Orchestrating a Melody in 3 Unique Ways with Cinematic Studio Strings & Solo Strings!

[@oskiallorio2478]

Great work! Thanks for sharing your art and your approach to composition and orchestration!

[@TomHarroldMusic]

My pleasure, thanks for watching!

[@bastionecojone]

Liked + subscribed + saved. Very educational. Thank you.

[@TomHarroldMusic]

Thanks for watching!

[@thaddaeusfreidline6316]

Very inspiring. Love the composition. Makes me want to start composing in Sibelius!

[@stanvanmierlo6579]

Great piece! Would you mind sharing the midi files so I can load them up in my own DAW to see in more detail which chords you used and how you programmed it?

[@TomHarroldMusic]

Thanks so much for listening. I can't share the MIDI just now as this is going to become something bigger in the future, but I'll be sure to keep this in mind. I really appreciate you listening and subscribing, and I'll consider releasing MIDI of this piece (and others) in the future. Thanks!

[@Dklampanis]

Love this demonstration Tom! I find every composer's workflow fascinating to observe and certainly very edifying in this case! Thank you!

[@TomHarroldMusic]

I'm glad you enjoyed it - thanks for watching!

[@mrknockknock1]

Can you cover CSS Brass and Woodwinds in other videos just like this? And also percussion? It's not out yet, but when they release it, will you review it and teach that too?

[@TomHarroldMusic]

I would love to, but I don’t currently own those libraries. I’m not sponsored by anyone, so I just cover instruments that I own/buy for my own uses. Maybe Cinematic Series will send me a copy one day, or I might add them to my armoury soon! Thanks for watching.

[@zaharishtonov]

Great string writing! That's all I can say. I love the way CSS and CSSS sound. Probably the most expressive string library out there!

[@TomHarroldMusic]

I agree! Takes a lot of programming but it is completely worth it. Thanks for watching

[@clydesight]

Beautiful composition and tutorial on arranging! Thank you!

[@TomHarroldMusic]

Thank you!

[@simonpassmore]

This is fantastic Tom!! Glad to see you're enjoying CSS/S!

[@TomHarroldMusic]

I sure am! I bow down to your superior programming sir! I owe you for putting me on the CSS path. What beautiful instruments they are.

[@omarirm]

Anothe question: When you import the midi into logic, all you do is record the expression and modulation?

[@TomHarroldMusic]

I usually have to make some quite significant changes to the MIDI, too - things like the ending of notes (to make legato), dynamics etc. - there's no easy way, it just takes a lot of time

[@AsiaOdin]

Beautiful and sensible! That's for the composition. About the library I have the feeling that the samples overall sound like they would play in reverse

[@TomHarroldMusic]

Play in reverse? What do you mean 😀

[@focal24]

I think I know what @AsiaOdin might be referring to. Also what you Tom mean with bumpy. Like most people I feel CSS is super expressive because of the vibrato style, butter smooth envelope, legato programming and baked in stroke dynamics. However, I do find that CSS strings are not tolerating dynamics CC amplitudes that other instruments cope with. As a result you have some of the famous "suction effect" that some other VSTs have in every transition, and that can seem like a reverse note I guess.

[@omarirm]

Hi Tom! I have a question...What string library do you recommend, LA Scoring Strings 3 or Cinematic Studio Strings? Thanks for the video!!!

[@TomHarroldMusic]

I don't know LA SS that well, so I'd always say CSS :)

[@micwarren21]

Great presentation CSS is on my wish list I have BBC SO core. Thank you for the tempo change tips I shyed away from that, but it makes a huge difference.

[@TomHarroldMusic]

Yes, the tempo manipulations (even the most subtle) add to the sense of realism. I did it extremely quickly in these demos so I would probably be even more detailed if I was to spend more time on them. Thanks for watching!

[@pmishraofficial]

That music is beautiful!

[@TomHarroldMusic]

Thank you!

[@Marky33]

thank you so much for sharing this information! love from Zimbabwe... i love this music but haven't met any people who teach or do this here! i dont even think there is an orchestra this side! so watching this is the only way i am learning this music!

[@TomHarroldMusic]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks so much for tuning in, more to follow!

[@ilayskripch]

Wow, good luck my friend. I’m composer from Israel but now I live in Kenya, also East African country 👍 Orchestral experience- is a good thing, but a lot information I find on KZbin and other platforms even for free.

[@Marky33]

@@ilayskripch indeed thanks a lot man! if only you could turn my direction to some of these other platforms i would really appreciate it.

[@JanSax3]

It would be useful to have some illustration of some of the more detailed tweaking you did towards the end if possible?

[@TomHarroldMusic]

Sure thing, I might just release the complete unadulterated version to show how much programming it takes if you’d like that?

[@JanSax3]

@@TomHarroldMusic That would be really very useful thank you.

[@zaharishtonov]

@@TomHarroldMusic - Would love to see the programming part!

[@JoeMullanMusic]

Wonderful stuff Tom.

[@TomHarroldMusic]

Thanks for watching!

[@Pax30001]

Thanks for sharing!

[@TomHarroldMusic]

You’re welcome!

[@蔡成钰]

CSS & CSSS are delayed in the DAW to compensate for the delay, otherwise the sound will be misaligned. You need to keep it in sync, and the delay is different for different strengths.建议用75力度写作

[@TomHarroldMusic]

Yes, you are right

[@laylasmart]

When showing Sibelius, next use the panorama view. It will be both easier to navigate and follow. All you need to do is to drag the score from right to left, and you will also be able to save screen area.

[@seanfourie7]

Beautiful piece and I haven't even heard the strings yet

[@TomHarroldMusic]

That’s very kind of you, thanks for watching!

[@ASX2001]

Cool, thanks a lot!

[@TomHarroldMusic]

No problem! Thanks for watching

[@focal24]

Thanks for that demonstration Tom. One tooltip and one question: You mention legatos not re-engaging and thus work with seperate tracks for that sustain option. You working with the 1.7 version? I first thought there was a bug but in communication with customer service it turned out I should have read the manual. Might be that in your case too you arre hitting some keyswitch velocity threshhold or other midi cc automation switching off your legato. People keep pointing out how beautyfully simple CSS and CSSS UIs are. However, I believe that is more a fault than an advantage because basic principles of these VSTs' functionality are hidden, can create programming mistakes, even mask some great features (like alternative bow change legato). A few more buttons and tool tips in the UI would have helped the product, which is great already, but has even more potential than is obvious at first site. Now to my question: You appear to have arpeggios on the solos in the second half, I wonder what it would sound like if they were more prominent on some tutti section(s)?

[@sonnotas1812]

Hello, which virtual instrument do you think has the best solo violin sound? Thank you.

[@TomHarroldMusic]

Very tough to say, it depends on what you need it for I suppose. Spitfire Joshua Bell is on my list of something to buy in the future, but I’m currently getting good results from Cinematic Studio Solo Strings

[@sonnotas1812]

@@TomHarroldMusic Thank you for answering.

[@HenryOlongaOFFICIAL]

Check out Virharmonic solo strings. Very highly rated.

[@garyshirinian]

Very pronounced. Beautiful. What strings library are you using. Also, are you using midi format?. Thx

[@TomHarroldMusic]

These are Cinematic Studio Strings. In this I haven’t really quantised any of the midi, if that’s what you mean

[@garyshirinian]

@@TomHarroldMusic thx

[@uncle-ed]

This is a good video, really. But when you say "sometimes they sound a bit lumpy," it's because you want to be triggering the legato transition which you do by overlapping the notes 🙂

[@TomHarroldMusic]

Yes I’ve gone through and put all them on by extending the midi already. I just mean that the expression and modulation could be better refined and programmed, and that I could alter the velocities too. It was a quick job!

[@svendkorsgaard9599]

Beatiful! One question, did you modulate to Fminor in the last part of the piece ?

[@TomHarroldMusic]

Thank you! I briefly flirted with F minor at the start of the second half, yes

[@michaellaumusic]

Very James Newton Howard-ish. Nice piece and great video.

[@TomHarroldMusic]

I’ll take that! Thanks for watching

[@octavianlupashco235]

да Том...очень круто....🎹🎻

[@TomHarroldMusic]

Thank you!

[@GoOKuSj33]

Every CSS video I watch talks about this delay, sure the sound is great, but in practice it seems very user unfriendly to me.

[@TomHarroldMusic]

You’re right it’s highly frustrating to deal with

[@BsktImp]

Can you please better balance the instrument and microphone volumes?

[@TomHarroldMusic]

Yes I will improve this in the future. I’m still learning how to produce these videos and will always strive for a higher level. Thanks for your feedback and thanks for watching!

[@-syasya-]

[@yves2078]

tres technique mais sans émotion, donc sans intérêt

[@TomHarroldMusic]

Is there no emotion in my music? 😅

[@zaharishtonov]

@yves2078 - You must be deaf!

[@thaddaeusfreidline6316]

Very inspiring. Love the composition. Makes me want to start composing in Sibelius!

[@TomHarroldMusic]

You should!