avaris Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 I am wondering what other traditional orchestral elements that could be layered with the pre-existing elements(listed below) to help build-out an arrangement and textures? The track's BPM is 105, and features standard chillout percussion production. Would flutes be good for breakdowns to support the violin lead for example? Or staccato brass hits in chorus sections for a heightened climax? The track is chillout/orchestral composed with a similar mood to: (features similar percussion elements) http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR01381/ http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR01586/ My current instrumentation (excluding drums) Violin I Violin II (supporting melody parts) Cello Rhythmic Synth Pad 1 (playing viola parts) Rhythmic Synth Pad 1 (playing viola parts) Synth Sub Bass Male Choir (soft supporting sections for cello) Solo Female Vox (main vocal riff + vocal fx) Bright Piano (chords + arpeggios) Soft Piano (chords + arpeggios) Hammered Dulcimer (chords + arpeggios) I would link the track I am working on, but it for a project so it can't be shared. I figured this discussion would be conceptually based. Feel free to post any links to songs or pieces to support theories and ideas, Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghetto Lee Lewis Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 Sorry I can't offer sound advice without hearing the original track. You can always send me a secret PM though if you want better feedback. It seems to me like the piano and dulcimer might potentially conflict with each other in the arrangement or in the mix. I'd go with which one sounds better. I don't know why you want to mix both a bright and soft piano together. I'd probably stick with the soft one if it's a chill out track. You didn't mention non-tuned percussion. I think that's basically essential in 99% or more of music. If it's chill-out I'd avoid staccato brass. Sounds to me like it would kill the mood. Stringed instruments are typically used to support the soloists. It's good to have an instrumental solo besides the vocalist, but a violin may not be the best choice (unless maybe you find a live violinist who's really really good). Flute is a good choice for a solo. Emotional guitar lead could also be good, or even a piano solo. Of course any instrumental solo is going to sound better if performed live, or it's not going to mash up perfectly with the solo vocalist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avaris Posted April 6, 2011 Author Share Posted April 6, 2011 I will def send over the track in a secret PM. I gotta arrange out a bit of the track though. I am still working on developing individual parts. Sorry I forgot to mention there is non-tuned percussion. That entire part is already written based off of the rhythm of the melody. (the melody looses its emotional oomph if its timing is changed) Yeah thinking about most brass in general would kill the mood. The only brass I've heard used effectively is french horns. Trying to stay sample/synth based for solos. Probably switching the violins to play counterpoint or more sustained sections should work better. I've heard flute in conjunction with a violin pack an emotional punch. I've already run into problems writing parts for the dulcimer in main sections. It has a nice tone to use in sparser sections, but in busier sections its texture tends to dominate in a bad way. It's a risky idea to use in the intro and then not use again. Wouldn't help to paint a good overall picture. Good point about the piano. The idea behind the brighter piano was to use it as an additional layer in brighter sections to help the piano stand out more. In busy sections the soft piano definitely sits better in the mix with the strings and synths. Thanks for advice dude. It's always easier to outline a song when its developed right in the beginning. I usually have problems with layering too many sounds to fix trouble spots in songs, which in turn creates a whole nother mess down the line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eilios Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 I can't really help much if I don't know what it sounds like, but if you're using synth brass, please be selective with what trombone synths you use. There are many presets/plugins that try to emulate them and maybe 2 that actually work. And the ones that don't are painful to trombonists(speaking from experience here). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avaris Posted April 7, 2011 Author Share Posted April 7, 2011 Thanks for the info Elios. I don't think I'll be using any brass in this track except for maybe french horns. Good samples for trombone and brass in general are hard to find. If working with lesser quality samples sometimes layering a synth with the sample can help add some depth to the overall sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophetik music Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 shoot me a ring, we can chat about this if you want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avaris Posted April 11, 2011 Author Share Posted April 11, 2011 shoot me a ring, we can chat about this if you want. Def dude. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nabeel Ansari Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 You didn't mention non-tuned percussion. I think that's basically essential in 99% or more of music. Way overstated, but yeah, percussion can add to any kind of mood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophetik music Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 Def dude. i'll take a look at that email later today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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