Really cool video! One question about the double basses though - at 10:00, you say they are not included, and they don't have anything written in the score - but I can clearly hear them, an octave below the cellos. I mean, they're obviously playing throughout the whole excerpt..?
Thanks a lot! And you're right, and apologies for this, I do briefly mention it later in the video : we added a double bass line for this section in the studio! I did orchestrated it the way I'm presenting this in the video, but the composer Michel Corriveau wanted a warmer sound for this segment.
Absolutely superb video here Alex. Love that you went into (in the last portion of the video) those specific 'non-negotiables' for score sheet. Even stressing how just 15sec of waste could be better served recording music. I have no experience with live ensembles let alone full orchestras. I'd hope that one day, I can get my work recorded or performed live. Till then, I'd love to ask you more about your plug towards the end of the video. You mentioned, potentially, working with a composer on this matter. Maybe perhaps what I'm asking is, do you have any recommendations on how to improve skills as a composer for writing more idiomatic music and for writing music that will be read well during a session? Thanks in advance for your time. Peace be with you.
Hey there Jon, Thanks a lot for your kind comment and for your very interesting questions. Yes, I do think that there is an expertise to acquire at making our scores as clear as possible, and in the case of a studio recording session with few to no time to rehearse, it becomes increasingly important. Now there's also a balance : you don't want to overwhelm the performers with notes about their fingering, or too much information about what character they should play in. The pitches, rhythms, dynamics should by default be clear enough. It's only when you want something non-standard, like no vibrato on the strings, that you should add more information. But yeah there are other things like just how the bars in the score are set up, how many systems, avoiding page turning, bar number at every bar, etc, that can facilitate the session and put your performers at ease with your music. Your question about writing idiomatic music, I'd say you have a job to write things that work well for the instrument you're writing for. And that doesn't mean only long notes written in a simple meter with repetitive rhythms : performers in orchestras play a lot of repertoire that is quite hard. So my advice would be, if you're writing for a string quartet, go listen and read scores of string quartets of all periods : Haydn, Beethoven, Ravel, Bartok, Unsuk Chin.. The other element in a live session is : are your performers good? Cause sometimes you can have a quite hard segment, and with good performers you get it right in 2-3 takes, but with others it can take you like 7-8 and sometimes it's not even perfect, but you got to move on. So it's your job to be aware of that too! Also, is your conductor, or who's leading the session, clear, concise and as determined as you are to get the right sound? I started conducting or leading my recording sessions because I've trusted other people to do it, sometimes with positive and sometimes with less positive results. It's a skill everyone can develop I think, you just do it a way that fits your personality. I'd be glad to do more videos on the matter! I wish you to have your work performed ! Just keep working on your craft, develop your network amongst musicians and composers alike, stay aware of opportunities and you'll get there! Cheers!
@@adavidcompo Thanks on the info! I really appreciate you getting back to me. I'll be applying all that you've mentioned here for sure! And looking into those books you mentioned too
Awesome! Just wanted to share i think it maybe possible to automate vibrato maybe in some libraries. I use a plugin called brsoaticulate in fl studio. And there are options for increasing the volume of expression, vibrato and a few others, which can be automated. I sincerely haven't tried it on my strings libray, but i will indeed try it today to see if it works. Thanks for sharing!
Hi there! It’s indeed possible to automate vibrato, expression, and to adjust the velocity, and the combination of the three can create something somewhat realistic. But I should have developed a bit more, I just think that sample libraries are still limited because you often cannot get a good raw sound. With no reverb it’s always noticeable that it’s not a real player. The live recording give guy access to a raw sound that is flexible, that can be presented in the front of a mix or behind some sound design, and this you can’t obtain with libraries however much you automate it.
Really incredible insight into string writing! The mix sounds incredible as well. Love the in depth sheet music work too. Do you have patch recommendations for solo strings, or is recording live always the way to go? (I’ve always heard that solo string patches will always let you down…)
Thank you so much, happy to be useful ! Yes the mix is amazing, by Sylvain Lefebvre, a long time collaborator of Michel Corriveau. A lot of solo string patches are good, they are just much harder to reproduce. You will never have all the details of the live session. I never use patches for final results but only for mock-ups, sometimes only recording the soloists for a soundtrack, and having the rest of the orchestra as a sampled orchestra can be good (I use Albion One Orchestra for the large ensemble). I could delve more into this matter in another video if you’d be interested !
@@adavidcompo yeah! Seeing the mock-up process is always interesting. I think it would also be fascinating to hear more about the session/recording process and tips for working with live performers. Maybe even a session vlog, if things aren’t too tight under NDAs. Or even maybe a small ensemble session.
Are you aware of any piece by composer who has gone as far as to specify the number (or other measure/range) of horsehair strands on the bow(s) of bowed string instrument(s)?
There are contemporary music pieces who explore notations indicating the amount of pressure you put with the bow, and it's mostly to indicate the amount of 'overpressure', an effect that can create a big screechy sound. I would say that generally, string players know much better than any composer of how much of their bow, and what angle to use it, to produce any sound they are asked for. Base dynamics, cresc. and dim., articulations, phrasing, rhythm and tempo will all have an impact on this. I think it's the kind of thing that's best to leave to the players, unless you're looking to explore a more experimental notation, or just a conceptual piece. Would be interested if you do go forward with this!
Beautiful MUSIC !!
We can listen with pleasure regardless of images
Thank you so much! Go check out the rest of the soundtrack, Michel Corriveau is a great composer !
Well done Alexandre ! This is why I always collaborate with you, you make my music sound great :)
Merci Michel! C'est parce que c'est bon en partant que c'est facile à faire sonner!!
Absolutely brilliant, very useful and inspiring. I await your next videos with the greatest impatience.
Happy to be helpful, and to spread some inspiration around !
Great content!
Thank you very much, Alexandre.
My pleasure !
J'adore!!!!!
Merci Émilie!! As-tu vu le film? Un très bon film du répertoire québécois!
Merci, très intéressant.
Ca fait plaisir 😊!
Really cool video! One question about the double basses though - at 10:00, you say they are not included, and they don't have anything written in the score - but I can clearly hear them, an octave below the cellos. I mean, they're obviously playing throughout the whole excerpt..?
Thanks a lot! And you're right, and apologies for this, I do briefly mention it later in the video : we added a double bass line for this section in the studio! I did orchestrated it the way I'm presenting this in the video, but the composer Michel Corriveau wanted a warmer sound for this segment.
Absolutely superb video here Alex. Love that you went into (in the last portion of the video) those specific 'non-negotiables' for score sheet. Even stressing how just 15sec of waste could be better served recording music. I have no experience with live ensembles let alone full orchestras. I'd hope that one day, I can get my work recorded or performed live. Till then, I'd love to ask you more about your plug towards the end of the video. You mentioned, potentially, working with a composer on this matter. Maybe perhaps what I'm asking is, do you have any recommendations on how to improve skills as a composer for writing more idiomatic music and for writing music that will be read well during a session?
Thanks in advance for your time.
Peace be with you.
Hey there Jon, Thanks a lot for your kind comment and for your very interesting questions. Yes, I do think that there is an expertise to acquire at making our scores as clear as possible, and in the case of a studio recording session with few to no time to rehearse, it becomes increasingly important. Now there's also a balance : you don't want to overwhelm the performers with notes about their fingering, or too much information about what character they should play in. The pitches, rhythms, dynamics should by default be clear enough. It's only when you want something non-standard, like no vibrato on the strings, that you should add more information. But yeah there are other things like just how the bars in the score are set up, how many systems, avoiding page turning, bar number at every bar, etc, that can facilitate the session and put your performers at ease with your music.
Your question about writing idiomatic music, I'd say you have a job to write things that work well for the instrument you're writing for. And that doesn't mean only long notes written in a simple meter with repetitive rhythms : performers in orchestras play a lot of repertoire that is quite hard. So my advice would be, if you're writing for a string quartet, go listen and read scores of string quartets of all periods : Haydn, Beethoven, Ravel, Bartok, Unsuk Chin..
The other element in a live session is : are your performers good? Cause sometimes you can have a quite hard segment, and with good performers you get it right in 2-3 takes, but with others it can take you like 7-8 and sometimes it's not even perfect, but you got to move on. So it's your job to be aware of that too! Also, is your conductor, or who's leading the session, clear, concise and as determined as you are to get the right sound? I started conducting or leading my recording sessions because I've trusted other people to do it, sometimes with positive and sometimes with less positive results. It's a skill everyone can develop I think, you just do it a way that fits your personality.
I'd be glad to do more videos on the matter!
I wish you to have your work performed ! Just keep working on your craft, develop your network amongst musicians and composers alike, stay aware of opportunities and you'll get there!
Cheers!
@@adavidcompo Thanks on the info! I really appreciate you getting back to me.
I'll be applying all that you've mentioned here for sure! And looking into those books you mentioned too
Awesome! Just wanted to share i think it maybe possible to automate vibrato maybe in some libraries. I use a plugin called brsoaticulate in fl studio. And there are options for increasing the volume of expression, vibrato and a few others, which can be automated. I sincerely haven't tried it on my strings libray, but i will indeed try it today to see if it works. Thanks for sharing!
Hi there! It’s indeed possible to automate vibrato, expression, and to adjust the velocity, and the combination of the three can create something somewhat realistic. But I should have developed a bit more, I just think that sample libraries are still limited because you often cannot get a good raw sound. With no reverb it’s always noticeable that it’s not a real player. The live recording give guy access to a raw sound that is flexible, that can be presented in the front of a mix or behind some sound design, and this you can’t obtain with libraries however much you automate it.
@@adavidcompo ok. Thanks for sharing this! I appreciate.
Pleasure 🙂
Really incredible insight into string writing! The mix sounds incredible as well. Love the in depth sheet music work too. Do you have patch recommendations for solo strings, or is recording live always the way to go? (I’ve always heard that solo string patches will always let you down…)
Thank you so much, happy to be useful !
Yes the mix is amazing, by Sylvain Lefebvre, a long time collaborator of Michel Corriveau.
A lot of solo string patches are good, they are just much harder to reproduce. You will never have all the details of the live session. I never use patches for final results but only for mock-ups, sometimes only recording the soloists for a soundtrack, and having the rest of the orchestra as a sampled orchestra can be good (I use Albion One Orchestra for the large ensemble).
I could delve more into this matter in another video if you’d be interested !
@@adavidcompo yeah! Seeing the mock-up process is always interesting. I think it would also be fascinating to hear more about the session/recording process and tips for working with live performers. Maybe even a session vlog, if things aren’t too tight under NDAs. Or even maybe a small ensemble session.
These are all great suggestions thanks a lot! will be adding those to my to-do list!
Are you aware of any piece by composer who has gone as far as to specify the number (or other measure/range) of horsehair strands on the bow(s) of bowed string instrument(s)?
There are contemporary music pieces who explore notations indicating the amount of pressure you put with the bow, and it's mostly to indicate the amount of 'overpressure', an effect that can create a big screechy sound.
I would say that generally, string players know much better than any composer of how much of their bow, and what angle to use it, to produce any sound they are asked for. Base dynamics, cresc. and dim., articulations, phrasing, rhythm and tempo will all have an impact on this. I think it's the kind of thing that's best to leave to the players, unless you're looking to explore a more experimental notation, or just a conceptual piece. Would be interested if you do go forward with this!