wow, thanks Tom that is great to hear!  The audio mix is MIR/Miracle Conductor's position mic and the Miracle Close Hall Enhance default setting added to master bus.  Other than that the only thing I changed from default was to turn down the wet on the overall hall a little, and on individual bass instruments a little more. 

thanks Paolo.

Those pictures are all from the Hubble space telescope site, which is made available to the public.  It is a huge amount of incredible images.  I am an astronomy buff and as Anand mentioned the Hubble totally revolutionized astronomy.  The James Webb space telescope is getting ready for launch right now!  This is truly an exciting time if you are interested in learning about the cosmos beyond Earth.    

Thanks Lucy, 

I also did Mars which is on this website demos.  These Holst pieces are difficult because he uses a huge orchestra, even though in Neptune it is so quiet one might not think it is that big.    

Dietz, thanks a lot, it is great to hear from you!

Anand, I thought you might find this of interest!  I really agree with what you're saying concerning science, music, the cosmos -  perhaps the same thing viewed from different perspectives.  

On this piece I like how Holst used almost entirely vertical structures of sound - complex chords and bitonality - and his great orchestration.  Ligetti later in the 1950s-60s was doing somerthing similar with more atonality, especially in "Atmospheres" which Kubrick used in 2001, and "Lontano."      

Since I am a fan of both HST and VSL I did  a montage of shots from the telescope and re-mixed my performance of Holst's Neptune with VSL VI.  It is using MIR Viennakonzerthaus, and the Soprano and Alto choirs along with the big orchestra that Holst called for in The Planets...

Beyond Neptune

That is good info on the Mahler.  I would add that the balance issues don't really matter that much in orchestral sample useage.  For example,  if you are using a huge string ensemble, you can easily use the solo woodwinds simply by adjusting the level.   Being strict about what would happen with a live orchestra in numbers is not necessary and more importantly,  the ensemble woodwinds, though the timbre sounds very good,  are not as espressivo as the solo woodwinds.  So if the music demands that you would want the solos. 

But on the concert band you have to use them for sure, because there the sound demands a large ensemble of winds and it is normal in band to have doubled instruments in unison.  Tom Champe got me thinking again about dong some concert band music, and it is possible to do a very realistic symphonic band with the combination of solo and ensemble woodwinds.  

When there is a harp glissando that is not covered by the sampled ones, you can time stretch it - something I never tried - or  program the individual notes without too much difficulty.  When I've done that I doubled the notes that would be enharmonics given the pedal settings of the harp, and that makes it sound very natural, especially if you use some humanize in the timing and velocity.   This is also how you would program a glissando in an unusual (but possible for harp) scale.  

The fact that people are coming up with what should be the next Dimension Strings shows how it is such an extraordinary library.  It is beyond all other string libraries because it is the only one that replicates what actually happens with string ensembles - the infinitely complex interplay between individual players in the ensemble.  Everything else is an emulation, but with DS one actually gets that interplay happening in real-time.  It is truly magical.    

I like the idea of the "ongoing evolution" - it is definitely the greatest string library.

I think in addition to ponticello having also extended techniques, sampled multiple-interval trills, and additional bowings would put it even farther beyond any other library.     

Really agree with that - a number of Paul's pieces I love and want in my music library!  They should be in the orchestral repertoire but how to do that nowadays?  Almost impossible.   

One thing Tom mentioned to me is how while orchestras - which are highly dysfunctional today in many ways - are endlessly playing the same warhorses over and over, totally ignoring any contact with new composers except those who schmooze successfully or perhaps blackmail a conductor -  concert bands are actually looking for new material.  Can you imagine such a thing?  Since I have a past in concert band I am thinking hard about how some pieces of mine are suited to it, just as much as orchestra. 

I find Nelhybel really inspiring because he was so serious in exploiting the sonic characteristics of the symphonic band, which is different from orchestra - it has much more raw power than any orchestra can ever have because of the massive concentration of brass and winds.  R. Strauss and Mahler - even though people don't tend to think of them this way - were attempting to do something similar to what is present in a large symphonic band by increasing the size of the brass and wind ensembles, but even in their orchestrations it is not as large.       

That's great Dave!  Very fun piece and I know that players would love to do this - how to get it to them?  Yes, that is the problem...  

Something bothered me on the MIDI - then I realized - the oboe and bassoon have too long a release.  The double reeds cut off almost instantly, almost unnaturally.  So one must in MIDI reflect that.  That is only a technical complaint though.  It's a wonderful piece. 

I am glad you are still posting things here - the VSL forum original scores are a true resource for musicians looking for inspiration.  

Paolo, the Allegro sounds great!  Should that second violin part be a little louder?  A tiny thing though I thought of that since it is answering the first part and seemed much softer.  

On the Adagio it sounds beautiful overall but that accompanying figure still sounds weird to me acoustically - not a musical error, but something in the sound.  I still don't know what would cause that.  But musically it is fantastic, really well done.  I love hearing Vivaldi, so it is fun to listen to what you've done as it sounds really good overall.  

" I regard Bruckner as the God of symphonists " - lunar

Excellent comment.  To me - and this is only a personal preference - the greatest are Bruckner, Mahler, Vaughn-Williams and Beethoven.  

(Though as before one can keep going with the list...)

Paolo that sounds way better!  It has that dramatic quality Bruckner created.  One little thing I noticed was you can make at least some of those accented notes shorter.  Often that is a way to accent a note, because the attack is more exposed.  So, like a written quarter note actually being played a dotted 8th or even just an 8th.  Players will often cheat the actual written note values esp;ecially on rhythmic passages.    

Anyway - now you have to do the whole symphony!  Have fun  - I'll see you in a year.    

Yes it is a great piece, and the cello programming is amazing - some of the best I've heard.  Particularly how the transitions from one articulation to another are flowing completely smoothly.  It really demonstrates on top of Dave's skill also the depth of sampling on that cello - one of the first VSL instruments, and still one of the best - if not the best - in existence.  One would expect that considering how Herb is a cellist!  

Paolo I don't know but maybe try MIR with no other effect and compare them.    

MMKA, that is a beautiful piece, congratulations on that composition!  I can't  criticize the composition at all!  On the audio I thought the piano should be a lot clearer - it sounds somewhat muddy and covered up.  But the strings are  sounding very good in the mix.  

Paolo your performance sounds great, extremely espressivo and beautifully done!  But on the audio there is something wrong in the EQ, it sounds like an old transistor radio!  What is going on there?  Something happened because it is not just MIR - did you use some extreme EQ?  It sounds like all frequencies are gone in certain areas of the spectrum.

Philippe, I hope you can get this out there because it would be great to have these soundtrack albums.  Any Barry Gray fans like me would love it.

Tom,  I don't mean to sound negative, just was explaining why I haven't done any concert band material.  In other words, wimping out. 

I totally agree about doing serious concert band recordings, also, I've realized the lack of specific band ensembles in VSL is not a problem, since the 3 clarinet ensemble can be doubled or tripled, and there are two additional solo clarinets which each can be doubled.  And of couse all the other instruments are there.  

I was going to do a new mix of my concert march, designed to destroy the embochures of horn players, but didn't get to it.  But now all I can say is "talk me out of it!"

It would be something to do one of Nelhybel's works with MIDI !     I'd like to, or especially do The Sinfonians my favorite band piece which doesn't have a lot of good recordings.  I did a concert march of my own for full band. But - though Tom knows all about this, playing in band -  it is way harder to do MIDI for symphonic band than orchestra.  Think of how the strings make up most of an orchestra - and that's only five parts!   With symphonic band all the instruments are different and there are doublings you have to use even if they aren't necessarily wanted.  Here is a standard list:

Piccolo

1st Flute (usually doubled)

2nd Flute (etc.)

Oboe

Cor Anglais (English Horn)

Bassoon

Eb Clarinet

Solo Bb Clarinet

Clarinet Ensembles:

1st Bb Clarinet

2nd Bb Clarinet

3rd Bb Clarinet

Alto Clarinet

Bass Clarinet

Soprano Saxophone

1st Alto Saxophone

2nd Alto Saxophone

Tenor Saxophone

Baritone Saxophone

1st Bb Trumpet

2nd Bb Trumpet

3rd Bb Trumpet

1st Bb Cornet

2nd Bb Cornet

3rd Bb Cornet

Flugel Horn

1st French Horn

2nd French Horn

3rd French Horn

4th French Horn

1st Tenor Trombone

2nd Tenor Trombone

Bass Trombone

Euphonium

Tubas (Eb, Bb)

Percussion (including optional but normally used instruments)

Drum Kit

Bass Drum

Snare Drum

Cymbals

Triangle

Tambourine

Wood Block

Bongos

Claves

Gong

Tam-tam

Timpani

Glockenspiel

Xylophone

Marimba

Vibraphone

Chimes

I am wondering if you had access to the original scores, or what kind of scores you used, and if it is going to be released on CD or some "official" release?   It's great to hear the music isolated and makes one appreciate more how good it was - often far better than the film it was underscoring!

Philippe, it's great to hear one of your performances - I was wondering where you'd gone!   Congratulations on getting this done!   It sounds fantastic!   I am a huge Barry Gray fan and this brings out how fine his music was, divorced from any of the film productions.  Wow - this is a lot of work - I love hearing this.  

This is my favorite of Nelhybels pieces - I am posting this because VSL can be used just as much for concert band music as orchestral.  I first heard this years ago and stopped dead in my tracks listening to it, because it was shockingly different from the usual pleasant conventional band music one normally hears.    

TRITTICO