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  • New User has a question

    Hey everyone- I'm new to the whole VSL thing, and I'm really amazed by the quality of the samples.  I was thinking a good way to get to know what the program can do would be to do a mockup of some of the great orchestra pieces already in the Demo Zone- would anyone mind pointing me towards some sources of MIDI files for pieces of such a magnitude?  Or if there is a better way to get the music in, I'd love to hear other ideas about the process.

    With in-advance-gratitude for any advice for this "newbie," 

    Mike (NYC)


  • I think most people probably made their music on the demo zone be reading the sheet score music of a piece .. or playing it by ear. Not so sure there's any resource per se that you can draw upon. Although I maybe wrong, if so feel free to jump in guys. . Although VSL is very easy to use and it's very easy to start up a session and start playing high quality music with great instruments it's maybe not so easy to just simply grab a midi file and assign a bunch of VSL instruments and having it sound perfect. . One also has to be aware that you need to write in dynamics data (things like instruments going from soft to harsh, or vice versa), and articulation changes (From legato to staccato) to name but a few. Yes you can hear back instantly a serviceable rendition of said midi piece .. but if you want it to sound as good as it can you need to invest time into programming in the human factor. . So what I'm saying is that if you want to do a mock-up there is no fast easy way to do it and get the best out of VSL in that time. Like everything sometimes it takes time to get things perfect. The demos give you a good clue as to what you can do of course.

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    @mpatkinson said:

    [...]

    would anyone mind pointing me towards some sources of MIDI files for pieces of such a magnitude?  

    Sergei Prokofiev

    Symphony No. 1 In D Major, Op. 25

    "The Classical Symphony"

    The first and so far definitive neo-classical composition.

    Prokofjew_Symphony No. 1_1-Allegro.mid
    http://www.sendspace.com/file/7mubrk

    Prokofjew_Symphony No. 1_2-Larghetto.mid
    http://www.sendspace.com/file/3sk4qt

    Prokofjew_Symphony No. 1_4-Finale.mid
    http://www.sendspace.com/file/5reg1r

    We all are looking forward to hear what you do with Sergei's music.


  •  Thanks for the really great advice and files!!!

    I'm have a "classical" background, so I think it is a cool way to get to know things by digging into pieces that I know and love (and I love Prokofiev, esp. the 5th)

    Cheers!
    Mike


  •  thanks for the advice- and when are the next Chattaway bits gonna be on the podcast?  I loved the first part! 

    best,


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    @Angelo Clematide said:

    ...

    Sergei Prokofiev

    Symphony No. 1 In D Major, Op. 25

    "The Classical Symphony"

    The first and so far definitive neo-classical composition.

     ...

    Lovely choice.  But I have always had a little confusion as to why this is the "first" neo-classical work?  Why wouldn't Brahms count? He wrote many pieces that rejected the prevailing romantic movement and rather used the principles of Haydn's classical style, especially with the obbligato accompaniment (infected with Beethoven's natural and purely classical extensions to Haydn's style, a baroque feel for counterpoint, and a Schubertian feel for colour of key), and yet (just like Prokofiev, in his Classical Symphony) the resulting music has many elements that simply would have been anachronistic in that earlier age.  Brahms also rejected many of the Romantic extensions to the Orchestra, and still preferred the natural horns over the keyed or valved.


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    @Angelo Clematide said:

    ...

    Sergei Prokofiev

    Symphony No. 1 In D Major, Op. 25

    "The Classical Symphony"

    The first and so far definitive neo-classical composition.

     ...

    Lovely choice.  But I have always had a little confusion as to why this is the "first" neo-classical work?  Why wouldn't Brahms count? He wrote many pieces that rejected the prevailing romantic movement and rather used the principles of Haydn's classical style, especially with the obbligato accompaniment (infected with Beethoven's natural and purely classical extensions to Haydn's style, a baroque feel for counterpoint, and a Schubertian feel for colour of key), and yet (just like Prokofiev, in his Classical Symphony) the resulting music has many elements that simply would have been anachronistic in that earlier age.  Brahms also rejected many of the Romantic extensions to the Orchestra, and still preferred the natural horns over the keyed or valved.

    In the English language ‘Neoclassicism' is the term in use for architecture from the 18th and 19th century, which was basically said, a trend to deploy stylistic elements of ancient Greece and Rome in architecture and decorative art such as painting.

    .

  • However in German ‘Neoklasszimus' in French ‘Musique Néoclassique' and in Italian ‘Neoclassicismo' is a trend in music starting around 1918 with some postulates by Jean Cocteau, influenced by Eric Satie. Soon the group called ‘Les Six' consisting of composers like Arthus Honegger, Darius Milhaud, Francis Poulenc, just to name the ones I know, composed works in the postulated manner and Musique Néoclassique was born.

    Musique Néoclassique - Neoklasszimus - Neoclassicismo: Jean Cocteau postulated an art form detached from the individual, an objective art which leaves the recipient in clear awareness.


  • Prokofiev's Symphony No. 1 is composed in an attempt to emulate Joseph Haydn's composing style.

    Here the word classical refers to Klassik, the era. The word 'neo' is interpreted as creating a work with the elements of the past but enriched with some elements of the particular present.

    .


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    @Angelo Clematide said:

    Prokofiev's Symphony No. 1 is composed in an attempt to emulate Joseph Haydn's composing style.

    Here the word classical refers to Klassik, the era. The word 'neo' is interpreted as creating a work with the elements of the past but enriched with some elements of the particular present.

    .

     

    Thanks for huges amounts of useful info.  But the summary appears to be that by the definition above, Johannes Brahms would as much qualify as the creator of "neo-classical" pieces as Prokofiev?  After all his method rejected most techniques of his Romantic, Nationalist and Abstract peers, espoused the essentials of Haydn's classical style and forms, but at the same time utilised more modern harmonies and extensions of melodic development that were unique to Brahms.  


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    @Angelo Clematide said:

    Prokofiev's Symphony No. 1 is composed in an attempt to emulate Joseph Haydn's composing style.

    Here the word classical refers to Klassik, the era. The word 'neo' is interpreted as creating a work with the elements of the past but enriched with some elements of the particular present.

    .

     

    Thanks for huges amounts of useful info.  But the summary appears to be that by the definition above, Johannes Brahms would as much qualify as the creator of "neo-classical" pieces as Prokofiev?  After all his method rejected most techniques of his Romantic, Nationalist and Abstract peers, espoused the essentials of Haydn's classical style and forms, but at the same time utilised more modern harmonies and extensions of melodic development that were unique to Brahms.  

    It is traditional that Brahm's had his difficulties with the general opinion that he is the new Beethoven.


  • PaulP Paul moved this topic from Orchestration & Composition on