# 1 Video a Day in March. Leave Your Questions Here!



## ChrisSiuMusic (Jan 22, 2020)

Hi everyone! Hope you’re doing fantastic! As you may know, I have a YouTube channel where I do composition/orchestration videos, track breakdowns, and sample library reviews.

I’d like to do a new ‘Quick Tips’ series for the entirety of March, where I address a specific question every day.

That’s where I need your help! If you have any questions about the music-making process, midi orchestration, sample libraries, or anything else, please leave your comment below. There are no stupid questions! Chances are, if you’re wondering about something, someone else has asked that question as well.

If you’re at all interested in the type of content I make, here’s an example:




Thanks for taking the time to read this post. I look forward to reading your questions!


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## MilesAbbott (Jan 23, 2020)

Speaking as someone new to this way of writing music, and since your channel is geared towards instruction, I would perhaps do a series (I suppose in the vein of your "Quick Tips") in the direction of "Starting from Scratch." 

I was initially overwhelmed by all of the information out there, and missed some critical things. I wasted a lot of money on some things I really didn't need, for instance. I bought Albion One not realizing that the woodwinds were combined, which really bothered me. I also bought Hans Zimmer Strings not realizing that the legatos weren't up to the task of fast playing (not to mention a huge lack of short articulations, which granted is on the SF website but when you're really new you don't know what to look for). I easily could've gone without that in favor of Cinematic Studio Strings, which I did end up buying in addition to HZS. I bought Hollywood Orchestral Percussion Diamond because I didn't fully understand how EW's Composer Cloud worked, and that's a great starting point (so long as people understand that their player leaves something to be desired, particularly with HWS). 

Another thing I didn't understand at all was CC1 and CC11. I still don't really understand how to use those in the context of brass, and could definitely still use a comprehensive tutorial on how to use those with strings. This information just isn't out there from what I've seen, though I've certainly not had the time to scrounge as fully as I'd like. 

From what I've gathered in my short time here, there is a fair number of people out there with no formal training in music or recording with VI's who are trying to get started with it, but a lot of the methods are spoken of using jargon and esoteric knowledge that makes it fairly inaccessible. Simplifying the language and breaking down techniques (don't forget mixing) and such to a basic form that is easy for the layman would be very helpful IMO. 

Of course, I could simply be ignorant of some great resources out there, but it never hurts to have some redundancy in this department, as one person might explain it or teach in a way that is more appealing or clearer. 

Maybe that gives you an idea or two.


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## ChrisSiuMusic (Jan 23, 2020)

MilesAbbott said:


> Speaking as someone new to this way of writing music, and since your channel is geared towards instruction, I would perhaps do a series (I suppose in the vein of your "Quick Tips") in the direction of "Starting from Scratch."
> 
> I was initially overwhelmed by all of the information out there, and missed some critical things. I wasted a lot of money on some things I really didn't need, for instance. I bought Albion One not realizing that the woodwinds were combined, which really bothered me. I also bought Hans Zimmer Strings not realizing that the legatos weren't up to the task of fast playing (not to mention a huge lack of short articulations, which granted is on the SF website but when you're really new you don't know what to look for). I easily could've gone without that in favor of Cinematic Studio Strings, which I did end up buying in addition to HZS. I bought Hollywood Orchestral Percussion Diamond because I didn't fully understand how EW's Composer Cloud worked, and that's a great starting point (so long as people understand that their player leaves something to be desired, particularly with HWS).
> 
> ...


Hi Miles, many thanks for your comments. These are definitely super helpful ideas for the series! Choosing the right libraries, MIDI CCs, mixing, etc. are all things I had to discover myself as well when starting out. Be sure to stay tuned!


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## ism (Jan 23, 2020)

Any kind of practical tips on voice leading would be great.


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## Bluemount Score (Jan 23, 2020)

Would be in interested in how to make basic chord progressions more interesting, expanding the very basics.

Another one would be some tipps how to write a great a bass line that fits your melody.

Both things could be explained by using a single piano track, or, even better, a traditional strings setup with 1. Violins, 2. Violins, Violas, Celli an Basses, which gives it more context.

Thank you, Chris!


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## ChrisSiuMusic (Jan 23, 2020)

ism said:


> Any kind of practical tips on voice leading would be great.


Perfect!


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## ChrisSiuMusic (Jan 23, 2020)

Bluemount Score said:


> Would be in interested in how to make basic chord progressions more interesting, expanding the very basics.
> 
> Another one would be some tipps how to write a great a bass line that fits your melody.
> 
> ...


Great ideas. Thank you!


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## Zedcars (Jan 23, 2020)

Some suggestions to write more idiomatically for orchestral instruments, rather than just as a keyboardist attempting to compose a part for an instrument on a midi keyboard - which ends up missing the characteristic traits of that instrument entirely.


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## ChrisSiuMusic (Jan 23, 2020)

Zedcars said:


> Some suggestions to write more idiomatically for orchestral instruments, rather than just as a keyboardist attempting to compose a part for an instrument on a midi keyboard - which ends up missing the characteristic traits of that instrument entirely.


Definitely a very important concept. Thank you!


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## shawnsingh (Jan 23, 2020)

Gems of MIDI programming tricks that you've discovered for the libraries that you use to get expressive nuanced performances.

e.g. phrased mixed articulations, rhythmic staccato passages, getting nice runs, layering techniques,


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## ChrisSiuMusic (Jan 23, 2020)

shawnsingh said:


> Gems of MIDI programming tricks that you've discovered for the libraries that you use to get expressive nuanced performances.
> 
> e.g. phrased mixed articulations, rhythmic staccato passages, getting nice runs, layering techniques,


Very cool!


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## LittleUtahMusic (Jan 30, 2020)

Hey Chris! This is a cool idea - looking forward to watching these videos in March. There's some really good ideas above, and I would add doing a video on your workflow or little tips in your DAW that help you work faster/better. Also maybe a video on your musical background? How you got started playing and writing music, and some of the steps you took that got you to where you are today?


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## ChrisSiuMusic (Jan 31, 2020)

Great idea. Thank you!!


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## MartinH. (Jan 31, 2020)

ChrisSiuMusic said:


> I’d like to do a new ‘Quick Tips’ series for the entirety of March, where I address a specific question every day.
> 
> That’s where I need your help!



Just brainstorming some ideas: 

- how not to burn out while making 1 video per day
- how to write interesting rythms for drums
- how to develop rythmic motifs accross a track
- how to create "something from nothing" without any inspiration
- what to do when you already know you'll fail your deadline
- how to blend different libraries together in a mix
- how to plan out a new track in broad strokes
- how to maintain a library of discarded ideas to efficiently mine it for inspiration later
- how to approach writing for "adaptive music" in games
- how to create cohesion accross several tracks without making them sound too samey
- how to maintain motivation for loooong personal projects. 
- how to pick the right tracks for your portfolio/reel
- how to choose chord progressions
- how to write efficiently when you can't play in parts yourself
- how not to over-write
- how to deliberately practice working faster and not overthinking things
- how to minimize the time you listen to your work during writing, so that you don't get sick of it
- how to choose what projects to say "no" to
- how to conciously develop your own "brand" as a composer and think about what you stand for
- how to react when a client's request is just a terrible choice
- how to write something new by recycling and changing one of your old pieces or ideas
- how to write in genres that you've never listened to before - on a deadline
- how to react to "Make it like the temp track, but your own version of it, so that we can't get sued."
- how to finish personal tracks, even if you already hate them by the halfway mark
- how to deal with imposter syndrome
- how to get and pick pictures/thumbnails for releasing your tracks on social media
- how to price your work as a beginner without a strong portfolio
- how to know when you're good enough to start freelancing
- how to push out of your comfort zone and learn something new
- how to talk clients into taking "creative risks" by going with more unique approaches
- how to react when the market rejects your more unique approaches to writing
- how to keep doing string ostinatos without opening a vein (getting creative within tight constraints)
- how to improve a track by cutting away all that you don't truely need
- how to avoid common pitfalls when "writing for samples"
- how to set up a template so that you can quickly compare different "rooms" or "master fx" chains for the whole orchestra


I'm sure some of these don't fit the format that you had in mind, feel free to use/discard some or all as you see fit. Unless you're specifically wanting to game the youtube algorithm I would consider though to just make it an ongoing series instead of crunching for a month and then being absolutely sick of the grind. I can't imagine that to be a very sustainable and healthy workload. And even if you want to do it to mess with the algorithm, maybe just give yourself enough time to produce and record in advance and start uploading when you already have most of the batch done?

Good luck with your project either way!


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## ChrisSiuMusic (Jan 31, 2020)

Hey Martin, thanks for taking the time to put together such a comprehensive list. It's much appreciated! The plan is definitely to set some time apart to batch record, and set the schedule to upload daily. I'd like to continue 1 vid/week from April onwards.


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## Billy Palmer (Jan 31, 2020)

I really enjoy your style and your videos - good luck upping your output!

My question, "how do you programme complex melodies?"

I'd love some contextual examples of programming rhythmically complex/ or just more advanced melodies using legatos alongside a range of articulations.


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## ChrisSiuMusic (Jan 31, 2020)

Thanks for the kind words William! Great idea.


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## shawnsingh (Feb 1, 2020)

For April and forward...

How to set up a light laptop template for travel purposes
Recommendations of places to travel for creative inspiration using the laptop rig
Ways to explain to your spouse that you're traveling for work related reasons
How to deal with clients when missing deadlines because you spent all the travel time at the hotel bar instead of actually making music in exotic locations
What kinds of music work best to soothe your spouse when you need to explain that you didn't earn enough money to pay the bills the month after
How to keep making music despite your spouse thinking you were having affairs during your travels since you didn't make enough music. And bonus points for saving the marriage.
Ways to channel the deep pain of your spouse leaving (and taking custody of the kids too) into powerful emotional music.
How to use the viral success of one deeply painful emotional track as a stepping stone to rebrand and relaunch a music career
Work/life Balance subseries: how to balance between a music career on the rise versus the drinking due to the loneliness and pain of divorce and missing your kids
Subtopic about balance - how to handle spotting sessions with directors/editors/supervisors while hungover
Subtopic about balance - composition techniques while drunk
Subtopic about balance - how to handle recording sessions while drunk
Ways to salvage and market the hidden artistry of drunk compositions when presenting them to the director, backup contingencies when music is still rejected.
Pro tip music career hack: using the value of your house to pay for another round of recording sessions after realizing you went over budget
How contracts, licensing, and payouts work when someone gets fired from a film music gig
Strategies for having a public meltdown in front of studio execs and directors, and what to do after that when there's no house to go back to
How to continue making music after you finally realize you've driven your music career and whole life over a cliff
Ways to stay productive in music while homeless, but you still have the laptop rig from lesson 1
Analysis of the sound of different buckets and sticks for a street drumming rig, and some of the business aspects of reserving a licensed peddling spot on the street for performance


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## ChrisSiuMusic (Feb 1, 2020)

shawnsingh said:


> For April and forward...
> 
> How to set up a light laptop template for travel purposes
> Recommendations of places to travel for creative inspiration using the laptop rig
> ...


So I might actually do some of these. Granted, I don’t have experience with many of them, but the ones I do I’ll upload my thoughts XD


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## Dex (Feb 2, 2020)

How to program a simple melody, harmony, and bass notes in Hollywood orchestra quickly, including track setup and articulation selections.


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## ChrisSiuMusic (Feb 2, 2020)

Iswhatitis said:


> Though I know how to do this already, it would probably be helpful for others if you show them step by step how to program UACC event commands for different libraries via Lemur, TouchOSC, and a MIDI fader controller as well as how to control mic mix levels, vibrato, dynamics, expression, reverb, release, tightness from external MIDI faders.
> 
> Another more advanced focus is how to change the playability of say a Spitfire or OT Berlin patch like the way Cinesamples is programmed ie. Assign staccato/shorts to velocity 0-42, tenuto to velocity 43-85, marcato to velocity 86-127, and sustain/longs to velocity 0-63 and legato to velocity 64-127 when the sustain pedal is depressed so composers don’t have to use UACC event commands.


Thank you for your suggestions! I actually don’t have any experience with UACC commands, so unfortunately that would be an area that I wouldn’t really able to cover. 

The playability idea is definitely a good one, although I have always used libraries as they come out of the box. My standard workflow is simply either 1 articulation per channel, or a multi instrument with various arcs. OT’s Capsule allows for some cool workflow shortcuts though.


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## MartinH. (Feb 4, 2020)

shawnsingh said:


> For April and forward...
> 
> How to set up a light laptop template for travel purposes
> Recommendations of places to travel for creative inspiration using the laptop rig
> ...



Lol, thanks for that!


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## ChrisSiuMusic (Feb 5, 2020)

A witty bunch, this group.


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## shawnsingh (Feb 5, 2020)

Well a few days ago I had some grandiose delusion that my post was funny, but I have second thoughts now. I apologize if it was in poor taste... 

Sincerely though, based on everyone's ideas here, it will be a very interesting month, and I'm looking forward to it.


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## ChrisSiuMusic (Feb 6, 2020)

shawnsingh said:


> Well a few days ago I had some grandiose delusion that my post was funny, but I have second thoughts now. I apologize if it was in poor taste...
> 
> Sincerely though, based on everyone's ideas here, it will be a very interesting month, and I'm looking forward to it.


Not at all, haha. No problem!! 

Looking forward to March as well. See you soon everyone!


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## Haakond (Feb 6, 2020)

Would love a video where you mockup a few bars of a score, when you explain what you would do and how you do it


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## Mike Fox (Feb 6, 2020)

Hey Chris! I would love to see a "How to write for strings" type of video, as in using all the string sections together, and how they're supposed to interact with eachother. I guess a video on harmony would also do the trick.


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## MisteR (Feb 6, 2020)

shawnsingh said:


> Well a few days ago I had some grandiose delusion that my post was funny, but I have second thoughts now. I apologize if it was in poor taste...


It was very funny. No delusion.


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## tonaliszt (Feb 6, 2020)

I would love to see some tips/tricks for Capsule. It can be hard to find information about how to set up cool things with it.


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## ChrisSiuMusic (Feb 6, 2020)

tonaliszt said:


> I would love to see some tips/tricks for Capsule. It can be hard to find information about how to set up cool things with it.


I’ll see what I can do!


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## ChrisSiuMusic (Feb 6, 2020)

Haakond said:


> Would love a video where you mockup a few bars of a score, when you explain what you would do and how you do it


Oooo great idea!


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## ChrisSiuMusic (Feb 6, 2020)

Mike Fox said:


> Hey Chris! I would love to see a "How to write for strings" type of video, as in using all the string sections together, and how they're supposed to interact with eachother. I guess a video on harmony would also do the trick.


Cool idea, thanks Mike!


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## jononotbono (Feb 6, 2020)

shawnsingh said:


> composition techniques while drunk



I could definitely do one like this 😂


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## InLight-Tone (Feb 7, 2020)

jononotbono said:


> I could definitely do one like this 😂


Ya, but can you top the King Mike Verta???


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## jononotbono (Feb 7, 2020)

InLight-Tone said:


> Ya, but can you top the King Mike Verta???



Yeah but he doesn't get drunk. He gets Tipsy. Us Brits have a very different definition of "drunk" compared to these Americans.


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## jononotbono (Feb 7, 2020)

Not to derail this thread any further, I am looking forward to your videos Chris!


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## ChrisSiuMusic (Feb 7, 2020)

jononotbono said:


> Not to derail this thread any further, I am looking forward to your videos Chris!


Haha I’d be down to see a vid like that tbh. Thanks man!


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## Christopher Rocky (Feb 10, 2020)

I would be very interested in some practical information about getting work and jobs as a composer, thanks Chris!! your a legend!!


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## ChrisSiuMusic (Feb 10, 2020)

ChristopherRock said:


> I would be very interested in some practical information about getting work and jobs as a composer, thanks Chris!! your a legend!!


Gotcha! Thanks man!


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## Royosho (Feb 11, 2020)

Modes, dude. Then everything won't sound the same🤞

[Edit] For example... you could teach E Phrygian and F Lydian first because they are easily identifiable and any newbie could learn them after learning C Major. And your viewers could create modal progressions and melodies effortlessly in MIDI simply by avoiding sharps and flats. And then you could create and play the listeners a track starting at C Major and modulate to Phyrgian and Lydian and your listeners will be able to identify the modes easily by ear because of how unique the sound of each scale is and they'll realize it isn't difficult to learn new modes and go beyond the typical major / minor sounds and a new dawn will break and music will change forever muhahahaha!


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## ChrisSiuMusic (Feb 11, 2020)

Royosho said:


> Modes, dude. Then everything won't sound the same🤞
> 
> [Edit] For example... you could teach E Phrygian and F Lydian first because they are easily identifiable and any newbie could learn them after learning C Major. And your viewers could create modal progressions and melodies effortlessly in MIDI simply by avoiding sharps and flats. And then you could create and play the listeners a track starting at C Major and modulate to Phyrgian and Lydian and your listeners will be able to identify the modes easily by ear because of how unique the sound of each scale is and they'll realize it isn't difficult to learn new modes and go beyond the typical major / minor sounds and a new dawn will break and music will change forever muhahahaha!


You got it!


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## ChrisSiuMusic (Mar 2, 2020)

Hi friends! Yesterday I uploaded my first 'Quick Tips' video, all about which library I'd choose if I was stuck on a desert island...


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## ChrisSiuMusic (Apr 1, 2020)

Hi everyone! I just wrapped up my Quick Tips series yesterday, where I uploaded 1 video/day during the month of March. It was definitely tough at times to keep up, but it was infinitely rewarding.

If you're at all interested in watching these, here's the playlist where you can binge them during your free time :D




In addition, I've created a follow-along guide that you can download to follow along with these videos. Hope you enjoy! Thanks again, and please enjoy! 

https://cutt.ly/9tkxnWv


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