# 'Eerie Forest' (Berlin Strings, BWW, The Glock, The Timpani)



## Mihkel Zilmer (Jan 26, 2014)

Hi everyone, 

Finally got around to properly trying out Berlin Strings. 
This piece started as my first sketch for the strings after dropping them in my template and then I decided to throw in all of the rest of the Orchestral Tools libraries recorded at Teldex: BWW + Exp A&B, the glock, the timpani and the orchestral grands. 

Reverb: 2CAudio B2

Thanks for listening, hope you enjoy it and looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

[flash width=450 height=110 loop=false]http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F131516096&secret_url=false[/flash]

https://soundcloud.com/mihkelz/eerie-forest


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## Richard Wilkinson (Jan 26, 2014)

Really nice stuff. Great arranging chops too - you managed to get some really big sounding sections of the piece without doing tonnes of parts/doubling. 

What are your early thoughts on BS? Did you use a lot of different articulations to get this done, or was it mostly the adaptive legato and some mart/stacc patches?


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## Madrigal (Jan 26, 2014)

Well done Mihkel! 

Composition & Orchestration are superb. 

I won't even comment on Berlin Strings because at this point, any good VI can sound beautiful in the hands of a good composer/programmer. Congrats!

M


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## Mihkel Zilmer (Jan 27, 2014)

wilx @ Sun Jan 26 said:


> Really nice stuff. Great arranging chops too - you managed to get some really big sounding sections of the piece without doing tonnes of parts/doubling.
> 
> What are your early thoughts on BS? Did you use a lot of different articulations to get this done, or was it mostly the adaptive legato and some mart/stacc patches?



Thank you! Having no brass to work with was a very useful exercise in finding alternative solutions for getting the right amount of energy for the more powerful sections.
The working title of the piece was actually "Look ma, no brass!" 

Overall, I am really enjoying working with BST. Yes, there are a number of small problems with transitions etc. to iron out (most of which I believe are already being addressed by the upcoming 1.1 update), but overall the library is well thought out and meticulously programmed. The only function I'm not so fond of is the simulated sordino, hope they decide to record the real deal in one of the expansion packs. And I wouldn't say no to a another kind of spiccato, too, something a bit lighter, shorter and more playful. 

Here's a list of the articulations I used:

- a lot of adaptive legato (roughly 50% of the piece, incl. runs)
- pizzicato + pizzicato percussive
- staccato + stacc FFF
- martele
- portato short
- spiccato
- trills + accented trills
- tremolo + accented tremolo


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## williambass5 (Jan 27, 2014)

Beautifully done. The strings are, of course, superb, and the timpini well placed and blended. 

Very nice work on the articulations...its rather inspirational actually.


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## AC986 (Jan 27, 2014)

Most enjoyable. String sound is very good. Musically excellent. Your works is always good.

What I don't like is the second portamento at the beginning and the reverb for me is iffy. IMO.

Not really qualified to make judgements but it's more a gut reaction.


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## EwigWanderer (Jan 27, 2014)

Very enjoyable indeed. Berlin Strings sounds amazing. Great work


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## Ian Dorsch (Jan 27, 2014)

Sounds really good, man. Lovely writing, and I especially like your orchestration for the winds.


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## Mike Marino (Jan 27, 2014)

Great job all around! The spiccatos and short notes sound nice and "crispy." I also enjoyed the composition, orchestration, and programming overall. I thought the rolling glisses on the timpani were a nice touch. Thanks for sharing!

- Mike


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## Mihkel Zilmer (Jan 27, 2014)

Thank you everyone for the kind comments!


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## SymphonicSamples (Jan 27, 2014)

Hey Mihkel , great piece . It's all been said , but I'll just repeat , wonderful composer / orchestration skills o-[][]-o


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## germancomponist (Jan 27, 2014)

Nice!


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## impressions (Jan 28, 2014)

really well done mihkel. the middle quiet part is a shine. question-when you composed it, did you write it down first? or just improvise your way through while recording?


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## Steve Martin (Jan 28, 2014)

Hi Mihkel,


congrats on the music you've written here. Sounds great. I really am very impressed by Berlin Strings - very, very expressive string sound. It has as very "tender" and deep emotional feel with the strings - I'd love to have this Library. Your music is really is making me think what I could do with these strings with my own music.

Thanks for sharing this with us. It was really worth my while to listen! 

best,

Steve :D


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## Mihkel Zilmer (Jan 28, 2014)

Thank you!




impressions @ Tue Jan 28 said:


> really well done mihkel. the middle quiet part is a shine. question-when you composed it, did you write it down first? or just improvise your way through while recording?



Every piece and every project is different. For a longer film I normally write the main melodic and harmonic ideas down on paper. For shorter projects or single tracks I may not write anything down. 

For this specific piece I first came up with a simple harmonic progression that 80% of this piece is based on. After that came the melody of the introduction (later revisited in the middle section). Transitioning into the next section (which largely keeps the same progression) gave me new ideas for more melodic material. I didn't really have a plan for the structure of the piece, that happened as I made my way through it. 

Sometimes I record a detailed piano sketch of a specific section or even the whole piece first, especially if inspiration is flowing - orchestrating everything fully at that point would probably slow things down. Other times I improvise on the piano without recording anything until I find something I am happy with and then proceed to orchestrate it straight away (even while improvising on the piano I tend to keep specific instruments and sounds in mind, i.e. I will immediately know which instruments I want playing the material).

With this piece I didn't really bother with a sketch, especially as I was trying out Berlin Strings and wanted to see what they could and couldn't pull off. So I spent a while noodling around using just the various strings patches. That's where several of the orchestrational ideas came from.

Hope this helps!


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## Richard Bowling (Jan 28, 2014)

Nice comp-- thanks for posting it


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## The Darris (Jan 28, 2014)

Okay, this is something I figured would happen with BS and BWW. BWW is so much dryer sounding compared to BS which makes it harder to get that full Teldex sound. Your cue is awesome btw and the only downside is that particular issue. The Woodwinds sound like they are in front of the strings in parts which is far from common in orchestral writing. That is my only complaint about Berlin Strings, they don't sound like they are in the same room as BWW and it is either do to room configuration or microphone placements. Okay, that rant is over. (Keep is mind, I love the sound of BS and prefer that was the sound of BWW overall.)

Very well done piece. There were moments that would have been awesome with some Brass but overall the orchestration and usage of different articulations and textures was awesome. Great work!!


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## Mihkel Zilmer (Jan 29, 2014)

The Darris @ Wed Jan 29 said:


> Okay, this is something I figured would happen with BS and BWW. BWW is so much dryer sounding compared to BS which makes it harder to get that full Teldex sound. Your cue is awesome btw and the only downside is that particular issue. The Woodwinds sound like they are in front of the strings in parts which is far from common in orchestral writing. That is my only complaint about Berlin Strings, they don't sound like they are in the same room as BWW and it is either do to room configuration or microphone placements. Okay, that rant is over. (Keep is mind, I love the sound of BS and prefer that was the sound of BWW overall.)
> 
> Very well done piece. There were moments that would have been awesome with some Brass but overall the orchestration and usage of different articulations and textures was awesome. Great work!!



Thank you!

I agree with you that it would be amazing to have access to all the same microphone positions in BWW as we now have in BST, especially a more ambient surround mic position. That would be really handy, as now we have to use reverb or SPAT/VSS/MIR to push the winds further back. I wonder if OT recorded any additional mic positions for the winds or if it was just the two?

Another point to make is that I intentionally bring winds forward at times. I tend to add a bit of close mics during soloistic parts, just like you would do in a recorded film score. The solo winds in BWW EXP B have a very up-close and intimate characteristic by default for that very reason. It doesn't sound like an orchestra in a concert hall, but it's not meant to. You can hear these lines in the middle section of the piece (alto flute followed by clarinet) and the very end (flute). 

Cheers,
mihkel


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## The Darris (Jan 29, 2014)

Cool, thanks for the clarification. I guess I assumed you were going for a traditional orchestral seating for it all, makes me the ass now, hahaha. Honestly though, that is a great way to write now that I think about it. I will try to implement some of that in my future cues. Thanks!!


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## Mihkel Zilmer (Jan 30, 2014)

The Darris @ Wed Jan 29 said:


> Cool, thanks for the clarification. I guess I assumed you were going for a traditional orchestral seating for it all, makes me the ass now, hahaha. Honestly though, that is a great way to write now that I think about it. I will try to implement some of that in my future cues. Thanks!!



No problem, happy to help


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## Blakus (Jan 30, 2014)

Always love your work Mihkel, this composition is really amazing! Lovely mixing/programming too


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## Mihkel Zilmer (Jan 31, 2014)

Blakus @ Thu Jan 30 said:


> Always love your work Mihkel, this composition is really amazing! Lovely mixing/programming too



Thank you so much Blake! Likewise, I always greatly enjoy listening to your work


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