Paolo, that is funny, thanks for that info.  

I was thinking that what is happening in English is:  Sack-but(t)  =  Fat-ass 

Sorry, I realized that is crude and not at all in keeping with proper language on the website of a fine company dedicated to the highest standards of musical excellence.  Also, I mean no offense to all the sackbuts out there.  No matter how much weight they have to lose.

thanks Paul.  Yes the transcriptions - he ought to get paid well!!  Unfortunately I am not one of the wealthy composers who can pay for them... 

I also didn't hear this until today.  That sounds excellent - congratulations on that work!   

There is already a cornetto in the Historic Winds II.  

Also, faking a sackbut would be inane since the other instruments are so authentically sampled.  

(I just realized the phrase "faking a sackbut" sounds slightly obscene. I don't know why.)

I agree that another addition is really needed especially sackbuts.  This would give you a complete historic brass section!  Right now it is great with the trumpet and horns but missing the low end.  

Historic Winds IV - Heraldic Trumpets and Sackbuts.  

Dave, thanks and I'm glad it helped to calm things down there...

MMKA thanks very much.  It is great to get this feedback.  

thanks very much Tom and Jasen.  The stills are all taken with a Canon 5d mkIII and the video was a 4k Sony action cam.  I was in the middle of the forest and started thinking of the horn calls coming out of the distance, then started thinking of some melodies.  I wanted to get some of that feeling of stillness and peace that is out there.  

I posted a previous music-only version of this,  but recently finished a video that goes with the music.  The photography/video was all done on various hikes in the Lakes Basin area, California.   The music uses the VI Vienna Horn, Flute 2 and Harp, mixed in MIR Pernegg Monastery. 

Song of the Forest

That is an expert observation that few people will fully appreciate.  

What Tom said made me think about avoiding "perfection" in a MIDI performance, which is totally artificial sounding.  Also doing things that play to the individual instruments characteristic difficulties.  I have been experimenting with going to extremes on those and sometimes have to dial it back.  It seems that knowng how hard it is to play certain things is very valuable, whatever the instrument...

I wanted to thank the person who gave this piece a "Dislike" on youtube.  

It gives me a reason to mention it again.

Also, I wonder who goes to the bother to "Dislike" something like this.  Also - my symphony recording. 

Why bother doing a "Dislike"?   I just don't give something a "Like" if I don't like it.   The fact that it is anonymous - part of the internet "culture" of trolls.  

Really agree with that. Tom is one of the few people who is NOT a poser.  Real expertise from the most valuable point of view - playing in orchestra.  The only things I ever really learned about orchestration came from playing. And it is funny how playing in not-so-good groups actually helps.  You hear the difficulties far more than with a great orchestra perfectly captured by a master recording engineer.   And the difficulties reveal the true nature of the instruments.  The worst sample performance treats a high d on cornet the same as a middle c.  The reality is vastly different, and that principle applies to everything about performance.  

Sorry Anand I misunderstood and completely agree. Also I have always been as interested in science as art so we have the same attitude!

Thanks Tom, I was thinking that it might do better for band. I have the same attitude concerning band performances - unlike symphony orchestras, who have quite enough music and don't need anything more thank you very much - bands are always playing new things.  

Also I wish VSL would do symphonic band sections.  Especially EPIC CLARINETS  - like a 6 or 12 player section!   I have done some work with doubling the 3-player sections but it is not the same as the big symphonic band sound. 

In fact, if VSL sampled just an additional 12 clarinet section and a 6 flute section the symphonic cube would be a full concert band if you use the other solos, sections and ensembles with no doubling:

piccolo

11 flutes     

5 oboes

17 clarinets

5 bassoons

5 sax

12 trumpets (with cornet)

8 horns with full divisi

5 trombones (with contrabass)

euphonium

2 tubas

"Since this is art, it is not 'essential'..."

"If it were a piece of scientific work, and if it has validity , it cannot be ignored..."   - Agitato

Agitato, you seem like a good person and extremely intelligent but that kind of statement pisses me off.  

Art is "not essential" - yet no society in all of known history can do without it all the way back to CAVE PAINTINGS. It is only  the modern science-and-materialist attitude that considers nothing except for intellect and logic.  This age is one of total fragmentation and utter lack of generalized knowledge, and too many people view things outside of their incredibly narrow fields of interest as "not essential."  

And on the second statement - it is just as true with art as with science.  Nobody who does classical music can ignore Beethoven. Or Bach. Or Mozart. Nobody who does symphonic music can ignore Mahler.  And so on and on...

Sorry to rant but anytime I hear a variation on how art is not as important as science ---      

Thanks Dave.  This was originally written in 1982.   I only last month came up with that section you mentioned.  But throughout all that  time I had a feeling it should be revised... I guess I work somewhat slowly.  Need to speed things up probably. 

That's a good comment Dave, and I have the same situation as littleweirdo mentioned, with years of work on various pieces and not even acknowledgement of submitting to conductors.  Though I got some nice acknowledgement here on my symphony.  It is funny how I had it on CD Baby and nobody in the universe noticed it.  Then I put it here and on Youtube and received far more attention.

Thanks Errikos - you see I thought of a title.  It was not actually about Achilles originally - mainly just about 12/8 time with some syncopation and a lot of modulation - but I was so wrathful at not having a title, Achilles suddenly popped into my mind.  

Here is a piece I recently revised and performed as part of publishing the sheet music:

Achilles  

It is Vienna Instruments and mixed in MIR Pro Vienna Konzerthaus Conductor's position with Miracle Close Hall Enhance.  The instrumentation is:

Flute 1

Flute 2

Flute Ensemble

Oboe 2

Oboe Ensemble

Clarinet 1 doubled

Clarinet Ensemble

Dimension Trumpet Player 1

C Trumpet

B flat Trumpet

Cornet

4 Dimension Horns doubled to match 8 horn ensemble with four part divisi

2 4-horn ensembles for two part divisi

8 horn ensemble for unison

Trombone ensemble

Solo Trombone

Contrabass Trombone

Tuba

Timpani

Percussion ensemble

Glockenspiel 1

Chimes 1

Appassionata Violins

Orchestral Violins

Appassionata Violas

Appassionata Cellos

Orchestral Basses

that's a great post seventh sam and so true - great music - from Bach on a harpsichord to Robert Johnson on a guitar -  is great no matter what time or place it came from.  

That sounds great, really imaginative composition and the performance is so expressive!  I like the programmatic theme of what happens creatively.  I have no idea myself.  This piece should be of real interest to chamber groups. Though I know it is not easy getting their attention.

Yes I never used to use any "humanize" settings and always did it myself by playing.  But then, at some point, I noticed that the VI humanize controls, with individual detailed versions for each individual instrument if you want - actually nullified anything one would do by playing.  And then like you, I started quantizing tracks.  Something unthinkable in the past.    Right now I am dealing with the results of non-quantized tracks in a MIDI transcription to notation.  

I am also knee-deep - perhaps neck-deep would be a better description - in my tone poem revision which is in 12/8 but the MIDI is 4/4 with triplets and on top of that it is the most complicated contrapuntally that I've done as well as so many modulations I made it keyless because what's the point of that lame little key signature and - 

oh, sorry, I got carried away.  I am a little punchy right now.  I will try and calm down. I will listen again to the Moonlit Tryst.