# "Leaving Home Behind" featuring Embertone's Blakus Cello *updated* LIVE solo cello



## Jetzer (Feb 20, 2015)

Finally tried to give the Blakus cello a spin, had it for some time but never really used it much. I would like to record a cello player in the near future time for my demos, but that means I have to write some pieces first of course  

I hope you enjoy the piece and feel free to share feedback or criticism or any comment you would like to make. 

"Leaving Home Behind"
[flash width=450 height=110 loop=false]http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F192088239&secret_url=false[/flash]

*Edit:

Updated version with LIVE solo cello:

[flash width=450 height=110 loop=false]http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F200624723&secret_url=false[/flash]

--
JH


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## Mahlon (Feb 20, 2015)

*Re: "Leaving Home Behind" featuring Embertone's Blakus Cello*

Beautiful piece and orchestration. Cello sounds good and fits. Afraid I don't have any constructive criticisms. This goes on my iPod. 

I'm coming up on a solo cello line for which I'll use Blakus Cello, but I've not even touched the instrument yet. Am glad to see you have gotten good results.

Mahlon


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## Resoded (Feb 21, 2015)

*Re: "Leaving Home Behind" featuring Embertone's Blakus Cello*

Excellent composition, very beautiful.


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## Jetzer (Feb 21, 2015)

*Re: "Leaving Home Behind" featuring Embertone's Blakus Cello*

@Mahlon, Thanks, you should definitely try it  

@Resoded, Thanks for listening, glad you liked it.


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## cAudio (Feb 22, 2015)

*Re: "Leaving Home Behind" featuring Embertone's Blakus Cello*

Very nice music! The Embertone Blakus Cello sounds great. I only have the free pocket Blakus cello and thats one of my favorite sampled instruments. I guess I'll have to get the Embertone eventually. Good work!

Christian


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## jneebz (Feb 22, 2015)

*Re: "Leaving Home Behind" featuring Embertone's Blakus Cello*

I tried to critique but just got lost in the beautiful writing! Great job on this, sounds fantastic.

Thanks for sharing.

-J


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## gwillimw (Feb 22, 2015)

*Re: "Leaving Home Behind" featuring Embertone's Blakus Cello*

Great composition! The blending of the different voices is quite beautiful.

You may want to consider using more typical bow-change/quick legato transitions on the cello. The portamentos may be losing their potency by being overused - perhaps only one per phrase...

Nice mix too!


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## Jetzer (Feb 23, 2015)

*Re: "Leaving Home Behind" featuring Embertone's Blakus Cello*

Thanks for listening and the really nice comments!

@gwillimw, good suggestion, thanks.


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## Ned Bouhalassa (Mar 11, 2015)

*Re: "Leaving Home Behind" featuring Embertone's Blakus Cello*

Thanks for sharing a beautiful piece! Very emotional writing, I hope many other members hear your work. 8)


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## Andrew Goodwin (Mar 11, 2015)

*Re: "Leaving Home Behind" featuring Embertone's Blakus Cello*

Very beautiful work JH!


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## dannymc (Mar 11, 2015)

*Re: "Leaving Home Behind" featuring Embertone's Blakus Cello*

wow this is beautiful. i could see this been snapped up and used by a director somewhere. other thank embertones blakus cello, can i ask what other libraries you used to make this composition or is it entirely blakus cello?


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## Jetzer (Mar 11, 2015)

*Re: "Leaving Home Behind" featuring Embertone's Blakus Cello*

Thanks for the super nice comments Ned & Andrew, really glad you enjoyed it!

@Danny, thank you! I think it is mainly East West's Hollywood Series, but the main idea was for Embertone's cello to be at the center of the piece.


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## ag75 (Mar 12, 2015)

Great writing. Really beautiful. What other libraries did you use on this? You did a great gob of putting them "in the same room"


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## TGV (Mar 12, 2015)

Beautiful piece, what else can I say?


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## Jetzer (Mar 12, 2015)

*Re: "Leaving Home Behind" featuring Embertone's Blakus Cello*

Thanks a lot TGV & a g75, glad you enjoyed it! 

@ag75, I think it's just the hollywood series + their orchestral harp + embertone's cello. 
Used QL spaces for reverb.


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## IoannisGutevas (Mar 13, 2015)

Nicely done mate!


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## Allen Constantine (Mar 13, 2015)

Very James Newton Howard-ish :D Sublime!
1 hint though, add more bass to it for the finishing touch.. Keep it up !


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## gdugan (Mar 13, 2015)

*Re: "Leaving Home Behind" featuring Embertone's Blakus Cello*

This work is simply beautiful. Thank you for sharing it!

-Gary


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## Jetzer (Mar 13, 2015)

*Re: "Leaving Home Behind" featuring Embertone's Blakus Cello*

Thanks a lot!


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## Jetzer (Apr 13, 2015)

Little update. I finally had the time to mix a new version with a live cellist. First time I worked with a live player, learned a lot this way. Mixing it and getting it in the same space was also difficult, but I'm quite happy with the results. 

[flash width=450 height=110 loop=false]http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F200624723&secret_url=false[/flash]

For anyone interested


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## Hannes_F (Apr 13, 2015)

Now _that _sounds like a cellist!  Bravo.

(The other version sounded like a nice cell_o_ but not like a cell_ist_ ... to my ears at least).

Lovely writing, very good.


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## Mahlon (Apr 13, 2015)

Again, just beautiful.

Mahlon


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## Jetzer (Apr 13, 2015)

Thanks again, and I totally agree Hannes


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## Mark Stothard (Apr 14, 2015)

Hi Jesse, this was outstanding. 

Can I ask what you used on the live cello track; reverb, processing etc please? Really loved the sound you have got with it.
I have a live cello on a track I'm working on, but can't get it to sit quite right?


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## Jetzer (Apr 14, 2015)

Thank you, Mark!

First of all I used lot's of automation on the fader to balance it, put it back in the mix (as in lower volume). Slight panning to the right. 

As for EQ, I used a high pass filter, and a 1.5db cut around 230 Hz. I also used a de-esser to reduce some of the high frequencies and recording-noise. 

As for reverb, a send to my QL Spaces string reverb fx channel (Dortmund Concert Hall).

Furthermore, I used a different reverb (QL Spaces' ACME Storage) on my full orchestra channel (including the solo cello). 

Hope this helps.


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## Mark Stothard (Apr 14, 2015)

Thanks very much for the info Jesse, I will give it a shot.


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## Stradibaldi (Apr 14, 2015)

ahhhh Blakus Cello is _sogood_

Excellent job on the mix. Dortmund is a beautiful space for this cellist. 

Maybe flip the pan. Solo cello generally sits to the conductor's left just like a solo violinist. 







With that change, you could then bring up the low strings a bit. Specially basses.

Beautiful piece.


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## Jetzer (Apr 15, 2015)

Thanks! And that's good advice, it's not the first time I heard basses could be brought up a bit (also on other pieces of mine), will look into that. 

Or people are just used to too much bass these days 

But I will look into it, I the low end of the mix could be bit more firm.


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