Live Orchestra vs. Midi

[ernstinen]

I thought you guys would be interested in comparing a Midi demo of an orchestral piece of mine, "Elegy," with a recent recording by the Czech Philharmonic.The Czech CD has been released on the ERM label, but since it has sold thousands of copies and I'm now rich , I thought it was time for this comparo!Check them out at:http://www.box.net/shared/1icnu7dtsbThe Midi version was done well over 2 years ago, so the libraries are not state-of-the-art. But besides the human emotion and wonderful playing by the orchestra, both versions are surprisingly similar! Hope you enjoy the comparo!Ern

[davewalton]

Quote:I thought you guys would be interested in comparing a Midi demo of an orchestral piece of mine, "Elegy," with a recent recording by the Czech Philharmonic.The Czech CD has been released on the ERM label, but since it has sold thousands of copies and I'm now rich , I thought it was time for this comparo!Check them out at:http://www.box.net/shared/1icnu7dtsbThe Midi version was done well over 2 years ago, so the libraries are not state-of-the-art. But besides the human emotion and wonderful playing by the orchestra, both versions are surprisingly similar! Hope you enjoy the comparo!Ern That was cool! I don't know about the rest of these neanderthals but I thought that was fascinating. Immediately the main difference was just that of expression. The orchestral expression was smooth and had a wide dynamic range and the midi version was just less smooth and the dynamic range wasn't as wide. I'd bet $100 that now with two more years under your belt and maybe a nicer collection of orchestral samples, that the midi version would be even more convincing if you were doing it today.Of course by itself the midi version would have sounded fine and it still does. Sitting next to the orchestral version though, it kind of illustrates how subtle we (the midi orchestrators) have to be with our expression. Excellent post. Dave

[sgs4u]

Quote:comparing a Midi demo of an orchestral piece of mine, "Elegy," with a recent recording by the Czech Philharmonic.Check them out at:http://www.box.net/shared/1icnu7dtsbErn Ern, Thanks so much for showing that example. What a fabulous piece of music, and great lesson in orchestrating. Especially like Dave said, about the dynamics. I've been noticing how the Czech orchestra has various instruments each starting their notes, milliseconds apart. It creates such a different sound to swells as they build. Not at all the same as calling up some lame patch on my synth and pressing a key. It must have been quite a deep feeling of satisfaction when you finally heard the real orchestra's version, (at least it would be for me). How did they end of using/hearing about your composition? Were you present for the recording, and/or did you get to participate / trade 4's with the conductor? And as a fellow neanderthal like Dave, I was emotionally moved to press play, not once, not twice, but 3 times. Yes, I listened all the way through, 3 times. - that never happens to me, what have you done to me with this music? Is there some kind of subliminal message in your music, and how did you get the real orchestra to record it too? I feel like throwing away my song demos, to refocus on writing for orchestras. So please, warn me before you post anything wonderful like that again. It has a detriMENTAL effect on my psyche. hehe

[ernstinen]

Thanks for your responses, Dave & Steve! I'm glad the emotion of the piece came through. I wrote it out of respect for my departed relatives that I spent my summers with in N. Minnesota, so it DID come from a place of deep emotion.Quote:It must have been quite a deep feeling of satisfaction when you finally heard the real orchestra's version, (at least it would be for me). How did they end of using/hearing about your composition? Were you present for the recording, and/or did you get to participate / trade 4's with the conductor? Yeah, it's really cool to hear a real professional orchestral recording of your work. It's the second time --- Somehow, a few years ago, I got a "Call For Scores" email from the record company. They chose a piece of mine, "Vermilion River," and it was recorded by the Bulgarian Philharmonic. Unfortunately, the orchestra kinda sucked. But I thought I'd enter the competition one more time, and had a piece chosen AGAIN out of 100's of entries. Amazing.This time, they used the Kiev Philharmonic and the Czech Philharmonic, both really hi-quality orchestras.No, I wasn't there for the recording session. I'd sure like to jam with them, though! BTW, the series of recordings is entitled "Masterworks of the New Era." "Elegy" is on Vol. 10. They're going to keep cranking them out as long as they sell CDs, I'm sure!

[mazz]

Yeah Ern, beautiful stuff! For me there is just no comparison between the MIDI version and the orchestra. That is no slam on your MIDI chops which are very very good, but a group of excellent players is still the best way to go if you're fortunate enough to get your music played by them. (I even heard the flute player take a breath.) The emotions come through and the orchestra brought it out very expressively. Congratulations on this recording. Your music sounds great. What a thrill it must be to hear your music played by an orchestra. Very inspiring!!Mazz

[ernstinen]

Quote:Yeah Ern, beautiful stuff! For me there is just no comparison between the MIDI version and the orchestra. That is no slam on your MIDI chops which are very very good, but a group of excellent players is still the best way to go if you're fortunate enough to get your music played by them. (I even heard the flute player take a breath.) The emotions come through and the orchestra brought it out very expressively. Congratulations on this recording. Your music sounds great. What a thrill it must be to hear your music played by an orchestra. Very inspiring!!MazzThanks, Mazz! Yea, it was cool to hear human beings interpret the music.Speaking of "taking breaths," I have a "breath" sample that I created on my old Emu 6400 (just me and my mic --- no "heavy" breathing! ) I just may add a few to a new piece I'm finishing!Ern

[mazz]

I like the breath idea. When I listen to classical music on phones, occasionally you can hear the players turning the pages and other little room noises which, IMO adds to the vibe of the recording, if one can use "vibe" in the context of classical music I have the complete Beethoven string quartets by Guarnei Quartet and you can hear those cats breathing with the phrasing. I happen to like that, some may find it distracting. It's not as distracting as Keith Jarrett "singing", grunting and groaning! Keep up the good work!Mazz

[bc]

I see both pieces as having a "life" of their own. The midi cut is kinda' like Ern's vision-- with zero degree of separation. The live orchestra is amalgamation of multiple minds, feet and fingers, including those at the podium, reflecting Ern's vision back at him. Sometimes I like to look at the mountain, sometimes I like to look at the mountains' reflection on the water. Ern, what a mind blower to it most be to hear your work performed/interpreted by such a fine orchestra. Congratulations on a great piece of music.bc

[gitarrero]

hey earn,this is really interesting - thanks for sharing that.to me, the "real orchestra" version is way more subtile in the expressions. this might be diffrent in the midi version with current sound libraries - I don't know.anyway, your midi-version sounds great on its own, too!great work.cheers,martin

[drew]

Amazing, Ern.You were supposed to teach me how to do that.