M
Electrik Orchestra Experiment - Korg custom ARP driving mostly Halion virtual bowed instruments
rob aylestone
Moderator
You posted the youtube link, but didn't tell us what we were listening to, what was the intention and I got a bit confused by 8 tracks, all seemingly the same sample sound and all panned central. The display suggests you were playing left hand chords and a top line on a pretty awful string sample that is some kind of bowed string sound.
I don't want to be negative, but looking at the cubase screen all those instances on solo are fighting with each other, phasing together and sounding a bit rough.
Without context - I'm guessing you wanted it to sound like a string section? If so, I can suggest a few things to try.
Remember that in general, strings tend to be 6 instrument sections - Violins 1 (who carry the melody or top line) who might sometimes split into two, then violin 2 which play the inner parts - and often is the place where they might play important tonal lines that distinguish between Major, minor, various 7ths and other parts - often written as a continuing part - a sort of supporting harmony part. They also often don't play the twiddly stuff - V1 does that. You then get a slightly lower harmony or supporting line from the violas. The cellos have a huge playing range, so will be found playing low, and high, but at least an octave away from the upper strings - their sound is texturally different. Then you get the basses, who often play the lower cello part an octave further down, but don't play too many high notes.
You were playing block chords, and mostly in the first position, i.e. with the notes very close together, like C-E-G. Real strings might manage this high up, but rarely do it lower down, because close spaced chords sound messy and odd.
The other thing is that if the chords go from C-E-G to F-A-C, a string section might give the V1, the E going to the F, the V2 might get the G to the A, and the viola might just stay on C - maybe not actually even stopping. Depending on what you want, the cello and bass might stay on the C, or move to the F. Your chords tend to leap up and down. Real strings use minimal movement in chord changes. a movement of just a few notes, idealy one or two at most. Then it will start to sound more real, even with the slightly iffy string sound.
Looking at what you played - what I would have done is recorded just one track. I'd then copy that track to the next one, and go into the first and delete the left hand. Then go into the second and delete the top line. Adjust the sample playing so that top line sounds great. I would then create a new violin track, a new viola track and the two bass tracks. I do the next bit differently, but for this one I would copy the 3 note chords to a new string track, and have a look at the track and move the chord notes to put them in a more similar range - so take that top note and drop it down an octave, maybe do the same thing with the second note - the aim being to spot the common notes in each chord and have these unchanged, and move the other two also to the same notes if they exist. Then you can grab just the lowest ones and pop those in the cello and bass, moving the bass down even further. Pan the violin 1 mostly left, the basses mostly right and spread the others in between. Even with slightly iffy samples - playing the right notes makes it sound better.
Is that the kind of thing that helps - I'm guessing what your question was from what you posted? May well be totally wrong.
I don't want to be negative, but looking at the cubase screen all those instances on solo are fighting with each other, phasing together and sounding a bit rough.
Without context - I'm guessing you wanted it to sound like a string section? If so, I can suggest a few things to try.
Remember that in general, strings tend to be 6 instrument sections - Violins 1 (who carry the melody or top line) who might sometimes split into two, then violin 2 which play the inner parts - and often is the place where they might play important tonal lines that distinguish between Major, minor, various 7ths and other parts - often written as a continuing part - a sort of supporting harmony part. They also often don't play the twiddly stuff - V1 does that. You then get a slightly lower harmony or supporting line from the violas. The cellos have a huge playing range, so will be found playing low, and high, but at least an octave away from the upper strings - their sound is texturally different. Then you get the basses, who often play the lower cello part an octave further down, but don't play too many high notes.
You were playing block chords, and mostly in the first position, i.e. with the notes very close together, like C-E-G. Real strings might manage this high up, but rarely do it lower down, because close spaced chords sound messy and odd.
The other thing is that if the chords go from C-E-G to F-A-C, a string section might give the V1, the E going to the F, the V2 might get the G to the A, and the viola might just stay on C - maybe not actually even stopping. Depending on what you want, the cello and bass might stay on the C, or move to the F. Your chords tend to leap up and down. Real strings use minimal movement in chord changes. a movement of just a few notes, idealy one or two at most. Then it will start to sound more real, even with the slightly iffy string sound.
Looking at what you played - what I would have done is recorded just one track. I'd then copy that track to the next one, and go into the first and delete the left hand. Then go into the second and delete the top line. Adjust the sample playing so that top line sounds great. I would then create a new violin track, a new viola track and the two bass tracks. I do the next bit differently, but for this one I would copy the 3 note chords to a new string track, and have a look at the track and move the chord notes to put them in a more similar range - so take that top note and drop it down an octave, maybe do the same thing with the second note - the aim being to spot the common notes in each chord and have these unchanged, and move the other two also to the same notes if they exist. Then you can grab just the lowest ones and pop those in the cello and bass, moving the bass down even further. Pan the violin 1 mostly left, the basses mostly right and spread the others in between. Even with slightly iffy samples - playing the right notes makes it sound better.
Is that the kind of thing that helps - I'm guessing what your question was from what you posted? May well be totally wrong.