Composing Orchestral Music at DVinfo.net

Josef Heks · December 22nd, 2005, 10:57 PM

Hi,

Im wanting to find some software which will allow me to compose an orchestral soundtrack for my short film. By this, I mean that I want all the instruments to be digital, and manipulated on may computer.

Im after traditional, life-like orchestral sounds (violins, drums, woodwind etc). I can read music moderately, though would prefer an interface like Reason, which doesnt require me to score using musical notation.

Does anyone know of software such as this?

Thanks

Chris Barcellos · December 22nd, 2005, 11:58 PM

I'm interested in this too. I ve seen various programs with loops to work with like Acid and Audition, but this seems more like what is needed.

Chris Barcellos · December 23rd, 2005, 12:18 AM

Here is just one of many sites that has orchestral loops:

http://www.acidmusicloops.com/orches...cid_loops.html

Boyd Ostroff · December 23rd, 2005, 07:52 AM

You don't say whether you're on the Mac or PC. On the Mac Garageband is a surprisingly powerful - and fun - program for this. If you have any musical background then hook up a MIDI keyboard and suddenly you become a whole orchestra! It also works with loops but I haven't done much with those.

http://www.apple.com/ilife/garageband/

Steve House · December 23rd, 2005, 07:55 AM

Steinberg and PropellerHeads also have loop based and midi sequencing software with libraries of orchestral instruments. To see just how good they can get, go to Steinberg's website and download their sample audio clips of their concert grand piano synthesizer "The Grand."

Another option is the SonicFire software and royalty free librariy collections from SmartSound. They have music in a wide variety of styles, including classical. The beauty of this system is that it can be shortened or lengthened at will, changed in tempo, key or mood, and basically "re-composed" on the fly in the SonicFire program without having to know a lot about music theory or having performance skills etc

Ty Ford · December 23rd, 2005, 08:22 AM

In addition to Acid Loops (PC), Garage Band and SOuntrack (Mac), Apple now has Soundtrack Pro which can also use loops from Acid.

Regards,

Ty Ford

Josef Heks · December 23rd, 2005, 06:23 PM

Thanks for the input. Im on PC btw.

I dont think I really just want to mix a bunch of loops together. I want control over how every note is played, so I can actually compose my own music.

I actually have an old version of Reason, before it came with Orkester. Does anyone know where I could get free symphonic/orchestra samples?

Thanks

Douglas Spotted Eagle · December 23rd, 2005, 06:33 PM

http://www.ntonyx.com/sf_f.htm
http://www.soundfonts.it/
http://linux-sound.org/sounds.html
http://www.sseyo.com/showcase/demos/soundfonts.html
http://www.sonicimplants.com/
http://www.personalcopy.com/sfarkfonts1.htm
http://www.glasstrax.com/download/soundfonts.html

Lots of great orchestral soundfonts out there. Additionally, ACID has several libraries recorded from the Moscow Symphony that are incredible. I hear them used in major commercial works all the time.
Garageband ROCKS! Soundtrack Pro is kinda lame. Soundtrack was better in terms of usability and user friendliness. Apple would do better to blow away Soundtrack, just have a high and low value version of GarageBand, IMO.

Ty Ford · December 24th, 2005, 07:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Josef Heks

Thanks for the input. Im on PC btw.

I dont think I really just want to mix a bunch of loops together. I want control over how every note is played, so I can actually compose my own music.

Thanks

Garage Band has virtual instruments. You need a MIDI keyboard to play them. Oh, and the chops.

Ty Ford

Bruce S. Yarock · December 24th, 2005, 09:12 PM

I do my recording in Steinberg Nuendo. Hypersonic(Steinberg) is real nice for instrumentation and orchestration...there aren't millions of sounds, but it's real intuitive and easy to use.I also use emu proteus x, which has more sounds, but is harder to use. Then there's my Roalnd 2080,Korg M1......And you have to either play the parts in through a midi keyboard, or with the pencil tool.
I sometimes use Acid for percussion and wierd stuff, but haven't heard the acid orchestral loops. Acid is a wonderfull tool also.
Bruce Yarock

Roy Sallows · December 24th, 2005, 09:19 PM

Band In A Box is wonderful. I am not sure of the price, since I bought the first of my two copies several years ago, and my most recent one was donated to a high-school film program, but the program is a wonder. It actually composes music based on several algorithms, and every piece is original and royalty free. It will also generate chord progressions in any of several hundred styles, and either write a lead and melody, or permit you to enter the notes - writing your own melodies. It will also allow you to write the meoldy, and then generate chords around it.

Brian Kennedy · December 24th, 2005, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Josef Heks

Im wanting to find some software which will allow me to compose an orchestral soundtrack for my short film. By this, I mean that I want all the instruments to be digital, and manipulated on may computer.

Im after traditional, life-like orchestral sounds (violins, drums, woodwind etc). I can read music moderately, though would prefer an interface like Reason, which doesnt require me to score using musical notation.

Once you get the sounds you like from the links DSE provided, and assuming you have a MIDI keyboard, you should record and assemble the tracks with a multitrack MIDI editor like Cubase or Sonar. I've heard of, but never used Propellarhead's Reason -- maybe it's the same thing. If you are looking for sounds that are better than the free stuff and are really hardcore about this stuff, look at something like the PMI Symphonic Orchestra collection (expensive).

Roy Sallows · December 25th, 2005, 05:30 AM

You can go to http://www.pgmusic.com/ and read about it.

Josef Heks · December 25th, 2005, 08:56 PM

thanks very much for all ur input, it was very helpful. presently im mucking around with my old version of Reason which has I found has some (though limited) orchestral sounds. Its actually going ok..its a bit quirky sounding but my short film is quirky anyway! Maybe ill post my results once Ive done a bit more - this is my first score ever.

Chris Barcellos · December 26th, 2005, 01:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roy Sallows

Band In A Box is wonderful. I am not sure of the price, since I bought the first of my two copies several years ago, and my most recent one was donated to a high-school film program, but the program is a wonder. It actually composes music based on several algorithms, and every piece is original and royalty free. It will also generate chord progressions in any of several hundred styles, and either write a lead and melody, or permit you to enter the notes - writing your own melodies. It will also allow you to write the meoldy, and then generate chords around it.

Roy:

I've messed around with a version of Band in A Box years ago, and remember it doing a lot of what you indicate. I'm no musical genious, and it was fun fooling around with a melody and adding instruments, and then letting the program run and provide its version with chords and all. But I never thought it could get good enough for a decent soundtrack. Do you have some examples we could hear?

Chris Barcellos

December 22nd, 2005, 10:57 PM	#1
Josef Heks Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 74	Composing Orchestral Music Hi, Im wanting to find some software which will allow me to compose an orchestral soundtrack for my short film. By this, I mean that I want all the instruments to be digital, and manipulated on may computer. Im after traditional, life-like orchestral sounds (violins, drums, woodwind etc). I can read music moderately, though would prefer an interface like Reason, which doesnt require me to score using musical notation. Does anyone know of software such as this? Thanks

December 22nd, 2005, 11:58 PM	#2
Chris Barcellos Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Elk Grove CA Posts: 6,838	Ditto I'm interested in this too. I ve seen various programs with loops to work with like Acid and Audition, but this seems more like what is needed.

December 23rd, 2005, 12:18 AM	#3
Chris Barcellos Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Elk Grove CA Posts: 6,838	Site with Loops Seens to be a lot of them Here is just one of many sites that has orchestral loops: http://www.acidmusicloops.com/orches...cid_loops.html

December 23rd, 2005, 07:55 AM	#5
Steve House Inner Circle Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Posts: 5,742	Steinberg and PropellerHeads also have loop based and midi sequencing software with libraries of orchestral instruments. To see just how good they can get, go to Steinberg's website and download their sample audio clips of their concert grand piano synthesizer "The Grand." Another option is the SonicFire software and royalty free librariy collections from SmartSound. They have music in a wide variety of styles, including classical. The beauty of this system is that it can be shortened or lengthened at will, changed in tempo, key or mood, and basically "re-composed" on the fly in the SonicFire program without having to know a lot about music theory or having performance skills etc __________________ Good news, Cousins! This week's chocolate ration is 15 grams!

December 23rd, 2005, 08:22 AM	#6
Ty Ford Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Baltimore, MD USA Posts: 2,337	In addition to Acid Loops (PC), Garage Band and SOuntrack (Mac), Apple now has Soundtrack Pro which can also use loops from Acid. Regards, Ty Ford __________________ Ty Ford's Audio Bootcamp Field Guide Ty Ford's Audio Video Blog

December 23rd, 2005, 07:52 AM	#4
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,802	You don't say whether you're on the Mac or PC. On the Mac Garageband is a surprisingly powerful - and fun - program for this. If you have any musical background then hook up a MIDI keyboard and suddenly you become a whole orchestra! It also works with loops but I haven't done much with those. http://www.apple.com/ilife/garageband/

December 23rd, 2005, 06:23 PM	#7
Josef Heks Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 74	Thanks for the input. Im on PC btw. I dont think I really just want to mix a bunch of loops together. I want control over how every note is played, so I can actually compose my own music. I actually have an old version of Reason, before it came with Orkester. Does anyone know where I could get free symphonic/orchestra samples? Thanks

December 23rd, 2005, 06:33 PM	#8
Douglas Spotted Eagle VASST Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Stockton, UT Posts: 5,648	http://www.ntonyx.com/sf_f.htm http://www.soundfonts.it/ http://linux-sound.org/sounds.html http://www.sseyo.com/showcase/demos/soundfonts.html http://www.sonicimplants.com/ http://www.personalcopy.com/sfarkfonts1.htm http://www.glasstrax.com/download/soundfonts.html Lots of great orchestral soundfonts out there. Additionally, ACID has several libraries recorded from the Moscow Symphony that are incredible. I hear them used in major commercial works all the time. Garageband ROCKS! Soundtrack Pro is kinda lame. Soundtrack was better in terms of usability and user friendliness. Apple would do better to blow away Soundtrack, just have a high and low value version of GarageBand, IMO. __________________ Douglas Spotted Eagle/Spot Author, producer, composer Certified Sony Vegas Trainer http://www.vasst.com

December 24th, 2005, 09:12 PM	#10
Bruce S. Yarock Trustee Join Date: May 2004 Location: Pembroke Pines, Fl. Posts: 1,842	I do my recording in Steinberg Nuendo. Hypersonic(Steinberg) is real nice for instrumentation and orchestration...there aren't millions of sounds, but it's real intuitive and easy to use.I also use emu proteus x, which has more sounds, but is harder to use. Then there's my Roalnd 2080,Korg M1......And you have to either play the parts in through a midi keyboard, or with the pencil tool. I sometimes use Acid for percussion and wierd stuff, but haven't heard the acid orchestral loops. Acid is a wonderfull tool also. Bruce Yarock

December 24th, 2005, 09:19 PM	#11
Roy Sallows Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Winnipeg, Canada Posts: 57	BiaB Band In A Box is wonderful. I am not sure of the price, since I bought the first of my two copies several years ago, and my most recent one was donated to a high-school film program, but the program is a wonder. It actually composes music based on several algorithms, and every piece is original and royalty free. It will also generate chord progressions in any of several hundred styles, and either write a lead and melody, or permit you to enter the notes - writing your own melodies. It will also allow you to write the meoldy, and then generate chords around it.

December 25th, 2005, 05:30 AM	#13
Roy Sallows Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Winnipeg, Canada Posts: 57	Band In A Box link You can go to http://www.pgmusic.com/ and read about it.

December 25th, 2005, 08:56 PM	#14
Josef Heks Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 74	thanks very much for all ur input, it was very helpful. presently im mucking around with my old version of Reason which has I found has some (though limited) orchestral sounds. Its actually going ok..its a bit quirky sounding but my short film is quirky anyway! Maybe ill post my results once Ive done a bit more - this is my first score ever.