Musical Examples

[Bassetthorn]

Reference the musical works demontrated here on the VL website:what software/DAW/Notation programs were used in their creation? I am particularly interested in what software was used to control key changes and articulations or was everything composed in Instruments Pro?

[jasensmith]

Let me preface this by saying that I have not been bestowed the honor of having one of my works demo'd here on the VSL site 😳

 

However, I know that every composer has different set ups and systems so you would have to ask them what they used for which specific demo.

[Stig Christensen]

I think it would be nice if VSL would create some videos, maybe use some of Guy Bacos nice music to demonstrate how a good result is achieved.

I mean there is much more to the final result than choosing the right instruments, libs and articulations. I have just downloaded Williams-ET-Adventures, programmed by Jay Bacal, and it is interesting to see how a big piece like this is created. The downside is that you need all of the used libraries (and it's a lot) and MIR Pro to hear it, but it's definetly worth the effort if you have some of the libs AND MIRPro.

I think it would be a very good idea to expand the services from VSL to include a walk through of the work of some of the very accomplished composers and programmers, who works with VSL.

Sometime I feel that VSL is selling me all the parts to a "super car", and then it is up to me to assemble the beast, while I'm watching all "the pro's" driving by in their fantastic "automobiles". But nobody seems really interested in lending/selling me a manual. I get some short glimpse of the "magic cave" sometimes, but most of the time I'm told that you have to experiment your-self. That takes a lot - I mean A LOT - of time without no garantie, that you finally will be able to create a piece of music, that is worth listening to. And please remember I'm NOT referring to composing, but to the programming, eq-ing, compressing, panning and so on.

I think we should be better at sharing our knowledge with each other. 😊 

[Beat Kaufmann]

@Bassetthorn said:

...I am particularly interested in what software was used to control key changes and articulations or was everything composed in Instruments Pro?

HOW TO GET RESULTS WE KNOW FROM THE DEMOS?

If you want to reach very musical results you should use a DAW and not a Notation Program. The reason for that is that you - for such musical results - need to treat every single note sometimes and the change of different articulations needs to happen sometimes from note to note as well. Further you need to use several controllers (XF-Velocity,...) for having a flexible dynamic and finally you should not forget that also the tempo may not be fixed for musical results. So all the parameters which "make the music" to control at the same time within a score program is not as easy as within a DAW.

As an example: Watch this video please. How would you control all these different velocities within a score program? ff, mf, p, mf, fff, ...?   And this is only "varying the parameter velocity".

So my recommendation for best musical results is "use a DAW".

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Also, do not forget that you should know a lot about the instruments you want to simulate with samples. Music, simply played by technical experts, contains endless legatos, wind instruments never stop for a breathe, have a static tempo, etc.  So I maintain, that somebody who is able to play a real violin will get more natural results with violin samples as well.

Examples here as well:

• BWV 1041 (found in the internet), VSL-Samples, mixed with MIR, - stands for a more "technical result" (could be done with a score program - why not)
• BWV 1041 - stands for a more musical result with a more carefully done mix without a mixing-machine. (done with a DAW - I am quite sure ;-)

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Even if you all did the right way until here the ability to mix an orchestra (played with samples) is important as well. Of course we have MIR and other "helpers". But these mixing-helpers are coming with such a lot of possibilities, that you also can do more wrong than right. Listen and compare the two examples above. To get good results with the "mixing-helpers" needs a lot of exeperince and knowledge as well. Simply taking some presets can not win the race.

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Putting all the points together from above:

Those demo-pieces are the result of probably thousands of hours experience in the worlds of midi, music, technique, trying to reach the same mix you heard from a professional or from a real recording, ..., ...

So the decision "DAW or Score-Program" is just one of a lot more points which will lead to nice (demo-) results.

Nevertheless I wish you a lot of success, good decisions and in the meantime always a lot of patience 

Beat