As a composing hobbiest, I found this to be unbelievably amazing and inspirational! All I want to do is write music right now! You definitely should consider doing more of these!
I purchased Kontakt this weekend and have been looking for someone brilliant to teach me orchestration.... David, my friend, I think you have delivered exactly the motivation I need to progress at an optimum level. Thank you!!
Writing for full orchestra and in this style is probably the hardest music to write because there are so many instruments and layers. 1 minute of this stuff can take all day.
I never noticed all the small nuances and bits and pieces until hearing it being laid down track by track like this. This is actually huge help. All the harmonies and resolutions going on creating the whole texture are just incredibly amazing. It seems like such a simple score yet is so complex. John Williams is indeed a master.
This helped. I wish that all instrumentalists had access to this kind of a breakdown and build up. It would help us to enjoy more complex music. Thank you!
David - I enjoyed watching this video today (almost 5 years after you made it). I was impressed with the system you've come up with for being able to quickly audition the instruments for each part as well as your ability to quickly choose a patch that works, adjust it as needed and move on to the next measure. Although it might have made for a shorter video by having already done the note input and instrument selection ahead of time, I learned a lot by being able to watch you go through that process. I also found it interesting to see how you draw from different sample libraries. This is the first of your videos I've watched. I look forward to seeing what you've done since you recorded this video. Thanks again.
I'm very glad it was helpful. Thanks for dropping a line. This video was very much a stream-of-consciousness video and I specifically published it because I figured there's a lot of micro-decisions made in the course of composing or producing that it's hard to share any other way. I keep meaning to do more of these, but never seem to have the time.
David it's great to come across you today on RUclips doing your thing. You were helpful to me over 15 years ago setting up my project studio. This is a fantastic teaching/learning video experience. Thank you.
21:18 - "I don't have any with exotic scales." Isn't that just Bb melodic minor? I still think it's faster to just play it in ;). I started arranging this piece for an ensemble, and I just searched youtube out of curiosity to see what else was out there. Thanks for an awesome video!
Could you make a more in depth explanation of your setup? It seems otherworldly how you have all these libraries loaded up without any issues. Btw you're incredibly talented - this video deserves more attention
Thanks Andrew! That's a great idea, but it would be a little time-consuming to produce and explain. I'll keep it in mind for future videos, but let me know some of the questions you're wondering about, that way I can be sure to address them.
An external hard drive wouldn't have any effect, positive or negative on working in an environment like this. The screen you see in the video above is my main Mac which has all the MIDI tracks (and some audio routing). All the instruments live on two secondary PC's ("slaves") which are running Vienna Ensemble Pro and dozens of instances of Kontakt. Those two PC's keep all the instruments loaded at all times, so that the main Mac can trigger them instantly. The main Mac and the two PC slaves are connected via gigabit ethernet, and the Vienna Ensemble Pro software handles the MIDI being sent from Mac to PC, and the audio being sent from PC to Mac.
I know very little of the software or music but have an interest in all of it. This was really interesting and I like how you just get right to it. No wasting time, explain a few things that help us understand your setup then jump right in. Also, thank you for putting the score up on the screen along the way for us to follow. Just you doing your thing, and we get to be a fly on the wall.
It's amazing how the tremolo's in the woodwinds gel everything together at 30:55, then the harp just completes it at 32:06. John Williams truly is a master orchestrator!
I just saw Episode VIII yesterday and was amazed how much a difference that single triangle made when hearing it surround sound. The theme is amazing and a simple instrument can make a huge difference.
That.. was... amazing! As someone who has seen Mr Williams perform live, once in London and again in Boston, his mastery is stunning. But your video is the first time I have heard ever nuance of his space masterpiece. Thank you for that. It was a joy to watch and hear.
one of the best orchestral breakdowns ever done for free on the internet.. Learnt a lot by seeing and hearing how each individual instrument adds a little to the 'Orchestral Soup' in its own 'flavour'...☺️ Thanks a million for this☺️. If I just listen to this with my eyes closed, I can hardly tell the difference between this mock up and the original soundtrack☺️... please do more of these 😊☺️👍
I just stumbled onto this. I did something similar to the whole score of Man of La Mancha back in 2009 for a theatre production using Logic Pro and (mostly) the East West orchestral pack. It teaches you so much about orchestration. Thanks for making this video.
Very enjoyable; thanks for taking the time to do this! One point was really driven home: no ONE library has all the answers, as you were having to use different patches (sometimes from different libraries) to achieve the desired result.
I love movie musoc, but besides playing trumpet in middle school, I know very little about how orchestration works. This was fascinating enough, however, that I ate it all up - even though you were speaking a foreign language - and wanted more. Bravo for holding my ADD for an hour.
Watched from start to finish. Really interesting for someone like me who comes from a band background rather than orchestral, but is enjoying learning new techniques for composing. Thanks so much. Could have watched another hour!
Could you please create a short tutorial about your Vienna Ensemble Orchester template? How much tracks makes sense? Which articulations? What are your personal experiences? Thank you :)
I've actually done an entire video about that. It's a couple of years old, but the principles are the same. It's called the Ultimate Guide to a Multi-Computer Kontakt Setup. Check my channel.
@@daviddas thank you for your reply. Yes, i have already watched this video. In my point of view this video it’s more about your hardware and less about your template. There is less content in RUclips how to create your own efficient Vienna Ensemble template.
@@TPetz-cs1vr agree, there are fewer videos about templates but there are still some out there. Junkie XL has done some, many of the major sample library manufacturers have done them, and some individual composers have. You may have to dig a bit more. :) Eventually I will do one, but I haven't hit a resting point with my template yet.
Yep...one of those tiny tiny details that can make a huge difference. Anyone who's ever played a bass instrument understands what things like that can do.
Great tutorial! I'm pleased to see you using EWQLSO. Every time I move up to a new orchestral library, I find myself still going back to EW for layering, missing articulations, etc. It's still a very useful library. Nice work!
Listening and watching this come together just made me smile ... thanks from a fellow DP user. Now, to win the lotto and get that Vienna ensemble going.
Whoa. That felt like the fastest 48 minutes of my life, and it was time well spent. I was completely intrigued and drawn in. I subscribed in hopes of more videos that follow this pattern of production! Thank you for the editing you did to allow us to see the sheet music, and the software, and your studio all at once. EXTREMELY PHENOMENAL VIDEO! Can't say enough about that one.
Subscribed. I used to have arguments with my friends in the school orchestra (in my youth) over the Mellotron, and how that instrument was taking jobs from real musicians. I can only imagine what they think of these amazing sample programs. Great work and greetings from a fellow composer, producer, and Digital Performer advocate.
20:54 Bb ascending melodic minor (Bb major scale, just flat the third step to Db) but run starts on 7th step (A). Do the jazzers call that A altered scale?
I'm trying to think of a standout beginner library and I can't think of one. Companies like Spitfire, ProjectSAM, CineSamples, and 8Dio all make some great libraries, however, at the low/beginner end, the options are more limited (for example, you might get a woodwind ensemble patch, but not specific individual woodwinds). If you own Kontakt, Kontakt does come with a starter set of orchestral instruments in its factory library. (They are derived from old VSL samples.) They're not as real as modern samples, but they're a good place to start if you are budget-conscious. Once you graduate beyond the Kontakt factory library, check out the manufacturers I mentioned above and see what's in your price range and what sounds good to your ear. Every library works in a different way and requires some work to learn how to play it realistically.
@@daviddas At the moment I'm playing with Spitfires Original series, which is rather limited like you said, there are no individual instruments. It's really nice for starting though. Now I'm wondering what's the go-to library for John Williams like orchestrations? If you had to choose only one of the many libraries you have, which one would you go with? What about EWQLSO?
@@surferbois EWQLSO is OK, but older. If you found it at a good price, it's worth considering. However, it uses the PLAY engine, which some people have found to be pretty problematic. (I haven't used it in many years, so can't advise on it.) They do have a cloud subscription model, so perhaps that's worth a try for a month or two to see if you like the way it works. As for the other manufacturers, I'm not aware of a really good orchestral package that has individual instruments, well-sampled, at a bargain price, unfortunately. Many of them, like Spitfire, have superb strings packages and superb woodwinds and brass packages, but you'll end up spending a LOT of money to get the entire orchestra deep-sampled.
@@daviddas yeah that's the thing I'm considering. Spending 10€ / month as student to get the whole EWQL library for sure is a good deal. Might be worth looking into.
Absolutely enlightened moment, thanks so much , wish I could read scores as good as you , but at least I understood the basics. You reaching out far ,see I'm from Québec Canada. respect ! David. 🙏👏👏👏👏
The effort is appreciated and it's nice to see a lot of other people found it educational and helpful, but since you say "orchestration secrets," I was hoping for more in-depth analysis of the composition, arrangement, harmonies, techniques, etc. Note I say "more," because you did point out some, but otherwise, I'm not sure I see a difference between this and just looking at the score ourselves, which I have. Still a cool video I enjoyed watching, it was made and commentated well, and despite my experience with the score, I didn't remember that flat you pointed out in the early runs. Thanks for taking the time to make such a video, I'll check out the equipment guide since I'm curious about these multi-PC setups.and seeing if I could set one up.
YES! There is not enough of this on the internet. Orchestration, especially WIlliams' is masterful, and the only way to become a great orchestrator is to study these guys. PLEASE do more of the Star Wars suite! I'm smashing that sub button + bell.
WOW WOW SUPERMAN MUST BE NEXT... fantastic job, i love hearing other recordings of john william's themes to see how those composers bring their sound and interpretation to the piece. This is an incredible video thank you.
This really is more in line with the in's and out's of translating a score to a mock up. While a little can be gained figuring out how to convert it to a mock up it doesn't give the why's in the technique of the way things were orchestrated how they were. Some things remain artistic secrets, and simply artistic choices.
David, that was excellent. Most appreciated. What I would love to see you do is, rather than spending the video inputting the score, start with it already there and spend the time soloing various instruments and groups of instruments discussing the roles each play in the whole. I learn a lot by downloading MIDI files a of works and then, score in hand (if I can get it), doing just that. Having someone with your experience and knowledge to enlighten would be great.
Great comment. I hope to do this with future videos. There's a lot of different approaches and angles to take when studying orchestration, and you're right, that's a valuable approach. You may enjoy seeing a couple of short videos I produced along these lines on John Adams's Short Ride in a Fast Machine (ruclips.net/video/O774XsRLsT0/видео.html) and John Williams's Catch Me If You Can (ruclips.net/video/PVKV5ofmSIU/видео.html). Definitely hope to do more in the future.
I don't know much about music but I love star wars. It was great to hear the music being created bit by bit. This is re creation. What a great effort and mind would it be to create the music at the first place...
Any study of these early John Williams scores must give credit to his orchestrator at the time, Herbert Spencer. Needless to say, Williams had input every step of the way, but Mr. Spencer was the principal orchestrator of this music. Perhaps a credit in the video description would be apt.
Actually, Williams orchestrates every note himself. Some of the woodwinds are not assigned, but the voicing and detailed instrumentations are detailed in his sketches. Herbert Spencer was an incredible orchestrator, but his role was more of a copyist/orchestrator, lightly cleaning up Williams sketches. 99% has always been Williams. I know this because I've spoken to Conrad Pope about this several times, and he attests to it. :)
Thanks David for making the video! really useful information. One thing I noticed you do and I didn't think about it is... when a melody has a change of articulation at the phrase, for example: 4 notes played with staccato and the 5th is sustained you play the 5 notes on an staccato patch but you play a sustain patch on top of the 5th note to give the sustain sensation. That is a good thing to know, and I will try it ;)
In this template, I've chosen to go with no keyswitches, i.e. every articulation is on a separate track. So the disadvantage is I have to switch tracks for each note that needs a different articulation. The advantage is that I don't have to deal with keyswitches, and also that I have the capability of easily layering two+ articulations on top of each other if I need to. (Remember when working with samples that it's not always a perfect simulation of an acoustic instrument, and you should follow your ear regarding what sounds right/realistic.)
Have you seen Williams’ scores? Not to diminish Spencer & Co. contributions to these films, but Williams’ orchestrators function more like copyists to save time rather than orchestrators. Williams’ sketches are incredibly detailed. It’s all there. (Compared to a piano midi track, like how Zimmer works.)
This video was amazing and incredibly informative. Would LOVE to see the flying section from "The Magic of Halloween" from E.T. if you needed any inspiration via requests.
What a great breakdown. I knew there was a lot of work making a piece like this, you just confirmed it for me. Would love to see more, maybe continue on for the next 6 to 10 measures.
Thank you so much David! I found this video trully inspirational for those of us who love the music of the great master. I have to say that your template to work in your DAW is a bomb. I also saw your video explaining it and I´m working with my team to do it. Thanks again and I´m stalking you from Buenos Aires :)
Fantastic video. This not only shows off your dedication and talent as a musician but also William's indefinable genius! I'd love to see a piece like "Prelude" from Psycho deconstructed and layered in, step by step....truly masterful edit too, I subscribed!
An extraordinary tutorial, best I've ever seen on RUclips. Thank you so much, very inspirational, it's a joy to watch and hear it all come together in that way. I attempted this many years ago just using Creative sound fonts, but this video almost 15 years later showed me what I was doing wrong! I have better equipment and libraries now, but you've shown me in the space of an hour what others failed to. Can't thank you enough sir :)
Great video ! Very interesting to see the role of each instrument in the orchestration. It would have been nice to hear instruments sections playing together.
Well done. As a lifelong fan of both Star Wars abd John Williams, well, there were goosebumps. Very well done, indeed. Now I want to drop a few grand and get back into sequencing scores.
@@daviddas This moment in cinema history is forever embedded in my mind, I remember seeing it in the drive-in theater in the 70s! I've always loved the musical transitions in the first couple minutes - from this famous opening fanfare to the quiet, brief mysterious moment in empty space, then the rebel ship and massive star destroyer barreling through, overwhelming the screen (accompanied by the massive Mars-like rhythms). My five year old son is fascinated with this music now too! I could easily watch you for hours breaking down that whole sequence. :-)
Great video post, very nice breakdown. BTW Kay and I were in the same class learning music theory few years back with a renowned professor. He talked about your work, but after watching the video I love the way you think.
This is truly an amazing video! This really makes me wanna get into orchestration. I'm actually going to now because of this tutorial. I'd love it if you'd do more tutorials like these, they are amazing.
Study Jerry Goldsmith scores (Poltergeist, Legend, Masada, Star Trek-The Motion Picture, The Blue Max, Night Crossing, The Omen, The Wind and the Lion.. and so on..) They are all amazing...He was a real genius!
Nicely done! I'm listening to the original piece (Williams with the Boston Pops) and picking up a few differences. There's actually a barely perceptible timpani roll right before measure 1. The build into measure 4 is much slower. And I feel the trumpet melody is somewhat louder. I love how easy it is to adjust all those things, though. Really, really cool study.
Thank you so much -this was fascinating -even for a musical illiterate like me. Building the layers, shaping the sound, color, brightness and fine-tuning the tempo was like watching Brian Cox describe astrophysics, or having Walter Murch take me through his editing choices. Can't wait to see more.
This was awesome to watch come together! It revealed to me how much John Williams assigns slightly different roles to every single part, making the orchestra into a very powerful team with slightly different yet still clearly defined roles. The details written into his orchestration are small and many, but together have an impact through the cumulative synergy he knows only too well how to build. Thanks for shining a light on some of the awesomeness!
Err, Williams didn't assign anything to any part of the orchestra. He wrote his score for piano parts and Herbert W Spencer did ALL the orchestration of his classic film music until 1992.
Definitely planning to do more. Most likely on Patreon. The next study (Holst Planets Mars) has already been recorded; just awaiting editing now. And I'd love to do more John Williams. La La Land would be tricky unless the score becomes available.
I would have called this "reconstruction instead of "orchestration secrets", but this was immensely helpful and extremely enjoyable. Thanks!
This is gold on seeing the orchestrational differences small nuances make!
As a composing hobbiest, I found this to be unbelievably amazing and inspirational! All I want to do is write music right now! You definitely should consider doing more of these!
I purchased Kontakt this weekend and have been looking for someone brilliant to teach me orchestration.... David, my friend, I think you have delivered exactly the motivation I need to progress at an optimum level. Thank you!!
Writing for full orchestra and in this style is probably the hardest music to write because there are so many instruments and layers. 1 minute of this stuff can take all day.
I never noticed all the small nuances and bits and pieces until hearing it being laid down track by track like this. This is actually huge help. All the harmonies and resolutions going on creating the whole texture are just incredibly amazing. It seems like such a simple score yet is so complex. John Williams is indeed a master.
I know next to nothing about musical theory/composition but I just couldn’t stop watching this video. Fantastic.
One of the best tutorials on the internet!
20:49 A good example of John's jazz background coming through. I find it's a big reason why his sound is so recognizable and unique.
This helped. I wish that all instrumentalists had access to this kind of a breakdown and build up. It would help us to enjoy more complex music.
Thank you!
This is honestly hands down the Biggest and most complex orchestral composing project i have ever seen in my life.
David - I enjoyed watching this video today (almost 5 years after you made it). I was impressed with the system you've come up with for being able to quickly audition the instruments for each part as well as your ability to quickly choose a patch that works, adjust it as needed and move on to the next measure. Although it might have made for a shorter video by having already done the note input and instrument selection ahead of time, I learned a lot by being able to watch you go through that process. I also found it interesting to see how you draw from different sample libraries. This is the first of your videos I've watched. I look forward to seeing what you've done since you recorded this video. Thanks again.
I'm very glad it was helpful. Thanks for dropping a line. This video was very much a stream-of-consciousness video and I specifically published it because I figured there's a lot of micro-decisions made in the course of composing or producing that it's hard to share any other way. I keep meaning to do more of these, but never seem to have the time.
it is awesome how carefully arranged that piece of music is - and he is really handling it with that care too.
Your videos is incredibly insightful. You demonstrate step by step how the magic is made, disclosing the tricks of John Williams the magician 😁
David it's great to come across you today on RUclips doing your thing. You were helpful to me over 15 years ago setting up my project studio. This is a fantastic teaching/learning video experience. Thank you.
21:18 - "I don't have any with exotic scales." Isn't that just Bb melodic minor? I still think it's faster to just play it in ;). I started arranging this piece for an ensemble, and I just searched youtube out of curiosity to see what else was out there. Thanks for an awesome video!
I've never seen a score broken down like this. Really delightful, all the textures playing together so beautifully. Thank you.
So I am not a musician but as a filmmaker and a big fan of star wars, I found this both incredibly interesting and cool to watch.
Great video
Wow. Pure respect sir. I will now aspire to the standard you just set for me. Thank you Mr. Das.
Could you make a more in depth explanation of your setup? It seems otherworldly how you have all these libraries loaded up without any issues. Btw you're incredibly talented - this video deserves more attention
Thanks Andrew! That's a great idea, but it would be a little time-consuming to produce and explain. I'll keep it in mind for future videos, but let me know some of the questions you're wondering about, that way I can be sure to address them.
Why not just use an external HDD for production? You have a second CPU dedicated for production"?
An external hard drive wouldn't have any effect, positive or negative on working in an environment like this.
The screen you see in the video above is my main Mac which has all the MIDI tracks (and some audio routing). All the instruments live on two secondary PC's ("slaves") which are running Vienna Ensemble Pro and dozens of instances of Kontakt. Those two PC's keep all the instruments loaded at all times, so that the main Mac can trigger them instantly.
The main Mac and the two PC slaves are connected via gigabit ethernet, and the Vienna Ensemble Pro software handles the MIDI being sent from Mac to PC, and the audio being sent from PC to Mac.
David Das Wow. Did you build this yourself? this setup seems very unique!
David Das Thank you for taking the time to explain this in further detail. Sounds like a great set up. Very intuitive.
I know very little of the software or music but have an interest in all of it. This was really interesting and I like how you just get right to it. No wasting time, explain a few things that help us understand your setup then jump right in. Also, thank you for putting the score up on the screen along the way for us to follow. Just you doing your thing, and we get to be a fly on the wall.
It's amazing how the tremolo's in the woodwinds gel everything together at 30:55, then the harp just completes it at 32:06. John Williams truly is a master orchestrator!
I just saw Episode VIII yesterday and was amazed how much a difference that single triangle made when hearing it surround sound. The theme is amazing and a simple instrument can make a huge difference.
Great point! Glad to add to your enjoyment.
more orchestration content like this please
Thanks! Yes, more planned in the future.
That.. was... amazing! As someone who has seen Mr Williams perform live, once in London and again in Boston, his mastery is stunning. But your video is the first time I have heard ever nuance of his space masterpiece. Thank you for that. It was a joy to watch and hear.
one of the best orchestral breakdowns ever done for free on the internet.. Learnt a lot by seeing and hearing how each individual instrument adds a little to the 'Orchestral Soup' in its own 'flavour'...☺️ Thanks a million for this☺️. If I just listen to this with my eyes closed, I can hardly tell the difference between this mock up and the original soundtrack☺️... please do more of these 😊☺️👍
Thanks Mohan. That's exactly why I did it. Planning to do more in the future, so stay tuned!
Holy shit.. you must be more deaf than Beethoven right before his death!
Mohan Hegde Pleassseee don't use emojis like that...
This is SO RAD man. Love the constant visual juxtaposition of Digital Performer and the print music sheets
I just stumbled onto this. I did something similar to the whole score of Man of La Mancha back in 2009 for a theatre production using Logic Pro and (mostly) the East West orchestral pack. It teaches you so much about orchestration. Thanks for making this video.
Very enjoyable; thanks for taking the time to do this! One point was really driven home: no ONE library has all the answers, as you were having to use different patches (sometimes from different libraries) to achieve the desired result.
Yes, that's absolutely right, and sometimes individual instruments from libraries work better than others.
Not ashamed to admit this brought a tear to my eye. Awesome video
I love movie musoc, but besides playing trumpet in middle school, I know very little about how orchestration works. This was fascinating enough, however, that I ate it all up - even though you were speaking a foreign language - and wanted more. Bravo for holding my ADD for an hour.
Watched from start to finish. Really interesting for someone like me who comes from a band background rather than orchestral, but is enjoying learning new techniques for composing. Thanks so much. Could have watched another hour!
Could you please create a short tutorial about your Vienna Ensemble Orchester template?
How much tracks makes sense?
Which articulations?
What are your personal experiences?
Thank you :)
I've actually done an entire video about that. It's a couple of years old, but the principles are the same. It's called the Ultimate Guide to a Multi-Computer Kontakt Setup. Check my channel.
@@daviddas thank you for your reply.
Yes, i have already watched this video.
In my point of view this video it’s more about your hardware and less about your template.
There is less content in RUclips how to create
your own efficient Vienna Ensemble template.
@@TPetz-cs1vr agree, there are fewer videos about templates but there are still some out there. Junkie XL has done some, many of the major sample library manufacturers have done them, and some individual composers have. You may have to dig a bit more. :) Eventually I will do one, but I haven't hit a resting point with my template yet.
Stellar work! I appreciate how you pointed out nuances along the way (like the octave change on the tuba).
Yep...one of those tiny tiny details that can make a huge difference. Anyone who's ever played a bass instrument understands what things like that can do.
Great tutorial! I'm pleased to see you using EWQLSO. Every time I move up to a new orchestral library, I find myself still going back to EW for layering, missing articulations, etc. It's still a very useful library. Nice work!
david, this content is GOLD. Can you do a tutorial on realistic legato strings w/ solo and counter point?
Great idea. Will consider in the future!
Awesome job! Love the trombones and French horn section before the main theme...really adds to the build up!
Listening and watching this come together just made me smile ... thanks from a fellow DP user. Now, to win the lotto and get that Vienna ensemble going.
Whoa.
That felt like the fastest 48 minutes of my life, and it was time well spent. I was completely intrigued and drawn in. I subscribed in hopes of more videos that follow this pattern of production! Thank you for the editing you did to allow us to see the sheet music, and the software, and your studio all at once. EXTREMELY PHENOMENAL VIDEO! Can't say enough about that one.
Thanks! More coming soon.
Subscribed. I used to have arguments with my friends in the school orchestra (in my youth) over the Mellotron, and how that instrument was taking jobs from real musicians. I can only imagine what they think of these amazing sample programs. Great work and greetings from a fellow composer, producer, and Digital Performer advocate.
20:54 Bb ascending melodic minor (Bb major scale, just flat the third step to Db) but run starts on 7th step (A). Do the jazzers call that A altered scale?
This was absolutely brilliant. For beginners, what would you say is the first complete orchestral library one should get? For a hobby.
I'm trying to think of a standout beginner library and I can't think of one. Companies like Spitfire, ProjectSAM, CineSamples, and 8Dio all make some great libraries, however, at the low/beginner end, the options are more limited (for example, you might get a woodwind ensemble patch, but not specific individual woodwinds). If you own Kontakt, Kontakt does come with a starter set of orchestral instruments in its factory library. (They are derived from old VSL samples.) They're not as real as modern samples, but they're a good place to start if you are budget-conscious. Once you graduate beyond the Kontakt factory library, check out the manufacturers I mentioned above and see what's in your price range and what sounds good to your ear. Every library works in a different way and requires some work to learn how to play it realistically.
@@daviddas At the moment I'm playing with Spitfires Original series, which is rather limited like you said, there are no individual instruments. It's really nice for starting though. Now I'm wondering what's the go-to library for John Williams like orchestrations? If you had to choose only one of the many libraries you have, which one would you go with? What about EWQLSO?
@@surferbois EWQLSO is OK, but older. If you found it at a good price, it's worth considering. However, it uses the PLAY engine, which some people have found to be pretty problematic. (I haven't used it in many years, so can't advise on it.) They do have a cloud subscription model, so perhaps that's worth a try for a month or two to see if you like the way it works.
As for the other manufacturers, I'm not aware of a really good orchestral package that has individual instruments, well-sampled, at a bargain price, unfortunately. Many of them, like Spitfire, have superb strings packages and superb woodwinds and brass packages, but you'll end up spending a LOT of money to get the entire orchestra deep-sampled.
@@daviddas yeah that's the thing I'm considering. Spending 10€ / month as student to get the whole EWQL library for sure is a good deal. Might be worth looking into.
Absolutely enlightened moment, thanks so much ,
wish I could read scores as good as you , but at least I understood the basics.
You reaching out far ,see I'm from Québec Canada.
respect ! David.
🙏👏👏👏👏
The effort is appreciated and it's nice to see a lot of other people found it educational and helpful, but since you say "orchestration secrets," I was hoping for more in-depth analysis of the composition, arrangement, harmonies, techniques, etc. Note I say "more," because you did point out some, but otherwise, I'm not sure I see a difference between this and just looking at the score ourselves, which I have.
Still a cool video I enjoyed watching, it was made and commentated well, and despite my experience with the score, I didn't remember that flat you pointed out in the early runs. Thanks for taking the time to make such a video, I'll check out the equipment guide since I'm curious about these multi-PC setups.and seeing if I could set one up.
This was a seriously good learning experience David. I'd love to see more if you find the time.
YES! There is not enough of this on the internet. Orchestration, especially WIlliams' is masterful, and the only way to become a great orchestrator is to study these guys. PLEASE do more of the Star Wars suite! I'm smashing that sub button + bell.
WOW WOW SUPERMAN MUST BE NEXT... fantastic job, i love hearing other recordings of john william's themes to see how those composers bring their sound and interpretation to the piece. This is an incredible video thank you.
This really is more in line with the in's and out's of translating a score to a mock up. While a little can be gained figuring out how to convert it to a mock up it doesn't give the why's in the technique of the way things were orchestrated how they were. Some things remain artistic secrets, and simply artistic choices.
I don't know how it is humanly possible to juggle all of these details. It must take years and years of schooling. Amazing!
This was awesome. Your sense of rhythm just kills me. They are my biggest struggle. The was so well produced and fun to watch. Awesome. Thank you.
David, that was excellent. Most appreciated. What I would love to see you do is, rather than spending the video inputting the score, start with it already there and spend the time soloing various instruments and groups of instruments discussing the roles each play in the whole. I learn a lot by downloading MIDI files a of works and then, score in hand (if I can get it), doing just that. Having someone with your experience and knowledge to enlighten would be great.
Great comment. I hope to do this with future videos. There's a lot of different approaches and angles to take when studying orchestration, and you're right, that's a valuable approach. You may enjoy seeing a couple of short videos I produced along these lines on John Adams's Short Ride in a Fast Machine (ruclips.net/video/O774XsRLsT0/видео.html) and John Williams's Catch Me If You Can (ruclips.net/video/PVKV5ofmSIU/видео.html). Definitely hope to do more in the future.
I don't know much about music but I love star wars. It was great to hear the music being created bit by bit.
This is re creation. What a great effort and mind would it be to create the music at the first place...
This is a wonderful resource, I really appreciate you taking the effort to put this together. Godspeed David!
This is incredible! Technology is capable of such incredible things especially when used by such an incredible artist. Bravo!
Wow, it was so fun to watch everything build into the score. It sounds so good.
BIG John Williams admirer and now a fan of yours. Very nicely done and thank you!
more like this, please!! awesome job
Any study of these early John Williams scores must give credit to his orchestrator at the time, Herbert Spencer. Needless to say, Williams had input every step of the way, but Mr. Spencer was the principal orchestrator of this music. Perhaps a credit in the video description would be apt.
Actually, Williams orchestrates every note himself. Some of the woodwinds are not assigned, but the voicing and detailed instrumentations are detailed in his sketches. Herbert Spencer was an incredible orchestrator, but his role was more of a copyist/orchestrator, lightly cleaning up Williams sketches. 99% has always been Williams. I know this because I've spoken to Conrad Pope about this several times, and he attests to it. :)
Pancho Burgos good information thank you!!!
Jeez, calm the fuck down.
Thanks David for making the video! really useful information.
One thing I noticed you do and I didn't think about it is... when a melody has a change of articulation at the phrase, for example:
4 notes played with staccato and the 5th is sustained
you play the 5 notes on an staccato patch but you play a sustain patch on top of the 5th note to give the sustain sensation.
That is a good thing to know, and I will try it ;)
In this template, I've chosen to go with no keyswitches, i.e. every articulation is on a separate track. So the disadvantage is I have to switch tracks for each note that needs a different articulation. The advantage is that I don't have to deal with keyswitches, and also that I have the capability of easily layering two+ articulations on top of each other if I need to. (Remember when working with samples that it's not always a perfect simulation of an acoustic instrument, and you should follow your ear regarding what sounds right/realistic.)
Don't forget Herbert Spencer, who was the orchestrator for William's themes in the first 3 films!
Have you seen Williams’ scores? Not to diminish Spencer & Co. contributions to these films, but Williams’ orchestrators function more like copyists to save time rather than orchestrators. Williams’ sketches are incredibly detailed. It’s all there. (Compared to a piano midi track, like how Zimmer works.)
This was great, more please
Glad you enjoyed it. There are others on my channel and more planned for the future. Back to the Future is probably next!
This also turned out to be a great exercise in learning how to use my DAW (Cubase) as well as the orchestration, thanks!
This video was amazing and incredibly informative. Would LOVE to see the flying section from "The Magic of Halloween" from E.T. if you needed any inspiration via requests.
What a great breakdown. I knew there was a lot of work making a piece like this, you just confirmed it for me. Would love to see more, maybe continue on for the next 6 to 10 measures.
Superb work on this study!
- But 48min in a nutshell: John Williams is a genius.
This is outstanding. Thank you. Made me a subscriber. You’re the man.
First visit here and I've already subscribed! Great video ( editing, multi screen, etc) and explanation. Looking forward to the next one.
Thank you so much David! I found this video trully inspirational for those of us who love the music of the great master.
I have to say that your template to work in your DAW is a bomb. I also saw your video explaining it and I´m working with my team to do it.
Thanks again and I´m stalking you from Buenos Aires :)
Fascinating! One can really learn from this. Thanks for breaking this down for everyone as John Williams really is a master.
Fantastic video. This not only shows off your dedication and talent as a musician but also William's indefinable genius! I'd love to see a piece like "Prelude" from Psycho deconstructed and layered in, step by step....truly masterful edit too, I subscribed!
An extraordinary tutorial, best I've ever seen on RUclips. Thank you so much, very inspirational, it's a joy to watch and hear it all come together in that way. I attempted this many years ago just using Creative sound fonts, but this video almost 15 years later showed me what I was doing wrong! I have better equipment and libraries now, but you've shown me in the space of an hour what others failed to. Can't thank you enough sir :)
Thank you very much. More coming soon! Subscribe or sign up for the mailing list to get notified when the new stuff launches.
Subscribed for sure!
Your setup is a dream!
More info on it here: ruclips.net/video/sWeN0tVvV3A/видео.html
This was fascinating! I'm a musician but haven't done much stuff on the computer like this! Great work!
Great video ! Very interesting to see the role of each instrument in the orchestration. It would have been nice to hear instruments sections playing together.
Well done. As a lifelong fan of both Star Wars abd John Williams, well, there were goosebumps. Very well done, indeed. Now I want to drop a few grand and get back into sequencing scores.
As a composer, this was incredibly helpful! Good job and please keep up the good work!
Dude, thanks for that, that was really amazing, i learned a lot!
We need more of John Williams' magic.
Great to see your musicianship, David.
This is fantastic David - what a great way to break this down and appreciate all the subtle details. You've got a great setup for this!
Thanks Rob!
@@daviddas This moment in cinema history is forever embedded in my mind, I remember seeing it in the drive-in theater in the 70s! I've always loved the musical transitions in the first couple minutes - from this famous opening fanfare to the quiet, brief mysterious moment in empty space, then the rebel ship and massive star destroyer barreling through, overwhelming the screen (accompanied by the massive Mars-like rhythms). My five year old son is fascinated with this music now too! I could easily watch you for hours breaking down that whole sequence. :-)
@@RobMartino I also did another RUclips on Mars (from the Planets) -- lots of Star Wars parallels there.
Great video post, very nice breakdown. BTW Kay and I were in the same class learning music theory few years back with a renowned professor. He talked about your work, but after watching the video I love the way you think.
This is truly an amazing video! This really makes me wanna get into orchestration. I'm actually going to now because of this tutorial. I'd love it if you'd do more tutorials like these, they are amazing.
Great detailed work
Study Jerry Goldsmith scores (Poltergeist, Legend, Masada, Star Trek-The Motion Picture, The Blue Max, Night Crossing, The Omen, The Wind and the Lion.. and so on..) They are all amazing...He was a real genius!
Nicely done!
I'm listening to the original piece (Williams with the Boston Pops) and picking up a few differences. There's actually a barely perceptible timpani roll right before measure 1. The build into measure 4 is much slower. And I feel the trumpet melody is somewhat louder. I love how easy it is to adjust all those things, though. Really, really cool study.
Awesome, David. Thanks for this!
The introductory arpeggios remind me of William Tell’s Overture’s beginning after the Solo.
Enjoyed the process. Please do more. I envy your setup! Thank you.
Details on the setup are now here: ruclips.net/video/sWeN0tVvV3A/видео.html
Thank you so much -this was fascinating -even for a musical illiterate like me. Building the layers, shaping the sound, color, brightness and fine-tuning the tempo was like watching Brian Cox describe astrophysics, or having Walter Murch take me through his editing choices. Can't wait to see more.
This has been excellent in every respect ! Great job. Especially helpful and great idea to just overlay notes to get articulation combinations...
As a instrumentalist coming at this from that side, I appreciate the audio mixing perspective, I was taking notes! Keep up the good work
This was awesome to watch come together! It revealed to me how much John Williams assigns slightly different roles to every single part, making the orchestra into a very powerful team with slightly different yet still clearly defined roles. The details written into his orchestration are small and many, but together have an impact through the cumulative synergy he knows only too well how to build. Thanks for shining a light on some of the awesomeness!
Err, Williams didn't assign anything to any part of the orchestra. He wrote his score for piano parts and Herbert W Spencer did ALL the orchestration of his classic film music until 1992.
You have done a great job, congratulations!!
Amazing job David! This was tremendously educational. I loved every second of it. You gained a new subscriber!
Your amazing! So talented. I love to watch you creating computer orchestration. Good job!
This was amazingly great! Thank you
Wow, this is fantastic. Thankyou for taking the time to make this!
New subscriber! Thank you for your addition to the planet.
Hey David. Great video. I would like to see a video about your organization and your workflow. Please make a detailed studio tour. Thanx.
You're in luck...that already exists! ruclips.net/video/sWeN0tVvV3A/видео.html
Great video, would love to see more of these.
Jurassic park or La La Land would be amazing
Definitely planning to do more. Most likely on Patreon. The next study (Holst Planets Mars) has already been recorded; just awaiting editing now.
And I'd love to do more John Williams.
La La Land would be tricky unless the score becomes available.
That was fantastic! You just inspired me so much. Thank you. Subscribed.