Realistic sounding strings

[gsalvadi]

Hi all,

I would appreciate your comment, regarding realistic

(harsh) comments welcome :)
http://www.4shared.com/file/80954132...8f7/Strad.html (http://www.4shared.com/file/80954132/267388f7/Strad.html)

http://www.4shared.com/file/80956118...e0/Calcum.html (http://www.4shared.com/file/80956118/5e99cbe0/Calcum.html)




Thanks
gs

[rbowser-]

Hello again, GS---Thanks for starting a new thread with your topic. Much better.

OK, earlier I took a listen to your samples - One is the Strad, the other is the Gofriller, correct?

The Strad is too dry to be realistic. I think you're not adding any reverb at all to the sound. At least a small amount of a small room reverb will make it more believable since we never hear things in real life without some reverberant coloration being added to the tone.

I found your use of ccc11 volume control to be too broad with the Violin. It should swoop around quite a bit, but there was something not completely natural with the way you did it. Hard to pinpoint, all I can say was that it sounded more like a volume knob being turned up and down rather than cc11 MIDI control which also changes the timbre of the instrument.

You need to be careful about editing your velocities. Sometimes they worked great, but the attacks seemed too random. You know that the higher the velocity value, the harsher the attack, right? I'd go through and work with those values, and keep listening for the effect it's having in playback.

The Cello sounded more realistic with its reverb--like you added some? Or maybe that instrument has more body reverberance built into it--I'm not sure.

Much the same about velocities with the Cello--pay careful attention to editing those. The volume control seemed much more natural on this though.

Try playing with not only the occurence of vibrato, but its depth and speed. Keeping a lot of variety in those factors helps a lot with realism.

Randy B.

[gsalvadi]

Dear Randy,

Thanks for your detailed post. :)

For Strad. I did add a reverb I am afraid it was 100% dry and very little room size.

With cello, it was just body reverberance as you guess.

Yes I understand velocity attacks,I will take care.

Btw, I was wondering there is any way to tamper with timber when it comes for automation :mad:. Let me check

I hope it does not hurt to post improved versions.

Thanks
gsalvadi

[rbowser-]

Hi - Glad my reply may have been a little helpful. YOur recrodings are sounding pretty good, I just went straight to the heart of the matter since you're determined to get things as realistic as possible.

"...I did add a reverb I am afraid it was 100% dry and very little room size..."

That means you did Not add any reverb. Think about it - "100% dry" means that only the dry signal was getting through.

The way to use reverb is in a mixing environment. Add the reverb 100% WET on a bus, then using the send controls, send just a fraction of the music track's signal through that bus with the reverb on it. The bus is of course directed to the Master.

A small reverb is fine, we just have to be sure Some of that wet signal gets on the track.

The timbre variation you want comes from a combination of Velocity values (how hard you hit the notes) and Mod Wheel (cc1). There is a lot of variety available to you.

I just feel that your use of volume in this first test with The Strad was random, it sounded arbitrary, rather than the expressive ebb and flow the way a real violinist plays. Try to emulate the way you hear solo Violins in recordings.

Gotta go--Keep having fun!
Randy B.

[gsalvadi]

Hi - Glad my reply may have been a little helpful.

It is of great help.




"...I did add a reverb I am afraid it was 100% dry and very little room size..."

That means you did Not add any reverb.

:)



I just feel that your use of volume in this first test with The Strad was random, it sounded arbitrary, rather than the expressive ebb and flow the way a real violinist plays. Try to emulate the way you hear solo Violins in recordings.



I got it Randy. Thanks a lot.

Believe I will be in a situation where I will be bothering you with some experiments

gsalvadi

[bigears]

Hi, Just listened to your two examples and found it hard to pinpoint problems with the violin because of it being such a rapid passage. My initial impression is similar to what Randy was, maybe a bit too high on the expression pedal at times.
The cello seemed much more realistic to me, but I felt a pumping as the expression pedal perhaps traveled too far down and also peaked a bit too high.
I have found it necessary to edit the controller shapes in my sequencer piano roll view after entering the notes and making an attempt at the vibrato and expression while playing live.
The strad and cello also respond to channel aftertouch, if your keyboard supports it. Pressure on a key will change the "rate" or speed of the vibrato. You can also control the amount of random variation in the vibrato with a knob on the interface. Click in the box on the little white triangle and choose Vibr Rate Rand. A range of random variation can be dialed in from 0 variation to quite a bit.
I hope this may have helped a bit. Good luck and stick with it, John

[gsalvadi]

Thanks John

I hope to come out with some questions, samples.

Regards,
Gokul

[bigears]

Hi, Just in case you haven't seen this tutorial for FL Studio, here is the link:

http://www.garritan.com/tutorial/GPO_and_%20FLStudio.html

[gsalvadi]

Hi John,

I stumbled it earlier. Thanks

[gsalvadi]

Surprisingly, I could edit data / automate every other VST instrument in FL.
Kontakt2 alone does respond, by the way other VSTs do.
Any idea friend?

Thanks,
Gokul

[gsalvadi]

I got it! *()

I wonder can edit vibrato speed, tremolo level and tremolo speed with kontak2 player?

I am curious to know is there a list a CC parameters available.

Thanks Randy, Gary and John for your valuable time.

Gokul

[bigears]

Hi, I'm glad to hear that you are gaining an understanding of the instrument and your sequencer program. I think there are limitations to what the KP2 interface can control on the Strad and Gofriller.
On the Gofriller interface, there is a control knob for tune, and below that is a knob to set the amount of the four choices you have under "Set Parameter". In the box there is a drop down menu with "Vibr Rate Offs, PB Vibr Inhibit, Vibr Rate Rand, and Bow Noise. These are detailed on page 44 of the Strad manual, and page 41-42 of the Gofriller manual.

Vibrato intensity is controlled by cc#1
Expression or cross-fading between the dynamic layers is controlled by cc#11
Vibrato rate is controlled by cc#67
and Bow Noise is controlled by cc#15

Good luck, John

[gsalvadi]

Thanks John.

Let me check them :)


Gokul