02-06-2017, 04:19 PM
(This post was last modified: 02-06-2017, 06:03 PM by Michael Willis.)
Hi Thayer! Your name makes me think of a town near where I grew up that had a street called Thayer Avenue 
I hope you'll be happy to know that I waited until I had access to a decent set of headphones before listening to this (left them at the office over the weekend), and didn't read Otto's review until after listening to it, so as not to sully my opinions.
I think the composition is fantastic, musically speaking. There's great use of the introductory harmony to lead into the main theme, and I really liked the subtle countermelody that underlies the theme. The interpolation of the woodwind part fit in just right, instead of feeling like you suddenly switched to a different piece of music.
You have some kind of tom tom or something near the beginning that in my opinion has a sound that doesn't fit in. To me it sounds like it comes from an analog drum synth, I'm wondering what kind of sound you would get if you used a timpani or some kind of orchestral tom tom. Of course, that's my opinion, you are the composer and that sound might be exactly what you're going for.
Is there a piccolo involved in those little warbling phrases, or just the flute section? I don't quite have the ear to distinguish with everything else going on, but if it's just the flute section, definitely try doubling some of those phrases with a piccolo (an octave higher) and see what you think.
Don't be afraid to give a bit more velocity to the brass parts, particularly the trumpets. Yes, it's easy to overdo it and make the brass seem really in your face, but in this case I think the primary theme really calls for it. We're going on an adventure here! It's supposed to be in your face!
I'm curious what orchestral collection(s) you're using, and like Otto I'm wondering about details on the reverb, as well as any other audio processing that you're using.
EDIT: Heh, I just noticed that you already mentioned Spitfire.
I hope you'll be happy to know that I waited until I had access to a decent set of headphones before listening to this (left them at the office over the weekend), and didn't read Otto's review until after listening to it, so as not to sully my opinions.
I think the composition is fantastic, musically speaking. There's great use of the introductory harmony to lead into the main theme, and I really liked the subtle countermelody that underlies the theme. The interpolation of the woodwind part fit in just right, instead of feeling like you suddenly switched to a different piece of music.
You have some kind of tom tom or something near the beginning that in my opinion has a sound that doesn't fit in. To me it sounds like it comes from an analog drum synth, I'm wondering what kind of sound you would get if you used a timpani or some kind of orchestral tom tom. Of course, that's my opinion, you are the composer and that sound might be exactly what you're going for.
Is there a piccolo involved in those little warbling phrases, or just the flute section? I don't quite have the ear to distinguish with everything else going on, but if it's just the flute section, definitely try doubling some of those phrases with a piccolo (an octave higher) and see what you think.
Don't be afraid to give a bit more velocity to the brass parts, particularly the trumpets. Yes, it's easy to overdo it and make the brass seem really in your face, but in this case I think the primary theme really calls for it. We're going on an adventure here! It's supposed to be in your face!
I'm curious what orchestral collection(s) you're using, and like Otto I'm wondering about details on the reverb, as well as any other audio processing that you're using.
EDIT: Heh, I just noticed that you already mentioned Spitfire.
