# How to sketch with EW Hollywood...?



## x-dfo (Feb 18, 2020)

Hi,
Totally new to orchestration/composing using orchestral stuff, but very experienced with DAW production/sound design. I'm just getting settled into the Composer Cloud and I've been painstakingly setting up my template in ableton. I personally think overall it sounds pretty amazing and is pretty efficient. I have like 80 tracks going and I think it uses maybe 40% of my cpu meter.

BUT this feels alot like maneuvering a commercial airliner and doesn't seem like an ideal way to sketch out ideas. There's a lot of tracks and articulations to navigate! So I was wondering if any of you experienced cats out there had a sketch workflow or template layouts using EWHO, I'm even open to ensemble product alternatives that can sit with EWHO.

Cheers,
D


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## Zero&One (Feb 18, 2020)

Use the Full strings patches, There's a low Brass Patch in there and probably other ensemble type ones.


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## x-dfo (Feb 18, 2020)

Zero&One said:


> Use the Full strings patches, There's a low Brass Patch in there and probably other ensemble type ones.



Ahhh I didn't realize that's what they were for! Thanks!


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## Ashermusic (Feb 18, 2020)

Much as I love the Hollywood Orchestra, I don't recommend it as a sketching orchestra.


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## gst98 (Feb 18, 2020)

yeah, HWO sounds great but it takes some time with programming to get it sounding good, that paired with its lack of variety of ensemble patches makes it not ideal for sketching. I totally understand the airliner thing, but I think it might be unavoidable with HWO.


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## x-dfo (Feb 18, 2020)

Ashermusic said:


> Much as I love the Hollywood Orchestra, I don't recommend it as a sketching orchestra.


What would you recommend instead?


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## Zero&One (Feb 18, 2020)

x-dfo said:


> What would you recommend instead?



There are a few, and you'll likely get numerous answers.
But before throwing money at another library, download free stuff like Spitfire labs, ProjectSAM, Fluffy, PerformanceSamples etc etc. Might not be a coherent sound, but if it's just ideas and you are just starting out. They are free, lightweight and usually have sustains etc for sketching.

Templates are great but also have their drawbacks as you are finding. So just slap in a EWHO sustain & Stacc patch per instrument and make some tuneage  Worry about fine tuning it with 87 articulations later when it's fleshed out. Experienced guys are that, experienced. They know what they want and why,so templates lend themselves very well to their needs.


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## proxima (Feb 18, 2020)

You might find Spitfire Originals suitable for sketching - they're basically patches from the original Albion I put in their new player. They have a "live" patch that attempts to combine longs and shorts, but I prefer to use the individual patches. I wish they supported keyswitches with this product though; perhaps in an update. But if you're a one-instrument-articulation-per-track type, you can definitely rig that up in a few minutes. 

Worst case, at least with the strings, you end up with an inexpensive library that's great for layering.


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## x-dfo (Feb 18, 2020)

Zero&One said:


> There are a few, and you'll likely get numerous answers.
> But before throwing money at another library, download free stuff like Spitfire labs, ProjectSAM, Fluffy, PerformanceSamples etc etc. Might not be a coherent sound, but if it's just ideas and you are just starting out. They are free, lightweight and usually have sustains etc for sketching.
> 
> Templates are great but also have their drawbacks as you are finding. So just slap in a EWHO sustain & Stacc patch per instrument and make some tuneage  Worry about fine tuning it with 87 articulations later when it's fleshed out. Experienced guys are that, experienced. They know what they want and why,so templates lend themselves very well to their needs.


Thanks for this, really helpful!


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## x-dfo (Feb 18, 2020)

proxima said:


> You might find Spitfire Originals suitable for sketching - they're basically patches from the original Albion I put in their new player. They have a "live" patch that attempts to combine longs and shorts, but I prefer to use the individual patches. I wish they supported keyswitches with this product though; perhaps in an update. But if you're a one-instrument-articulation-per-track type, you can definitely rig that up in a few minutes.
> 
> Worst case, at least with the strings, you end up with an inexpensive library that's great for layering.


Good to know, I'll have a look.


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