Dramatic Adventure Thingy

[Anthony Berlin]

Hi there,

 

I was thinking of a piece I wrote two years ago, but I never really got around to have other composers look at it. It is, like the title states, a dramatic adventure thingy ;-) I was thinking of adding it to my portfolio, because it sounds pretty good in my ears, but I would love to hear other composers input.

So here's the link: http://www.box.net/shared/1mk5q6z7a3

 

Comment away! :-)

 

Regards,

Anthony

 

[Anthony Berlin]

If anyone is listening right now, I may have accidentally uploaded the wrong file. I'm reuploading the correct one at the moment.

 

Regards,

Anthony

[Anthony Berlin]

It's corrected now ;-)

Anthony Berlin said:

If anyone is listening right now, I may have accidentally uploaded the wrong file. I'm reuploading the correct one at the moment.

 

Regards,

Anthony

[Aaron McDonald]

Is this live orchestra?

If not those strings sound fantastic - what are they? (the brass sounds pretty good too..)

 

On the composition itself - being a show reel it obviously sounds like an overture - and frankly it works. I genuinely want to hear the rest of the soundtrack. (though, with so many changes it sounds like a pretty long film)

 

I got to say, it sounds like typical adventure music - without sounding like library music. Which I would think those looking for adventure music would jump at - so yeah, I'd add it to your portfolio.. (I hope that's taken in the spirit it's given - I'm not calling you a hack, I'm saying "Job Well Done!".)

 

and while I'm on the subject - I wouldn't mind hearing your portfolio.. ?

 

Anyway - based on this, I'd say it's only a matter of time, and you've got a bright future ahead of you..

[Emily Bond]

I'm eagerly awaiting your answer to Aaron's question about where you got your sounds. You are a very good orchestrator, and I admire your use of percussion, brass, well, all of it! Nice work!

[Russell Bell]

very nice orchestration.you def have a solid grasp of 'where things should sit' and how to voice all these ideas using the pallet in a natural way.
very engaging.i liked the movement from around 2:15 especially but all of this is rock solid and def very good showreel material.
the sound quality and allround mix is actually very good for sampled orchestra.im envious !! lol

[Anthony Berlin]

Thanks for all your kind comments! :)

 

No this is not a live orchestra. This is EWQL Symphonic Orchestra Platinum (with the XP Pro expansion thingy). I have been on a quest to program orchestras to sound realistic for quite some time now, and this is one that showcases that I have actually learned a few things. But some of the realistic sounds are thanks to the mixing process.

 

Well you guys have convinced me to include this one in my portfolio. Thanks for listening! :)

 

Regards,

Anthony

[Art Hughes]

Well orchestrated! I admire your skill.

Here are some points I heard...

1) Tubas are hard to wield so as to not sound, well, flatulent ;) unless that is the effect you are looking for. They need to have low to mids boosted and some rolloff work on the high end. EWQL sonic budget stuff.

2) Violas need help. Again filtering and sonic budget will help clarify them.

3) Loved 0:44-0:50.. very nice. I love unexepected lines. More of these would be better.

4) Maybe pull out the low brass 1:12-1:20. Open up the space.

5) 1:28 -1:40 Lower the backing orchestra a little to let the leading lines come out more. They are really nice but get lost.

6) 1:55 - 2:15 Maybe pull this section out altogether. I don't think you need it.

7) 2:15 - 2:57 Pull back the 4-beat strings, soft but driving would work here.

8) 2:57 - 3.44 I wanted to hear this section at a faster tempo. Hotter temperature.

9) 4:00 - 4:32 Really, really sweet here. I wanted to here a slower, more fluid timing feel. Again bring out the solo. Softer strings with less of them. Have them support in and out. You'll know it when you hear it.

10) 4:32 - out. I wanted to hear a tighter, faster finale, but the structure sounded great.

 

I enjoyed listening to the piece. You got chops.

 

IMHO: And please, this is just me, the energy of the piece hits hard and kinda stays there throughout. During that time it tends to be unfocused. For these types of work, the best may to convey power is demonstrating its constraint. Saving the power to be used only when you want and pulling the density of the orchestrations back to further accenuate the power would work in your favor here. Setup/Conflict/Resolution, though formulaic, gives a simple base foundation for a portfolio piece that would be heard out-of-context of a film scene. Simplifing the lines, giving the listener 2-3 themes would help focus the energy.

 

Thanks for letting us hear your work.

 

 

[Anthony Berlin]

Thanks for all your replies. :)

 

Ray, I know it doesn't but with these samples, you won't get any closer. With their Hollywood Strings plugin things are much more realistic. I have used it on two pieces so far. Not this one ;-)

 

Art, thanks for the constructive critique! I will keep that in mind. I lost the project though so I cannot change the track, but I still think it's good enough for a portfolio. But your criticism is duely noted, and I will keep it in mind when composing other tracks. :)

 

Regards,

Anthony