I finally completed a musical composition I’ve been working on for a while. It was a challenge for me because I had to promise myself I’d use no orchestral percussion (beyond a triangle) and no brass. That’s tough, because most of the stuff I do is highly rhythmic and textural. So, I had to do […]
I just got the Garritan Jazz and Big Band sample library. I took it for a test ride tonight by trying to duplicate Grover Washington’s “Knucklehead.” This is as far as I got: grover-rev1wav
Here are the final (for now) versions of my first big orchestral projects.  They’re not perfect, but good enough that I’m moving on: Space theme rev4 Martial theme final, (for now) rev 8
I redid the throne room recording after buying Wallander Instruments trombones and using them as trumpets. I also doubled the part with GPO’s french horns. The tone is great. I just did a one-off recording so my performance isn’t perfect, but you get the idea. Throne room recording 2
Here’s a recording I made of the trumpet fanfare from the beginning of the Star Wars throne room finale. I used Cubase SE3, played with my EMU Xboard 49, Garritan Personal Orchestra sample library, put through an impulse response from soundonsound’s “Halls of Fame” using the Voxengo “Pristine Space” plugin. Throne room recording with GPO
Alright, I put in a cheap little ending (if I get more inspiration I can easily go back and continue working) and improved the sound quality somewhat through smarter mastering: Space composition 1 rev 3
I doubled the length, added a new section, and then transitioned back to the beginning. I updated the mastering (new reverb convolution, new Voxengo 7-band EQ): Space composition 1 rev 2
I’ve finally started a song that sounds at least sort of cool. Here it is: Space composition 1 I think my mastering isn’t that great, but it’s very much a first cut.