I've spent forever mixing a VST Orchestra...This Is The Result

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pistachio

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I have tried to create the most realistic sounding piece of music I have ever made using only one VST plugin. This 25 second transition piece was made using 34 different instruments on Garritan Personal Orchestra (including piano, double bass, cello, viola, violin, celesta, clarinet, flute, oboe, bassoon, trumpet, trombone and a few others), so you can imagine just how crowded this mix could be. I really hope someone will help me figure out what I could do to improve the final result of this song and uncrowd the mix a bit to add some clarity to the individual instruments.

I posted an mp3 of the recording here: (EDIT: I DELETED IT BECAUSE I POSTED A BETTER SONG BELOW)
 
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You could improve it by not using garritan personal orchestra. It's pretty terrible. It sounds like Final Fantasy music for Super Nintendo, not because of anything you did, but because Garritan blows.
 
I have to agree. I know nothing about Garritan, but if your stuck with this vsti, then all I can say is try a different "lead" instrument. Is that an oboe that is standing out the most? That is your biggest offender in terms of artificial sound. Try a different instrument.

Kerrio
 
ok... listen up this is your problem... most band instruments dont have a true slur... each note is articulated to some degree... the trick is to play each instrument in one part at a time so ya dont get tempted to use paralell 3rds that are slurred... try to think before starting about what kind of attack you here on that kinda instrument... a bone and a flute approach it differently... also when doing it one at a time the little differences in time is what gives you that natural chorusing effect... remember there'll be a quiz on thursday...
 
Well, it doesn't sound crowded to me. It also doesn't sound like an orchestra although whatever it does sound like, it's a pleasing sound.
Although Briefcasemax was somewhat brutal about GPO:p, he does have a point about Garritan. It was the first VST I ever bought and it does have some decent instrument samples in there. I used it for a couple of years and it was OK, it did the job......then I discovered Miroslav Philharmonik and really, from there, GPO's days were numbered. I sold it in the end. It's not awful, as I said there are a few decent sounds in there.
I've found when using VSTs, like Dementedchord implies, there's fast developing a way to approach them. Firstly, I'd always use a controller keyboard as opposed to a mouse and work on tweaking each sound one by one. Get each one to sound realistic, like the player is right next to you. If you can't get the realistic sound, you're possibly better off not using it. Once you do have it as you want it, record it. I know you can do 16 at once but believe me, pain in the neck though it may be, like the chord man says, do each one one at a time. If you like the particular sound, you should be able to save it so whenever you want that sound, you have it to hand.
Think very hard about the way each instrument is to sound and play it that way. I remember, when I first started reading up on digital and computer music all those years ago, the author of one of the books I read made a great song and dance about how you could create never heard before sounds like blowing the guitar and bowing the flute. But the reality is that we use VSTs coz we dig those sounds and can't play them or don't know anyone that can or don't have the room to store a whole orchestra [!!] and an arsenal of vintage instruments or whatever. So it becomes important to think about what those instruments actually do, how they sound, their attack, decay and general timbre and they need to be played in such a way that you avoid that awful kakakaka effect that the keyboard sometimes does {or is it just me ?}.
If you've already been doing all this, just put GPO on ebay and get Miroslav !:D
As an actual little piece, I think it's lovely, by the way.
 
grimtraveller said:
Well, it doesn't sound crowded to me. It also doesn't sound like an orchestra although whatever it does sound like, it's a pleasing sound.
Although Briefcasemax was somewhat brutal about GPO, he does have a point about Garritan. It was the first VST I ever bought and it does have some decent instrument samples in there. I used it for a couple of years and it was OK, it did the job......then I discovered Miroslav Philharmonik and really, from there, GPO's days were numbered....
...As an actual little piece, I think it's lovely, by the way.
Click to expand...

I am downloading Miroslav right now and will switch the two out and then post the results in this thread tomorrow or the next day (whenever I finish mixing it again).

Thanks for your advice, it was really constructive.
 
pistachio said:
I am downloading Miroslav right now and will switch the two out and then post the results in this thread tomorrow or the next day (whenever I finish mixing it again).

Thanks for your advice, it was really constructive.
Click to expand...

Sweet! I don't think simply switching the two out is going to work though, you'll probably have to do some remixing, but I think anything sounds better than GPO.
 
It could use a bit less crowding - maybe some dynamics/room verb/panning to separate themn as much as possible. Sounds like a good VST.....

:):D:):D:)
 
to Aaron, I use FL studio to use and record my individual tracks. Then I insert them into Adobe Audition where I mix and master them.

I also wanted to mention that I did install Miroslav and I've made my first piece and posted it here:



I'll re-do the one that was in this thread soon. But for now, this thread is clossssssssssssssed.
 
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