can somone suggest instrument attenuations...

[bluedane]

... for presence in a full orchestra? I think (re: the previous discussion on how to get that "big" sound) that I need to build out my orchestra a little more realistically - i.e. a flute is not as loud as the entire orchestra even though the samples will let you play them as such.

Can anyone suggest some reasonable (I know, it's all to taste) attenuations for instruments such that it sounds more or less realistic? For instance, if I have my string sections cranked at 0 dB, should my flutes be at -6 dB? Trumpets are lous - 0 dB for them, too?

Or am I asking a silly question here and missing something competely obvious?

Thanks!
-d-

[William]

I've been worrying about this sort of thing, and one thing that seems to have helped in a recent mix is not exactly an attenuation but rather compression of 1.5 to 1 for woodwinds in relation to other instruments to avoid something like the flute being louder than the trombones, etc.

Also, compressing the violas and basses, since they are much less powerful than the violins or cellos in an orchestral setting, and yet can easily be the same dynamic range because the samples are recorded exactly the same. The level setting for all can be about the same, or just a couple db less for the compressed instruments, but these instruments never get artificially cranked up in volume.

[Nigel Watson]

This is a useful thread: I often find that I have to raise the master output level on EXS Instruments when mastering (to improve S/N Ratio). I think that the standard EXS level setting of -6db for Instruments may be too conservative. Most of these instruments in an orchestral arrangement will be playing single or dual-not lines at most, so the likelihood of digital overload should be very small.

It would be useful to have standard level settings for instrument groups, that would speed up the mixing process.

I think I'll also post this on the Mixing/PostPro Forum

Nigel

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