Orchestration Secrets from Star Wars by John Williams
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- Опубліковано 6 жов 2024
- daviddas.com -- In this 48-minute orchestration study, we look at the first eight measures of the suite from Star Wars by John Williams, recording every note of every instrument individually so that we can study how it was put together.
In response to numerous requests, I've made a second video solely on the technical/computer aspects, showing my computer rig, how it was built and how it's connected, and how it enabled me to create the Star Wars mockup: • The Ultimate Guide to ...
I'm actively planning more of these. If you want to stay in the loop for new similar videos, join the MailChimp list here: daviddas.com/gl...
If you enjoyed this, you might also enjoy my short study of John Williams's Catch Me If You Can: • How John Williams' Cat...
This is gold on seeing the orchestrational differences small nuances make!
I would have called this "reconstruction instead of "orchestration secrets", but this was immensely helpful and extremely enjoyable. Thanks!
As a composing hobbiest, I found this to be unbelievably amazing and inspirational! All I want to do is write music right now! You definitely should consider doing more of these!
I purchased Kontakt this weekend and have been looking for someone brilliant to teach me orchestration.... David, my friend, I think you have delivered exactly the motivation I need to progress at an optimum level. Thank you!!
One of the best tutorials on the internet!
This is honestly hands down the Biggest and most complex orchestral composing project i have ever seen in my life.
Great detailed work
New subscriber! Thank you for your addition to the planet.
I never noticed all the small nuances and bits and pieces until hearing it being laid down track by track like this. This is actually huge help. All the harmonies and resolutions going on creating the whole texture are just incredibly amazing. It seems like such a simple score yet is so complex. John Williams is indeed a master.
Writing for full orchestra and in this style is probably the hardest music to write because there are so many instruments and layers. 1 minute of this stuff can take all day.
I know next to nothing about musical theory/composition but I just couldn’t stop watching this video. Fantastic.
Could you make a more in depth explanation of your setup? It seems otherworldly how you have all these libraries loaded up without any issues. Btw you're incredibly talented - this video deserves more attention
Thanks Andrew! That's a great idea, but it would be a little time-consuming to produce and explain. I'll keep it in mind for future videos, but let me know some of the questions you're wondering about, that way I can be sure to address them.
Why not just use an external HDD for production? You have a second CPU dedicated for production"?
An external hard drive wouldn't have any effect, positive or negative on working in an environment like this.
The screen you see in the video above is my main Mac which has all the MIDI tracks (and some audio routing). All the instruments live on two secondary PC's ("slaves") which are running Vienna Ensemble Pro and dozens of instances of Kontakt. Those two PC's keep all the instruments loaded at all times, so that the main Mac can trigger them instantly.
The main Mac and the two PC slaves are connected via gigabit ethernet, and the Vienna Ensemble Pro software handles the MIDI being sent from Mac to PC, and the audio being sent from PC to Mac.
David Das Wow. Did you build this yourself? this setup seems very unique!
David Das Thank you for taking the time to explain this in further detail. Sounds like a great set up. Very intuitive.
one of the best orchestral breakdowns ever done for free on the internet.. Learnt a lot by seeing and hearing how each individual instrument adds a little to the 'Orchestral Soup' in its own 'flavour'...☺️ Thanks a million for this☺️. If I just listen to this with my eyes closed, I can hardly tell the difference between this mock up and the original soundtrack☺️... please do more of these 😊☺️👍
Thanks Mohan. That's exactly why I did it. Planning to do more in the future, so stay tuned!
Holy shit.. you must be more deaf than Beethoven right before his death!
Mohan Hegde Pleassseee don't use emojis like that...
more like this, please!! awesome job
I know very little of the software or music but have an interest in all of it. This was really interesting and I like how you just get right to it. No wasting time, explain a few things that help us understand your setup then jump right in. Also, thank you for putting the score up on the screen along the way for us to follow. Just you doing your thing, and we get to be a fly on the wall.
it is awesome how carefully arranged that piece of music is - and he is really handling it with that care too.
This also turned out to be a great exercise in learning how to use my DAW (Cubase) as well as the orchestration, thanks!
Very enjoyable; thanks for taking the time to do this! One point was really driven home: no ONE library has all the answers, as you were having to use different patches (sometimes from different libraries) to achieve the desired result.
Yes, that's absolutely right, and sometimes individual instruments from libraries work better than others.
This was a seriously good learning experience David. I'd love to see more if you find the time.
This was more fun than I imagined. I learned a lot. Thanks.
Wow. Pure respect sir. I will now aspire to the standard you just set for me. Thank you Mr. Das.
Stellar work! I appreciate how you pointed out nuances along the way (like the octave change on the tuba).
Yep...one of those tiny tiny details that can make a huge difference. Anyone who's ever played a bass instrument understands what things like that can do.
Fascinating work, thanks v much for posting.
Thanks! More coming soon.
Your setup is a dream!
More info on it here: ua-cam.com/video/sWeN0tVvV3A/v-deo.html
Your videos is incredibly insightful. You demonstrate step by step how the magic is made, disclosing the tricks of John Williams the magician 😁
David, that was excellent. Most appreciated. What I would love to see you do is, rather than spending the video inputting the score, start with it already there and spend the time soloing various instruments and groups of instruments discussing the roles each play in the whole. I learn a lot by downloading MIDI files a of works and then, score in hand (if I can get it), doing just that. Having someone with your experience and knowledge to enlighten would be great.
Great comment. I hope to do this with future videos. There's a lot of different approaches and angles to take when studying orchestration, and you're right, that's a valuable approach. You may enjoy seeing a couple of short videos I produced along these lines on John Adams's Short Ride in a Fast Machine (ua-cam.com/video/O774XsRLsT0/v-deo.html) and John Williams's Catch Me If You Can (ua-cam.com/video/PVKV5ofmSIU/v-deo.html). Definitely hope to do more in the future.
Not ashamed to admit this brought a tear to my eye. Awesome video
Superb work on this study!
- But 48min in a nutshell: John Williams is a genius.
Subscribed. I used to have arguments with my friends in the school orchestra (in my youth) over the Mellotron, and how that instrument was taking jobs from real musicians. I can only imagine what they think of these amazing sample programs. Great work and greetings from a fellow composer, producer, and Digital Performer advocate.
20:54 Bb ascending melodic minor (Bb major scale, just flat the third step to Db) but run starts on 7th step (A). Do the jazzers call that A altered scale?
This helped. I wish that all instrumentalists had access to this kind of a breakdown and build up. It would help us to enjoy more complex music.
Thank you!
David - I enjoyed watching this video today (almost 5 years after you made it). I was impressed with the system you've come up with for being able to quickly audition the instruments for each part as well as your ability to quickly choose a patch that works, adjust it as needed and move on to the next measure. Although it might have made for a shorter video by having already done the note input and instrument selection ahead of time, I learned a lot by being able to watch you go through that process. I also found it interesting to see how you draw from different sample libraries. This is the first of your videos I've watched. I look forward to seeing what you've done since you recorded this video. Thanks again.
I'm very glad it was helpful. Thanks for dropping a line. This video was very much a stream-of-consciousness video and I specifically published it because I figured there's a lot of micro-decisions made in the course of composing or producing that it's hard to share any other way. I keep meaning to do more of these, but never seem to have the time.
This is a wonderful resource, I really appreciate you taking the effort to put this together. Godspeed David!
Watched from start to finish. Really interesting for someone like me who comes from a band background rather than orchestral, but is enjoying learning new techniques for composing. Thanks so much. Could have watched another hour!
It's amazing how the tremolo's in the woodwinds gel everything together at 30:55, then the harp just completes it at 32:06. John Williams truly is a master orchestrator!
This is SO RAD man. Love the constant visual juxtaposition of Digital Performer and the print music sheets
As a composer, this was incredibly helpful! Good job and please keep up the good work!
This is outstanding. Thank you. Made me a subscriber. You’re the man.
David it's great to come across you today on UA-cam doing your thing. You were helpful to me over 15 years ago setting up my project studio. This is a fantastic teaching/learning video experience. Thank you.
"I'm so excited about reading viola clef right now, I can't tell you." LOL
That.. was... amazing! As someone who has seen Mr Williams perform live, once in London and again in Boston, his mastery is stunning. But your video is the first time I have heard ever nuance of his space masterpiece. Thank you for that. It was a joy to watch and hear.
Whoa.
That felt like the fastest 48 minutes of my life, and it was time well spent. I was completely intrigued and drawn in. I subscribed in hopes of more videos that follow this pattern of production! Thank you for the editing you did to allow us to see the sheet music, and the software, and your studio all at once. EXTREMELY PHENOMENAL VIDEO! Can't say enough about that one.
Thanks! More coming soon.
Great video, would love to see more of these.
Jurassic park or La La Land would be amazing
Definitely planning to do more. Most likely on Patreon. The next study (Holst Planets Mars) has already been recorded; just awaiting editing now.
And I'd love to do more John Williams.
La La Land would be tricky unless the score becomes available.
Enjoyed the process. Please do more. I envy your setup! Thank you.
Details on the setup are now here: ua-cam.com/video/sWeN0tVvV3A/v-deo.html
20:49 A good example of John's jazz background coming through. I find it's a big reason why his sound is so recognizable and unique.
Thank you very much this is exactly the lesson I been looking for
Don't forget Herbert Spencer, who was the orchestrator for William's themes in the first 3 films!
Have you seen Williams’ scores? Not to diminish Spencer & Co. contributions to these films, but Williams’ orchestrators function more like copyists to save time rather than orchestrators. Williams’ sketches are incredibly detailed. It’s all there. (Compared to a piano midi track, like how Zimmer works.)
So I am not a musician but as a filmmaker and a big fan of star wars, I found this both incredibly interesting and cool to watch.
Great video
21:18 - "I don't have any with exotic scales." Isn't that just Bb melodic minor? I still think it's faster to just play it in ;). I started arranging this piece for an ensemble, and I just searched youtube out of curiosity to see what else was out there. Thanks for an awesome video!
I love movie musoc, but besides playing trumpet in middle school, I know very little about how orchestration works. This was fascinating enough, however, that I ate it all up - even though you were speaking a foreign language - and wanted more. Bravo for holding my ADD for an hour.
I just stumbled onto this. I did something similar to the whole score of Man of La Mancha back in 2009 for a theatre production using Logic Pro and (mostly) the East West orchestral pack. It teaches you so much about orchestration. Thanks for making this video.
This was great, thank you for sharing. Harry Potter Chamber of Secrets could be fun to do too.
I don't know how it is humanly possible to juggle all of these details. It must take years and years of schooling. Amazing!
I just saw Episode VIII yesterday and was amazed how much a difference that single triangle made when hearing it surround sound. The theme is amazing and a simple instrument can make a huge difference.
Great point! Glad to add to your enjoyment.
Wow, it was so fun to watch everything build into the score. It sounds so good.
BIG John Williams admirer and now a fan of yours. Very nicely done and thank you!
I've read this score many times but after hearing each instrument played separately, I'm noticing textures I've never realized.
Listening and watching this come together just made me smile ... thanks from a fellow DP user. Now, to win the lotto and get that Vienna ensemble going.
Fascinating! One can really learn from this. Thanks for breaking this down for everyone as John Williams really is a master.
Bravo to you. This was unbelievably cool.
Thank you so much David! I found this video trully inspirational for those of us who love the music of the great master.
I have to say that your template to work in your DAW is a bomb. I also saw your video explaining it and I´m working with my team to do it.
Thanks again and I´m stalking you from Buenos Aires :)
Absolutely enlightened moment, thanks so much ,
wish I could read scores as good as you , but at least I understood the basics.
You reaching out far ,see I'm from Québec Canada.
respect ! David.
🙏👏👏👏👏
I've never seen a score broken down like this. Really delightful, all the textures playing together so beautifully. Thank you.
Awesome job! Love the trombones and French horn section before the main theme...really adds to the build up!
Study Jerry Goldsmith scores (Poltergeist, Legend, Masada, Star Trek-The Motion Picture, The Blue Max, Night Crossing, The Omen, The Wind and the Lion.. and so on..) They are all amazing...He was a real genius!
As a instrumentalist coming at this from that side, I appreciate the audio mixing perspective, I was taking notes! Keep up the good work
YES! There is not enough of this on the internet. Orchestration, especially WIlliams' is masterful, and the only way to become a great orchestrator is to study these guys. PLEASE do more of the Star Wars suite! I'm smashing that sub button + bell.
This is incredible! Technology is capable of such incredible things especially when used by such an incredible artist. Bravo!
Dude, thanks for that, that was really amazing, i learned a lot!
We need more of John Williams' magic.
This was awesome. Your sense of rhythm just kills me. They are my biggest struggle. The was so well produced and fun to watch. Awesome. Thank you.
WOW WOW SUPERMAN MUST BE NEXT... fantastic job, i love hearing other recordings of john william's themes to see how those composers bring their sound and interpretation to the piece. This is an incredible video thank you.
Great video ! Very interesting to see the role of each instrument in the orchestration. It would have been nice to hear instruments sections playing together.
The effort is appreciated and it's nice to see a lot of other people found it educational and helpful, but since you say "orchestration secrets," I was hoping for more in-depth analysis of the composition, arrangement, harmonies, techniques, etc. Note I say "more," because you did point out some, but otherwise, I'm not sure I see a difference between this and just looking at the score ourselves, which I have.
Still a cool video I enjoyed watching, it was made and commentated well, and despite my experience with the score, I didn't remember that flat you pointed out in the early runs. Thanks for taking the time to make such a video, I'll check out the equipment guide since I'm curious about these multi-PC setups.and seeing if I could set one up.
thanks so much for putting all this work. For sure a very practice and lesson.
This takes something good and makes it better...
Great to see your musicianship, David.
I don't know much about music but I love star wars. It was great to hear the music being created bit by bit.
This is re creation. What a great effort and mind would it be to create the music at the first place...
Only just arrived at this link today - instantly my favourite!! Many thanks!
Awesome, David. Thanks for this!
I always loved this piece, but this just made it even more amazing. ty
This was fascinating! I'm a musician but haven't done much stuff on the computer like this! Great work!
This has been excellent in every respect ! Great job. Especially helpful and great idea to just overlay notes to get articulation combinations...
This is awesome! Lord Of The Rings would be amazing too!
Yes, would love to do that in the future! There will be more videos coming.
Just brilliant! - I shall watch and learn time & time again!
Your setup made me drool. I need that in my life.
FYI there's an entire video on my setup: ua-cam.com/video/sWeN0tVvV3A/v-deo.html
I thought the same lol
Well done. As a lifelong fan of both Star Wars abd John Williams, well, there were goosebumps. Very well done, indeed. Now I want to drop a few grand and get back into sequencing scores.
Wow, this is fantastic. Thankyou for taking the time to make this!
Great tutorial! I'm pleased to see you using EWQLSO. Every time I move up to a new orchestral library, I find myself still going back to EW for layering, missing articulations, etc. It's still a very useful library. Nice work!
WOW Great stuff. Thanks for clarity and how things are setup.
What a great breakdown. I knew there was a lot of work making a piece like this, you just confirmed it for me. Would love to see more, maybe continue on for the next 6 to 10 measures.
An extraordinary tutorial, best I've ever seen on UA-cam. Thank you so much, very inspirational, it's a joy to watch and hear it all come together in that way. I attempted this many years ago just using Creative sound fonts, but this video almost 15 years later showed me what I was doing wrong! I have better equipment and libraries now, but you've shown me in the space of an hour what others failed to. Can't thank you enough sir :)
Thank you very much. More coming soon! Subscribe or sign up for the mailing list to get notified when the new stuff launches.
Subscribed for sure!
More of this please! Really enjoyed it
Fantastic video. This not only shows off your dedication and talent as a musician but also William's indefinable genius! I'd love to see a piece like "Prelude" from Psycho deconstructed and layered in, step by step....truly masterful edit too, I subscribed!
thank you David. awsome channel
Your amazing! So talented. I love to watch you creating computer orchestration. Good job!
This really is more in line with the in's and out's of translating a score to a mock up. While a little can be gained figuring out how to convert it to a mock up it doesn't give the why's in the technique of the way things were orchestrated how they were. Some things remain artistic secrets, and simply artistic choices.
I've been looking for someone like you for a long time. MAKE MORE PLEASE THESE ARE SO COOL!
Definitely. More coming soon. The next one is already recorded and just awaiting editing.
This was amazingly great! Thank you
This is truly an amazing video! This really makes me wanna get into orchestration. I'm actually going to now because of this tutorial. I'd love it if you'd do more tutorials like these, they are amazing.
This is fantastic David - what a great way to break this down and appreciate all the subtle details. You've got a great setup for this!
Thanks Rob!
@@daviddas This moment in cinema history is forever embedded in my mind, I remember seeing it in the drive-in theater in the 70s! I've always loved the musical transitions in the first couple minutes - from this famous opening fanfare to the quiet, brief mysterious moment in empty space, then the rebel ship and massive star destroyer barreling through, overwhelming the screen (accompanied by the massive Mars-like rhythms). My five year old son is fascinated with this music now too! I could easily watch you for hours breaking down that whole sequence. :-)
@@RobMartino I also did another UA-cam on Mars (from the Planets) -- lots of Star Wars parallels there.