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Using a Virtual Symphonic Orchestra

FernandoAndre

FernandoAndre

Hello,

as soon as my composer showed me a melody to be the foundation of the movie soundtrack, I searched for a virtual synthesizer that allowed me to play with these beautiful notes he proposed. So I did download the trial of a software called Eastwest Symphonic Orchestra, and got this awesome thing:

Music.png


It is amazing. I can play for hours on this, creating and recreating riffs, ideas that I can't tell to the composer because I don't speak the music language. This software offers all the instruments of a real orchestra, including percussion (which is very good to make some sound fx).


The questions are:

1) I am using a "standalone" version of the program. I can't record anything, there is no recording options. How can I record the things I play?

2) Although I'm doing simple notes, it is almost impossible to play with the mouse. Obviously I do not have a music keyboard to plug. It is possible to simulate the normal pc keyboard like a musical one, synchronizing the keys? It would help me a lot.

Thanks for any tips.
 
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FernandoAndre said:
1) I am using a "standalone" version of the program. I can't record anything, there is no recording options. How can I record the things I play?

2) Although I'm doing simple notes, it is almost impossible to play with the mouse. Obviously I do not have a music keyboard to plug. It is possible to simulate the normal pc keyboard like a musical one, synchronizing the keys? It would help me a lot.
Click to expand...

That's the library I use as well! Good stuff, and it can get really flexible. To record the standalone, you'll need some audio software (you could probably get away with recording with Audacity), but you'll only be able to record one part, and as you mentioned, playing with a mouse is a pain (let alone not being able to tap into the power of the software).

As far as using your pc keyboard, you'll definitely need some sort of host. If I recall, Live has that as built in functionality, but there are lots of plugins people have made to do that sort of thing. However, even the best of them are severely limited. If you'd like to do anything more than get a basic idea of what the melody sounds like, you can get a cheap usb midi keyboard. Even something basic like the korg nanokeys (http://www.sweetwater.com/c513--Korg--Keyboard_Controllers) will set you back $50 and will be worlds better than trying to do anything with a computer keyboard.
 
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Thank you, Josh. I will try Audacity.

About the keyboard, even the most cheap in Brazil costs the equivalent to U$175. It is strongly expensive for someone who is not a musician like me. So I will look for this kind of plugin to improvise my PC keyboard. Do you remember any name related? I'm googling with no success.
 
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Oh, now I got it. Thank you very much.

PS: I recognize various sound effects used in movie trailers and professionals stuff in some of percussions instruments. Try one by one is a lesson of sound fx hehe. I certainly will start to use this on my videos.
 
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FernandoAndre said:
About the keyboard, even the most cheap in Brazil costs the equivalent to U$175.
Click to expand...

In relative terms US$175 is very inexpensive. Even still, there are quite a few inexpensive controllers that might be cheaper, even in Brazil.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/nanoKEY2bk/ - micro-keys, but better then nothing...

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/KSMini32/ - mini-keys, but will do a great job for programming...

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Carbon49 - full size key plus controller wheels and a few other extras...

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PSRE233/ - a consumer keyboard with sounds, etc., but still has MIDI I/O...


Now, if you want to talk about an expensive keyboard...

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/FantomG8/
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PC3K8/
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Kronos88/
 
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Yes I understand that for an audio work, it is not expensive. But for me? I just want to play some notes in order to make the composer comprehend what I want to suggest.


Er... A little help here:
I downloaded the "Virtual Piano" to transform my qwerty keyboard into a MIDI device.

But look what I have in the configuration panels:

MIDI.png



There is no option to insert an INPUT device, even with the Virtual Piano running in the background. What can I do?
 
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It seems your question has not been fully answered so I'll add a few things. :)

When you use East West Quantum Leap (EWQL) as a standalone you're not using it's full potential in the least. This is what is know as a Virtual Instrument, and it can be used as a "plugin" by a "host", the best format of which, is currently "VST".

Therefore you will need a host to allow you to 1)save what you write 2)use more than one instrument at a time 3)produce the song 4) etc etc.

There are many, many hosts, but I use one called REAPER. It has an unlimited 30 day trial (so you can still use it after the trial is over!) meaning you will never lose your work even if you chose to not buy it after the trial. Of course, things will be more complex than just "clicking a few notes" but if you spend a few hours just learning the basics you will discover a whole world of possibilities. REAPER even has a virtual keyboard you can play with your mouse, you will just need to activate it in the software and you're ready to go.

I compose -ALL- my music (minus the guitar parts which I record myself) with nothing more than REAPER, some VSTs, and a mouse. :)

If you have any questions then I'd be happy to answer.
 
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Hello Metal, thank you for your response.

I downloaded the Reaper. Let me see if I understand: the Reaper can recognize the EWQL as a library of sounds and play it inside the program, so I can choose the notes and the times to write a song and save it. That's right? I do not need the standalone to execute this audio files?

I liked very much the quality of this orchestral instruments. Sounds absolutely realistic.
 
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Reaper (or any host software) will need the VST plug-in of EWQL, rather than the stand alone version. It should have been part of the EWQL install. From there, you are correct, Reaper will let you compose data to play the sounds, and render/export it so you can have an audio file of the music.
 
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FernandoAndre said:
Hello Metal, thank you for your response.

I downloaded the Reaper. Let me see if I understand: the Reaper can recognize the EWQL as a library of sounds and play it inside the program, so I can choose the notes and the times to write a song and save it. That's right? I do not need the standalone to execute this audio files?
Click to expand...

My pleasure!
You can follow my tutorial on Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Unvyf8wXxf8#t=258s

Sorry the quality isn't great, I did it with free video software. But everything is there, just make sure you watch it from the place it starts (259 seconds). That's the part about installing plugins. Also watch the rest of the video to learn how to write your own music in Reaper, I explain all the basics in detail for beginners. :)

So yes, Reaper can run EWQL's software called "PLAY" as a VST plugin. To do this, like JoshL said, you must install the VST plugin at the same time as you install the standalone version. Then you go into Reaper's "preferences"=>Plugins => VST=> Find the folder where the VST is saved in the "Add" box, then just restart REAPER or press the button just below to "Rescan" the plugins.
I hope that's clear, just follow it step by step.
 
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Thank you very much, guys.

I watched the first part of the tutorial and managed to install the VST. I will watch the full video in order to learn how to write songs. Just now I got my new audio-technica headphone. This virtual orchestra sounds extremely amazing. I'm stunned! :woohoo:

Thanks again.
 
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