# Hedwigs Theme - first part - mockup



## renegade (Apr 17, 2015)

I have lots of time and no ideas :( ... so I made this in the meantime:

https://soundcloud.com/rene-gade/john-w ... eme-mockup

[flash width=500 height=100 loop=false]https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=https://soundcloud.com/rene-gade/john-williams-hedwigs-theme-mockup[/flash]

(Not a "members composition" of course but hope it's ok to put it here)


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## d.healey (Apr 17, 2015)

Very nice, how did you do the string runs? are they pre-recorded?


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## Mahlon (Apr 17, 2015)

Those string runs do sound excellent. Great job on the whole thing.

Mahlon


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## RiffWraith (Apr 17, 2015)

This sounds really good. Well, for samples 

Not a fan of the runs; they sound very accordion-ish. But, I know that runs from individ. notes are never going to sound real.

The horns need some work. Too dry, and a bit too "in your face". I would use some compression to smooth them out a bit.

All in all, very well done!


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## renegade (Apr 18, 2015)

Thanks for the comments!

Runs this fast is not easy to get to sound real (for samples). They play very fast and that means a lot of small inaccuracies from each player. Sometimes it gets rather blurred. Like a wave were each player is placed a tiny bit different in time and pitch, even though each player is following the wave.

My main sound is coming from HS and Sable (fast legato) layered. However that sounded too clean and, for this tempo, not "blurred" enough. So I added some Cornucopia strings (non-legato) , which I did some random (subtle) out of tune things with the pitch wheel. Then I double some of the peaks/accents with spicc or stac notes.
So that's a lot of strings playing...

It is as good as it gets this time. Even though it's not at all perfect I can't hear the accordion. What could be done to make it a bit more musical is to emphasize the dynamics even more.

Thanks again.


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## Guy Bacos (Apr 18, 2015)

Well done! I like how the string runs swing, I think you achieved the effect you were looking for. My only nit picking is that the horn sounds little too straight, like if it wasn't joining the party.


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## renegade (Apr 18, 2015)

Guy Bacos @ Sat 18 Apr said:


> Well done! I like how the string runs swing, I think you achieved the effect you were looking for. My only nit picking is that the horn sounds little too straight, like if it wasn't joining the party.



Hi Guy, thanks! I have great respect for your work - composition, arranging and mixing 

Guess I have to have another look a those horns...even though I keep inviting sample modeling to the party they are kind of hard to persuade  Maybe a happy hour will help...

...

Don't know if it's just me...but I don't like the celeste sound in the original. It has a weird ring to it. I like the one in Spitfire Perc. much better.


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## Lawson. (Apr 18, 2015)

Very nicely done! I gotta agree, though, the horns need some work. Sample Modeling can be a total pain to fit in the mix with.



renegade @ Sat Apr 18 said:


> Don't know if it's just me...but I don't like the celeste sound in the original. It has a weird ring to it. I like the one in Spitfire Perc. much better.



I'm pretty sure the HP celeste was layered with a DX-7, which may be the weirdness you're talking about.


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## renegade (Apr 18, 2015)

Lawson. @ Sat 18 Apr said:


> Very nicely done! I gotta agree, though, the horns need some work. Sample Modeling can be a total pain to fit in the mix with.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I've read something about layering too (in here somewhere I bet). That's probably the reason.

Thanks for the comment


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## Mahlon (Apr 18, 2015)

yeah, I don't hear an accordion at all. That's about as good as sampled runs are going to get. You've done knockout job on them.

Mahlon


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## Guy Bacos (Apr 18, 2015)

renegade @ Sat Apr 18 said:


> Guy Bacos @ Sat 18 Apr said:
> 
> 
> > Well done! I like how the string runs swing, I think you achieved the effect you were looking for. My only nit picking is that the horn sounds little too straight, like if it wasn't joining the party.
> ...




My only issue with the celesta is that it is quite upfront so it has a bit the ring of the glockenspiel, Maybe putting more back might give it more of that celesta magical sound, question of taste too. Regarding the uninvited horns to the party, what I,m hearing is a string section with exciting runs all over and in another room someone auditioning for the horn part and no party to go to. Maybe try to connect the 2 more, maybe blending them more?


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## RiffWraith (Apr 18, 2015)

Mahlon @ Sun Apr 19 said:


> yeah, I don't hear an accordion at all.



Yeah, I do. The place it is most evident is the very beginning of the last sequence of runs., right at :41. But it's not bad for samples.


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## Stradibaldi (Apr 19, 2015)

I think your strings are great o-[][]-o 

The celeste patch is for sale here, it was designed by Randy Kerber.

_How “Randy’s Celeste” came into being: “I was asked to create a sound that would capture the magical personality of Hedwig, the Owl in Harry Potter. First, I called up an initialized voice patch on the DX-7 synthesizer to embody the soft character of the celeste. Next, I combined a sample of an actual celeste. After some manipulation of these two instruments, I was able to arrive at the unique sound you hear today.”_

I think you could use a different reverb to better emulate the live version. The score has a foggy and dark space almost like a church, and the brass sounds quite distant. Your version is too dry and present like a scoring stage. When you have that woodwind combo on the melody (I think it's EHn+Alto Flute + solo Hn? somethng like that in the score) it sounds too attacky and present, whereas in the live score it's almost pure sustain sound.


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## renegade (Apr 19, 2015)

Stradibaldi @ Sun 19 Apr said:


> I think your strings are great o-[][]-o
> 
> I think you could use a different reverb to better emulate the live version. The score has a foggy and dark space almost like a church, and the brass sounds quite distant. Your version is too dry and present like a scoring stage. When you have that woodwind combo on the melody (I think it's EHn+Alto Flute + solo Hn? somethng like that in the score) it sounds too attacky and present, whereas in the live score it's almost pure sustain sound.



Thanks!

The melody is Alto Flute + Eng. Horn + Bassoon + Vibe + Harp in the score. The horns play the melody in the end (with the viola runs).

I created the piece from my template without too much tweaking. You're right that the original sounds more "distant". I think it's just as much an EQ thing as reverb. It needs to be more soft, especially the woods.

Hearing the original again this morning...the instruments just sits so nice an clean in the stereo field. That's good mixing skills...! I sometimes wonder how they can put so much reverb/hall in the mix without the definition suffers.

@Guy Thanks for clarifying!


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## Mahlon (Apr 19, 2015)

RiffWraith @ Sat Apr 18 said:


> Mahlon @ Sun Apr 19 said:
> 
> 
> > yeah, I don't hear an accordion at all.
> ...



Ahhh, I hear what you're saying.

Mahlon


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