Lone Survivor Theme for Orchestra

[dummy]

This is my orchestration of the main theme from the indie game Lone Survivor. I wanted to give it a more orchestral feel than the original while keeping the mood.

| SoundCloud

Any comments or crits on the realism or mix would be appreciated. I'm pretty satisfied with how it turned out. There's some bits in there that sound a bit dodgy (I don't like the flute, listening back) but mostly just sample limitations.

[crypto_magnum]

Top-notch stuff, again.

Over all, the mix feels a little quiet to me. This could just be because I've been on headphones all day and my ears are tired, but I'm also hearing a slight hiss, even before adjusting my volume up.

The section that starts at 0:32 is a nice shift. I'm having trouble hearing certain elements though. The xylophone, for instance, is just barely audible at first and then nudges just slightly up later; likewise, the tubular bells almost just blend right into the string swells, which is okay, but is another example of things being perhaps tucked too far behind the strings. Really though, I feel like a Novice trying to give a Professional advice... so by all means, trust your own ears.

I like the subtle stage noises at the end. It's kind of funny how much time people spend in the studio doing retakes because of stage noise, yet when it's purposefully injected into sampled songs, it lends a certain amount of credibility and enhances the sound.

As always, orchestration, articulations, etc are all amazing. I'm loving the restrained intensity of this piece. Always a pleasure to listen.

[dummy]

Thanks crypto.

The hiss comes from my fake stage noise recording - I think I may have amped it up a bit too much on that release. I think I may not have rendered it down to full volume - oops!.

The xylophone's tricky because there's such a difference in volume between soft and hard dynamics. Listening back, the strings in general feel a little too loud now compared to the rest of the mix. I'll definitely keep that in mind using Loegria next time.

The stage noise extras is an odd one. Little chair creeks and page turns really add realism, though as you said in a scoring stage they would retake. Gives it a slight live-playing feel. That stuff is actually my own freebie 'Shhhhh' mini library thing. Adds random creaks, breathes, page turns, etc.

Thanks again for taking the time to listen and give feedback. I always find it really helpful!

[crypto_magnum]

Awesome! A belated "thank you" for posting that library of yours. My studio is in boxes on account of me moving recently, but I can't wait to try it out once I get unpacked.