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  • Burt Bacharach trumpets

    M
    M

    Hi,

    I'm looking for some pointers on how to achieve that signature Burt Bacharach type trumpet sound. It crops up on the arrangements for  "Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head" and "Something Big" amongst many others. I can't seem to replicate it using VSL. I have the Vienna Brass I (extended ) DVD. I'm using soft staccato articulations for lines played in thirds but can't seem to nail that sound .Could it be the fact the trumpets aren't recorded close mic'd or am I hearing trumpets when they are actually flugal horns?Any tips?
  • J
    J

    Part of the answer is to use a chorus plug-in and play around with the settings.  You could also try to multi-track it like a pop singer, but I think that Herb Alpert sound is a chorus.  Also, I'm pretty sure it's not a flugelhorn, but a Bb trumpet playing soft and in the lower register with not a lot of breath.  I don't think the VSL guys were going for such a non-classical sound when they recorded the samples.
  • N
    N

    Dear mcweanm_26260,

    My tips are:

    1) Always use the vibrato articulations

    2) Alway use the trumpets in the low register (ideally below C5 - the octave above middle C).

    Kind Regards,

    Nick.
  • D
    D

    Have you tried doubling the part with two different trumpet samples? (and two different performances of course.) There weren't any choruses back in those early recordings just double tracking. At least I don't think so and it sure doesn't sound like an artificial chorus.
  • M
    M

    Thanks for all the tips. Soft and low register seems to be the way to go playing the 2 lines in on separate solo trumpet instances. I've found the staccato articulations the best for the exact sounds i'm after. A bit of chorus across both trumpets works surprisingly well!
  • W
    W

     Another thing is a specific musical articulation - falls, on almost every note in some lines. I remember a lot of those with his stuff. You can probably do some of that with pitch bend if not the actual fall samples.
  • J
    J

    Try compression also !
  • S
    S

    It's also possible that the sound you are after was recorded with some kind of  a mute that isn't included in Vienna sample content. There are so many different kinds of mutes and I believe Vienna trumpets were recorded with one kind of mute only.
  • D
    D

    Yes VSL Trumpets and Trombones have Harmon and not straight mutes which is unfortunate when trying to do orchestral music but good for Jazz and Pop. I hope they create a straight mutes brass library for at least the basic traditional brass section.
  • PaulP Paul moved this topic from Orchestration & Composition on