Newbie calling for guidance

**Felixissimo** · 09-07-2007, 09:05 AM

Hi, I'm new to this specific forum so I'd just like to say...., well, hello

I'm just another guy with a notation program and could use some guidance perhaps. No professional training here, just books and such. Been musically avtive for a meare two years or so.

I'm using Finale 2007 with GPO 2.0. to create my music (mostly classical styled). My question being is there anything newer on the market (meaning samlings or such)?

**reberclark** · 09-07-2007, 01:47 PM

Welcome to the boards! You will find amazingly helpful, kind, and professional people here.

I use Finale 2008 and the full GPO2 (are you using Finale's GPO or the separate full version of GPO?). Now I have added Garritan's Concert and Marching band which expands my instrument sample pool amazingly with woodwind sections (including saxes), and horn sections (including baritone/euphonium), as well as many new percussion instruments.

I was new to Virtual Studio Technology when I bought GPO and it has been, and continues to be, an amazing education.

Best of luck,
Reber Clark

**Raymond62** · 09-07-2007, 05:05 PM

Felixissimo, welcome and never give up. This is an amazing forum. The GPO libs are great and we all had our psychiatric consults in the past. In the States they have the AAA, Dr.Phil, Oprah, is Jerry Springer still around?, Anthony Robbins, and others.

We all consulted them for guidance, but no one could give us just "that advice". So we struggled along and became experienced users of our own on all sides of the ocean (incl. north and south).

I can't help you with Finale, don't have it. But for the rest, just put your questions on this forum. We are helpful, good looking, friendly, skilled, amateurish, and some of us are really masters in handling GPO, Reverbs, Sequencers and more of that stuff.

This forum is better than Disney World

and it is for free for a change.

Raymond

**jeremy.saenz** · 09-07-2007, 06:41 PM

Felixissimo! Welcome to the forum!
To answer your questions:

If your main goal is to write and print scores with good sounding playback, Finale and GPO or Sibelius and GPO is the best.

If you want to produce your compositions as audio files to emulate an orchestra, getting a sequencer will be the best decision you have ever made.

Just to narrow it down... What do you want to do with GPO?

**Felixissimo** · 09-08-2007, 04:47 AM

I don't really know what my muscial future holds for me.. I started composing just as a hobbie, but now when I've joined the local symphony orchestra (playing violin) it might evolve into something more serious. But for now, I think I'll stick to good-sounding audio files

I'm not very skilled in the arts of..., eh. audio?

So please, how can I improve my sound qualities? I got something called Kontakt Player, perhaps of some use?

**jeremy.saenz** · 09-08-2007, 01:28 PM

Kontakt player works great! Another key to good sounding compositions is getting a good convolution reverb plugin. I use Logic Pro, so my reverb is Space Designer, which is excellent. Altiverb is also great, along with some free stuff like Ambience which is not a convolution reverb.

If you want human expression and humanized notes, a sequencer would be the best choice.

Look into buying The Guide to Midi Orchestration, it teaches you how to specifically sequence for each section to make it sound great! It also explains all the different sequencers, libraries, and reverbs. It is a very valuable resource.