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  4. Special Edition: timpanis out of tune

  • Special Edition: timpanis out of tune

    M
    M

    Hi there,


    I was just trying to mixdown my first orchestral piece using the VSL Special Edition when I noticed that the timpanis, which I had buried in the mix during the sequencing stage, sound a little out of tune with the rest of the instruments when brought to the front.


    First thing I did was double checking all of the master tune settings, but everything's using the standard tuning of 440 Hz. This simply drives me insane. No matter what I do, the timpanis sound odd.


    Is this a bug that no one noticed or does the tuning vary slighty when triggering high velocity notes?


    Can someone please help or share a tip on how to get them to sound right? Thanks!
  • N
    N

    Real timps do that....when hit harder, they will be slightly sharp at first, and then fall back down to a truer pitch....especially the higher drums.

    Unfortunately, you'll need a real percussionist....timpanists with good ears compensate for this, but with samples it would be hard.

    Maybe try some slight pitch wheel? Anyway, to tell you the truth, I'd keep it....it'll add some realism.
  • M
    M

    Thanks for your fast reply! Pitchwheeling does work, but maybe I just need to get some rest and listen to the mix again with fresh ears. ;)


    I already thought about the real-life behaviour of drums and your words make sense. I'm not after creating the most naturalistic sound by any means, but some slight irreglularities might be helpful nonetheless.


    Thanks a lot!
  • L
    L

    Just for fun, and if there's enough separation between different notes, have you tried running it through something like AutoTune?
  • M
    M
    Unfortunately I don't have such a tool, but I already thought about bouncing the track and manually pitchcorrecting it. Maybe I will give it a try after having upgraded to Cubase 5, which has VariAudio directly build into the core package. ;)