you have. So the following story about the birth of the Partita in E is my personal way to produce music with VSL.
1. With the Logic-sequencer and the Bach/Mangiagalli-partitur I recorded voice by voice (Viol1, Viol2, Viola…). I always do this work without VSL but with my good old Roland SC-8850-Soundmodul. By the way: For the First Violin I used the step-record-mode in this case because the only length of most of the notes is 16ths.
2. Then I prepared the midi-file: I fixed all volume-values to 88 (One count before the important breakpoint in VSL: mf > f). Further on I quantized the miditracks and managed the tempo variations.
3a) Then the work with HALion and VSL began: With the actual Partita I started with „Violins1“. I played through their part while loading all the necessary VSL-files on the way to get the expected sound. In this case the first Violins did not give a lot of „VSL“-work (lots of 1/16). I marked every 2nd 1/16 in one bar, selected the menu-point „mark the same positions in all bars“ and in a few seconds all the stac-upbows and the stac-downbows where linked. For the first note in each bar I usually used the sfz-file. In a second round I corrected "bad-sound-problems" (see also answer to Nick).
3b) Now to the dynamics: With the drawing-mode I added the dynamics as they are written in the partiture (cresc / dim / p / pp …). I don’t have to say, that from now on all the corrections and changes are adapted by ears. In the end I exported the „Violins1-Track“ as a wave-file. Important for a good final result: Every instrument should be prepared so that you would be able to hear it as a soloist as well.
4) Doing the same procedure with every instrument I had finaly 7 wavetracks.
violins1, violins2, violas, cellos, doublebasses, soloviolin1 and 2.
The miditrack from Violins1 I also used for playing the soloviolin1. This is possible if you take the same midichannel-sample-links. (for example Violins> stac-1 = CH3 , Soloviolin > stac-1 = CH3). The final mix with the wavefiles I always make with monitors…using Logics effects and mixer-automation… using samplitudes reverb…
Time-management:
Point 1 and 2: around 4hours, Point 3a)b): around 8hours, Point 4: 2hours
In total 14 – 16 hours.
…To get the E-Partita-Mangiagalli-score tooks months some years ago.
Best wishes
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/