# Learn from one of the best orchestrators out there!



## lucor (Feb 10, 2020)

Robin Hoffmann - Composer | creating Orchestral Music and Online Education about it | Patreon


Become a patron of Robin Hoffmann - Composer today: Get access to exclusive content and experiences on the world’s largest membership platform for artists and creators.




www.patreon.com





Just a quick heads up that Robin Hoffmann is now on Patreon.
If you don't know him, Robin is IMO one of the very top composers and orchestrators currently out there (I think even Mike Verta once said that there is only 2 people in the world he would trust with orchestrating his own music, with Robin being one of them).
He has also been very generous to the community these past few years with his daily tips about film scoring and by sharing a lot of his scores for free, so I think now might be a good time to give a little bit back! 

His Patreon is still rather new, but there's already a ton of good stuff there, including two scores and the first 4 parts of a (text based) walkthrough for this piece:


----------



## Robin (Feb 10, 2020)

Thank you Lucas, much appreciated!


----------



## lucor (Feb 18, 2020)

My pleasure!


----------



## Robin (Mar 30, 2020)

For everybody who wants to get their fingers on a multitrack session with all microphone signals from this real orchestra recording I made it now available to Download (including MIDI and Score Sheet) exclusively for my patrons at my Patreon page:



https://www.patreon.com/posts/gazing-at-night-35393958


----------



## lucor (Apr 6, 2021)

Time for a bump!  

The Patreon is still going strong and is better than ever! Apart from the already great content (see the Table of Contents below) Robin now also started doing *Composition Screencasts*, where he takes you through the composing and mockup process of the piece "Returning Home" (more pieces will follow in the future).



There's also the *DISCOVERY SESSIONS*, where Robin will occasionally invite a few people to record their music with live ensembles, the first one being a Woodwind Quintet.

I'll attach a table of contents of everything that you'll find on his Patreon page so far, and a FAQ on the Discovery Sessions below (spread out over the next posts due to character limitations), so you can get a better idea.

Hope to see some of you there!


----------



## lucor (Apr 6, 2021)

TABLE OF CONTENTS:​
COMPOSITION SCREENCASTS​Returning Home (Romantic Theme):​
Part 7 (Studio One)
Part 6 (Dorico)
Part 5 (Dorico)
Part 4 (Dorico)
Part 3 (Dorico)
Part 2 (Dorico)
Part 1 (Dorico)
COMPOSITION WALKTHROUGHS​Hero (Short Film Score):​
Part 18 - M6
Part 17 - M6
Part 16 - M6
Part 15 - M5
Part 14 - M5
Part 13 - M4
Part 12 - M3
Part 11 - M3
Part 10 - M3
Part 9 - M2
Part 8 - M2
Part 7 - M1/M2
Part 6 - M1
Part 5 - M1
Part 4 - M1
Part 3 - M1
Part 2 - Concept and Thematic Material
Part 1 - Introduction
A War Within (Feature Film):​
Part 1 - Introduction
Gazing at the Night Sky (Scifi Adventure Cue):​
Part 7
Part 6
Part 5
Part 4
Part 3
Part 2
Part 1 - Concept and Theme
Mix Walkthrough
A Father's Job (Short Film):​
Concept and Main Theme
We Have To Shake Them Off (Action Piece):​
Part 11 - Strings Mockup + Stems + Midi Files
Part 10 - Brass Mockup
Part 9 - Woodwinds Mockup
Part 8
Part 7
Part 6
Part 5
Part 4
Part 3
Part 2 - More Concept and Line-Up
Part 1 - The Concept
TUTORIALS​Reharmonisation:​
Part 5 - Sustaining Harmony I
Part 4 - Secondary Dominants
Part 3 - Standard Substitutions I
Part 2 - Bass Notes I
Part 1 - Introduction
Notation and Engraving for Scoring Sessions:​
Part 5 - Shorthands and Efficiency
Part 4 - Dynamics
Part 3 - Parts
Part 2 - Score Sheet
Part 1 - Introduction
Scoring Session 101:​
Part 6 - Recording 2
Part 5 - Recording 1
Part 4 - The Booth
Part 3 - Click Tracks
Part 2 - Session Preparations
Part 1 - Recording Order
Orchestral Voicings:​
Part 16 - Dynamic Envelopes
Part 15 - Registral Homogenity
Part 14 - The Influence of Dynamics
Part 13 - What is Balancing?
Part 12 - Line-Up Considerations
Part 11 - The Orchestral Context
Part 10 - Managing Dissonances (feat. Rite of Spring)
Part 9 - Cluster Voicings
Part 8 - Quartal and Quintal Voicings
Part 7 - Surrounding Context
Part 6 - A Closer Look at Intervallic Constructions
Part 5 - Extended Harmony and Problematic Intervals 2
Part 4 - Extended Harmony and Problematic Intervals 1
Part 3 - Low Interval Limits 2
Part 2 - Low Interval Limits 1
Part 1 - Introduction
Budget Options for Recording Orchestras:​
Part 6 - The Super Cheap Options
Part 5 - Prague, Budapest etc.
Part 4 - Berlin, Vienna, Sydney etc.
Part 3 - London & Los Angeles
Part 2 - Custom and Shared Sessions
Part 1 - Fundamentals
Making V-I More Interesting:​
Part 3 - The I Side
Part 2 - The V Side 2
Part 1 - The V Side 1
Patron Composition Feedback:​
Dave Gottlieb - Composition Feedback June 2020
Benjamin Goldman - Composition Feedback May 2020
Jordain Wallace - Composition Feedback March 2020
Multitrack/MIDI Downloads:​
Hero - M1
Gazing at the Night Sky (Scifi Adventure Track)
A Father's Job - M10 (+Basic Mix Tutorial)
Pastry Party - Feed the Puppies
Pastry Party - Boss Battle
Pastry Party - Waffle Mode
Pastry Party - Feed the Customer
Pastry Party - World Map
One Minute Hero (Action Track)
We Have to Shake Them Off (Action Track)
Score Sheet/Dorico Files Downloads:​
Three Christmas Themes
A Father's Job (Short Film Score)
Gazing At The Night Sky - Orchestra Recording & Score Sheet
Diamond Heist - Big Band + Orchestra Score Sheet
Pirate Waters - Adventure Cue with Score Sheet
We Have to Shake Them Off! - Audio and Score Sheet
Orchestra Discovery Sessions:​
1st ODS - Winner Announcement
1st ORCHESTRA DISCOVERY SESSION
Audio File Downloads:​
Returning Home (Romantic Theme from Composition Screencast)
A Father's Job (Short Film Score)
Gazing At The Night Sky - Orchestra Recording & Score Sheet
SINGLE POSTS​Business/Career/Contract:​
The Unpredictability of Work Load
The Unglamorous Side of the Film Scoring Industry
Agreeing to a Revenue Percentage Deal
How Attractive is it for a Composer to Write Music for Media
How I Made a Sustainable Income from Writing Music
A Media Composer's Moral Responsibilities
Communication and Organisation Schedule
Ambition vs. Reality When Writing Music for Media
Developing a Thick Skin
What to Include in Written Agreements for Composers
Generating Expectable Feedback
The Composer-Orchestrator Relationship
Going the Extra Mile
Sending Out Unsolicited Emails
My Story of Musical Specialization
Film Score Theory/Film Score History & Development:​
The Film Music Age of Sampling
Key Signature Dramaturgy Over an Entire Score
The Recent Evolution of Film Music - Part 3
The Recent Evolution of Film Music - Part 2
The Recent Evolution of Film Music - Part 1
Scoring Competitions (feat. Spitfire Audio)
Music and Emotional Manipulation
The John Williams Phenomenon
Film Scoring:​
"Treading Water" Between Hitpoints
Too Many Themes
Working Backwards
De-Emphasizing with Music
Red Herrings and Musical Jump Scares
How Exactly Do You Need to Place a Musical Hit Point?
Practice Small Emotions
Sacrificing Hit Points for the Higher Purpose
Cue Starts and Cue Ends
Study/Work/Creativity/Practice:​
Practice Routines
The "Know Your Music Theory" Argument
Why You Shouldn't Use Your Primary Instrument for Writing Music
Maturing Voice as a Composer
The Composer's Solitude
The Side Effects of Teaching Music
Re-Scoring Blockbuster Scenes as Demo Material
Make No Excuses (in spite of Dunning-Kruger)
Mindsets about Learning to Compose
Work Process Streamlining
Channeling Your Creativity
Writing "Musician's Music"
Pros and Cons of Getting a Music Degree
Talent, Practice and Musical Education
Orchestration:​
Legato on Strings
Avoiding the Organ Effect
The Emancipation of Note Releases
Pizzicato Pet Peeves
What's the Big Deal With the Lips of Brass Players?
The Contrabass Lowest Register and Its Limitations
Why Do Brass Instruments Sound Like That?
String Divisi Dos and Don'ts
String Trills and Tremolos Physical Limitations
Staccato vs. Spiccato
String Line-Up Sizes
Why to write for instruments that can't be heard in the mix anyway?
Glissando and Portamento
"Favourite Keys" on Orchestral Instruments
Pros and Cons of the Homogenous Sound of the String Section
Instrumental Solos
Low and High Horns in Film Scoring
Leaving Out the Bass Register
Unison Between Two Identical Instruments
Composition:​
Hummable Melodies
Don't Spoil Your Musical Target
Key Signature Dramaturgy Over an Entire Score
Why You Shouldn't Use Your Primary Instrument for Writing Music
Musical Contrasts and Transitions
Tension and Resolution (feat. Gustav Mahler)
Diminished Chords
Working Backwards
Vertical and Horizontal Musical Development
Symmetric Scales (feat. Debussy and Messiaen)
The Advantages of Writing Score Sheets over DAW Production
Cmaj7 vs. C6 vs. C6/9
Bidrectional Application of the Scale-Chord Relationship
Voice Leading Priorities
The Big Deal With Parallel Fifths (and Octaves)
Polychords
The Big Deal With Doubling the Third
Building Towards a Musical Climax
Technical:​
The Technical Aspect and Work Flow of Orchestration in the 21st Century Pt.1
My (Current) Work Setup (June 2020)
Sub Bass Frequencies and Acoustic Instruments
3D Audio Formats in Film Scoring
Orchestral Template - Walkthrough
Cutting Through the Sound FX with Score
Score Analysis:​
John Williams - Home Alone - "House Theme" - In Depth Analysis
Comparing Scoring Approaches Pt. 1 (John Powell & John Williams)
Sample Reviews:​
Cinematic Studio Strings
Wrap-Ups:​
March 2021 - Wrap-Up
February 2021 Wrap-Up
January 2021 Wrap-Up
December 2020 Wrap-Up
November 2020 Wrap-Up
October 2020 Wrap-Up
September 2020 Wrap-Up
August 2020 Wrap-Up
July 2020 Wrap-Up
June 2020 Wrap-Up
May 2020 Wrap-Up
April 2020 Wrap-Up
March 2020 Wrap-Up
February 2020 Wrap-Up
January 2020 Wrap-Up
Miscellaneous:​
Podcast about Filmmusic, Film and HERO


----------



## lucor (Apr 6, 2021)

FAQ ON ORCHESTRA DISCOVERY SESSIONS​
*What is an ORCHESTRA DISCOVERY SESSION?*
From now on, my goal is to hold regular professional recording sessions with live musicians specifically for this Patreon Page. I will write one or several pieces for these occasions and document the process on here. Also, we can use these sessions to experiment and try out things. For instance we can investigate how different instrumental combinations or how different voicings will sound. But the most exciting thing is: *on every session I will invite a handful of you guys to record your pieces with the ensemble.

How do you finance this?*
As you might have noticed, all your pledges currently generate about 750$ per month. I use some of that money to pay for this session. We're starting with a quite small line-up on this session to be financially affordable and reduce the financial risk that I'm taking with this. In the future, hopefully with some considerable growth of patrons and income, I hope I will be able to fund larger ensembles. The idea is to increase the line-up every time a bit more until we hopefully reach full orchestra size.

*How often will these sessions take place?*
Currently, about two small ensemble sessions per year are within reach. Ideally, I would like to be able to fund four full orchestral sessions each year but this goal is still in the rather far future.

*When will the first session take place and what line-up will it be?*
Most likely, we'll have the first session towards the end of the first quarter or early second quarter of 2021 (if Corona allows). I started a separate poll about the line-up for the first session. You can vote for either String Quartet, Brass Quartet, Woodwind Quintet or Piano Quartet.

*Where and how will it be recorded?*
We will either record in Prague or Budapest in a professional recording studio with a proper mic setup. All musicians will be professional session musicians so the result will be a professional performance and recording.

*Ok, I'm excited! How do I apply to have my music recorded there?*
Towards the end of the year, there will be an official application launch date. After this date you can send me some of your music (ideally in notated form + audio demo). It can be any music (for acoustic instruments). So you don't need to write anything for the line-up that we're recording just yet, but of course you can also send something in that incorporates it already.

So based on what you send in, I will pick the patrons who will get the chance to record in this first ORCHESTRA DISCOVERY SESSION. In my decision I will favor the following:

People who I think will have the greatest learning experience from recording their music with real musicians.
People who write the most attractive compositions but don't have a large track record of constantly working with live ensembles.
I will also pick one or two "runner-up" spots who will also be recorded in case we have session time left or one of the picked candidates can't make it or gets cold feet.

In the future I plan to install a jury for these kind of decisions or have a community vote as I don't want to carry it alone but in order to not make things too complicated for this first attempt at this project, this time I will chose the winners.

After the candidates are picked, they will get enough time to write their pieces for the line-up that is set for the recording.

I will guide your process if needed and the process of your writing should be documented. Ideally it would be great if you could do one or a few write-ups of your thought process when writing these cues, problems that you came across etc and generally talk us through your composition. Alternatively you could record a screencast, a podcast or whatever you feel comfortable with but it would be mandatory to document your process for the community so that everybody has a learning experience. I will do my best to give you advices and help to bring the piece into the best shape for the recording and of course document that here as well.

*Anything else that I need to do to qualify?*
Yes. At the date of the application launch, you should have gone through at least three consecutive payment cycles in the $12 or higher tier or at least six consecutive payment cycles in the $5 tier. People in the $1 tier will not be able to participate. You should also stay in your tier (or upgrade) until after the session. By the way, if you join the $12 tier until September 30th, you will be able to apply for this session as you will have fullfilled the three payment cycles before the application starts.

*What kind of music can I record?*
You can record anything that works with the line-up at a maximum length of two minutes. Ideally this should be one piece, but two shorter pieces that add up to two minutes will also be acceptable. Of course we need to keep an eye on the difficulty level as it will be a sight reading session but as mentioned above, I will give you advice on this. I will try to give you as much freedom as possible but in case I need to step in to make sure that we can get it recorded in time you need to follow my remarks. Also, the music should not be touched by any third party rights as this might interfere with your ability to document the process of inception as mentioned above.

*How will the recordings work?*
I will let you know the recording date and location well in advance. You can either come to the session personally (at your own expense) or listen via high quality source connect internet stream and give feedback during recording.

*What will I need to prepare for the session?*
You should provide the score and parts as PDF as well as a Protools Session or MIDI file with the tempo track. For efficiency reasons we will record the pieces to click. Again, if needed I will guide you on this process.

*What will I get after the session?*
You will get the entire Protools Session of your piece that includes all microphones and all takes. If you don't have a copy of Protools, I or maybe someone else from the community could export multitrack audio files from the session so you have the separate takes and all microphones as single audio files.
You can then go ahead and edit and mix the track yourself or hand it over to a mix engineer of your choice.
The final recordings will also be shared here along with their score sheets.

*What can I do with the recording?*
There is no limitation. The recording is a buyout, so you can sell it, release it, license it, use it in a commercial project or bury it on your hard disc forever. Whatever you like. However, if you release it, I would appreciate if you would mention that it was made possible through this Patreon site, for instance as track description on Soundcloud or on your website.

*Will I only be able to apply once for a session?*
No. You can apply every time we hold an ORCHESTRA DISCOVERY SESSION. I of course will favor people who have not been recorded yet in the pre selection to give a fair chance to as many people as possible but in case there are not enough applicants or you really knock my socks off I would consider putting you back on the shortlist.

*I love the idea but don't feel secure enough yet to apply or don't have time for this. Is there anything else I can do to support this cool idea?*
Absolutely! Let your composer friends know of this possibility. As I mentioned above, the more people we gather here, the bigger line-ups we can book and the more often we can do such recordings.

*I love the idea and would love to take part but don't want to go through all these steps described above to record there, is there any other way?*
Yes, we can modularly extend the session so if you want to record something that fits that line-up we can just book more session time and charge you with the extra costs (which will be less than booking a session on your own). Please contact me privately to discuss the possibilities.

*Will anything else on this site change?*
No, all other things on here will remain just as they are. You will get your regular dose of tutorials, articles, composition walkthroughs etc. so these sessions are just an awesome new bonus feature you get with your membership.

*So where's the catch?*
There is none apart from the rules that I mentioned above. I'm taking on a bit of a financial risk and apart from this need to invest quite a bit of time into this but I hope that it pays off in an increased community spirit, a bigger reach and a joint excitement about recording real musicians and not just pushing samples around in a DAW.


----------



## gohrev (Apr 8, 2021)

Subscribed!


----------

