Vol control and Pan question

[caseybasichis]

Hi,
Would someone mind giving me an idea of how, numerically to pan an orchestra for a hollywood type sound? ie violins R45 (of 100) Bass L22 etc? Also does anyone split off the lower end of the contrabass in the center? Im mixing for rock/electronic but i want to get a film string sound, but i have a feeling, due to the use of the sub in 5.1 our preception of the low end of the contrabass and cello in cinema would be more centered (although bass is omni diretional anyway) in any case it feels really odd to sit bass on the right instead of the center in a rock mix.

Do you all assign the modwheel to volume? Im using opus1 in Kontakt (I converted it from giga in CDXtract) And i wasn't sure what the best way of controlling dynamics was, i suppose i could assign it to an automation track as well. Any thoughts?

Finally, for the Opus 1 library, what are the best patches, for doing sustained strings where i can alternate between a fast attack for quick lines and a slower attack with either a keyswitch or mod wheel? The stacatto and detache stuff is not as usefull to me, im mostly looking for a big lush tear jerker type sound.

Thanks for the help. I'm really excited about this library, I just switched from miroslav, seems to be a whole new world of sampling.

Casey

[Nick Batzdorf]

I think there's an orchestral seating chart on this site, but if not it's in the VSL manual. There are slight variations in different orchestras, but that should give you an idea.

[caseybasichis]

yeah i saw those. I was looking for more of a numeric reading of what has worked for people ie L/R Center (0) - 100. Both the cellos and basses are on the right, but im not sure how far each should be to the right to get a sound similar to hollywood scores.

[PolarBear]

You can scan the manuals picture (or screenshot the one from the digital one), and put your numbers as coordinates right under it and to the sides. Or print it out/copy from the manual (best with a slight enlargement) and do it manually with pen on paper [;)]

PolarBear

[christianobermaier]

>im not sure how far each should be to the right to get a sound similar to hollywood scores.

Getting the sound of a 'hollywood score' has nothing to to with panning. If you play back a hollywood score in mono, it will still sound like a hollywood score.

Then, what do numbers mean anyway ? Play a CD of a score you like in terms of sound stage, or even better, go to a classical concert, and use your ears from there on. Listen where the various instruments are and set up your pans accordingly. This is not hard to do, as your ears are *very* precise in this respect, since it helped your ancestors to avoid ending up as food for saber tiger babies.

If you feel unable to spot individual instrument sections in a finished product, then you should practice that, or else panning would not gain you anything substantial anyway.

Christian


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[caseybasichis]

Clearly there are people who have had success achieving similar goals using the exact same sample library that I'm using. I was just hoping to hear some specific advice from someone with experience mixing the libraries samples in the style that I am trying to achieve, as the tools are pretty much exactly the same. I generally try to avoid reinventing the wheel. I'm not a soundtrack writer and I have a lot of other aspects to focus on. I would understand if someone felt protective of their "trade secrets" and didn't want to share for fear of losing their edge, but I hardly think that my question, and then specific clarification, asked for a philosophical lecture on the merits of doing it yourself. When I ask for the time, I don't want instructions on how to build a watch.

So now am I going to get flamed I will someone lend me a hand.

Casey

[Dietz]

@caseybasichis said:

[...]
I would understand if someone felt protective of their "trade secrets" and didn't want to share for fear of losing their edge
[...]
Casey

Casey,

I know it's hard to believe (at least my students always gave me strange looks when I told them for the first time): There are no trade secrets, hidden buttons, undercover tricks, black magic rites, or anything else like that.

Given enough time, I would gladly give you a complete run-down of each of my mixes, but you wouldn't gain one spoonfull of knowlegde, because you wouldn't know _why_ I decided to do so. - During the next mix, I would do something completely different, only based on the information my ears receive, and on my imagination what I actually_ want_ to hear.

What you will have to do is either doing it the hard way (trial and error, DIY, the way most of us learned their stuff), or you are one of the lucky few with access to an experienced audio-guy, who lets you hear with _his ears_, so to speak. (IOW: You are in the midst of the action and can assess _what_ was done _why_ - just because you have the direct before/after-comparison).

I hope you get the point ... I'm sure that several people (including me) in this forum and elsewhere on the net will happily share their "wisdom", but in a way this won't prevent you from "re-inventing the wheel" somehow.

All the best,

/Dietz