Sounds for TV/Film?

[Oliver]

I have a $5,000 budget for my starting library. I currently compose music for several TV shows on Discovery ch. and it\'s time to upgrade to the best sounds possible (on an electronic instrument that is). I am mainly interested in realistic orchestral sounds as well textural stuff for pads and what not. A brief list of what I need is:
1. Orchestral strings, brass, woodwinds, percussion
2. Cymbals, big percussive hits, percussion fx like bowed gongs anvils etc.
3. Synth pads, alien ambience, drones etc
4. Big bad BRIGHT horns
5. Electric guitar that\'s playable

I\'m really looking for the cream of the crop sounds and would appreciate the advice of veteran giga users.
Thanks

[Damon]

Hey Oliver,
Congrats on getting the Discover channel work! http://www.northernsounds.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/wink.gif

5,000 dollars will get you the best of what is available right now.

Strings-Garritan Orchestral Strings when it becomes available will probably be your best bet. (www.gigastrings.com)

Woodwinds-I use Miroslav solo instruments for my woodwinds. Dan Dean has a woodwind library as well. Check them both for demos and see which you prefer. (www.ilio.com for Miroslav-www.dandeanpro.com for Dan Dean)

Brass-The best results I\'ve heard from the libraries available come from a mixture of 3 libraries. Quantum Leap Brass, Miroslav woodwinds and brass, and Advanced Orchestra. Dan Dean also has a brass library available but I think it is only for solo brass. It has gotten great reviews so far.

Orchestral Percussion-Ultimate Orchestral Percussion. It sells for 239.00 on this forum under online store.

Strange sounds-Distorted Reality 1 and 2 for sure http://www.northernsounds.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/wink.gif! I use these libraries constantly for adding colors here and there. Great drones and space music sounds! (www.ilio.com)

Electric Guitar-hmmmm, can\'t help you there. I don\'t own any electric guitar libraries. Take a listen to Quantum Leap Guitars. I hear the electrics are supposed to be pretty good. (www..com)

If you bought all of these libraries altogether, it should just come under $5,000.

Hope that helps! By the way if you don\'t mind me asking, how does one find work for Discovery channel music? I have been wanting to submit stuff to them for quite some time. Any advice would be appreciated.
Cheers!
Damon Bradley http://www.traxinspace.com/Artists/MusicDirectory.asp?ArtistID=22555 (\"http://www.traxinspace.com/Artists/MusicDirectory.asp?ArtistID=22555\")



[This message has been edited by Damon (edited 08-27-2001).]

[SCARBEE]

Please check out Spectrasonics: Liquid Drums and Metamorphosis.

Rare Instruments (By Nick Phoenix/East West) will bo good for you too I guess.

Good luck!

Scarbee

------------------
Visit www.scarbee.com (\"http://www.scarbee.com\") and check out the demoes from The Scarbee Bass Libraries:)

[Bruce A. Richardson]

My picks would be:

Dan Dean Solo Woodwinds
Dan Dean Solo Brass
Dan Dean Solo Strings
Metamorphosis
Nick Phoenix Rare Instruments
Malmsjo Acoustic Piano
Peter Ewers Symphonic Organ
Ultimate Orchestral Percussion
Ultimate Timpani
Garritan GigaHarp

I haven\'t heard the Garritan strings, but from the demo, I suspect they\'ll be the next-generation choice. For now, I use a combination of Miroslav, AO, and Denny Jaeger Violins.

As you can probably guess from my selections, I tend to go for the more intimate and warm sounds, but the Dan Dean Brass at fortissimo can be used to worm dogs by holding them directly in front of the tweeter. Plenty of edge there for the blast-fests.

[Bruce A. Richardson]

Also...

As far as drones, etc., Numerical Sounds makes a great drones disc...lots to choose from.

If you really want to do that kind of sound, though, I\'d strongly suggest getting Reaktor 3.0 to use alongside GigaStudio. I am constantly playing phrases in Giga, then putting them into various Reaktor environments to warp them into other things. Personally, I find Reaktor indispensable.

Best regards,
Bruce

[esperlad]

Congratulatins Oliver,

Bruce has suggested several great choices that I use myself.

If I were you, I would skip Mirslov. They charge too much for what you get. Buy the X-sample set instead. There are many good instruments in the set, and their sounds get better as they release newer volumes.

I would also strongly suggest buying the keyboad samples from Mr. Post, Post Piano suite for example. The collections are excellent and you get great quality for the money that is charged.

Good luck

[franz]

http://www.vrsound.com (\"http://www.vrsound.com\")

different from all the other stuff.

[jubal]

Here goes...

Strings: Garritan Orchestral Strings (get this!!!). I currently own and use these and find them useful in this order (Miroslav Vitous Ensemble Strings, Kirk Hunter Virtuoso Strings, AO Strings). For solo strings Dan Dean Solo Strings and XSample work well together.

Brass: Dan Dean Solo Brass (ensemble works well when combined with QLB or AO). Quantum Leap Brass has some very usable ensemble instruments, but actually excels in the pop/jazz catagory. AO brass still works.

Woodwinds: Dan Dean Solo Woodwinds and XSample Woodwinds.

Percussion: Malmsjo Acoustic Piano (this one rules in my opinion for those warm and round Thomas Newman type cues). Ultimate Orchestral Percussion.

Mood: Symphony of Voices, AO Brass/EFFECTS (fx samples), Total Piano (fx samples), Drone Archeology. These are great for horror/suspense/sfx cues.

Synth/Dance: Metamorphosis, RetroFunk, Digital Boy (for synth pads).

So many libraries, so little time...


[This message has been edited by jubal (edited 08-28-2001).]

[Oliver]

Holy wiz bang pow guys! thanks so much for the library advice. Garritan strings left my jaw wide open for 2 hours.

Dandean stuff is all very usable from what I can tell so I put in an order for most all of that.

UOP + me = weeeee!

Thanks once more for the help, you guys rock!
ps: Damon, my advice to you is, 1. compose a 1min 30sec piece for a hypothetical TV show. the first min being an uderscore that dialog and or voiceover would rest on top of. (I pretend to be the voiceover talent and talk over my cues to get the feel) The 30 second part is the actual theme (hit big on the downbeat at 1 min 1 second, then have the climax at around 1min 25 seconds or so leaving room for five seconds of \"Band decay\" . Even though the 1min \"tease\" should flow musically into the theme, there should be an obvious change in dynamics to indicate to the listener that this is the theme/hook.
2. spend 3 or more days composing. dont even put parts into the sequencer or on paper during that time! If you can\'t rember your parts then they arent worth rembering. Then spend a week performing your parts, laying each one down in the most anal way possible.
3. Make shure it\'s the baddest thing you have ever done because if it\'s not you have another 10 days of hell ahead of ya. Don\'t let me scare you, it\'s way worth it http://www.northernsounds.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/smile.gif
4.rest
5.shop it around to local studios and get them to put your piece on thier demo reels. If your stuff is good you might get a few calls within a year or so for TV work!

Last tip. For important stuff, try not to mix your piece the same day you performed parts. Otherwise the last part you put down may not sit right in the mix, because you were just concentrating on it so much.
This is just one possible way to create a kickass piece of art.

[Damon]

Hey Oliver,
Thanks for the great advice! You\'re a swell dude http://www.northernsounds.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/wink.gif Most people here would have never given the advice you just gave me. That means alot to me.
Good luck with buying your libraries. With 5 grand to spend, you should have a great digital orchestra and such to work with.
Jubal is right about the Malmsjo acoustic grand. Check out the demo at artvista.net The piano sounds fantastic and so real especially for soft passages for underscore.
Cheers!

[Videohlper]

Oliver:

Taste varies, but I\'ve done some pretty high-level stuff for all the major networks (including the open for World News Tonight on ABC, coming-ups for ER, Dateline, the new 20/20 opens/package and other assorted miscellany) and there are a few good (and inexpensive alternatives for orchestral sounds:

ROLAND ORCHESTRAL LIBRARY: a two-CD set from Roland which sounds positively amazing when used correctly. There are tons of articulations and variations (there are some DOGS in here, too) and has been a staple of our scoring work for years, now. (PS: because when you xfer Roalnd stuff, remember to brighten it a bit with EQ -- the \'emphasis\' that Roland offers in its samplers doesn\'t quite work in Giga-land). It\'s also about $450, and has everything but percussion and woodwinds. The Roland Orch Percussion disc is great (avail separately) but the woodwinds disc is too hit/miss to recommend.

I agree with most of what people have to say here -- again, it\'s taste that matters. Even the Prosonus Orchestral Disc \"FrenchHorn Stacc\" attacks have made it into some amazingly high profile stuff. The orch percussion in the Vitous (GREAT orch cymbals), Siedleczek Update (great snares)and Ultimate Orch Perc (DSsoundware) are all heavy hitters and eminently useful, if not all tricky to spell.

Dan Dean\'s solo brass, BTW, is pretty damn cool. I know people have been down on the demos -- but come on -- the sounds on this disc are really quite good. The euphonium, piccolo tpt, Trumpet V and Bass tromb samples are on their way to becoming staples in our work. (Finally -- something to replace the AMb Tpt3 from the Roland Orch disc!)

Anyway -- this is just my .02 -- good luck on the Discovery stuff!

Just remember: sometimes having an orchestra on the computer enables you to do things that a \'live/regular\' orchestra can\'t humanly do. Strive for something that sounds good -- not realistic. Sometimes what people (or in this case, producers)expect is more than what an orchestra can deliver. Don\'t be afraid to push the envelope. I\'ve never had someone complain over \"over-lushness\" or \"Holy crap! That sounds like 500 Bassons\" -- well, okay. 500 bassons is not good for ANYTHING. (Except Manilow.)

Okay, that\'s .04. Have fun and let us know what you end up getting.

- Stew

[Oliver]

Im shy on the net when it comes to revealing my true Idenity. I know enough to know that Videohlper knows more than I do.

[Maarten Spruijt]

Oliver, would you mind mentioning your real, full name? For some future Discovery Ch. credits spotting, perhaps...?