Is there any decent sounding substitution for an orchestra?

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minofifa

minofifa

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Hey all

I was just wondering if anybody knows if the sound of an orchestra added into the background of a song can be done by synth or sampling, and still sound decent? I always like the sound of strings in songs like Iris (goo goo dolls), running from home (matthew good band) and stuff like that. obviously i can't fit an orchestra into my living room and i don't have enough mice to record them all. Does anybody add stuff like this into their songs? Thanks

Dar
 
orchestra meaning 100+ instruments going at once all on a synth? eh nope...however! what you can do is find 1 or 2 violin synths, oboe synths, french horn synths and so on and so forth...create your own little orchestra or philharmonic or whatever...mix down to one track and then add it to the main mix
 
ok, that makes sense, i'l try that

Can snyths produce a good violin, chello, bass, sound?? haha the onboard synth that came with my yamaha soundcard is a joke so perhaps i need to find better instruments.
I wonder if sampling would work better....
 
you need to find them....it takes a while but yes there are some decent ones out there...nothing beats the real thing..another thing you might want to try is not having a full orchestra but maybe just a cello or however its spelled....it gives it a more intimate feeling than the grandios orchestra....but if thats what your going for then thats cool... remember...too many cooks can spoil the soup
 
first off let me say....DAYUM! and then if i wanted an orchestra that bad i'd just become a conductor and call it a day. and 10 bucks for the demo!? does it come with rose scented toilet paper? cause that must be some good shit.
 
I've got a friend that uses the VSL for all of his orchestral arrangements. He has the "classic" version, not the newer one that just came out.

All I have to say is, WOW!

He's waiting until they come out with their "cube" hard-disk based version so he can get 24-bit samples. I can't wait... ;)
 
If you have MIDI controller-keyboard check out Roland String Ensemble sound module (M-SE1). It was discontinued several years ago, but you can still catch one on ebay for around $100. It has some pretty realistic strings sounds, fast and slow, even legato, solo and ensemble. More detailed description is here: http://www.sonicstate.com/synth/roland_mse1.cfm
 
I have always been fond of Orchestral by Edirol.

I noticed a little manipulation with reverb and good monitors I can get a real good sound from the instruments.

I a/b with a CD on an instrument and really fine tune it:)
 
Another vote for Edirol HQ ORchestral. I really appreciate the fact that it includes different playing styles, just by differing velocity. You can also control EQ, Envelopes, Cutoff, Resonance, Character (I like that one). Plus as a fantastic bonus, when editing the individual sounds of each instrument, the onboard keyboard display is grayed out on eather side of the selected instruments real-life range (really I don't believe I've ever heard a Flute play at C1 before). Oh and it supports multiple outputs to. I believe Edirol has a free demo available to download.
 
I've been using Garritan's Strings for about a year now and they are awesome. Noone has mentioned EWQLSO yet so I thought I'd bring that up. It comes with 3 different priced/sized packages. The platinum is on par with the VSL.

Also for brass sounds nothing beats Project Sams stuff. I've been using the Horns and Trombones for a while and they are well worth the money.

EWQLSO -
http://www.eastwestsamples.com

Project Sam -
www.projectsam.com
 
Hi
I am new to this forum, and just starting to do some home recording, so this site has been a lot of help.
For background music try "Band in a Box". You put in your cords and tempo, choose the style and the software plays your tune.
Do a internet search Bank in a box, and download a demo.
 
willy4 said:
Hi
I am new to this forum, and just starting to do some home recording, so this site has been a lot of help.
For background music try "Band in a Box". You put in your cords and tempo, choose the style and the software plays your tune.
Do a internet search Bank in a box, and download a demo.

that sounds more like a kid's game.
 
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