• I'd like to compose my own "orchestral scores" for my own films?
    46 replies, posted
I would like to find a program for Windows 7 where I can compose my own orchestra scores for films I make. However, I don't know what program to use or where to get samples of sounds to use either, but I would like to learn! It would be something great to learn but I really don't have any idea where to start!
Gonna take years to learn. Just starting off with that. The first thing you might want to look into are called DAWs, short for Digital Audio Workstation, software which helps you make music, and VST's plugins for said software. Fl Studio is a good starting out DAW, and I've heard Reaper is very good too. Some big names in orchestral VSTs are Eastwest, and uhh, Eastwest. Also read music theory. Lots and lots and lots of music theory.
Fl studio is not suited to orchestral composition. Maybe Sibelis or something similar?
Well, I don't think he will be composing anything too fancy at first anyway. Besides, Sibelius will be way more complicated for a beginner because of the lack of a piano roll. And he won't have access to any kind of orchestra so he'll have to mix it himself to sound good, and you can't do that in sibelius(?)
You have to take into consideration what kind of orchestral music you want to do. Most movie music is pretty straightforward compared to the usual orchestral pieces. There are also a ton of styles, and people get the wrong impression that orchestral music has to sound like [description]. Something to get good at is layering different pieces on top of each other, which is a lot harder to do than you think. It helps when you have some ear training and can put down the ideas in your head. Also, it'd help to listen to a lot of the music you want to emulate and take notes and apply what you observe to your own pieces. Mixcraft has some good orchestral sounds, but it's not all that fun to compose in it.
Finale is great if you want to compose orchestral music. I personally prefer FL (yes it works just fine), but you should try out some demos and see what you prefer.
Thanks for the replies! More something like this: [MEDIA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6j5YXXo1jFo[/MEDIA] I know I wouldn't create something even close to this at first, but it would be great to see the end product after I practice :D I'm working to become a Director really, but I find myself in need of more creative things to be involved in and versatility wouldn't hurt for me in the future I guess! EDIT: If it helps, at an early age I learned the piano without any help due to having a good ear. I could remember the sound of notes, what key it would be on without having any knowledge of the different types of notes. [editline]11th August 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=Croix;31649784]Gonna take years to learn. Just starting off with that. The first thing you might want to look into are called DAWs, short for Digital Audio Workstation, software which helps you make music, and VST's plugins for said software. Fl Studio is a good starting out DAW, and I've heard Reaper is very good too. Some big names in orchestral VSTs are Eastwest, and uhh, Eastwest. Also read music theory. Lots and lots and lots of music theory.[/QUOTE] My dad has a Digital Audio Workstation in his room.
Yeah prepare for years of hard work. It will be kinda hard to do both that and directing. Good luck though
[QUOTE=Croix;31658006]Yeah prepare for years of hard work. It will be kinda hard to do both that and directing. Good luck though[/QUOTE] My dad apparently has pretty much everything, including software :v: He's letting me use a "Keyrig 49" USB Keyboard for the PC so I can test out the basics. My dad wants to learn video editing so I will teach him and he will teach me his knowledge with his equipment he has. He even had a feature on Sibelius, where it records your voice and converts it to notes which seemed like an easy option for me :v: But I am a very quick learner, even producing something basic, yet effective will make me happy.
I'd love to compose orchestral music myself aswell but the problem I have is I cannot play string instruments in real life and from what I realise it's not possible to get good samples to do not only tone but to do softness and harshness and things like that.
Well it's not that you really want just samples, because that implies just a single sound, but instead you'd want a virtual instrument which is made up of samples, but does a lot more with them. For a drum, the will for instance record someone hitting the drum at a certain intensity, and record a sample for all 127 velocities (128 if a they include something at 0). This isn't to say that they record all 127 takes because that may not be all that feasible, but they record a good number and usually have a set of them at a certain velocity to make it sound more realistic. They will also usually have different ending sounds depending on the length. Like when you hit a chord a piano really hard and instantly let up, it sounds a lot different than if you were to hold the chord for a few seconds and to the same. So with a good sample base plugin, you should be able to have a lot of control over all the important factors, though the issue is that most good plugins cost quite a lot and are likely hard to use. You can get decent results with cheaper stuff or free stuff, but the results don't compare well to what you can do with some of the expensive stuff.
EWQL Symphonic Orchestra is something I'd personally recommend. The silver edition has the basic instruments and articulations and so far I've been very happy with my purchase.
Please say you have got some musical background because making any music , especially [b] GOOD [/b] orchestral scores , takes alot of hard work and alot of previous musical knowledge.
[QUOTE=Instant Mix;31675132]Please say you have got some musical background because making any music , especially [b] GOOD [/b] orchestral scores , takes alot of hard work and alot of previous musical knowledge.[/QUOTE] You don't need previous musical knowledge, you can learn the stuff you need. [editline]11th August 2011[/editline] But yeah, it's a lot of work. Those things that convert your voice into notes won't work like 90 % of the time, and you'd ahve to be a really good singer too. I mean the software that makes your voice into notes sucks. Recording snippets and converting them to notes by ear is actually really useful Also why am i dumb?
That's why ear training is good to do. I practice singing a good bit (though people wouldn't consider me a good singer) and an advantage is that I practice with the piano and play games where is to sing a note before playing it on the piano. A good result of this is recognizing pitch relation. If I come up with a idea in my head, I'll usually sing it and play it on the piano. People who are really good with pitch are able to just write it down and won't have to reassure themselves. It's also good to sing little melodies and do the same. The ending goal would be to have something in your head while and to play it without fault. I can do this to some degree, especially when using licks that I know, but I'm not at all at the point where I can do long or even medium length lines accurately. I've been meaning to get into transcribing, though I also start making music instead.
If your end goal is to become a composer for film then I definitely suggest starting out writing in Sibelius or Finale. Sequencers are great when used with high-quality virtual instruments, but they can never emulate a real orchestra exactly. You said you played a little bit of piano, but it was all self-taught. It's going to benefit you immensely if you get a piano teacher. On top of that, you should definitely take theory classes and read up on orchestration. If you're ever wondering how to create a specific sound, go to imslp.org and download some scores to study after you have a knowledge of theory. Pepin is absolutely right when it comes to ear training. It'll probably be covered in any theory classes you take, but if it isn't it'd be useful to learn it yourself. If you just want an answer to your question of what programs to get, I'd say Finale for writing your scores (it's more powerful than Sibelius) and either Garritan, EastWest, Tonehammer, Audiobro, Project SAM, or Vienna for your virtual instruments depending on your price range. You'll need a sequencer to use your virtual instruments and whatever program you choose is entirely up to you. The more common ones are FL Studio, Abelton Live, and Cubase. I'd recommend Cubase (though I personally use FL) if you're on Windows and Digital Performer if you're on Mac. [QUOTE=MrJazzy;31674145]I'd love to compose orchestral music myself aswell but the problem I have is I cannot play string instruments in real life and from what I realise it's not possible to get good samples to do not only tone but to do softness and harshness and things like that.[/QUOTE] Check out the libraries I listed above. They all do great strings, but the best would be Audiobro's Loss Angeles Scoring Strings, EastWest's Hollywood Strings, and Vienna's string section.
Music theory will help you a lot. I myself can't afford much, so I just use a WK-2000 Keyboard with a USB Adapter connected to an M-Box. I edit with Pro Tools but I find it lacking for orchestral work.
Finale is good for writing more classical pieces, so is Sibelius. Sibelius supposedly has really good sound libraries, I'm just more familiar with Finale. You'll probably find that classical notation works much better (than a piano roll) for orchestral work. [editline]12th August 2011[/editline] And don't even think about it if you don't know any music theory.
He's never done any music with computers before it seems. And AFAIK he can't read notation I'd still say starting out with FL Studio would be better for learning theory and stuff, and then moving over to something with notation once you actually know slightly how things work
Just find a composer to make stuff for your movies, who will follow your ideas. If you havent got any musical experience you're wasting your time with this, it will take far too long to get good at musical composition, focus on your movies, a great film can stand on its own two feet without an OST. In the meantime you can use pieces from other movie soundtracks to fill in until you find a composer.
That or take band classes for the next few years; trust me, they help, especially with stuff like transcriptions and chord progressions.
Don't listen to those who are telling you to give up, you may have musicality in your genes and may happen to be a wonder. But don't expect to start making Orchestral scores and such in a week or less. Read up on music theory, take classes, practice your music ear. Music theory is VERY important because once you know it you'll start realising how all kinds of music is connected through it and you'll learn what sounds good and not without even listening to the music.
[QUOTE=MrJazzy;31696910]Don't listen to those who are telling you to give up, you may have musicality in your genes and may happen to be a wonder. But don't expect to start making Orchestral scores and such in a week or less. Read up on music theory, take classes, practice your music ear. Music theory is VERY important because once you know it you'll start realising how all kinds of music is connected through it and you'll learn what sounds good and not without even listening to the music.[/QUOTE] this this this, for months i just spammed random musical keys in places and hoped it would work- theory is the key to making ANY music sound good
Fuck music theory, I use my ears!
[QUOTE=hikula;31697911]Fuck music theory, I use my ears![/QUOTE] I use my ears and my brain. [editline]12th August 2011[/editline] It doesn't matter what you do with your 'ear' there is still music theory behind it.
When I say music theory, I mean learning notes and all that kind of stuff. It is not necessary, but it definitely makes it easier to write music. Especially orchestral music [editline]13th August 2011[/editline] This only counts if you're a solo artist though
Music theory is necessary to play any advanced music. It's obviously vital for making orchestral music and it's really helpful when playing with a band. I hate playing with people who don't know music theory. You can go a small way with only ear and especially when you're starting out, but music theory is really vital.
Music theory always helps [editline]12th August 2011[/editline] I don't really know proper music theory though. All I know is chords scales and keys and that basic shit, but I make electro so all I really do is press 2 notes and declare myself done anyway
Indeed it does, but it's not necessary if you're a solo artist
I don't know how you wouldn't require music theory if you're a solo artist, I mean even if you play something as simple as folk music you still gotta know the chords and scale to make melodies and stuff.
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