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Kind of late to the game but I actually primarily use notation with some insertion via keyboard and also midi editing as well. I came from using Finale for years but was unsatisfied with the sound I got. So primarily, when I'm in my DAW, I am using the sheet music notation as a guide. I personally do it in pro tools. It isn't the best afaik for...a lot of things but it is what I chose to get and as I've stuck with it, I've learned the ins and outs of what I can and cannot (or should not lol) do in the sheet music editor. Here is an example of a remaster I did most of in sheet music view. I think the process so far has allowed me to write and be expressive while learning more and more about the midi editing, recording what instruments I play on keyboard, and mixing etc. This isn't perfect and I could have done better with more attention and micro managing via midi but I was happy with the results. Some of it is also having VSTs that play nicely when just given notes and they can go. The less programming needed, the easier it is to work mostly in sheet mode. Still, I think it's good to learn more midi stuff as well. To conclude, I say use pro tools, logic, or whatever of your choice and learn about the limitations of the sheet music mode and use it while you get more comfortable with midi. I think even when I do get better, I'll still default to sheet music and I think it's doable if you are patient and willing to learn some midi and such to better assist with programming the instruments to make them sound good.

Well, first off, welcome to the world of music composition on PC! I am an amateur just like you and I've been learning a lot with self study so take what I say with a grain of salt. Since I learn on my own some of the things I do aren't the most intuitive ways or traditional but I think for your level, these will work wonders for at least your sound. If we take out the quality of your samples out of the equation, the first thing I'm sure you notice is your strings kinda stutter when they transition. Like kinda stop and go. If your instrument library doesn't detect legato (smooth transition from note to note) very well on its own, you might want to try and overlap your notes. When you program them in. If you are playing on keyboard, don't lift your finger immediately when transitioning to the next note. Depending on the instruments, give a few milliseconds where both notes are being pressed then release the previous note. If you are inserting notes directly, go into the midi editor and make the two notes overlap. Usually you want to extend the previous note over the one you are going to. Don't do it too much or both notes will play (again, depending on you library). Do it just enough and it should give the illusion that they are transitioning smoothly. At least smoother than you have now. Ideally, you would want a legato patch or articulation in the instrument if you are moving a lot, but it sounds like you are using a sustain here that isn't very smooth when it is shifting or starting. You could also lower the "attack" on the instrument so that it starts playing with more dynamics sooner. Maybe my terminology usage is off here but that's how I do it sometimes. As far as plugging notes in manually or playing...well, ideally you wanna play I find? That's what most people I see online do. But I'm not good at playing on keyboard and sometimes I think better when I see a staff and can write on it. So I mostly insert notes. But the downside is it can sound artificial. I try to counter this by playing with the timing a bit and also playing the notes by hand after I write them down. Lastly, you can use better quality samples. Spitfire Labs and BBC Discover are great starters that sound really nice.

Thank you for the feedback. I added the source music to the main post. The piano is Spitfire's soft piano which is definitely in my top 10 vsts. It isn't very versatile but it's extremely effective at what it does. I also liked the way the woodwinds turned out here. Honestly I haven't been able to produce a track where they sound as nice yet. Maybe I should try and expand on their use on this track if this is too conservative a take? Edit: After some consideration I really like this take, even in it's conservativeness. But I'd like an evaluation to see if even then it still needs something else. So I'm changing the tag to ready for review.

I can tell you really put a lot of thought and effort into this. I guess it's just hard to get around the strings for me really. At the very least I think you could employ Spitfire Labs and BBC Symphony--both of which are free—and you could really take this closer to that Hollywood ideal you had. A lot of the other instruments are okay but I think even then, you could benefit from labs and BBC. I think if you revisit this ever, try and use the plethora of resources to make this more pleasant and modern. Again though, I really like the effort you put in otherwise. I think sometimes it can drone a little bit, but that I would attribute to the instruments for now.

I like the approach as far as the harmonies and such are concerned. I think there are some really interesting sounds to work with there. I think there is some polishing to do with some of the instrument balacing ad mixing. At times it can feel a bit...empty? That could be the lack off verb on some things or possibly the insstruments you are using. I'm really a noob when it comes to these things myself. I'm leaning more toward the instruments (VSTs) than the mixing though. I think the song or rather, the notes and composition is big but the sound is surprisingly lean. Anyhow, I think its an interesting little take on the theme. I wonder what you could do to up the intensity though. Maybe revisit it sometime and see what clicks/

Thank you for your feedback! I made a post replying to you earlier but I guess it didn't actually post? Huh, anyway, I've made progress on a new direction and I'll explain some of the progress below. https://drive.google.com/file/d/19WpDBraO7YyJT9-9VFuiPU_ZHFYapBUh/view?usp=drivesdk Here is the latest updated version. It says 6 minutes long but it's not haha. I just let pro tools go into the distance haha. The new stuff starts at about 1:49 and progress stops at about 2:50. Before then is basically what I had made before unchanged. I want to start very atmospheric and conservative and then kind of explode into something else. I think I took it in a much different direction than some of you may have imagined initially. I really wanted to play around with the theme more so it's much more melodic/harmonic and less atmospheric than the beginning. Some things to note. Firstly, I haven't cleaned up the production yet so there is some unwanted clipping. Some of the distortion is intentional though. I'm also not done adding effects so there will definitely be more to come! That ominous ending from before will make a return, but I'm saving it for later. I'm also not sure if I want to use it for a transition or a closing like I originally intended. Anyway, let me know what you think! span widgetspan widgetpan widget

Thank you very much for the feedback. I think I'm right there with you on the length and taking the track somewhere else. I kind of lacked inspiration once I got where it is now and felt the need to put a bow on it. Maybe I'll explore more of my electronic textures and fiddle with them to see if they give me more ideas! Thanks a lot! I really haven't dived into this type of sound yet but I've always liked it. I think I'll take some time to think on the original piece and see what I can do to add to it instead of more surrounding it with new layers. Also I'm glad to hear the balance is good because I've been trying to work on learning more about mixing and I think that's partially why I wanted to showcase this as a piece I've worked on making sound good in that regard. All in all however, I should really dig in and try to make this more of my own.

I'm sorry! I fixed the original link and it should work now hopefully. Thank you for letting me know about it.

Sorry for posting two tracks at once. I was hoping to get feedback on something I feel is more akin to the type of music I like to write as well. Still, I think for OC Remix this isn't liberal enough, but I think when I was looking at doing this, I didn't want to stray too far from the original, but add to it. Still, maybe there is something worth exploring that I haven't opened my mind to. With that being said, I think I'm ready for some honest feedback instead of being stuck in my head lol. Thank you for your time and I appreciate any help. As a side note, I'm also somewhat of a newbie when it comes to mixing as well so if there is something that is offensive sounding, by all means feel free to critique! Source music My arrangement https://drive.google.com/file/d/11sE7p7KYl-NlTCV-86fmJBs3PJiATI7H/view?usp=sharing

Hello! I'm a long time fan but I finally got the gumption to join the forums and submit something haha. I mostly dabble in more orchestral kind of music but I wanted to try something different with more hybrid sounds. I guess to me this track is mostly done but I feel like it is missing something or maybe isn't liberal or daring enough to really submit. Any feedback that you can provide would be great! Current Edit: Finally have reached a point of completion in which I feel ready for a review. Thank you so much everyone for your support as I've gone step by step through the uhh..process haha. Any help you or the mods can provide or just feedback would be so appreciated. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hZgXfRJiPTE2IllhEbNEOTqGkYNHIr5h/view?usp=sharing