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Orchestra/film soundtrack software

Deathchords	Date: June 30, 2007 @ 6:55 AM Hi, I'm new to this forum and I have no education in music (well, apart from the 13 years of compulsory music theory at my primary and secondary school, and I used to sing in a few choirs). However, I taught myself a bit of piano and compose since 3 years. I composed with the computer on a notation software called Capella (MIDI format). Now, as you experts surely know, MIDI is funny but has no realism or sound effects. It's very linear. Is there a way to produce music with the same quality and freedom of film soundtracks? My genre and instruments would be the typical classical orchestra, but also with elements from other ethnic music (I think you might guess one of my inspiring composers: Ennio Morricone) Now, I'm completely illiterate in all other software and studios apart from Capella; so I'm asking you what I should start learning to produce and have full freedom of sound manipulation. I just searched around the internet and found a software called "Steinberg Symphonic Orchestra". Do you think that's a good software that fits my needs? Thank you
LiQuidMetamo...	Date: June 30, 2007 @ 7:29 AM Steinberg Syphonic Orchestra is a soundbank to go with the Halion Sampler. It has great sounds but is not a multitrack recorder. Other equivalents are the Vienna Symphonic Cube etc. It is a vst designed to be run inside a sequencer such as Cubase , Sonar, Samplitude etc. where you can edit MIDI and audio. The top of the range Cubase Cubase 4 or SX in the previous range and Sonar 6 Producer Edition have scoring facilities too, although programs such as Sibelius and Finale are regarded more highly on this issue. Many soundtracks are produced on Cubase, Sonar (PC) and Logic and Digital Performer (Mac) using such things as symphonic orchestra, garritan personal orchestral or vienna symphonic cube etc as virtual instruments. All of these sequencers handle audio and MIDI and have very detailed editing functions for both.
DaveWL	Date: June 30, 2007 @ 8:48 AM Yeah you need to differentiate between 1) the sounds you are going to use and 2) method of composing. 1) you need to find the sounds that you like and are comfortable with. String sounds are one of the more easy to emulate electronically and there are loads of fairly realistic sounds out there. So you need some sort of soundbank or sound module of orchestral sounds. 2) you need to find a way of composing that you are comfortable with. I guess there are probably 3 ways. i) playing parts in real time on keyboard ii) scoring with proper music notation iii) sequencing with a piano roll – basically a matrix that represents notes and time durations. The tool for your composing will be a sequencer or otherwise known as a DAW (Digital audio Workstation). Any popular DAW should accomadate all 3 ways. Just about any sound bank should be compatible with any popular sequencer. Leeds as mentioned most of the popular soundbanks and DAWs in this area. I’m pretty sure a cut down version of Garitan software comes with Tracktion and Sonar. You should not be sceptical of MIDI as this is just a method of capturing your musical data. Your experience with MIDI may be based on using inflexible software and bland native MIDI sounds.MIDI in itselve opens the doors to amazing possibilities, and will give you the opportunity to mix,swap and manipulate all kinds of sounds.
Deathchords	Date: July 2, 2007 @ 1:13 PM Hello! Thanks so much for your replies! It really helped and clarified many of my doubts regarding sound production. And opens some new questions. You're saying that I've been using MIDI in an inflexible way. But, if there are different kinds of MIDI sounds, doesn't this cause problems when I open a midi from one computer (the one with the sound banks etc.) and then play the midi file from a computer without that sound bank? What I understood is that you basically convert the midi file into wav/mp3 after having composed it with the sound bank you like, in order to keep those sounds intact, right? And what about the effects such as hall, or general music dynamics (piano, molto forte, etc.) or effects like fade out? Is this all done through the different sound banks or does one need an extra software? I also know someone who composes on a simple midi notation software and then imports it into "FL Studio" to make all the sound effects. Does the software you mentioned do both functions?
LiQuidMetamo...	Date: July 2, 2007 @ 9:35 PM If you purely want orchestral sounds and scoring in MIDI, check out programs like Notion http://www.notionmusic.com/ Finale http://www.finalemusic.com/finale/default.aspx Sibelius http://www.sibelius.com/home/index_flash.html These are designed for classical and soundtrack scoring and performance and include stuff such as Garritan Personal Orchestra sounds. However, they are not really designed as universal music recorders like Cubase, Logic, SOnar etc as they don't have lots of fx plugins and much in the way of audio editing and recording. If you think you might want to be recording rock music or dance music then Cubase, Logic and Sonar etc are better choices in combination with vst sample players/soundbanks etc. MIDI is just a facility to record musical information, notes, note lengths, pitch bends etc. General MIDI is a type of uniform soundbank such as in Native instruments Bandstand or the old Roland Sound Canvas modules. Virtual instruments play audio sounds based upon the MIDI note information.
Saadya	Date: July 17, 2007 @ 9:01 PM I personally use Sonar 6 Producer Edition. A bit expensive, but worth it. And Garritan Personal Orchestra. You can hear my stuff to check how it sounds.
hexagon	Date: August 22, 2007 @ 3:22 AM Make a visit to FlexiMusic Composer, http://www.fleximusic.com/composer/overview.htm It is a user friendly software for beginners, you can use it without any music knowledge, you can create any samples of your own melody, its economic.
gtr1960	Date: August 27, 2007 @ 4:13 PM Digital Performer 5.1 That is what this program was designed for. Lots of movie soundtracks have been done with this software...It's mac only at this time though. It is probably the best audio/midi sequencing software that I have used..They have there own audio interfaces that are just as good as any of the audio interfaces out there... other than your super high end stuff. The support is amazing and the manuals smoke any of the other that I've seen .. We are now using 4 828's with the 424 soundcard into a intel mac 2.66 quad and it is running 24 track analog plus about 20 track midi all going simultaneously.. check it out at motu.com ..plus check out Trevor Rabins pages on movie soundtracks.
LiQuidMetamo...	Date: August 28, 2007 @ 6:35 AM DP certainly has a reputation in this field, the May 2007 electronic musician rates it very highly for audio and visual work combined such as scoring to a movie soundtrack. As for the program itself, like any other DAW, whether or not you like it is subjective to personal opinion. Although I don't have a Mac, my friend does and he changed from DP to Logic a year because he preferred Logic's 'environment' and having seen the DP GUI and how it works, I am not a fan of it's interface but this is a personal opinion from someone who grew up using Cubase, so it is only my personal opinion. No doubts that DP is a very powerful DAW.
gtr1960	Date: August 28, 2007 @ 9:12 AM I use cubase sx3 and new LE on my PC.. they are similar in the layout.. you just have way more editing shortcuts and functions in DP that in cubase..I have Logic and imho DP smokes it in the midi and vst side especially ...once you learn it. Dp has lots of keyboard shortcuts that can speed up the process immensely
Morganstudios	Date: September 19, 2007 @ 4:34 PM EAST WEST QUANTUM LEAP ORCHESTRA GOLD AND KONTAKT!!! Ok it's been said

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