Lend me your ears: ORCHESTRAL INSTRUMENTAL

[mikehamm123]

Would love your feedback:

https://soundcloud.com/user-819745024/o ... ie/s-J9IBt

My next step is the mix.

Libraries I'm using: Cinematic Strings, Concert Strings, Aurora Women's Choir, Orchestral Brass Classic Library, 8Dio Symphonic Shadows.

This will be my most ambitious mix to try to get it to sound like a 'real orchestra' and not a bunch of layered samples.

I may add tremolo strings to the second half, but that might be too much.

My biggest concern is the choir, especially at their first few bits.

Any comments welcome--on composition, arrangement, mix (so far)--any tips are appreciated!

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ORCHESTRAL INSTRUMENTAL CUES in a variety of Moods, Styles, Tempos, and Ensemble sizes are needed by a great, Exclusive Music Library with an incredibly long and impressive list of TV, film, and advertising placements! They’re searching for Orchestral Cues in all varieties, so we aren’t giving references because they would be too limiting!
 
Please submit well-crafted Instrumental Cues that sound like an authentic Orchestra, played by real humans. Your submissions can range from a small ensemble, to a full-blown orchestra, and anything in-between, as long as the believability factor is there. Anything that’s stiff, synthetic, or MIDI-sounding won’t work for this pitch. Build your Cue around a central melodic theme that sticks to a singular mood. Add and subtract layers of Instrumentation as your Cue progresses to keep it dynamic and not too liner or repetitive sounding. Submitting pieces that sound super realistic, with a mood that’s obvious and compelling right from the beginning, could be a big help in getting forwarded for this request.
 
Your submissions can be dramatic, militaristic, action-oriented, melancholic, futuristic (think Inception), Classical, and just about any other genre or style within the range of what you’d expect to hear done by an orchestra and useful for TV or Film placements.
 
All submissions should be about 1:30 minutes in length, give or take, with non-faded/buttoned endings. Do NOT copy the references in any way, shape, or form. Use them only as a general guide for tempo, tone, texture and overall vibe. Broadcast Quality is needed (great sounding home recordings are fine).

[daveydad]

Mike, yeah, the choir sounds a little MIDI to me. Can you layer it with another one or two choirs? Maybe add more reverb? I like the composition though!

[mikehamm123]

Thanks David. I'm going to drop the choir in the mix at its first entrances, add more reverb.

I'm actually using three choirs: Aurora, the stock Logic Pro choir, and a freebie male choir from Bigcat. The Aurora has too much vibrato and i was hoping to get more of a slide between notes. That was the whole point

I may have to use the cheaper choirs more in those first parts, as they are vibrato-free.

Actually I just looked and found a Bigcat female choir that is perfect--I'll drop that in. Thanks!

So i'm mixing this, and hope to have time for one more, that will be (the plan is...) a section repeated four times more in line with the listing.

[mikehamm123]

Well, the mix improved it but wasn't spectacular.

Kind of a challenging mix of sounds.

I also prepared another piece that fell apart midway through, but the basis will be useful for a later song or submission.

At any rate, sometimes you fall out of love with your submissions but hope for the best anyway

[waveheavy]

On the choir, you might think about fading the velocity and volume so it entrances and exits smoothly. Might help on some of the other parts as well.

[mikehamm123]

you might think about fading the velocity and volume so it entrances and exits smoothly.

Oooh good tip.

The ship has sailed on this listing, but that's a big piece.

Mostly I focused on minor variations in entrances/exits to get a less mechanical sound.

Actually I need to learn how to fade velocity on Logic--that's a big one. Thanks.

[DesireInspires]

The intro was too long, the choir wasn't interesting, and there was no percussion. I wouldn't go for a strict orchestral sound theses days unless you can get a real orchestra to replay your mockup.

I'd say make something that has some rhythm to it and add the orchestra and strings for dramatic flair. The Cue sounded like it was just stems of a bigger song and did t stand out on its own.

The listing mentioned "Inception", so don't be afraid to try a hybrid approach. Hard drums, sound design elements, big brass, and strings for dramatics would take the track to a higher level!

[mikehamm123]

The intro was too long, the choir wasn't interesting, and there was no percussion. I wouldn't go for a strict orchestral sound theses days unless you can get a real orchestra to replay your mockup.

Thanks--I appreciate the frank assessment.

Didn't even think of percussion, to be honest. I actually intended it to be a straight symphony orchestra, for the challenge of it.

My idea was they would take 20-30 seconds of whatever part suited them, so it wasn't designed to be a continuous, evolving piece--which may have been an error on my part. It was meant to be a 'needle drop' thing.

The choir was the hardest part for sure. I found the mix on this a bit over my head.

[mikehamm123]

On the choir, you might think about fading the velocity

is there a way to increase/decrease velocity in a single note in Logic Pro?

i.e. so a horn section crescendos during one long note or chord.

can't find it--only drawing stepped velocity changes among a sequence of notes.

the closest I get is 'midi draw' with 'expression'....

[waveheavy]

Logic has a MIDI window for every MIDI track that allows you to display Velocity, Modulation, Volume, Expression, etc., all the various MIDI controllers. The Velocity usually is displayed as a vertical line for the start of each note. Should be able to select the individual line/note, or a group of lines/notes, and change the length of the line to change the Velocity, etc.

On the choir, you might think about fading the velocity

is there a way to increase/decrease velocity in a single note in Logic Pro?

i.e. so a horn section crescendos during one long note or chord.

can't find it--only drawing stepped velocity changes among a sequence of notes.

the closest I get is 'midi draw' with 'expression'....