main titles for a fantasy

[Piernick]

Hi folks,
here is my latest cue from a complete score for a fantasy short.
This is the main titles sequence.
Any comments will be great.

Thanks

Piernicola.

http://www.piernicoladimuro.com/web/htdocs/www.piernicoladimuro.com/home/site/video/1m1%20Abram%27s%20theme.mp3

[PaulR]

What piano sound are you using there? It sounds like it's coming from another room down the hall somewhere - very muffled.

Pretty music though.

[Piernick]

thanks Paul.
Yes maybe the piano is too in the reverb fx.
What do you suggest? it's a bosendorfer vst

Piernicola

[JWL]

Bravo, Piernick.

Congratulations on some beautifully programmed cello expression.

I always struggle a bit with some of the legato release samples. I hear some of the same things in your track. I appreciate that they are there because it gave me some additional insights as to how someone else might program them. There are certain legato intervals that I noticed more than others and I hesitate to say that they sound unnatural in one or two instances, because they didn't. And yet I noticed them more than others.

By and large, I kept telling myself that the cello was doing just what it needed to do. It was simply very enjoyable to listen to the solo cello done so well with VSL.

As for the piano, I like the warmth of the sound. It does sound as if the piano and cello are not performing in the same room, as though they were isolated in a recording studio. It's not a bad sound at all, and this is only an observation and not a criticism. Perhaps the slightest touch of EQ on the piano's reverb (not necessarily the piano itself) in the 2k area will add just enough sparkle to the sound so that the clarity of the cello interacts a bit more with the piano's upper harmonics.

Congratulations again.

[Piernick]

Thanks JWL.
One thing: the cello is real.Do you like it? Sounds good for you?
Yes, i try to keep some strange piano sound, and maybe i'll try to do some eq adjustaments on the reverb area.

Thanks again for your feedback.

Piernicola

[ISM]

Wow he thought the cello was samples? LOL.

[JWL]

@ISM said:

Wow he thought the cello was samples? LOL.

Yes-- I think highly of VSL and have a great deal of respect for those who program it.

There was another thread in which a member was played a performance by a REAL orchestra and swore it was fake.

Conversely, I along with a few other orchestral musicians, have heard tracks done with VSL and thought they were real.

It doesn't mean we're gullible or have untrained ears, but it speaks to what a great job the VSL team has done-- and it also speaks to the gifts of the person who programmed the sequence. To me, it's less humorous and much more intriguing. It means that this is truly a new day in virtual instrumentation, and that's exciting news for virtual musicians.

... but I would still question with the same hesitation certain turns of phrases, which is what real musicians do all the time where the issue of 'real vs fake' is not a concern. If these kinds of questions are being asked then we are in a very good place.

[Omega]

I actually thought they were samples right until I heard the cello alternate the bowing on the same note...then I knew it HAD to be live [:P]. I was thinking before then...man, I need to get those solo strings, heh. Very nice piece, Piernick.

[Piernick]

Thanks guys for all your reply.
I'm putting an other cue from the same score with real cello and orchestra.
I think this discussion will be very interesting for all.

Piernicola

[Jonathan Mitchell]

Same comments as the others in that:

1. I would brighten up the Piano so it doesn't sound so muffled. I'm not sure whether it's a reverb or an EQ change. Try both and see which works. I agree with the comments that the instruments not sounding as though they are together. To me it feels like a new Cello recording has been superimposed on a years old piano recording.

2. The cello is gorgeous. I thought (hoped) they were samples and I went through a range of emotions from jealousy to admiration to profound disappointment when you revealed it was real. That said it is a beautiful performance. However, I would mix it forward more so the piano blends in as an accompanying instrument. The piano feels too far forward to me. I think you can achieve this by reducing the piano volume relative to the cello.

Last point. The piano intro chord progression reminds me of a contemporary piece which is sung in a woeful, wistful mode by single male singer. I can't recall the title and it's driving me crazy!

[Sangit]

Piernicola your sounds are amazing, have just been browsing your website!

[Angelo Clematide]

Piernicola...

the composition as it is emotionally and musically is very nice. But what distracts my mind or attention and makes it unpleasant to listen is the sonic image of the recording, I listen to it in the studio, if you care I make you a loundry list.

.

[Martin Bayless]

really wondeful music. it would be made better for me if the piece were taken a little slower. it sounds as if the pianist is stuggling with the click track and (ironically) letting the tempo run all over the place. i want to hear the piano played in time with enough time for evocative phrasing, especially at cadences. i know time stretching is a sonic compromise, but given its musical potential, it would be the first thing i would do. again though, beautiful music. really beautiful.