We've talked a great deal all over the forum about stereo imaging, panning, and placement. One thing that seems to have escaped me somehow is that there are actually different kinds of panning at a basic level. (I'm sure we talked about it, but it probably just flew over my head, or I forgot). I just assumed we were all starting from the same basic place, but apparently not...

In switching my template over from FL Studio to Reaper, I've learned a number of important things. It turns out that FL's pan knobs (on the mixer and instrument channels) are stereo pan controls; that is, they shift the stereo image around the field. So, if you pan hard left, you get both stereo channels in the left speaker only, for example. Reaper, on the other hand, defaults to a stereo balance (what Sam was talking about in the link above), which just affects the volume of the side you're panning away from. FL also uses a circular panning law, which compensates for apparent gain boost and reduction when a panned signal passes from one side to center; Reaper, by default, does not.

I discovered this while trying to figure out why copying settings from my FL template to my new Reaper one resulted in such a wonky sounding mix.

Unlike in FL, however, Reaper allows you to change--even on a track by track basis--the kind of panning you want to you apply. Since it's what I'm used to, I went through and changed each track to stereo pan and used the included stereo balance plugin as an insert effect when desired. This is exactly what I had been doing in FL Studio, though I didn't quite know the particulars. I left the pan law unchanged (levels are relative anyway).

I've had issues in the past getting very roomy, very wide samples to sit well in a mix. Orchestral Brass Classic seems to always be present on the opposite side no matter how extreme I pan a patch. I pan the trombones 50% right and they are still all over the left channel. I've found that slapping a stereo balance (and even some side EQ) on these patches after initial panning really helps impart a sense of placement in a space. I generally don't touch the stereo width knob anymore for any reason.

I'm sure there will be some objections to this way of doing things, but here are my thoughts:

If a stereo balance pan pot just reduces the volume in one side, you are effectively cutting the patch in half the farther you get to the left or right extremes. You're losing stereo information that you might find necessary in, say, a violin ensemble. Affecting the volume of one of the channels after the stereo information has been shifted gives you better control when things are supposed to sound specifically closer to the right or left side of the space, but you don't want mono trombones.

I don't think there is a one-size-fits all approach here. It's nice to have options when working with a template comprised of libraries that have all been recorded in different ways and in different spaces. I've found this works for me, but I'd like to hear some other thoughts. I am fully aware that retaining stereo information in one side is kind of anti-stereo. I just figure that all I'm doing is trying to trick my ears anyway; whatever works is what works. It reacts with the reverb and moves to the opposite side anyway. (And I know we've gone on about this ad nauseam, I just feel like I've had a revelation!)

I've tried the Haas Effect approach. I've used the included plugin in Reaper to delay channels by a few milliseconds, but it's a bit over my head at the moment. And it sounds (quite literally) like it will have major effects on how I use reverb. It also seems to be more effective on mono signals than on stereo samples.

Video: Pan Modes (Reaper)

I have temporarily disabled new registrations due to the onslaught of spammers right now, as I won't have time to police the forums or figure out some more robust registration solution over the holidays. Sorry to anyone who'd like to join who is not a spammer, but that's the way it is right now. Please check back in a few days.

Happy holidays!

Hi folks,

Sorry, I've been rather quiet. I'm supposed to be working on some big end-of-semester projects right now, but I made the mistake of taking a break to mess with a little music. I made some useful discoveries with my DAW, but naturally, because I use FL Studio, it's one step forward, two steps back. Frankly, for all that I like about FL, I'm getting tired of the idiosyncrasies that stop up my workflow and never seem to get fixed.

I'm far away from my main rig right now, otherwise I would just test this out with the free Reaper demo... But, while it's all fresh in my my mind, what I'd like to know from Reaper users is this:

If you set up a multitimbral plugin (like Kontakt) and set up multiple instruments inside it, you probably have some kind of utility plugin that allows you to route and control each instrument individually (in FL, this is called MIDI Out). When you use this, do the parameters you've linked to your hardware controller stay? That is, when you switch between the instruments routed out of Kontakt, does your modwheel (or any other hardware fader or knob you've linked to the software) do what you want it to do for that specific instrument? Because in FL, it doesn't; you have to manually link them to the desired instrument over and over again each time you switch. Otherwise, you can accidentally end up with modwheel automation for your violins on your flute track. There's an option called "omni" that makes your selections global, which seems to mostly resolve this issue, but only if all you're using is Kontakt+MIDI Out in your project. If you want to throw in a single instance of a synth or something else, it totally breaks how the modwheel or any other knob you've assigned works, effectively breaking the instrument itself.

Is it just me, or does this seem stupid? Or is this how it really is in DAW-land? I'm not quite ready to jump ship yet, but I'm willing to start making a little time to learn a new DAW if it means improved workflow.

Hey everyone,

BF 2020 deals are on I thought it would be helpful to share a few. Here are a few to start things off:

Plugins: 

HorNet Plugins

70% off site wide and they have quite a few nifty plugins. Special Mentions - VU meter(has the ability to make gainstaging easier) and ThirtyOne (My personal favorite. Its like a poor man's Gulfoss Eq). Most plugins are below 10 bucks.

LVC-Audio

50% off site wide. Their Toned-Max Eq is kind of like an affordable FabFilter Pro Q3 alternative. Apart from that, Clipped-Max is an excellent clipper. Contemplating on getting Limited-Max *fingers crossed*

Libraries:

Trinity Drums (Sonuscore)

On sale for 10 bucks. Its like a loop designer for cinematic percussions but you can still use the one-shot samples like a cinematic/trailer/industrial percussion sample library. Requires full version of Kontakt though.

So, I have started setting up a template using my new orchestral libraries. As expected it's both a fun and a frustrating experience. Here's what I have so far:

The Sword Coast

Feels odd to say in this context, but never mind the music. This is the same old stuff I always end up writing when I have no specific idea in mind or anything to go on. My main concern here was putting something together that has enough dynamics and enough different instruments to allow me to set levels and panning and generally hear how everything sounds together as a whole.

My own thoughts so far? Well, Hollywood Brass is awesome. Pretty much set and forget aside from learning what all the different articulations are best used for. Soundwise, it's all I could ask for. Hyperion Strings Elements on the other hand seems to require a bit more massaging. They can sound anemic if you arrange them wrong, and there appears to be no easy way of making a quicker series of notes sound convincing (case in point, 1:45). Still, the library has a lot of options and I need to dig in and experiment more. I also definitely need some good section woodwinds. I'm using VSCO 2 here, which I love for winds, but the solo instruments don't have enough body for bigger arrangements, even with some tweaks to stereo width and even a subtle doubling effect.

Anyway, I'm kind of limited in terms of what else I can add right now since it appears 16GB RAM is actually on the meager side for modern libraries But I'm going to upgrade ASAP to at least 24GB or maybe 32GB if I can find a good deal.

Whaddaya think?

AIR Music Technology's Loom Classic is on sale for only $5.39 over on Pluginboutique. Since I'm a fan of Hybrid 3 from the same developer, I decided to give it a shot, and what can I say--this is also a very cool synth with tons of presets and an Alchemy-like "morph pad" feature. Just browsing through the pads alone got me instantly inspired! Loom II is also on sale for just $17.69, and I might snag that one as well. Just wanted to check its predecessor out first.

I have come to realize that my losing the passion for creating orchestral music might be a sign of me having outgrown the tools at my disposal. Over the past weeks I have had a handful of orchestral ideas that I've tried to capture, but every single time I get frustrated with the libraries I have--with them either sounding dated, not being able to capture the sound I hear in my head, or I'm simply sick of them--and consequently I give up.

However, later this month I will be receiving the final royalty payment for my Horus Heresy soundtrack, which amounts to around $360. This isn't money I was expecting in any way since I was under the impression the previous payment was going to be the last one, which is a pleasant surprise of course. So I'm going sieze the opportunity and invest it in a few new orchestral libraries to hopefully get my creative juices flowing again. I've been doing some research and some thinking the past week, and here's what I've come up with so far.

When it comes to woodwinds and percussion, I don't think I need any of that right now. The solo winds in VSCO 2 Pro are fantastic, and as for sections I can still use some of the older libs I have. Percussion--again, VSCO 2 has some great stuff for classical/oldschool arrangements, and I have more epic/trailer type percussion freebies than I will ever find a use for. Choral libraries? Would be fun to have, but I don't use choral parts to such a degree that I can motivate the expense at this point, not when there's stuff I need more. So I will be focusing on strings and brass here.

STRINGS

Hyperion Strings Elements. I love the sound of this thing (don't mind the silly gliss legatos prevalent in the Soundcloud demos, check out this video instead), and the fact that it has smaller sections and is recorded dry. This gives me more options and more versatility, since I can easily layer a small section with something else and add ambience/reverb to it to make it bigger, but I can't make a big sample smaller or less wet. Unless anyone has any compelling arguments why I shouldn't spring for this, Hyperion Strings Elements is what I'll be getting.

BRASS

Here's where things get a little more hairy. I have two similarly priced candidates right now, namely:

ProjectSAM Orchestral Brass Classic
Pros: I like the sound of it, it has smaller sections as well as two mic positions. Also, Kontakt Player compatible. Cons: Old samples reprogrammed and repackaged, with scripted rather than true legato. Edit: I knew someone here had mentioned this one. Nayrb, yay or nay?

EastWest Hollywood Brass Gold
Pros: More modern-sounding, very slick. Cons: Perhaps too slick for my taste, and has only one mic position. And it runs on the Play Engine, which I would prefer not having to deal with.

If anyone here has any experience with either of these, I would love to hear your opinions. Or maybe there's some other affordable alternative that I've managed to miss?


KONTAKT... OR SOMETHING ELSE?

"But," I hear you say, "that's only $200, what about the rest of the money?" Well, since Black Friday is coming up, I'm thinking I should save the final $160 and put it towards purchasing the full version of Kontakt if it goes on sale at a sensible price. Or is there some other library you think might be a good fit for the above instead?

Hi Folks!
I am testing this Cubase expression maps in the latest early release of CbB and they are working perfeclty. https://arpegiah.com/expression-maps/
Very useful addition to the program

D16 Group have released a new reverb called Spacerek at the introductory price of €59 (regular price €79). I downloaded the trial version and after having played around with it for a short while, my initial impressions are very positive. In fact, it sounds fantastic. Take a listen here.

In memory of our cat Simba, who left us last week. He was 16 years old and his health had deteriorated to a point where he could no longer lead a happy cat life, so we had to say goodbye to him. This is not completely finished yet, so any thoughts on the arrangement and mixing would be welcome.

On an unrelated note, once this is finished it will probably be my last VO piece for some time. Over the past year I've grown increasingly frustrated with my progress (or lack thereof), and I'm at a junction where I need to stop and have a good long think about where to go from here. Do I try to rekindle my passion for composing somehow, or do I simply move on to other more gratifying pursuits such as writing? I don't know. Perhaps the urge to write orchestral music will come sneaking back eventually, as it usually does, but right now, I don't have the patience for it. It takes too much damn time, and even after spending all that time, I'm rarely happy with the results. Rather than keep frustrating myself further and risking becoming so disgusted with it all that I'll give music up altogether, I'm going to just back away and focus on other things for a while.