Orchestral Programming: Day Three

[@rodrigororiz77]

We need day four, for the live recording, and day five, for mixing, in the case the composer has to mix himself the track, often the case with low budget projects. Thank you Christian for this series, really, really good.

[@PhilipValdesMusic]

I have my first session with a real player in a few weeks, this was sooooo helpful and made me much less nervous about it. Thank you!

[@MrMusic238]

Good luck!

[@zacg2953]

how did it go?

[@fisherjakob216]

You probably dont care but does anyone know a way to get back into an Instagram account?? I was dumb forgot the password. I would appreciate any help you can offer me.

[@tannerkannon2535]

@Fisher Jakob Instablaster :)

[@fisherjakob216]

@Tanner Kannon I really appreciate your reply. I got to the site on google and I'm trying it out atm. Takes a while so I will reply here later when my account password hopefully is recovered.

[@MarvinXOnline]

I wasn't even looking for this originally. I think I was exploring some tutorial on Abelton's site when it triggered an ongoing interest in digital orchestral creation - specifically an interest in the technical aspects of phrasing within any given DAW - when a Google search led me to Day One of this series. Mate, am I ever so grateful for that occasional happy accident, and for your particular treatment of the subject. My ultimate interest is in scoring my own music for a certain film series I'd like to make. Words can't describe how inspiring this was. Thank you!

[@TalmoTheSell]

"There are no accidents." -Master Oogway

[@waynemiller6070]

It seems with a tight budget, these instrument suites with the right person at the helm could be quite believably convincing that an actual orchestra performed the piece. Christian, as much attention as you pay to the details of how instruments are played, I feel confident in saying that you have probably done that very thing. However, getting the score printed and hearing an actual orchestra perform your work must be quite exhilarating. Speaking of details, thank you so much for putting so many into this valuable series.

[@MehulPandit]

These videos are simply fantastic. I myself studied in a conservatory but it was all bookish knowledge. All that he is teaching here in these videos are so practical things. He makes it so simple. Please keep making such videos Christian and Spitfire!

[@Gage647]

Fantastic video. So rich in info and insight. Very helpful. Now finish the series with Orchestral Programming Day 4 and do the live session with the musicians. PLEASE.. For those of us intimidated by that last "real" step. Getting that live player in for the first time is duanting . You are a marvelous teacher Christian, Thank you and keep it up.

[@42King]

These videos were so helpful and inspiring. I’ve played in rock bands for 15+ years. And produced and mixed rock as well. I got an opportunity to possibly score a feature. I built some sample scores around the look book of the film (as it’s not cut yet) and I’ve gotten nothing but positive feedback from the director so far. And one of the pieces is being used to build some of the edits. these videos were a massive confidence booster and mental help. I have A LOT to learn. But Leaning into it all.

[@TerenceKearns]

So there's no day four (recording) :( Hey this series was great. Thanks so much.

[@tb-303devilfish8]

Thank you for this series. I have just begun orchestral programming after years of believing I would fail if I tried, thankfully I haven’t failed and I have much more confidence after watching these videos. Great work!

[@Victor48323]

Thank you for your videos. I love them! Please do not stop. I need “more days” of your videos to come!

[@Shrooblord]

Great series, thanks! There were a lot of bits and bobs I think people of any skill level could pick up on. Your presentation style is beast -- I almost feel like I'm watching a documentary on the BBC. Good production value for sure.

[@gastonduroc201]

Almost a miracle for an instructional video from the Spitfire site: We can see here from time to time the score editor of Logic pro X in action! It changes us from the ubiquitous piano roll. So thank you for "these moments of grace". Thank you also for all the quality videos already made (but without the shadow of a single score). PS: We can manage with Logic's score editor almost everything that we can manage with the piano roll ... but shh ... let it stay between us.

[@silviodiego22]

What a wonderful job! Thanks for sharing your knowledge! I'm impressed with the quality of the information you've passed! So easy to understand and absorb! Absolutely amazing! Thanks!

[@joshgiesbrecht]

Aw I wanted to see the live session so badly! Such a fantastic series, learned so much.

[@disvillage]

After years of being an orchestral French Horn player, I wish I could download all of those years of experience to you. But, the manner in which you go about this is awesome. Also, look at the way Ravel orchestrated his bolero music to mimic pipe organ harmonics. Also, the silence is just as part of music as the non-silence. Take the entrance to Beethoven’s symphony no.5.

[@arpanmahida]

Thank you so much for this. Great tutorial.

[@lalathings]

Thanks a lot for this ! Will be glad to hear the result with the two musicians :)

[@AlanJunior1]

Thank you so much for this videos!!!

[@angelogarcia1980]

Thank you Christian

[@claudep.1926]

The SSO and Chamber Strings sound absolutely gorgeous... my BBCSO urge dropped quite a bit after watching this video. Thank you!

[@ToxicTurtleIsMad]

No reason to get BBC when you have sso

[@martinkvassaykubik2462]

Moc se mi to líbí a ta hudba je nádherná. Jsi moc šikovný, děkuji ti.

[@LorneMacDougall]

Thank you - another great video, and now I feel like it's been a cliffhanger leading us into Day 4!

[@renevanderbruggen731]

Thanks a lot for sharing your way of working !

[@chris_wicksteed]

Love all the info on how to prepare for working with fleshly musicians. Something you don't see discussed in other places so much.

[@Frank.Zimmermann]

Hello Christian, Thank you ever so much for this excellent series, I enjoyed every minute of it, and it was marvellously presented! For me as a beginner in composing for media this was so exciting and inspiring. I'm looking forward to seeing/hearing more tutorials from you. :-) Cheers Christian, and best wishes from Berlin!

[@Yiorgos.Magoulas]

Fantastic tutorials all of them. Thank you!!!

[@chrisgorman]

Thanks again for such great content, Christian! Really useful advice, really well delivered. You're truly demystifying lots of apparently daunting things and it's a huge help for folk like me with no real tutored background in the field.

[@officialgranbymusic]

Great informative video Trilogy.

[@AlekVila]

I was unaware of the term normalizing MIDI so I did a Google search and found Normalize Region Parameters. Reading about what it does, I think this is what you meant. Just sharing in case someone finds it helpful. What a great series. Like the others, I would like a Part 4!

[@franmalbran]

I always wondered how to move from composition to scores (as there are all these "thingies" we do to make samples sound better). I see that there is no way around all that work (other than having a scoring person/team, which sounds beautifully dreamy). Waiting for chapter 4 and getting in the studio. PS: btw, it's working: I want the whole set of Spitfire's VIs :P.

[@MichaelGodwinCCP]

I haven't watched this one yet!....But thank you so much for these videos....Some of the best teaching Ive seen online for these techniques......!!!

[@em-dashman4404]

What a great series. I’ve literally just dipped my toes into this world, and am thinking I might go get my trunks and dive in 😎

[@antkn33]

Great stuff! Thanks!!

[@kirbyspencer]

Another nice tutorial video on the very basics of prepping for live players - which we should all be doing more of. As a side note, the Adler book is great and a staple among most orchestrators. It'll last a lifetime so its worth the price.

[@smiggy1968]

Fascinating stuff Christian. Thank you for the insight.

[@jimsanger]

Great video, I'll bookmark it and hope to use this in the future if I'find the right project

[@silversulu]

A most excellent series, CH.

[@mogopolo]

Thank you so much for this... keep posting pleeeaase!!!

[@WillWilson]

Such a useful and insightful video Christian, thanks for taking the time to take us through this process. Looking forward to Day 4. Bought the Walton Piston book before Christmas based on a recommendation from your own Channel. Super useful resource to have on your desk!

[@georgemickel6608]

Invaluable! Thank you Christian

[@adirondackcomposer]

Thank You so much.

[@rockguitarpower]

That was great! Super helpful. Loving this series!

[@myszek512__6]

Fantastic series. One point.... what about percussion? Especially chromatic percussion? I played bells & timpani in school so I'm more attentive to them.

[@tronkiechannel]

Is there any way I can repay you for putting out this content. I feel so alive, inspired, encouraged and supported when I watch these videos.

[@PeteCalandra]

This is excellent. I think another thing to think about is how an instrument sounds in different ranges. There is a G below the staff on the violin that is an open string and also the lowest note on a violin so there is no vibrato on that note so to make it blend with the cellists vibrato is something to be aware of. Also the open string might have a different spicatto sound than the cello does. Learning these things ( which one would after a session with live players) is really important.

[@ClaudeWernerMusic]

You can do a vibrato on an open string, they do it by waving their left hand...

[@PeteCalandra]

Is this snark? If it is, it's not helpful to anyone reading this. If it's serious, one of the top string players in NYC just texted me when i asked him about it (and when he says an octave above he means on an adjacent string): "Never heard of that, but I suppose an incredibly subtle effect may be possible. What we ACTUALLY do is finger a note one octave above an open string. Vibrating that finger creates a sympathetic vibration."

[@ClaudeWernerMusic]

@@PeteCalandra Pete Calandra "Is this snark?" Not at all friend. I'm surprised your friend said that, to me it was demonstrated by a humble school violin teacher from the north of England during a casual conversation. She took the violin out, bowed a low G and with her left thumb still pressed against the neck waved her fingers (like waving a hello). I just asked my flatmate (who's also a violinist) and she said she does it by fingering an octave G on the D string and vibrating that (whilst bowing the low open G of course, not the D).

[@PeteCalandra]

@@ClaudeWernerMusic The second method is what my friend said.... I've been playing with string players for decades in NYC and never heard of or saw first method. Even tho, it would still be a different kind of vibrato than having your actually fingers on the string you are playing. Thanks for the info.

[@AndreasvanHaren]

Thanks again for a great video, Christian!

[@micksworldofdrums]

Absolutely love this series and your presentation style; you're so clear and easy to understand, even as a beginner. I used it as a tutorial (which I followed step by step) to get me started. Thank you for making it. Got me started/hooked on my path to media composition 6 months ago and I'm loving the journey. Have you released a complete version of the tune you walked through? I noticed you used it for the Earth EDNA walkthrough, which sounded amazing!!

[@maldigar]

Thank you.

[@rubenmolino1480]

you could show how to work from a score of a string or wind quartet ... even if it is something short of 20 measures ..... and how to work with the different joints in the DAW ,,, from a sibelius for example .. ..thanks since now .

[@Cornissimodk]

Regarding spacing above/below staves... please treat them as you would write lines in a book - don't space them out evenly on the page, creating big gaps between the staves. It is much easier for musicians to read the music, if they spaces between the staves are smaller rather than larger. Off course having the readability of the individual staves in mind as well.

[@Cornissimodk]

Hi @@pete3816. Having worked professionally as a music engraver myself. With experience in composition, arrangement and transcriptions for both orchestras and wind bands too, I believe I might be able to provide some advice on this topic here. Have you considered the advice I gave here or are you just reacting to the fact that advice is given? Do you believe it is a good idea to space out the staves on the page or have played music written like that? - If so/yes, why? Please share your experiences.

[@MrLaggsy]

Looking forward to Day 4. Thanks

[@zed1122]

Thank you for the video :) I would love to see more of something like your orchestral programming series.

[@jadonharper1493]

This has been a fantastic series! Thank you.

[@yourmovieshow9522]

Hey sir this series amazing thank you so much ☺

[@byroncole6106]

Awesome! Thanks for this update!

[@craigaycock505]

Great advice. Thanks!

[@GraemeWoller]

Brilliant series, and I've learned a lot! Thanks for the time and work you've put into this. :)

[@CharlesHarrisonMusicTuition]

Sorry to have missed the premier; many thanks as always!

[@Braindrain85]

20:33 I want to sample that and make a track with it XD ... great video and awesome libraries. If only I could afford them ;)

[@dromerboi]

You're incredible, thanks for sharing!

[@RichardBoyer]

Thank you for your generosity

[@richardlatham3771]

hey Christian, I know I'm a bit behind in seeing this but are you going to do a Day 4, 5

[@TomikJC19]

Please, what is the shortcut for 7:10. Thank you

[@dafingaz]

Great stuff!

[@aiyka_music]

So is everything just panned to centre? Would this be mixed and mastered with additional plugins?

[@timethymccroff]

please make more of the cinematic music videos !! I would eat it :)

[@RhonVanErman]

Fantastic, thank you!

[@jodagold5481]

I'm buying BBC library simply down to these three Vids - I'm gonna be skint for a bit but it's time to bite the bullet x thanks again Christian very much appreciated very helpful indeed

[@jodagold5481]

@@pete3816 yes I did but I appreciated the efforts made in these tutorials... Hence my comment, its good education

[@AndrewCleaton]

Quick question... Do you include the 2 bars count in on your scores, making the click bars 1 & 2 with players coming in at b3. Or do the players see their entry at b1 and just listen for the 2 "imaginary" bars of click? Does this make for any confusion between ProTools and printed score - with the engineer mentally having to subtract 2 from every bar number he mentions to the players?

[@unitydutyanddestiny2266]

At 27:03, this is addressed

[@gorgonoide]

Would like to see the diference between midi and the real instruments of one track of you!

[@leloupstef]

Thanks for the great videos. Like you I write music and songs with a friend that does the lyrics. Like you I have limited musical education, I can follow a score and I'm a decent piano player . Like you the music is in my head demanding to come out. I've been doing this for many years (without your success). And interesting enough I have come to many of the same conclusions and technics as you have over the years . I have also found myself confronted with the same dilemaes as the ones you treat here: eg how do I get the violin part more expressive , sweetish, chocolaty (as you say so exactly). I never could explain to others how I do it. Have you ever read a book on some pshychology aspect. You read what this guy says and you think yeah, yeah, right that's exactly how I feel, why can't I put it in words. Thanks for doing exactly that: put things into words that normally are not explainable in words. All the best. Stephan from France.

[@marsnwalker4271]

Hello sir can you please recreate Arrival to Earth by Steve Jablonsky

[@JuergenWedenhin]

Hi Christian, very cool and excellent videos. Have you the sheet from the final score in pdf Format?thanks, br Jürgen

[@EdwinvandenAkker]

12:26 The _next-next generation_ of people will all refer to books as *paper-websites.* 🤣

[@markusfaerber2854]

another one PLS!

[@EdwinvandenAkker]

I can't find *Day Four* Is it not out yet?

[@marksadventures3889]

Greatly explained, I like the click and may nick that. It's true about the 1 count I'm not into that, it's very off-putting in places.

[@hyeongwonhan4036]

Do all the samples sound like they do in the video without mixing?

[@waynemiller6070]

A couple of times around 8 minutes you quantized to 8ths and then back to 16ths. I don't understand what quantizing back to 16ths does. If you've quantized to a lower resolution what good is raising the resolution afterwards? Doesn't it essentially remain at 8th note quantization?

[@marcusdacombe4280]

Day 4, Where is day 4? Awesome, accessible stuff, thanks. (Day 4?)

[@1st2mind]

Everybody else already said it; amazing videos. Thank you so very much. But it leaves me with kind of a nerdy/technical question: What’s the point of spending hundreds, even thousands on extremely natural sounding soundlibraries featuring some of the greatest musicians in the world - recorded at the legendary Abbey Road studio or AIR studios, and giving us “that sound” - if we’re gonna replace it all? Most likely NOT recorded in Abbey Road or AIR studio and most likely NOT capturing “that sound” AND room ambience we paid a lotta money for? Best regards and thank you so much again for these amazing videos.

[@alawa215]

merci

[@neeratron]

1year on Earth = 1 day on planet Spitfire

[@AnthonyMillerComposer]

What kind of midi controller is he using for his expression and dynamics?

[@RobertAnthony86]

Amazing.

[@jos9573]

Is Logic good (enough) at using the correct accidentals? Or is it one of those things you should definitely double check every time? Thanks Christian!

[@ninpup]

I don't have logic, but having heard from friends and worked in it a little bit I think it's definitely better to check every time.

[@stofenn]

Day 4!!! Day 4!!!

[@brianmendenhall5157]

Does anyone see the Agatha Christie folder on the Spitfire Desktop? Another focused sound library like Bernard Hermann? Wishful thinking.

[@cajonaconaquetebotou]

23:40? Psycopho(fun)ny? _Frizzante_ articulation? ;-D

[@JamesWilliams-ki7im]

What DAW is he using? Logic Pro X?

[@smokezz9]

Awesome tutorial, Christian. You look like you were caught in pub fight?! :D

[@rysbayev]

Where's the final result ?

[@billdomb]

Surrounded by all sortsa gear. Howzabout a tour sometime?

[@giovannialfano5979]

I love that the wording is still in italian :-)

[@tonybrown7408]

All the way through my brain is shouting 'Why a Bars Rest for the violin in Bar 9 ...........'

[@DiskordiaUKGR]

where is part 1 and part 2 ?

[@DiskordiaUKGR]

@@mooglp2373 cheers

[@tej_s9]

I think you spoke a little incorrectly about the phrasing and slurs. The slur should happen on the first two notes instead of the 2 and 3.

[@tivermusic]

I bought „Orchestration“ by Walter Piston for 60€ second hand...

[@steve5073]

so what is the point in spending hundreds or even thousands on orchestral libraries just to get the real thing to play?

[@earthcarmusic]

So much information in such a short video - "normalise MIDI" - who knew?

[@kcshin4846]

force legato : shift + \