SEQUENCING CLASSICAL MIDI TUTORIAL

8. CONTINUING THE SCORE

If you did start with the first violins then it is now time to record the second violins. First check whether the second violins are a duplicate of the first violins. A lot of the time this will happen and when it does it is best left out because if you are using the same voice for all the string parts you will hear a flange effect if you start duplicating the same notes. If the second violins are playing different notes but on the same beats then it may be a good idea just to copy and paste the first violins to the second violins and then all you have to do is to change the note values. I usually find it quicker doing that than recording them in from keyboard and then having to tweak the quantise and alter the note velocities.

When that is done save to disk and proceed to the violas, again checking for duplicate notes and leaving them out where they occur. Notice the clef is different. The violas are usually written on the alto clef and a little transposing is in order here if you're playing the notes in from a keyboard. When you have played the notes in as written from the score but placing them on the treble clef, you will need to transpose that part down by 10 semitones.

Now comes the cello with its bass clef or sometimes the tenor clef. Again if the part is using the tenor clef then a transposition of -7 will be needed if you have played the notes in on the bass clef.

The bass part will nearly always be written with the bass clef but a transposition of -12 is still needed because the bass part is played and octave lower than written. You may find that the bass part is a duplication of the cello part. If so a simple copy and paste is needed but remember, after transposition, to look for duplicated notes again.

So now we have all the string parts for that section of the music. It may be a good idea to set up your initial volume and pan settings here if you haven't already done them on your template so you can get a fair idea of the balance of the instruments. In most orchestras the lay out of the string section starts with the first violins fully left to the conductor with the second violins a little more near centre. Then the violas are usually centred having the cellos to the right of them and the basses behind the cello's.

So now its time to continue our sequence by recording the other instruments up to the point where we stopped the string section. The order in which you record the instruments after the string section is of little importance really. I always continue with the woodwinds then the brass and finish with the percussion.

You will find as I did in the string section that a lot of the parts will be duplicated from the string section so a lot of the time it will be a case of copy and paste.

Remember that when you are using the same voice for several instruments, i.e. Piccolo and Flute, check for duplicating notes.

So we have all the instruments recorded for that first section so now its time to continue with the piece starting off again with the string section. Again, just do up to an appropriate part to stop at and go back to record the other instruments. Remember to look out for whole sections of the music that are repeated elsewhere. This will just be a case of copy and paste on all the tracks.

I can not stress enough the need for saving your sequence regularly. Get into the habit of saving after you have completed a section for each instrument. Mistakes, crashes, power-cuts, etc... do happen and WILL. You have been warned!

< BACK  INDEX  FORWARD  >