I've had a year of freshman theory and am writing / producing again while out of work. I'm using Reaper and Musescore mostly. For sounds I have Pianoteq and recently picked up the Sonivox Orchestral Companions for $4 each. I've also downloaded some free drums (SSD5, VSCO2 CE) as well as GrandOrgue. I'm eyeing VSCO2 Pro when I can spend the cash. I've also begun reading Samuel Adler's "The Study of Orchestration" (2nd ed.).
I'm interested in too many things musically but mostly classical and electronica. I aspire for the virtual orchestra to be my final render, not just a mock up. I'm not a performer but recently bought a Samson Graphite 49 controller. I haven't tried it yet and am a bit nervous moving away from the mouse as a midi entry tool.
My immediate plans are to keep reading and writing while working on as many Metapop competitions as I can. This will keep me producine and maybe I'll get good enough to win Komplete.
Here is a piece I recently realized with the Sonivox brass and SSD5:https://clyp.it/i11azole
I'm hoping to receive suggestions on other things I can do to learn as I travel this new road of music composition / production. I'm also jappy to get feedback on my work and advice on how to go shopping when I'm able to.
Hey!
First I'd like to say that I'm sorry that I can't be of more help--I'm an orchestration newbie myself and am currently focused on a deep dive of classical/jazz melodic development and harmony myself (the topic at hand: Bud Powell). I heard someone tell me that orchestration was the last frontier in terms of composership and that I should first focus on writing good melodies for one instrument, so I'm focusing on becoming a solid improviser on the piano and polishing my classical chops when I have the time. But, I might be of some help.
I know of Arnold Schoenberg's textbooks on music theory, and while people seem to be divided on their usefulness, there's no doubt that these were seminal works. Perhaps it is right for you to spend some time on classical harmony, counterpoint, form and orchestration (in that order, I believe), and to do that through Schoenberg's books. This is just from what I have seen in my research, so please take what I say with a grain of salt.
As far as the composition goes, sounds great! Have you listened to the piece without the drum kit? The brass section sounds strong enough on its own, and I'm not sure what the drum kit is trying to achieve in the sonic space currently. Could you clarify that for me?
Also, I feel you on being uncomfortable making the switch from using a mouse to using a MIDI controller. I actually made the reverse change (keyboard controller input to mouse input) about 4 years ago. Because I'm a pianist, I would always let my fingers compose the piece and as a result, everything I would write would sound the same. Forcing myself to use the mouse (mainly due to cost and space constraints) made me focus on understanding why certain voicings and articulations worked so well, and ultimately led me to picking up a few books on signal processing to understand sound design better.
To riff on that, I think limitations in set-up and sound goes a long way in fostering creativity. Restricting myself to only practicing bebop standards and only on the piano has forced me to come up with different lines and has ultimately led me to become a better musician. You may find that to be the case with your pursuits as well. Orchestration is a tough subject to broach, even for the experienced composer, but it can be made more approachable if you place limits. One of the most natural places for limitation is gear and sounds. Force yourself to make the sounds at your disposal sing first.
Just my two cents, anyway. Excited to hear back!
Thank you for the advice. I'll add a review of my freshman theory texts and then Roig-Francoli's "Harmony in Context" (that is already in my library) to my reading list. Your controller discussion gave me an idea: I can continue to write with the mouse and then split and record different midi takes where I want expressiveness for certain items in Reaper. Kind of the best of both worlds.
Regarding the piece, it started out as a 160 bpm attempt to through compose in the House style, featuring a sax. It turned fugue-al while writing, so I slowed it down, moved to brass quintet and worked on adding fugue elements. It has just always had the drum kit. I'll do a version without. What genre does it make you think of? Sometimes I just write and try to decide genre afterward.
Thank you for replying!