Serenade for Synchron Strings (Pro)

[MMKA]

I just finished a piece for strings, in this case Synchron Strings Pro and a little bit (only a few notes) Synchron Strings 1.
I integrated this patches in the presets of Synchron Strings Pro in the Regular Vibrato Long notes section and the Regular Vibrato Legato section.
I'm very happy with Synchron Strings Pro!

I hope you enjoy the music.

Serenade for Synchron Strings (an old version, see below the last version)

[William]

I listened to this and think your composition sounds excellent.  I wonder what this would sound like with VI strings in a MIR venue.  Though that might be too hard to convert just for fun.  

[MMKA]

Thanks, William, for your kind words.
After putting the Serenade on this forum I worked until today many hours to improve the performance. Creating a good and natural rhythm wasn’t easy. It is definitely not just a metronomical 1, 2, 3, 4, certainly not the first melody played by the first violins.

I learned also a lot from the video, made by Guy Bacos, called “Big Bang Orchestra, Tana”, Tana, a limited version of the first violins from Synchron Strings Pro.
Guy, as you read this, thanks for your video, very instructive!

William, I don’t have the guts now to make a version for VI strings (as you expected), because I know, that will take many hours to make a good performance.

 

Here is my final version (and in the meantime I learn again: say never "final" version 😉)

Serenade for Synchron Strings

[Jos Wylin]

Very nice work indeed, although I'm not so fond of the 'ambience'. It sounds a bit thick and loaded. If this is the natural reverb/IR that comes with the Synchron instruments, you could try turning it back a bits. I guess that is why William refers to the VI instruments (without any IR or tail). You can put the VI's in any room/hall/church... according to the size and volume of the ensemble and choose the right amount to reveal the beauty of the music in a 'natural' ambience.

So your work sounds great as music, but the orchestral listening quality could be improved. Of course everything depend on one's taste.

Thanks for sharing,

Jos

 

 

[MMKA]

Thanks, Jos, for your explanation about the sound. I'm glad that you wrote this, because this can help me to set the next step.
In Synchron Strings Pro there are many microphones to choose. I took a rather standard preset, but there are many more, with microphones that are further away. So I tried another microphone preset and set the link here. It is possible that it need some adaptation in the articulations, but I will do this later.

Update: I just finished the adaptation, and brought some other little improvements. Just click on the link to hear the last version.

I should really appreciate to hear your opinion about this sound, and also your opinion, William.

Serenade for Synchron Strings

(I use here the microphone preset: sur to stereo,
the other version had the preset: wide Decca tree, and the imager made the stage a little smaller)

[Jos Wylin]

Hi MMKA,

As to the sound, a little improvement but ,not too much (to my taste, which is not necessarily your taste of course). You can go on experimenting forever and that could be a good experience, but before you start creating an ambience, think first about what you want to achieve. For that purpose, you can find thousands of good recordings on YT, and for sure in the classical style such as your composition. When you found a type of hall sound that you really like (for such an ensemble), you can try to imitate it (MIR, Vienna Suite, Virtual Sound Stage, Synchron settings...). Try this with both legato and staccato passages, because the difference can be huge. In your piece here, that is quite obvious.

Another issue to work on could be the natural bowing dynamics. If you work with CC1 or CC7 (volume), it can sound quite exaggerated. I always create the bowing with CC11 (expression), if not detailed enough with CC28 (Vel.FX), through automation. I never touch CC7 in my mix, except to set the basic volumes per group or instrument (overall balance).

You can enter the Vel.XF sensitivity or range with the dynamic range scaler (CC30). For higher strings usually between 92 and 0. For winds, that would be far too much and impossible to play.

These are just a few pieces of advice, not things to absolutely imply. Your own experience is the best school!

A good composition always deserves a good performance and that's definitely the case here.

Have a nice weekend!

Jos

 

 

[William]

Jos you said something very casually that is huge - "You can put the VI's in any room/hall/church... according to the size and volume of the ensemble and choose the right amount to reveal the beauty of the music in a 'natural' ambience"

When I think about it this is the whole reason I like  VI and what makes it nearly infinite in possibilities. Absolutely pure tones that can be placed in any venue.  And in fact I was consciously doing exactly what you say here in all my recent pieces especially the small scale ones, which need an intimate sound and can use the intense closeness of the Silent Stage and  Dimension strings, solo, or chamber instruments that MIR can subtly place in any number of environments.  The basic sound becomes part of the whole musical idea very intuitively and expressive of the composition.       

[MMKA]

The discussion of this thread gave me the idea to do an experiment with Synchron Strings Pro + Mir Pro.
For this experiment I used the "close sur to stereo" preset of SSP and I placed the sections in the Gateshead the Sage Hall 1.
For those interested, here is the link.

Serenade for Synchron Strings in The Sage Hall 1