Writing Music Using FREE Samples in Real-time | BBCSO Discover

[@elaute1]

Bravo!! If you had 22 of these “race to the finish” videos I wouldn’t sleep until I watched them all. Fascinating and informative, both from music as well as workflow.

[@DanKeenMusic]

Thank you mate!

[@soundshigh]

Hey, I'd love to see some tutorials on writing - arrangement, writing the voices, transitional chords, etc. Great videos, thanks!

[@DanKeenMusic]

Thanks for the idea!

[@brente6107]

I’d watch for sure :)

[@totalmusicfreedom]

Hey Dan, loved the video. It actually took me about 2 hours to watch the whole video because part way through it I'd stop it and say "He does that so easily, it can't be that hard, can it?" and then I'd try to replicate what you did (with my own chord sequence) and then I'd soon realise that you have that ability to make musical orchestral decision very quickly where I don't (at least not as fluidly as you). Then I'd return to your video, advance 5 more mins and try again...get frustrated with my attempt, watch yours, get frustrated with my attempt, then watch yours and....great work mate! Loved it. Greg

[@DanKeenMusic]

Thanks so much, Greg! Sometimes you have to try not to think too hard. I’m certainly not that productive in day to day life but the time pressure made me sketch and scatter. I’d certainly recommend a challenge like this. It was quite fun to watch back too haha

[@wesboundmusic]

@@DanKeenMusic It comes as a measure of relief hearing you say that you're not as productive as here at other times - though I have to doubt it from what we've been presented with here ;-) That B-part towards the end, that harmonic progression... that alone could be a masterclass in its own right, if it were for me. Simply astounding! (and you _just played it_ as if it had been there all along, still trying to stop my head from spinning violently...)

[@johannessilas]

I did the same and felt very similar. Crazy how quick one can get if you just train enough. It motivates me to keep pushing ;)

[@chrisshollinrake6826]

Fabulous...on the edge of my seat throughout.

[@DanKeenMusic]

Thanks for watching, Chriss!

[@petel1201]

Outstanding! Subscribed! I'm grateful that Spitfire featured you on their YT channel today. I'm new to orchestral music. I'd love introductory content on creating orchestration based on piano sketches. It's an appealing approach for me coming from an improvisational piano background.

[@DanKeenMusic]

Thank you so much for your kind feedback, Pete! I’m going to do more of that content in the coming weeks so stay tuned!

[@CroElectroStile]

could you maybe make a video on how to Eq orchestral instruments, like tha basics, what i'm actually looking for, curves, how to make a balance and so on, that would be great !

[@DanKeenMusic]

Thanks for the suggestion! For sure!

[@awpqq]

Shouldn't be any need for eq - or just a minimum. If you feel you need eq then revisit the orchestration.

[@upya3813]

You changed a life with this vid :)

[@allantucker2490]

What a talented young man, you made me smile for the whole time

[@DanKeenMusic]

Thank you Allan!

[@iAmNovaFilms]

Just seeing another person’s process and how they write music is a huge inspiration especially when it’s someone as talented as Dan!

[@AtelierOrgan]

Sounds absolutely fantastic!!!

[@el-bov8034]

"Thumbs if you liked it; Subs if you loved it " Fascinating video! Especially for an orchestration newb-in-waiting.

[@DanKeenMusic]

Thank you!

[@NigelDThompson]

Well done Dan. Very interesting to see where you can go in just 45 minutes if you have a clue what you are doing. Please keep it up!!! L&S

[@DanKeenMusic]

Thanks, Nigel! Will do

[@mydigitalsaga3300]

Hey Dan! Awesome video! I just followed you from Spitfire BBCSO Pro demo page. Yup, I heard your demo on there and really like your style. Glad to see you here on KZbin doing hands-on demo on BBCSO samples. Cheers.

[@kbnimmo]

fantastic video plenty more please

[@Sesaon3]

Well done Dan - very inspiring to those of us still new to orchestrating.

[@DanKeenMusic]

Thanks a lot, Bob!

[@JonMeyer]

Fantastic! Excellent track and proud of you for taking on the challenge. I was so nervous for you at the start, but 1 minute into the vid I knew you had it all under control. Well done, my friend!

[@DanKeenMusic]

Thanks a lot, Jon!

[@monterey_band]

More like this please. The process is as interesting as the end product. Really inspiring to watch you work.

[@DanKeenMusic]

Thank you - more on the way!

[@wesboundmusic]

Mindblowing presentation of both, what the BBC SO Discover library can do and how quickly you come up with totally great sounding ideas, lines and also how solid your command and knowledge of instrument sections is! (guess, that's the aspect, where music college comes in handy). Jaw dropped... And thanks much, of course, simply astounding!

[@TresSeaver]

Thanks for working without the net of editing -- it is wonderful to see how you work out the problems you encounter in real time.

[@DanKeenMusic]

You're welcome. Thanks for watching!

[@BrentSparks]

Fantastic! Very educational and interesting to observe. You've done a very nice job here at conveying the power of this plugin, which I own and was looking for info on how to implement. Keep up the great work!

[@dddvision]

I gladly confirm that this is brilliant.

[@theotherwtemeat]

This was incredible. Thank you!

[@francolupo23]

This was hugely entertaining, Dan! Thank you for this playful approach to composition. I'd love to see you compose with the best libraries you have (including your own creations).

[@DanKeenMusic]

Thank you mate. I’d love to do that!

[@karaorkundevecioglu]

great work congratulations. not sure for this project still available in your archive but if it it, would you share your reverb and mixbus plugins' settings. thank you for advance

[@GregSimon]

Thank you Dan for sharing this with us! This is fantastic and what they never teach you in books, music classes, etc. I suspect many people watching this will be inspired to try their hand at this. I think back when I was in college in the early 90s and the tech did not quiet yet exist to really practice on. We're so lucky now! Keep it up.

[@DanKeenMusic]

Thanks for your kind comments, Greg!

[@dustins.6833]

More, more, more !!! It's so fascinating how talented you are, I love your harmonies. Don't understand why you don't have more views! I would be very happy if you make more real-time videos. Cheers from Germany

[@zilzuman77]

Hello. I'm enjoying it. I majored in composition, too. I haven't been able to do music for a long time and I'm getting ready to start again. Nice instrument setting!

[@PeachesChrenko]

Really enjoyed watching this unfold!

[@MusicFreddy]

that legato you play with your thumb only!

[@dominiccampbell7227]

cant wait to get mine, it should be here in 2 days, cant wiat

[@benyano1]

So good. Please do more of these

[@AaronDaniels123]

Man you composition work is amazing! Big fan from Denver, CO USA!

[@DanKeenMusic]

Thank you so much! Much appreciated

[@andreaswinkler1751]

Dear Dan. Thank you ever so much for sharing! It is really impressive how you combine knowledge and talent in your person. Great fun watching you!

[@CYGNO]

Enjoyed it very much Dan, the minutes flew by. AND your thematic development was intuitive, fun and impressive in that third section. A magical-fantasy vibe was the impression I got.

[@DanKeenMusic]

Thank you, Michael! I think that third section was just mocking me for my lack of time haha

[@CYGNO]

@@DanKeenMusic No I think you whipped it pretty well considering the time available - you certainly didn't play it 'safe'. I've watched quite a few of the Against The Clock series by FACT TV on KZbin (electronic synth, modular and or DAW based EDM composers given ten minutes against the clock) but this was the best orchestral against-the-clock that I've seen - although I think Guy Mitchelmore may have had a good run or two at it. I could have enjoyed a 90 minute sortie, just as much if not more. A REQUEST: If you do more live composition - and I hope you do, can you drop in the names/descriptions of the kinds of musical techniques/relations/scales/modes whatever that you are using here and there as you go along?

[@mattbagasaomusic7735]

Love the format Dan. Thanks for putting yourself on the hot seat! Beautiful piece of music produced. Cheers!

[@DanKeenMusic]

Thank you, Matt! It was daunting but a lot of fun

[@DaveDickens]

Dan, absolutely fantastic, thank you. I look forward to watching some of your other videos. Cheers Dave.

[@vladimirciboci1485]

You are amazing!!!!! Thank you. How the hell did you learn so much so young???

[@DanKeenMusic]

Thank you. I’ve been obsessed with music since I first got a keyboard for Christmas at 2 years old… that and my parents have been incredibly supportive of my passion for music

[@v1s10nray]

Thoroughly enjoyed this and would love to see more. I thought the end result was excellent given the time you had so very well done and thanks.

[@DanKeenMusic]

Thank you so much!

[@levelletate4551]

Wow 😯.. 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

[@tomjharding]

Nice video Dan! 👋👋

[@DanKeenMusic]

Thanks, Thomas!

[@luminaia]

Crazy good! Learned a ton. Big thanks.

[@DanKeenMusic]

Thank you, glad it was helpful!

[@tomworrallmusic]

Excellent video. Loved watching you work through it and thought the finished product sound brilliant. Nice work! Will look forward to more videos.

[@afaromusic]

Final output is 47:50 in case you're wondering

[@antoninmarchard6090]

Thank you for this ! I have this library, and for the cost, it's really good one ! keep going, you do an amazing job :D

[@michaelbereckis]

A great musical imagination and a very efficient workflow! I learned a lot. Many Thanks.

[@ThomsenTower]

Thank you for your effort. Although this is not my kind of music, I am still interested in learning how orchestration is done, and what these more accessible libraries sound like. Great job!

[@DanKeenMusic]

Thanks, Federico! There's certainly a lot of flexibility with this library if you're thinking of getting into orchestral music

[@rocketsciencemusic5398]

Amazing video as usual Dan!

[@DanKeenMusic]

Thank you!

[@andyr3802]

Really good, looking forward to more lessons in writing orchestral music for beginners! Can you share your Logic template?

[@palewine]

Spitfire has made their own templates that you can download on their webpage, for a variety of DAWs

[@necrodogs]

Saw you talking to Christian Henson a couple of weeks ago and you kind of stuck in the back of my mind. Now I know why. Great content, keep it up. Subscribed :-)

[@DanKeenMusic]

Thanks very much! Welcome!

[@MarkEisenman]

This is so helpful. Thanks

[@MarkEisenman]

I would love to get a copy of that template!

[@chrisdaviesguitar]

very good

[@palbrekke9455]

Thank you for another great video, Dan! That was fun to watch, and the 45 minutes flew past just as quickly for the viewer as for the composer! Would love to see more of this kind of stuff; not necessarily in an "against the clock" format, but seeing how you develop at theme from a piano part to something fully orchestated would be really interesting - perhaps with even more development than this, with counterpoint, more different playing techniques (BBC SO Pro, I guess), etc. Do you generally orchestrate "by ear" (as it seemed to me that you did time - of course leaning on experience)? If not, do you follow a "rule set" that you could explain or demonstrate? Do you have the sound of different composers in mind and do you emulate them in the combination of voices? Lots of questions, so bring on the series! :-)

[@DanKeenMusic]

Thank you, Pål! Lots of great suggestions, I'll be sure to make a start!

[@billyplayle4124]

What a fabulous way you have of composing. You're an inspiration, Dan. I think I bought the wrong library (Abbey Road.)

[@kennethjackson4858]

Enjoying this learning orchestration. Do you use the electric piano in doing your sketches. It sounds different if you use just the piano. Has a different vibe to the composing. At least for me. Joe do you put so the parts on your Logic. I tried and it didn’t work. Is there a way to do this so you won’t have to go back and forth and look to see what is needed? Thank you, Kenny🙏🏾

[@Ayo.Ajisafe]

This was amazing thanks! It sounded like you sketched with jazz chords? They sounded extended and that surprised me.

[@BenMartinBox]

Nice effort 😀

[@Capt-Cran]

Really good channel ... thank you for sharing ...

[@dip_jones]

Really interesting yet again Dan. Keep up the great work.

[@DanKeenMusic]

Thank you so much, will do!

[@glennlacey6852]

Well done.

[@DanKeenMusic]

Thanks, Glenn!

[@TonyZilincik]

Nicely done! Thank you!

[@frederikoadr]

youre doing it so quickly

[@TheMixClub]

Great!! Love to see more!

[@kartikganotra4514]

I am one happy subscriber 😃

[@DanKeenMusic]

Welcome aboard!

[@PJ-ee5mc]

Absolutely wonderful! Bravo! Quick question from a soon-to-be Spitfire user: Is every one of these tracks that we see here representing a separate "instrument" in the tradition sense of Logic Pro? If so I can see where making a complex template to recreate this could be a real time saver. Any thoughts you can share would be greatly appreciated. On a personal note, it's so refreshing to see such a passionate, talented young man doing great work and sharing it will the rest of us. Keep up the great work and thank you for the inspiration.

[@BrianTCollins]

Dan you are awesome and have authentic energy. Could you explain how you set up BBCSO Discover in Logic Pro X with all the parts like you have them here and also what you did with your sends and effects?

[@DanKeenMusic]

Thank you, Brian! I may make a video about templates soon

[@corbyvinson1175]

Great video!!!

[@del-marmare1646]

Genius

[@nuramir]

Pretty cool 🔥🔥🔥

[@colkbassad]

I found you through a spitfire video and am so glad I did. I really hope you do more of these, particularly with the free BBC Orchestra Discover edition. It was amazing watching you work. What were the three modulations you were adjusting with your left hand while recording? I assume two were Dynamics and Expression, was the third Vibrato? I can find very little out there on how to use these parameters effectively. I don't have the hardware (or skills) to record them as I play...I do everything using mouse and keyboard for the most part which has proved challenging. It was great to learn how to draw them in, thanks for that.

[@DanKeenMusic]

Noted, thank you! To answer your question, you're right - dynamics, expression and vibrato. For Spitfire libraries, vibrato is controlled using CC21. Notes without vibrato can sometimes have a harsh icy sound to them, whereas vibrato is quite a warm, richer sound. I'd recommend starting by using all three parameters together (as the notes get louder, the vibrato increases). This isn't exactly how players would perform, but it's a good start. I may make a tutorial in the future for getting the most out of pencilling in parameter controls!

[@colkbassad]

@@DanKeenMusic Thanks, Dan, really appreciate your response.

[@ocorra]

@@DanKeenMusic I’d love to see that one Dan. I still find the whole Dynamics vs Expression v Vibrato thing a bit confusing. Cheers!

[@ThatAdamGuy]

@@DanKeenMusic Hmm! I'm a bit confused; I don't see any vibrato option shown in the Spitfire BBCSO Discover interface, and futzing with the CC21 on my keyboard doesn't seem to do anything. All that aside, I'd be remiss if I didn't note how delighted I was to discover you and your videos today; your talent, humility, and generosity in sharing your music'ing processes are awesome and you should feel awesome! :) (Even just a little thing... seeing how you used a scratch track with electric piano made a lightbulb go off in my head! I'm a pianist by hobby, so in retrospect it'd totally make sense for me to sketch out stuff with a piano track at the top (vs. just noodling beforehand)... but I'd never thought of doing this before!)

[@mybiggrin]

Big Daddy Keen! Absolutely brilliant. What's the key command you're doing at 15:35? Are you saving a take or something?

[@DanKeenMusic]

Just Cmd-Z to undo

[@mybiggrin]

@@DanKeenMusic No idea how I didn't see that haha thanks

[@ItamarErezMusic]

Thanks so much Dan, great video as usual! Would you be willing to share the orchestral template with us? (not the actual music of course...) That would be so great. Thanks Dan!

[@3linx]

Just bought the core version because of the massive december discount. So exited to make my first steps into orchestral scoring! Obviously I won't get such results after 45 minutes, but the video was still very inspiring! Do you have any recommendations for learning the basics of orchestration (techniques, traditions, styles etc.)? Or any other tips to get started? Greetings from Germany :)

[@DanKeenMusic]

Thanks so much! I’m going to make a film on this in the new year - I get this question quite a bit

[@3linx]

@@DanKeenMusic Very nice! I'll be looking forward to it! Till then, I wish you a merry christmas 😊

[@dafingaz]

Awesome!

[@superblondeDotOrg]

Whoa. That one minute of music with 2 dozen instruments would take me 3-4 weeks to write and I'd have to do it all on staff in a notation editor without playing any of it. A bit longer than 45 minutes.

[@walterelsalvador1]

Te felicito, eres muy talentoso.

[@ned_interrobang]

loved you in the goldbergs

[@yaoyangliu1170]

Really fascinating work.I just got the BBCSO discover but find it too much reverb sounding even when setting the reverb amount to zero and quite hard to fit in,but still a very nice orchestral tool since it's free.

[@DanKeenMusic]

Thanks Patrick!

[@joshuabrits6737]

You might by the most British thing I’ve ever beheld.

[@benrabel1455]

How do I load multiple instruments at once I'm currently using the free orchestral library bbc so discover in cakewalk by band lab and I was just wondering if there was a way to load every instrument and articulation without having to go through and do it manually. Thanks

[@JULIOAIS]

How you dou the glissando on a harp?

[@DanKeenMusic]

I tend just to play a scale very quickly and then move so that the first and last notes are in time!

[@erik9817]

Well done! A question, why do you use one track per articulation rather than say expression maps?

[@DanKeenMusic]

Mainly for 1) reverb send amounts (less for shorts, more for longs), 2) workflow (easy to see what articulation is selected). It would be cool if mic mixes could talk to each other (for example, all the violin 1 tracks could have an option to mirror mic levels if required), but otherwise, I can't see any benefits to having it consolidated to just one midi track per instrument

[@sushinskiy]

Should I open all these instruments at the left bar one by one? I work in the Reaper and I don't know how to open all instruments at once.

[@ocorra]

Awesome vid Dan! I notice that you have quite a few instruments panned hard left and hard right using the stereo panning tool. Should this be standard practice for orchestral instruments? Just wondering what the rationale is? Thanks a lot!

[@hammondjones9484]

How are you zooming in and out so fast?

[@caseymclane1972]

if the beatles wrote for orchestra - great stuff

[@daweiyee2335]

Hello, teacher. I wanted to ask if, when you're writing for strings, you use three faders to control CC controllers. I'm wondering if it includes Dynamics (CC 1) and Expression (CC 11). What is the third one? Thank you, teacher.🤗

[@richardbagley5096]

Loving your work Dan. Quick question, two sends. I assume two different reverbs - often an algorithmic and a convolution - just wondering what you use.

[@DanKeenMusic]

Thanks, Richard! You're right, I tend to use a combination of algorithmic and convolution but I don't think it matters too much. I tend to combine EastWest Quantum Leap Spaces with FabFilter Pro-R but my wish list reverbs are LiquidSonics Cinematic Rooms and Audio Ease Altiverb!

[@johnbaumeister]

Just curious, what are the three faders you use? Discover has three inputs, expression, dynamics and reverb however, the expression and dynamics do not seem to do much except lower the volume. Reverb does work. So I'm curious about three you are using. Is it because you are use to the more pro versions where these faders do more or are you just playing with the volume? Thanks. Great video BTW.

[@esmaxim]

Thank you, great job! What's better - the internal reverb of BBCSO Discover or the external VST-reverb?

[@DanKeenMusic]

It depends what you like. The inbuilt reverb sounds like more of the room (recording stage environment). If you’re looking for a decay of more than 2 seconds, I’d recommend an external VST. For my own use, I always use a couple of instances of reverb

[@esmaxim]

@@DanKeenMusic Thanks so much!

[@Angelcomposer]

Hi Dan ... How are you? I would like to ask you a question. I notice that in the sequencer you have four separate articulations divided on each track: sustain, spiccato, trem, and pizz. on the strings. Do you suggest working with them separately or can you also work with #CC32 controller in a single track the various articulations? What do you think about it? Congratulations on this work. Greetings, Angel.

[@rhythmjones]

What if you picked up a number of free libraries and then doubled the parts in each to get more samples?

[@stantchev1]

hello Dan, great job! But how do you get so many tracks without "overload" in Logic? Could you tell me your hardware configuration please?

[@DanKeenMusic]

Hi Grégory, thanks a lot. BBCSO Discover has a very low RAM footprint so it’s not so taxing on my system. If you’re getting overload issues, try increasing your I/O buffer size (Logic Pro X > Preferences > Audio). I did this film using a 3.2GHz 6-core i7 Mac mini with 64GB RAM at a buffer size of 128, but I’m sure my 2015 core duo MacBook Pro could have handled it with a higher buffer size

[@briancraig1684]

I use Logic Pro X And what are ya he requirements to use this ?

[@DanKeenMusic]

Hi Brian, I did this film using a 3.2GHz 6-core i7 Mac mini with 64GB RAM at a buffer size of 128

[@briancraig1684]

Dan Keen Music do I need full version of Kontact to use this ?

[@DanKeenMusic]

@@briancraig1684 no, BBCSO is its own plugin

[@brendanwalsh108]

Dan, I really appreciate this. Beginning with a piano guide is such a great idea and watching your workflow is inspiring. Thanks for sharing. Btw, it looks like you're using Jake Jackson's orchestral template which I downloaded awhile back and is wonderful: www.spitfireaudiothepage.com/templates

[@Fallgrapp]

Robin hood feel

[@jetlag1488]

Free is nice, but I really dislike the look of the player. It's way too bright and there's way too much wasted space. I hope they'll release a Kontakt version.

[@necrodogs]

I made a 47 track template plus effects and stem buses. That way I'll never have to open the plugin ui ever again. Do it :-)

[@DanKeenMusic]

I think it serves as a visual aid for people unfamiliar with orchestras pretty well though

[@崔屹峰]

开头8小节，电影的画面感已经有了

[@stigm1318]

harmonics , man

[@Ayo.Ajisafe]

Any chance you could explain that comment about EQ?

[@KungFuJunky]

What are round robins? Keep hearing this phrase on Spitfire channel but isn't obvious what it is!

[@DanKeenMusic]

Hi Bo, round robins are repeated performances of the same note. If you have 4 round robins, there are 4 recordings of each note at each velocity level. This allows us to get more realism when repeating the same note over and over. The nuance in each recording helps us to avoid a ‘machine gun’ effect that sounds fake and mechanical

[@KungFuJunky]

@@DanKeenMusic Ahh! That makes sense now! Thanks! So are the different round robins triggered individually and randomly, or a different blend of all of them together each time?

[@antekketna7080]

Nice composition, but not very ID-like. I meant not very original. All harmonies are around neo-romanticism. The sounds are like hundreds of others. Anyway, you have got some talents. Keep going. all the best