# Synth Based Orchestral Music for Visual Media ?



## muziksculp (Jun 11, 2021)

Hi,

I'm curious if anyone is experimenting with producing Synth Based Orchestral Music for Visual Media ?

No samples, just emulations of orchestral sounds using synthesis techniques.

Thanks,
Muziksculp


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## Trash Panda (Jun 11, 2021)

Like the Zebra Orchestra?


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## muziksculp (Jun 11, 2021)

Trash Panda said:


> Like the Zebra Orchestra?


What is that ?


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## Soundbed (Jun 11, 2021)

muziksculp said:


> Hi,
> 
> I'm curious if anyone is experimenting with producing Synth Based Orchestral Music for Visual Media ?
> 
> ...


Wendy Carlos?


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## Farkle (Jun 11, 2021)

muziksculp said:


> Hi,
> 
> I'm curious if anyone is experimenting with producing Synth Based Orchestral Music for Visual Media ?
> 
> ...


Kinda???

One of my templates is a retro 90's VGM template, I loaded it up with Sound Canvas (I have the old Virtual Sound Canvas Plugin); so I sound like an old Final Fantasy game, haha! 

Mike


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## Trash Panda (Jun 11, 2021)

muziksculp said:


> What is that ?








Corin Neff - The Zebra Orchestra


Buy The Zebra Orchestra here




esgalachoir.wixsite.com


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## tomosane (Jun 11, 2021)

Dunno if this counts as "samples" or not, but:



https://www.indiginus.com/solid-state-symphony


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## lychee (Jun 11, 2021)

I am precisely in a process of creating an orchestra without the use of samples.
I have bought so many sample-based plugins that ultimately didn't fully fulfill their roles, or just disappointed me.
In this process, I bought Reason Friktion for all that is strings, Wivi for the brass and woodwinds, and Chromaphone for the percussion part.
I still have some work to do to make the set credible, but the current result is already satisfactory to my ears.
The sample is an easy option to take directly the essence of an instrument, but it does not allow to play the result as the original, because the sample is too frozen.
The synthesis it allows to go much further, but requires more R&D, and this is surely what slows down many developers.
In any case, the more alternatives there are to the sample for acoustic music, the more actors we will have who will want to get involved in this adventure.


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## muziksculp (Jun 11, 2021)

Here are some examples, they were mostly late 70's and 80's releases.

i.e. Larry Fast Synergy Albums.

Not traditional orchestral music, but creative orchestration with synthetic sounds to create a synthetic orchestra.











Here is another older classic synth album by Amin Bhatia, titled The Interstellar Suite, produced using synths.


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## Rctec (Jun 11, 2021)




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## muziksculp (Jun 11, 2021)

Rctec said:


>



Yes, Yes... how can I forget Maestro Tomita . 

@Rctec, Thanks for reminding me.


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## muziksculp (Jun 11, 2021)

Here is another that's a bit more recent, and a bit different to the older classic synth orch. stuff. But mostly synthetic. Love this one.

Chris Tilton SimCity : Cities of Tomorrow, EA Games Soundtrack (2013).


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## lastmessiah (Jun 11, 2021)

Depends what your meaning of "orchestra" is. I often employ synthetic sounds that could fill in for your typical strings, brass, woodwinds, etc. But I don't necessarily compose with them in the way a traditional orchestrator would.


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## givemenoughrope (Jun 11, 2021)

For me, the way the main motif goes from orchestra to synths by the end makes it one of my favorites, really fits with the idea behind the film too



A no frills synth demo but good enough that I bought one:


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## Alchemedia (Jun 11, 2021)

Farkle said:


> Kinda???
> 
> One of my templates is a retro 90's VGM template, I loaded it up with Sound Canvas (I have the old Virtual Sound Canvas Plugin); so I sound like an old Final Fantasy game, haha!
> 
> Mike


I still have my Sound Canvas.


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## lychee (Jun 12, 2021)

I obviously answered next to the question, but how can we define that music is orchestral without the sounds used being those of a traditional orchestra?
Maybe you should use the word synthetic symphony instead?


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## GNP (Jun 12, 2021)

I'm still (probably forever will be) making a huge Zebra library consisting of "soft", "filtered" and gentle sounds that could at this point already make up an "orchestra" of its own. I find it very useful to make modern scores, without actual orchestral samples.


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## Pier (Jun 15, 2021)

Trash Panda said:


> Corin Neff - The Zebra Orchestra
> 
> 
> Buy The Zebra Orchestra here
> ...


Woah.

I've listened to the Zebra Orchestra before but it's always impressive.

I'm going to buy it just to study the presets.


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## Locks (Jun 24, 2021)

givemenoughrope said:


> For me, the way the main motif goes from orchestra to synths by the end makes it one of my favorites, really fits with the idea behind the film too


Nice. I love the soundtrack to "The Thing". Especially "Antarctica, Winter 1982". Iconic track.


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## Lunatique (Tuesday at 5:38 PM)

muziksculp said:


> Here is another older classic synth album by Amin Bhatia, titled The Interstellar Suite, produced using synths.



I'm a big fan of Bhatia's Virtuality album, and he did an electronic version of Ravel's Bolero:


What's very interesting about this take, is that he started off using the most simple and primitive old synth sounds, and then as the piece progressed, he started shift the instruments to more and more modern synth sounds through the decades, until they are realistic modern orchestral sample libraries of that time.


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