Using A FADER CONTROLLER With Strings

[@t3br00k35]

All TV music and film music sounds the same nowadays because there are hardly any real composers doing it. You know exactly what I mean.

[@TheCrowHillCo]

I don’t think I do and I’m clearly not watching the same stuff as you! With love I’d genuinely like to hear your definition of what a “real composer is?”. I’d then be certain to offer up a contextualisation of why you may think that way based on my experience in the industry but according to your definition.

[@basboerboom9328]

I disagree. Because not all modern "composers" are classically trained with the same ruleset using the same classical instruments, composers become more creative and experimental with sound, composition and instrumentation. Maybe TV music sound the same, but that is not because of the composers aren't "real composers", but because it has to be made very fast and efficient. There is little time for really refined and technical stuff.

[@shaihulud4515]

Do you mean "tone" or "composition"? While the first one surely is not the case, the second would be open to debate: there's certainly some zeitgeist (if you will) that may leave the impression of everything sounds the same. But that's what "real" composers came up with. I think, it's much more interesting to hear what a non classical trained composer may come up with. It's a bit like saying all modern fotography is nowadays the same because it's not done by professionals.

[@nardeccs4452]

What a great way to think about string arrangement! Awesome vid thanks!

[@4kfreelance]

No questions today but thanks for sharing your workflow with 1st, 2nd, Va and Vc.

[@FLH3official]

Thanks for the video, Christian. My own technic when I have to overdub CC11, CC01 (and CC21 for vibrato when needed) afterward is to close my eyes and imagine the gestures of the string players, the movements and positions of their bows, the pressure. It's a little bit like singing=breathing when you have to mimic wind players, a good way not to kill your trombone players by asking them to sustain for 5 bars at 70bpm.

[@jimrogers7425]

I finally had the opportunity to watch this all the way through. Brilliant! Cheers!

[@rodterrell304]

Christian, you are always so helpful and gracious in your sharing of valuable information. thank you, sir.

[@neilingle794]

A really good walkthrough and explanation that encourages us all to use the tools at our disposal. It's interesting to note that you are effectively telling us to constrain our access to the tools - limit the voices and keep them apart on the keyboard, and avoid dynamics that a real player can't or wouldn't perform. Rather than stifling creativity, these limitation actually free us up to create more. Like most people, when I get a new sample library, I'll play it like a piano (well actually I'll just press as many keys as possible!) and the result ain't great. The key is to empathize with the underlying sampled instrument - and it could also be argued, to also 'create the way to play' a synth instrument, and stick to those rules. Deep down inside me there is this little voice squeaking, 'cheat! cheat!' It's only real if I can play it all at once (good luck with using two hands plus CC controls!) But videos like these help us all to realize that we're not cheating, we're not fraudalent - it's ok to play parts in separately, it's ok to record the dynamics separately, it's ok to play the whole thing as a rough ensemble, then use MIDI editing to split it apart... ...because ultimately it's the finished article (hopefully beautiful music), and the journey to get there that matters most.

[@mhavock]

i like your video title and thumbnail. really good to see someone not using click bait to get views. Good video also!

[@DominikHolenstein]

I could listen to Glass Strings for hours, so beautiful!

[@colinbradford2671]

Mind…blown..but thank you for a great tutorial with your characteristic passion and verve.

[@AMBIOSIS]

Nice one Christian, I also find that a whole lot of people play a 6 string guitar on a keyboard with 10 fingers. I have always done voicing, it helps tremendously with placement on the stage area and stereo field, so to speak.

[@Nico-ff1fg]

Working with musicians is actually one of the most rewarding things you can do as a composer

[@amphonix_blue]

Very helpful Christian - more like this please - every day! 🙂

[@garricknorthover6014]

Thanks very much Christian. I can't overstate the value I got from your Orchestral Programming Day 1 and 2 vid a few years back and now this one gave me an aha moment on why I have struggled so much with strings. Charlie needs to give you a knighthood 🤩

[@Simeon_Harris]

that was great. lovely sounding string library. i'm digging the slightly more chilled vibe as well.

[@alancooper7018]

Another wonderful tutorial that is so educational. Thank you.

[@wyshwood]

I am constantly hunting out musical talent on Fiverr to overdub or replace parts of the songs/tunes I have composed. This always lifts the over all sound of the thing into 'real' territory. It gives authenticity to something ultimately faked by my key samples, no matter how well they have been programmed or played. My keyboard is velocity sensitive which I employ to give a similar effect to what is achieved with a controller such as this. When I can afford one, though, I shall be exploring the possibilities. Thanks, Christian.

[@MichaelDowComposer]

You can get much cheaper ones or ones attached to keyboards already. Go second hand and you may only spend 20/50£€$

[@wyshwood]

@@MichaelDowComposer Proper 100mm 2 or 3 sliders? Other than eBay, where do you recommend?

[@Oliasn8]

Great stuff here, Christian! Thank you! 🙏🏻

[@maryshaw4399]

Thanks Christian, great video! Reminds me of your original orchestral programming video. Remembering SATB voicing on the strings is so helpful! Please make more vids like this one. PS - the studio and you look great!

[@PullsTheTide]

When you said "force legato" I thought, "Is he using logic by any chance?" as I regularly use this function on Notator on the Atari ST which is logic's predecessor. Great function!

[@LuisTorres-qz5kr]

Thank you very much for this tutorial, much appreciated!

[@alisafarpour5638]

MAN you do inspire. keep up the good work 'cause there are other with the same situations.

[@simonminay5177]

I love those string sounds

[@screwloose_productions]

Great tutorial ❤

[@IS-]

Just lovely. Thank you for the great advice. I, for one, really appreciate these. I can read music, but very rusty, slightly dyslexic, and rather out of practice LOL! I find it easier to write rather than read music.

[@novachord1]

Excellent, Christian!

[@TheCrowHillCo]

I’ll raise it with the team. Quickest response always will be via the zendesk helpdesk thingy.

[@waverleyinstruments]

Very cool. On the rare occasion I did stuff for an imaginary string section I had a strip of tape on my keyboard showing the range of the instruments - the lowest note being the most important ;-) Also worth remembering that lowest note will be an open string so you might want to avoid it. And... Imagine going to the recording session with all your parts separated out and the viola player saying "I can't get down to that note". Awkward! So yeah, that may have happened to someone I know... :-) I think you've got the MIDI note number ranges on your blag sheets, but don't know if there's an "at a glance" string section version that shows the typical ranges / overlaps like my rudimentary scrawls from 20 years ago! -Rob @ WI

[@WinItReigns]

I love this show😊

[@PhaseDeRecherche]

Thank you very much !

[@viktorerdody5368]

Chris, these tutorials are great. I love strings incredibly, I deal with them a lot. I think most of the work is with strings, but what is certain is that with today's libraries you can do very good things. In connection with your latest string libraries, glass strings, I am interested to know when the NKS mapping is expected. I work with a screen reader and use komplete kontrol under reaper, and in case of NKS mapping I would consider buying glass strings. But I think many blind composers would wonder. I am still working on a string orchestra, and I have already introduced a lot of realism with midi cc automation, which can be solved very well in Reaper with a screen reader.

[@Markplaysmusic]

Have you thought of foot pedals like volume pedals and sustain? To free up your hands. I've been recording each stem separately; i start with Bass and Celli and add the higher registers afterwards. Am i doing wrong? Where do you get those faders? I shall and find them.

[@neilingle794]

Foot pedals are a good idea, although I do struggle with fine control a bit (the more delicate the movement, the more my leg starts to shake!) I'd really like a sprung-loaded expression pedal, I don't think there are any? Ultimately one that can be switched between 'latch and momentary'. But I've wasted too much time chasing the perfect controls, gotta get back to actual music-writing...

[@fwscoringmusic6670]

I always use at least 2 cc on the same time in my controller. Cc1 and cc11. Sometimes I add the breath control which with strings control often the vibrato.

[@mortenkalland]

Thank you. I have Abbey Road One, and Presonus classical instruments. I use Nektar keyboard with faders on the keyboard. I need to learn this better. :) Jesus bless you!

[@bassManDavis1953]

Brilliant, that sounded great, where can I find out how to overdub the expression ?

[@joostvanbunnik7646]

Awesome

[@threnkeldwingnut]

Christian, have you tried playing an MPE controller, like an Expressive E Osmose, ROLI Seaboard, or Linnstrument? I find that to be a great way of recording live expression with both hands, with all ten fingers able to perform expression and timbre independently at the same time.

[@thenoahstockton]

Hey Christian, I’m so happy to see these kind of tutorials again! I have a question for you or for anyone who may know. I use ableton and I have trouble with expression saving after recording. Are there any settings I need to change before recording?

[@JamesGilbertMusic]

Have you experimented with drawing in automation in your DAW and comparing the result to doing it the way you did here? I find it easier/quicker to write in the automation and like the result but I've never compared the two ways. BTW, voice leading and voice writing was one of the first things I was taught in composition class. They are an essential part of most orchestration. I do have to disagree about voices never ever crossing. Rarely it's okay if you have a good reason for doing it. Thanks for these informative videos.

[@billsimpson1085]

Should be mapping your parameters to an expression pedal.

[@chasvox2]

Sent an e-mail to your company re: Mojave and L.A. visit. Details were included.....and yes...everyday is a school day.....

[@thomasbroker69]

Thanks Christian that’s helpful, but what I really wanted to know was how to set any midi fader for these kind of expression controller? love the monitor, always wondered who bought this crazy overpriced things

[@elliotnicklinmusic]

Couldn’t find an affordable software or hardware 1:11 solution for MIDI cc1 and cc11 faders so asked chat gpt to write me an iPhone app for it. It’s going live soon 😂😂😅

[@EM0TI0N1]

Brilliant video especially good to know how the live orchestra works in conjunction to the way you score in the DAW notes were made thank you.... I wanted to ask is it necessary to have these types of controllers if I have a keyboard with assignable faders as well as knobs, Do they do the same thing? or am I completely off the mark?

[@LearnCompositionOnline]

Absolutey the same. But better to have long faders and separate

[@neilingle794]

They are all just MIDI CC controllers! Longer travel is best, but ultimately it's the smoothness of the fader that matters. I've got Monogram CC controls, which are quite costly, but allow me to move around and reconfigure. However, sometimes just the good old mod wheel, and maybe also an expression pedal does the job.

[@EM0TI0N1]

Thanks guys I appreciate the advice, my M-Audio controller has faders but they are centrally placed which means it would be easier to automate after maybe, but I see the attraction to have one hand on the faders and one on the keys. My faders are short also so maybe the modulation wheel would work better if it was programmed for longer duration etc.

[@neilingle794]

@@EM0TI0N1 that's what put me off the Arturia keylab, faders on the right. But of course, doesn't matter if you're mixing in dynamics afterwards (which Christian has now given us all licence to do 😉).

[@EM0TI0N1]

@@neilingle794 yeh if anything I think I'd rather do that anyway rather than multitasking 👍

[@strangehermitage2299]

The title literally gives you all the information you need.

[@davidasher22]

I've been having issues with Glass Strings in Logic creating secondary automation lanes for cc1 and cc11 making it near impossible to edit. Anyone else having this problem? Any word on an update?

[@TheCrowHillCo]

How weird, not an issue I've heard of, please reach out to our CX team sounds like an interesting problem.

[@davidasher22]

@@TheCrowHillCo I did. originally i posted about it in the Crow Hill Network under "bugs" but no one replied so I sent an email support last week. I've talked to others experiencing the same issue. hopefully we can get it sorted out.

[@LearnCompositionOnline]

Whoever didn’t study music theory why compose for strings as a classical composer would do instead of songwriting ? It will be too hard or too cliche, or too fake . It is very possible and affordable to learn music theory to a basic extent of doing string arrangements , this is not like reading Plato in greek fluently.

[@colin-the-big-man]

Stop saying "live Musicians" its live music!