Star Wars: Main Title - (Virtual Orchestra) / BLAKUS

I used to recreate the Star Wars Main Title yearly to gauge how much my virtual orchestra chops may or may not have improved. To me, it's such an iconic piece that is recognizable by pretty much everyone and is quite hard to pull off with virtual instruments. It's now been 3 years since my last attempt, and during this time I've learned many new techniques. I finally found time to create a new orchestral template over the last few weeks and had a blast testing it! This excerpt took 2 days to complete and was rather tedious work! It's far from perfect, but it's all the time I could afford to spend on it for now! I'm not sure I want to hear the main title again for at least a few days :)

[@mdp]

Get super excited every time I see an upload from you lmao. The brass here sounds great!

[@LOrchestraCinematique]

And this is the reason you inspire us!😍🙌🔥That sounded amazing!!

[@homemadestudios8064]

Your "Epic Version" Soundtracks are breathtaking!

[@scoretosettle6568]

This sounds so effing amazing. I can't believe these are samples. Sounds just as good as the original. You sir, are a gosh dang professional

[@GasparKvarta]

This is so well done that KZbin recognizes it as an original soundtrack. Incredible work friend!

[@aleksandarstojceski3139]

no the algo would recognize the them even played on kazoo.

[@mdp]

come back, king. it's been 9 months we miss u 😕

[@Blakus]

What the… 9 months already! 😫🙏

[@spickeys5078]

​@@Blakus Still with Studio One ? XD Or back to your old friend Cubase hehe

[@Blakus]

@@spickeys5078 back to Cubase for now :)

[@spickeys5078]

@@Blakus I moving away from Ableton (not that good for orchestral template), but still hesitating between Studio One and Cubase (soon 12) ...

[@jaidanvandiepen]

Incredible! So close to the real thing it's ridiculous.

[@urssounds]

Wow! Amazing mockup! Some serious skills displayed here! Congrats! That takes a lot of work!

[@christycm5946]

This is just bananas Blake!!! So real! Blown away. Your orchestration and production skills are unparalelled.

[@JackMcKenzieComposer]

So rich sounding, love those trumpets and strings! Awesome job!

[@AndrewBarracloughComposer]

Good work man. I know how painstaking this is yet very rewarding at the same time. Thanks for sharing.

[@Tsharkeye]

Holy shit this is so realistic!! I think you can easily fool 99% of the world with that. Craaaazy!!

[@martinbacker7677]

Excellent stuff. Loving it!

[@manaberry]

So at some point, you managed to recreate so well this piece that even KZbin recognized it from its content ID. WTF?

[@Tremendouz]

As amazing as this is, I think YT might simply recognize the composition. I have a few copyright claims on covers/mockups that are different to the originald

[@PraiseTracks]

Stunning! Very well done. Would love to see a possible breakdown on libraries you used and approach.

[@peterdedene]

I’d love that tot, especially the lead violin legato, which library is that? It sounds wonderful!

[@user-rp8vk7lo6u]

@@peterdedene Its his bespoke costum sample library. But you can archieve the same result with other libraries :)

[@aljamesproductions]

Absolute genius at work here. No other words.

[@TerraStone]

Oh, its beautiful

[@M4T]

You're getting there ! Brilliant job

[@ep1cn3ss2]

Holy crap this is the best mockup i've ever heard in my life

[@willemvandenbroeck6829]

Nailed it. Only time i've ever said this about virtual Star Wars. Well done, mate. Doesn't surprise me one bit though. I've always known if it was possible, you could.

[@Maxx2k8]

Very nice. Best one I've heard so far. My last attempt was also around 3 years ago and this is making me want to do another one. :)

[@RickMcGuireMusic]

Breakdown when??

[@Dangercat]

Why are you so good at this... simply amazing.

[@fredygomez3844]

Excellent! spectacular work.

[@PatrickGillMusic]

Amazing work Blake!

[@chrismeyers7487]

Whoa... this is INSANELY close to the original. Like, whoa.... AMAZING job, Blakus!!!

[@maximilianbeiel6812]

Wow, I am speechless! - Barely cannot hear any difference to a real orchestra! That´s just absolutely stunning! :o

[@arthurlee91]

Excellent work!!

[@alexjevincent]

Really great stuff. Extremely convincing.

[@sotosonic413]

Amazing work!

[@alexisbarrette7652]

Whaaaaaaaaat That is very very convincing, most people couldn't tell these are samples if you didn't tell them

[@matteoferrarotto3210]

awesome, sounds so real

[@TheCueTube]

Very good job! I can imagine how you feel about not wanting to hear it for a while now!

[@Blakus]

I'm bout to go insane. Although, not as insane as my wife who's been hearing it faintly from the end of the house for 48 hours also. haha!

[@petemartinp]

This is phenomenal

[@HugoPaulo]

sounds absolutely insane man, amazing job!

[@HugoPaulo]

mixing walkthrough would be awesome too btw! I think we're all curious how you made it sound so good!

[@manganume]

that will NEVER happen 😉 that is one of his secret weapons. He is a geek. And personally I realized if I don't decide to become a geek and to go into the deepness of the mystery of the sound I'll never achieve something amazing like this. Good starting point for anyone will be: Joël Dollié and Alan Meyerson 😊

[@polkmusic]

Wow. This sounds just like the original. Great work on this.

[@sguinn91]

Dude! You made it sound almost exactly like The London Symphony Orchestra! Really impressed!

[@trichord6041]

Good Job Blake as always.

[@homemadestudios8064]

i can't hear a difference. This is amazing! But we need a full version please!

[@Blakus]

don't make me do it!! D:

[@matteoferrarotto3210]

“do it!” cit.

[@oscarsenen]

+1

[@jeremiaserbe5972]

+1

[@sguinn91]

@@Blakus do it! Do it! Do it!

[@troesch_composer6867]

Great job! You mention always your custom libraries/sounds - would it be possible to show or explain us on how you get such kind of samples or how one can record them maybe by him/herself? That would be very interesting😀✌

[@jamesbrecknell]

For the first 30 seconds, I like your version more than the 1999 version of the actual movie soundtrack I just listened to - through headphones at least. I feel yours makes a better blended use of the stereo field for headphone listening, with certain elements not separated quite so far to one side, has a better blended overall sound, has more precise trumpets, more precise triple-tonguing, and the original's mid brass sounds a bit thin by comparison (though the movie version's approach does make a bit more space to hear elements like low brass runs and timpani a little more prominently). I also prefer your slightly less extreme ritardando just before the main melody begins. Fantastic work, and an inspiration for someone like me who's both a Star Wars fan and getting into Spitfire Audio libraries.

[@yeppy013]

That first note, wow!

[@zacharynelson47]

Brilliant job!

[@gianandrelubin]

just incredible.

[@PaulieDC]

Impeccable. And it came to be by your talent and diligence and dedication and artistry, to make something this realistic... which means we can send imposter A.I. packing, because I could care less what someone with zero effort (and talent and dedication) can produce with the Great Plagiarizer, ChatGPT. I've lost count on how many times I've listened to this and all of the nuances of how you played in each orchestral instrument to make it happen. 👍

[@danieldavismusic]

Extremely impressive programming! Puts mine to shame!

[@Georgecostanza91]

Dammmmnn thats awesome sounds almost exact.

[@ShamStalin]

Studio One

[@vova_oatmeal]

Exactly! You're right! :D

[@djerikfox]

..this is amazing..respect

[@sandwich-breath]

The best advert for Studio One hands down. I could learn a lot from you about voicing because when I use this sample library it sounds synthy.

[@Blakus]

Stacking full ensemble patches for chords is usually not a good idea, if that's what you're doing :) And I'm using many many different libraries here too.

[@kupo150]

@@Blakus when you layer different libraries together, do you take consideration to not have more than the number of players actually used? Like, does using two a4 horn patches for a 6 horn tutti or combining the attack of a solo patch with the sustain of another patch for solo instruments not matter as long as the end result sounds like a6 and a solo horns respectively? Sometimes when I mock up I can't get the "huge presence" sound I know I should be able to get from say 6 horns or the entire low brass section and I'm being concious not to beef it up with triple the amount of players to achieve that sound. Perhaps its mic placement or other aspects that I should be getting better at instead of just layering more and more

[@petemartinp]

Incredible

[@jesusmiguelruiz8385]

Soo good ..!

[@PanagiotisLafkaridis]

Best mockup on youtube

[@lucas_bndr]

If you ever can hear it again would you do a walkthrough please? Or share the midi file? That would be so awesome as it is the best mock up ive heard for star wars

[@tyllbiss]

Sooooo clean

[@stfciu]

Tremendous mock-up! Would you mind sharing what libraries (beside Abbey Road) did you use and for what part?

[@themysteriousspeeddemon]

I've seen a lot of others cover this theme, and I must say yours is the best sounding, I don't know which libraries for each instrument you've used to achieve this sound, but I know it's got to be many different orchestral softwares.

[@ampueromusic]

Really amazing ..

[@soundtreks]

Dude I honestly thought you were having some fun with us by tracking your DAW video to the real thing. But yeah, this is about as perfect as a mock up can get. Props.

[@D_o_n_k_e]

This is insane

[@marcomiele]

Amazing !

[@MarkTDKKnight]

Well done!

[@LuisHumanoide]

This is really impressive , this sounds really natural specially the brass section, you have the high ground !!! Will there be a full version of the theme?

[@Blakus]

Thanks Luis! I'm not sure I have the patience to do the full theme, haha! I'll see how I feel about it in a few weeks :D

[@chriscapaudio]

Excellent!... and wow, the new Pro Tools dark mode looks great! lol

[@poohjan]

I can’t find blade light anymore 😕 that was a beautiful rendition of the ros trailer.

[@artemkonoplin2143]

0:03 Ha-ha! What was super cool!

[@handznet]

Man. This is getting close! Wonderful!!! Library list would be good here 🤡

[@PolygraphMusic]

Sounds great! And what i'm seeing - S1 instead of Cubase!) Did you switch to Studio One, Blake?

[@christopherrocky]

...'its far from perfect...' BUT SOUNDS ABSOLUTELY BL00DY PERFECT XD

[@HenryNewbury]

Nailed it, daaamn 🤌💪

[@scottglasgowmusic]

Damn that is good.

[@murai831]

Great mockup! And the name of a brass library, please? Would you do an analysis of this project. I` am interesting how you wrote the brass parts and how you mix it.

[@compasspictures]

This sounds incredibly real! Especially the strings - usually legato sounds fake in fast passages, but hear it doesn't! May I ask what library you used? Or was it a custom one?

[@AlbertKimMusic]

yeah he uses a custom one made by Jasper Blunk

[@JPDC624]

It has some Spitfire Abbey Road tossed in as well.

[@ericvalette-composerformed3851]

Sounds fabulous Blakus, congratulations! Did you apply any effects, pan or other processing for AR1 for this mockup? The brass and percs in particular sound fantastic here. Hats off!

[@GuyVignati]

Sounds superb, totally. May I ask you what orchestral libraries did you use for this?

[@SgtJelly]

Fantastic. Really incredible! Is everything you do by ear so you can train your ear? Or do you have a score and and you use that, then make edits later to fine tune the sound?

[@Blakus]

I mainly do these mockups as a method of studying orchestration/composition. If it's a new cue, I'll try and transcribe it first, but I usually have the score on hand. I find that the process of creating the mockup helps me internalise it better. The ear training side of things is probably the most important though, particularly in the production/mixing side of things - which tends to make the most difference.

[@JakobTreml]

Amazing brass! Do the whole thing! :P

[@CarmineRock97]

Beautiful! But we want a walkthrough now :)

[@ArturoAlbero]

"It's far from perfect..." Well I think it's close to AWESOME :D

[@PaulCassidyOrchestrations]

Ah you chicken, you quit before the best bit of the piece!! 😆 Seriously though, it sounds like it's lifted directly from one of the movies, indistinguishable from a live orchestra, and actually a lot better than the recent movies where I thought the recording sounded pretty lifeless and flat. Would love to hear to complete this... 😉

[@Blakus]

Thanks Paul. I was hoping to get further, but work calls! I'm hoping I can pick up where I left off after a bit of a break from it - the next part is indeed the best! :D

[@jesusmiguelruiz8385]

@@Blakus maybe the strings get too low in second 30?

[@Blakus]

@@jesusmiguelruiz8385 definitely :)

[@ERISKUIPER]

@@Blakus how do you hear this? kzbin.info/www/bejne/pn2cp3queLJoirM

[@MichalskiComposer]

sounds perfect! I'm not able to recognize that this is not "real orchestra"... :D

[@paolobeauperin]

Good Job! I'm trying to do the same! It's my first year tho... What instruments are you using? I use BBC symphonic orchestra Core for now. It's a good start, but I'm a brass player, and I don't really like my brass. I'm a student by now. If you have some suggestions, I would be happy to hear them!

[@rileyhughes718]

Wow great job! Would love to see a walkthrough video of this! What does the AR prefix on your brass stand for? =)

[@Blakus]

Abbey Road One

[@minder01]

There is a difference, especially at measures 8. KZbin's system didn't pick it out oddly enough. Good work.

[@gregorymoore6794]

Nice balance Blakus! Do you mind sharing with us how you achieve this? Are you balancing each section and then combining them in stems? (my guess). In any case, nicely done. Two thumbs up!

[@kupo150]

I would love to know this too, I bet the approach is different if you have tons of different libraries in which case you pick the main line you want to sound a certain way, then balance all the instruments around that. Like if you have an low strings and low winds tutti, start with the low strings to get that sounding perfect. Then isolate the low winds until they have the perfect sound you know they would and should be making for that passage, then combine the two sections and adjust balance. Repeat for the rest of orchestra basing each other instrument on the previous group. I guess there is something to be said about simply isolating each instrument to make them sound as they should and would sound, don't care about any other instrument or blending at first. Only after you've achieved the sound you know each instrument should be giving, then adjust mic levels to mix appropriately. I don't know much about this mic stuff yet, only that I can use cc11 to control volume but he said he hates using volume automation like that and uses mic automation instead. I definitely need to learn about mic automation and mixing via mics like a real audio engineer would do

[@RicoDerks]

Already better than the latest triology

[@LukeTruanMusic]

This sounds very spectacular! Did you do this by ear or did you have the score? Over the past two years I've done the same with an ep 9 trailer, except with an original theme with a couple hints of SW mixed in. The orchestration in this piece is spot on! I had trouble finding mistakes in it. We are our own toughest critics...right?! LOL. Love it! Great work! Also, what are you using to get the audio out of Cubase and run though OBS? I"m on Pro Tools and use voice meeter. Just curious on the approach you took. :)

[@4D_242]

This sounds exactly like it!!!!!!!

[@kalleballex]

Will you ever give us the full walkthrough of Bladelight? I guess you have it recorded somewhere :) That's a tutorial I would gladly pay for.

[@LawrenceWhitehead]

Amazing work, Blakus. I'm curious: since you're striving for the Shawn Murphy sound, did either the EastWest Hollywood Strings or Brass libraries get layered in anywhere in this mock-up?

[@Blakus]

Thanks, Lawrence. I used them back in the day, but in my opinion Murphy didn’t have the best room to work with for those libraries. With the orchestra, the room makes all the difference.

[@ErickBolivarMusica]

Wow!

[@IanLukeProduction]

This sounds so great KZbin detected it as the Original recording from JW

[@R4noo7076]

When will you release Battlefield V Launch Trailer Music, they said you made your own cover of it, it sounded really good to be honest! and I checked everywhere on the internet and in the game files too just hear your score, if you could please release it I would really appreciate it

[@altermore]

Wow, sounds almost like the original. Cool. You build template for this theme from scratch?

[@ElliotWright]

This sounds amazing. Which libraries did you use??

[@WafflesMoguMogu]

@puppiesinspace nnope its all Garageband libraries 😃

[@deafidue5535]

Such a shame we can't hear more of your Star Wars tracks.

[@vova_oatmeal]

The sound is so much realistic that KZbin thought this is original music from Star Wars (loo at the description XD). The same was with my recreation of music from How To Train Your Dragon movie. I hate KZbin algorithms 😂. Great job! We would really glad to see a little walkthrough from you on how you did it or at least what libraries you used. And again, this is fantastic! 🤩😍

[@rolandbingaman]

I was about to make the same comment haha. Its so good it fooled the KZbin Algorithm.

[@leemichaelvacaro]

Blakus, fantastic work! Did you use the score to do this or was this done by ear? Thank you for sharing.

[@Blakus]

Cheers! I follow the score for these exercises as a form of score study :)

[@MustacheVerra]

Hey Blakus, how do you like Studio One so far? ..Sounds great btw. The strings are jumpy a bit at 1st as in the volume/cross fade is just a bit too aggressive to sound natural. But it's so close. But you got to make a second video and tell what library were used man! ;-) Thanks. edited: I guess i know how you feel about S1 having read it in the comment.

[@Whally]

I would love to have your complete VST setup/insert/fxbus for this one. I know that is your secrete recipe... I find strange you don't finally use any Spitfire plugins in this...

[@gumbykster]

listened to your version from 2012...major improvements in the sampled orchestra world! How are you finding Abbey Road One when using individual mic options? My system performance gets shaky to say the least.

[@Blakus]

I'm finding no issues at all with the SF player surprisingly. I wish I could get under the hood to tweak patch parameters, but performance-wise it's actually on-par and sometimes slightly better than Kontakt. I'm on Windows 10.

[@gumbykster]

@@Blakus I'm on 10 as well...might experiment with the latency settings to see if that helps.