I enter notes using an Axiom 25 keyboard on my desk-- but rarely in real time.  With complex passages I often use step record.

--Jay

Fiery Angel,

Just my 2 cents. I've gotten used to entering notes mostly from the keyboard (as in midi controller) in the piano roll view, or the track view in Sonar, and keeping my written score on paper. There's a certain restriction/abstraction with entering notes into a sequencer because it really seems more set up as a 'punch card' graphical interface. I know Sonar has the rudimentary notation, but you're right, it's nothing too fancy.

Have you tried Sibelius or Finale for entering your notes and then transporting the midi file over in Sonar to finesse?

Mahlon

hi,

i love your interpretations, too. the beethoven string quartet is extraordinary.

do you do this with just ONE computer? and all your big orchestra stuff, too? how do you do this?

thanks for your help,

martin 

Martin-- I only use 1 computer for all my demos.   I have 4 GB's of memory and use the 3GB switch in Windows XP.  When I run out of ram I use the learn and optitmize features to dramatically reduce the memory used by that instrument.

Best,

Jay

DM-- I do us overlapped notes and delayed starts so I don't think the actual score would look right as it is.   But I currently don't have a need for a cleaned up score since real players are not involved in my process.

I create a human feel by randomizing start times slightly.   I also move notes around by mouse to create the desired nuance.   Finally I spend a lot of time tweaking the tempo map to create rubato, ritards, etc.

Best,

Jay

thank you, jay, for your info.

just one last question. how du you input your key switches? do you do this by step recording, too? i sometimes find this step time consuming,

thx, martin 

Martin-- I enter the keyswitches by mouse in the piano roll view.   This takes some time.   But if I wanted to record them in real time on the keyboard I would have to rehearse the maneuvers.  Also entering them by mouse enables me to test out a variety of keyswitches to better choose the desired articulations.

--Jay

DM-- I use the Cakewalk midi FX in Sonar to randomize start times and sometimes velocity.  I haven't messed around with CAL yet.

--Jay

Hi...

I'm quite a new user of VSL and try to work with the "Prayer" tutorial done by Jail, available in the Solo String section demo, and, when I import it in cubase, the result is quite different from the one I can hear in the mp3 demo.

Do you use additional effect to give a better sound quality, like reverb effect of something like this?

In this case, can you indicate me which software or plugin you use additionnaly ?

Thanks very much for your help,

Best wishes,

David 

@jammusique said:

Hi Jay Bacal, Very nice work! I'm wondering if you've ever tried comparing your results with Altiverb to any Hardware reverbs with VSL (TC 4000, Lexicon, Bricasti). Audio engineers seem very inthusiastic about the new Bricasti reverb...

If you have a look at the equipment of Jay and listen then to his demos you will realize that it isn't really the Bricasti or any other high-end-piece which makes the race.

Other abilities are necessary:

1. You need to know your samples (how do they sound (each layer)) and all the possibilities of the sample player (VI)

2. You need to know how all the used instruments play the music in the reality (even better: You are able to play all of them)

3. You need to know how to use your current effects - and of course you need to know their weak parts 

4. You need to know how to mix an orchestra

5. You need to have years of experience in producing music with samples.

    That's quite a lot, isn't it? But then comes the most important thing:

6. You need to have a lot of ... and even more ... time.

Because you need to be willing...

• to click each tone more then on time...
• to give each new tone another articulation...
• to try out lots of articulations just for a short single phrase until you got the best solution...
• to fiddle around hours and days just for some minutes of music...
• to optimize the finalmix by using track automation for filtering, adjusting the volume and more - this for each instrument, each group and the whole orchestra...

Jay is really a master in all these points. His results are speaking for themselfs.

And

...if one or more points of the upper list are missing no Bricasti will really save the piece.

Of course: Jay's results would sound even better with a high price equipment - could be...

But Jay Bacal shows us in an impressive way that it is possible to get fantastic results without high price tools.

So this statement could also give "comforting words" for all of us who are not able to buy those expensive tools [;)]

Best

Beat Kaufmann

Hi,

I'll just take this opportunity to thank Mr. Bacal for his very good work but also for his generosity.

When I began using VSL, I was a bit discouraged by the result I got compare to the demos.

Even though I had very good experience with synth and DAW, the sound I got was getting nowhere.

So, since Mr. Bacal demos comes with the actual midi tracks and matrix, it helped me a great deal to study his approach to achieve  a good result. It really helped to understand the 'mechanic' of using vsl.

His demos were  invaluable for me. Then I developed my own approach. 

I'm still far from his results but at least, I"m getting better and better results.

Thank you very much for sharing your work!!!

Jean Roy

ps.

According to your demo list, It seems that we also share some musical taste.

Hi Jay, I think you are one of the best midi editor, by far the best.

You should really consider setting up a class or your own blog to teach how you edit those score and make it sound so real like an orchestra.

I will certainly pay for this kind of lessons.

Kindly let me know if you wanted to teach this for private lessons.

Thank you.

Best Wishes

Jeremy

VSL user

Hi Jeremy,

Thanks for the kind words.  You can learn a lot by downloading the midi files included in the tutorial of the various demos.  

Also I highly recommend the learning materials supplied by Beat Kaufmann.   I personally learned a lot from his postings.

Best wishes,

Jay