# How do you go from Sketching to Realizing?



## Alohabob (Jul 7, 2017)

I was looking at Indiginus Solid State Symphony and this review: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...6C2DF8977A4056C45C796C2DF8977A405&FORM=VRDGAR and I'm assuming The Orchestra is similar as to what it does.

From what I can tell he's playing major or minor chords with one finger on the left and a melody or whatever on the right. Well, at least at 2:42. He's also got some sort of arp or modulator going that plays patterns.

If I'm correct, this would all be recorded onto one midi track, and I'm assuming the arps and such are going to be recorded as one note with some midi data behind it when you look at the midi track.

How would you take this and then separate it all out into the different instruments so you could then assign violins to USE Violins, Horns to EWSO, etc? How do you get the patterns singled out to whatever instruments they need to be?


----------



## Quasar (Jul 19, 2017)

Wow, I have SSS and it's really, really cool. But I don't think there are any shortcuts to get from point a to point b. If you've sketched out an idea and subsequently want to truly orchestrate it in PRV, notation or whatever, AFAIK you still have to parse out what's been played and do the grunt work, playing or drawing in the notes... If I'm wrong, and there is a shortcut for this, I'd like to hear about it too.


----------



## Replicant (Jul 19, 2017)

90% of the time I do it all on a piano patch and if it sounds good there, it is worthy to transfer over to the actual sample library tracks.


----------



## SillyMidOn (Jul 20, 2017)

Alohabob said:


> I was looking at Indiginus Solid State Symphony and this review: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...6C2DF8977A4056C45C796C2DF8977A405&FORM=VRDGAR and I'm assuming The Orchestra is similar as to what it does.
> 
> From what I can tell he's playing major or minor chords with one finger on the left and a melody or whatever on the right. Well, at least at 2:42. He's also got some sort of arp or modulator going that plays patterns.
> 
> ...


What an absolutely awful piece of software! Ugh.


----------



## Quasar (Jul 20, 2017)

SillyMidOn said:


> What an absolutely awful piece of software! Ugh.


Nonsense. It's a terribly clever, well-designed and inexpensive piece of software, potentially useful for sketching out rough drafts of musical ideas quickly and easily. And it's fun to play.

Since these are lightweight samples of older synthetic orchestra patches, it doesn't compare with the high-end orchestral libraries, nor does it try to compete with them, but is another concept altogether. If you have no use for this sort of thing, then don't use it. But to dismiss it as "awful" solely because it's not your thing is unfair.


----------



## SillyMidOn (Jul 20, 2017)

Quasar said:


> Nonsense. It's a terribly clever, well-designed and inexpensive piece of software, potentially useful for sketching out rough drafts of musical ideas quickly and easily. And it's fun to play.
> 
> Since these are lightweight samples of older synthetic orchestra patches, it doesn't compare with the high-end orchestral libraries, nor does it try to compete with them, but is another concept altogether. If you have no use for this sort of thing, then don't use it. But to dismiss it as "awful" solely because it's not your thing is unfair.


Well I don't mean to be rude, but if you think that this is a good tool for sketching, then you are really, really setting your musical ambitions very low. I dunno, it seems fashionable these days to aim low when it comes to studying subjects in depth, practicing for years and actually getting really good at something. In the art world we have so called artist that have other people create their work. In the music world we have, ah I had better hold my tongue...

How about sketching at the piano?
How about, I mean God forbid in this virtual world full of cyber crutches, you sketch on some manuscript paper using a pencil and no instrument near you?


----------



## MatFluor (Jul 20, 2017)

Alohabob said:


> How would you take this and then separate it all out into the different instruments so you could then assign violins to USE Violins, Horns to EWSO, etc? How do you get the patterns singled out to whatever instruments they need to be?



The only possibility with such "one-finger" patches like Solid State Symphony or The Orchestra has, are close listening and "reverse-engineer" the orchestration that's done.
Meaning, you sketch it out with that tool, then transcribe it back into proper notation/Sequencing MIDI and go from there.

So - it might be faster to sketch on a piano/piece of paper. These sketching methods provide quick results, which isn't necessarily bad - but in my opinion (as with a lot of shortcuts): If haven't learned it before, using only shortcuts will hurt you in the long run.

If you never actually cooked your own tomato sauce from fresh tomatoes, you will only be able to make dishes with the pre-packaged one. As learning tool, those thigns are nice, and in the hand of someone who knows how to use it, it's convenient. But be careful as a newbie (I am one too, I'm avoiding such things as good as I can for exactly that reason) - you might get lazy and just "trust on the package" instead of "trust your ability to compose/orchestrate"


----------



## Quasar (Jul 20, 2017)

SillyMidOn said:


> Well I don't mean to be rude, but if you think that this is a good tool for sketching, then you are really, really setting your musical ambitions very low. I dunno, it seems fashionable these days to aim low when it comes to studying subjects in depth, practicing for years and actually getting really good at something. In the art world we have so called artist that have other people create their work. In the music world we have, ah I had better hold my tongue...
> 
> How about sketching at the piano?
> How about, I mean God forbid in this virtual world full of cyber crutches, you sketch on some manuscript paper using a pencil and no instrument near you?



I don't think you're being rude. Just stating your opinion, which is different than mine. You have the right to be wrong LOL... 

...As MatFluor rightly points out above, tools are always just tools, nothing more and nothing less. Whether you're a carpenter with a hammer or a composer with a sample library, it's how you use it that makes all the difference. As a reverse engineering tool alone, $59 is a steal IF one is inclined to use it. Whatever.


----------

