"One other point, Stephen: concerning Daws and notation software, one is about making your music sound good. The other is about making decent scores. So, a DAW is useful if the end product is a good sound rendering. Notation software is good if the…"
Music Composers Unite!
Michael Diemer's Page
Profile Information
- What have you composed for? Or what medium do you work around?
- Orchestra, Small Ensemble
- What is your favorite genre or style of music?
- Romantic-Impressionist; Classical; Baroque
- Is music your main income source?
- No - Not at all.
- Where do you live?
- Maine, USA
- About Me (Must include at least one paragraph of biographical information about you as a composer) - blank or minimal answers on this line will cause your request to be rejected. Include a link to your website if you have one.
- I am basically self-taught, which means I learned how to compose in non-traditional ways. Some of my favorite composers are Mozart, Beethoven, Sibelius, Debussy, Ravel, Rimsky-Korsakov, Vaughan Williams, Faure and Durufle. Some favorite pieces: Mozart's 40th, Sibelius' 7th, NRK's Scheherazade, the Requiems by Faure and Durufle; Ravel's Tombeau Du Couperin; Copeland's Appalachian Spring, and pretty much everything by Debussy. I began composing in the mid 70's, strictly on amateur basis. Necessity of earning a living has limited me to 5 completed symphonic works to date, but I hope to expand this when I retire. (Note: now retired). I use a very basic setup: small midi keyboard, Cakewalk By Bandlab (what used to be Sonar), Garritan, East West and Vienna sound libraries, and recently I added Cinematic Strings.
- Website:
- https://mdiemer0.wixsite.com/mysite
Music
michael diemer's Discussions
Berceuse (Lullaby And Good Flight)
Started this discussion. Last reply by michael diemer Apr 13. 13 Replies 0 Likes
This is on my home page here, but because there is a brief pause between the second and third sections, someone could easily think it was over when the pause occurs. So I wanted to make sure people…Continue
Vienna Enemle Pro & Epic Orchestra?
Started this discussion. Last reply by michael diemer Feb 25. 11 Replies 0 Likes
Can anyone comment on this? I currently have Vienna Special Edition 1, plus GPO5, EWSO Gold and Cinematic Strings2. Using Cakewalk for my DAW (formerly Sonar). Would this be worth my while? Is the…Continue
In The Garden
Started this discussion. Last reply by Bob Porter Feb 21. 18 Replies 0 Likes
This is the first movement of Three Easter Scenes. The garden of course is Gethsemane. A fairly impressionistic work, I attempted to portray the agony as Jesus contemplates His coming ordeal. A…Continue
Panning Multiple Libraries In A DAW
Started this discussion. Last reply by michael diemer Apr 18. 3 Replies 0 Likes
So here I go again, I can not stop obsessing about getting panning right. I've been looking at Mattias Westlund's tutorial on the subject:…Continue
Latest Activity
"Ingo, he has already said in another post that he will try Cakewalk, which is free. so nothing lost there. As for time, he will have to decide if it's worth it. No harm in trying the different technologies; if you don't you will never know…"
"I think a lot depends on whether you work with notes, or are comfortable with PRV (piano roll view). If PRV is what you prefer, you can use many DAWS, including Cakewalk, Cubase and Reaper. If you need contact with actual notes, Cakewalk, cubase and…"
"Very nice combination of voices Dane, with plenty of atmospheric effects, succeeding in creating the scene and mood desired. Many good ideas, especially on the woodwinds. The sax also was quite effective. Excellent production. What samples did you…"
"Bob, my entire image of you is shattered. Actually, I've always thought it is largely irrelevant which way you play it. Any which way but loose, as the saying goes. I mean, you still need both hands.
As for my harp parts, well, 50 years from…"
"I tried adding to my comment but it didn't save. Just wanted to point out that everything I said about guitar technique was in reference to the left hand (or right hand, if you're Bob Porter, Jimi Hendrix or Paul McCartney). But the hand…"
"Guitar was the instrument I know best, but even so if I decided to write for it, I would have my guitar in hand as I did so, to make sure the music was playable, not to mention interesting. I once did write songs, which I played on my guitar, but…"
"This thread became probably the worst example of trolling on the forum. It should be left to die in my opinion."
"The recorder is a very agile instrument. If you want to experiment with making this more adventurous, try giving it some more athletic moves, so to speak. some rapid runs, triplets, sextuplets, etc. And some independent melodic content, so that it…"
"I thought this was very good, Christophe. Very nice writing for the violin, especially the arpeggios, at times suggesting Debussy, at least to my ear.
If you compose as well for the piano, a violin sonata could be a great project for you, if you…"
"I looked the, them, the E-licenser has no info on it. The EW has Rh-os or something (hard to see it), made in China."
"Tim, my USB sticks were purchased from EW and Vienna at the time I got the libraries. So no I assume they are not Korg sticks. I am not familiar with Korg in any case."
"My EW key is at least 10 years old and the E-licenser at least 6 or 7. Both sit in the back of my desktop, so I have never have a problem. again, with a desktop, which you're not constantly lugging around, the odds of something happening are…"
"Vienna uses E-licenser."
"I have Cinematic Strings, and they don't sound all that cinematic, which is why I like them. I think you're right Dane, it's mostly just hype, aimed at all those John Williams-wannabees out there. For solo strings, I use Vienna Sp.…"
"I'm still using a few GPO sounds, believe it or not, mostly woods. And a few EWSO sounds. Love that bassoon. But more and more I am gravitating to Vienna. I have the Special Edition I, plus Epic Orchestra, which I got from taking them up on the…"
Comment Wall (36 comments)
- At 1:24pm on February 23, 2019,
David Carovillano said…
Michael,
Just as honoured to share some great conversations with you. We're all lucky that music is part of our lives, to whatever extent we pursue it. Thanks for your kind words and much continued success with your work :)
- At 11:12pm on January 23, 2019,
Gav Brown said…
Welcome back, Michael!
- At 10:57am on July 26, 2016,
Art Lowell said…
Thank you for the welcome, Michael. I have actually been a member here for a couple of years, and I have posted all of my tunes. I'm not sure what location on this website they appeared in, but people did respond, so I know they got heard. I posted them in Music Analysis And Critique. I have enjoyed the input from the members here.
- At 12:29pm on February 13, 2015,
John Hazel said…
Thanks Michael it was suggest to me by Guitarhacker (Herb) because of the higher rate MP3's you can upload.
- At 3:26pm on January 8, 2015,
Tim swanger said…
- Thank you! I'm hoping to post more soon. I'm enjoying listening to others work, though I'm traveling at the moment and I can't access many audio files from my phone.
- At 11:09pm on January 3, 2015,
Greg Monks said…
Skating is a fabulous little piece, reminiscent (to my ear) of some of Jongen's works. It would make for an excellent National Film Board score.
- At 10:03pm on January 3, 2015,
Thanks, Michael, I'll post there once I have the equipment/software for making PDF's of my music.
I can see now that I'll have to learn how to use Finale or Sibelius or both. I've had both for years, but have taken only a cursory look at them.
- At 11:47am on December 25, 2014,
Simon Hamel said…
Can't wait to trade fours on feedback man, I'll post some music soon.
- At 5:13pm on November 12, 2014,
Escocia Music Productions said…
Many thanks Michael, best wishes, Pete.
- At 3:05am on November 8, 2014,
René Torenstra said…
Thank you for welcoming me to the site and getting me started, Michael. I'm sure I'll see you around in the comment threads! Cheers, René
Michael diemer's Blog
On "Skating"
Posted on January 28, 2015 at 10:30pm 9 Comments 0 Likes
Revised as of 1/28/15, Skating is my most finished piece to date. It's from a three-movement work called Three Winter Scenes. It's an impressionistic piece, intended to depict skaters on a frozen pond or river, and attempts to capture the exhilaration of being outside on a cold but beautiful winter day, as well as the elements of snow, sun, clouds, etc. Sounds are Garritan, Vienna, Cinematic Strings2 and EWSO Gold, as well as some sounds from Sonar. While I strive for transparency,…
ContinueSolstice
Posted on September 19, 2014 at 11:00pm 3 Comments 0 Likes
"Solstice" is the first movement of "Three Winter Scenes." It was written after a poem I wrote in my twenties called "Winter Sunset." The poem was about watching a beautiful sunset on a very cold day, and wondering where my life was going. The last lines were "Where were the clouds hurrying to? Their motion in that dark sky was all I saw." The music tries to capture the cold beauty of a winter sunset, and also the slow ticking of time down to the moment of the Solstice, the first…
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