# Midi files for balance?



## MarcelM (Oct 27, 2015)

hello,

iam quite a beginner when it comes to orchestration and iam not very good at note reading.
ive come to a point where i would like to balance my orchestra template, and i know the best advice you can get is to transcribe scores.

so for people like me what would be the best advice? learn note reading far better? 

or is there someone so generous and can give me some john williams midi mockup or something similar? would be really nice and i would prefer this one for now 

regards


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## Lassi Tani (Oct 27, 2015)

Hi! The answer might be obvious: Learn note reading :D. It's hard in the beginning, but it'll be definitely worth it. Note reading is essential, if you want to study scores and learn from the masters.

But you can balance your orchestral template also by ear. Transcribing is of course the best method, not only for template balancing, but also learning composing.


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## MarcelM (Oct 27, 2015)

yah, i spend alot of time at the moment to learn all this stuff and i guess note reading is more important if you want to do orchestral music.

maybe i can learn it from some youtube videos or i will have a look at some books. 

some midi files would have been nice anyway


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## Lassi Tani (Oct 27, 2015)

Note reading is important for orchestral music, but why not also for other genres too. Books are good, if you have time, and you should spend plenty of time.  I'd recommend this book: .

Learn the skills by yourself first, there are no shortcuts


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## germancomponist (Oct 27, 2015)

A midi file is the last idea, a very bad one, because any library reacts different to midi velocity data, not only soundwise ... .


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## BenG (Oct 29, 2015)

Obviously, learning to read music is the best advice. I would also suggest against using a midi file and they rarely sound natural, and should never be used for balancing as germancomponist is saying.

If you're still learning, what you can do in the meantime is...

Pick a favorite recording (Williams?) and try to play along with the music/themes. By comparing the two side by side, it will be clear what is sitting in the mix, what jumps out, volumes, reverb, panning, etc. Not ideal, but definitely a start. Give it a try!


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## MarcelM (Oct 29, 2015)

thanks for all the help.

iam already learning notes. the basic stuff seems to be kinda easy, but i guess it will take some time to really read a score.

meanwhile iam just doing that. listen to some john william scores and adjusting / learning


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## Lassi Tani (Oct 30, 2015)

And also you could buy e.g. John Williams Star Wars score, and study it while listening to his music.


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## Darthmorphling (Oct 30, 2015)

http://www.alexanderpublishing.com/Products/Visual-Orchestration-2--Articulations-and-Templates__Spec-VizOrch-02-Dwnld.aspx

For a start, this is a great resource for getting your template to a nice starting point.


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## Rctec (Oct 30, 2015)

germancomponist said:


> A midi file is the last idea, a very bad one, because any library reacts different to midi velocity data, not only soundwise ... .


So Right! If you want to balance your orchestra, import the audio of a recording you like, get the score and just match it with your samples. You'll learn about tempo, phrasing, orchestration, recording, programming...and most importantly - you learn how to really listen! - the reading bit is easy...


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## MarcelM (Oct 30, 2015)

it will be a long way, but iam willing to take it.

probably a bit late with my 42 years, but whatever.


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## Darthmorphling (Oct 30, 2015)

Heroix said:


> it will be a long way, but iam willing to take it.
> 
> probably a bit late with my 42 years, but whatever.



It's never too late. I started two years ago and am now 44. Couldn't read music to save my life, but now I can decipher a score for the most part. It's not readily apparent what key things are in, even with key signatures, but I can see how they orchestrated their piece. I can also follow along with the score in real time and see the motion in the music.

So enjoy your journey!


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## AlexandreSafi (Oct 30, 2015)

Heroix said:


> it will be a long way, but iam willing to take it.
> 
> probably a bit late with my 42 years, but whatever.


Nope... In just 6 months-to-a-year you'll be good to go, trust me..
Get Hindemith-Elementary Training For musicians
Practice it HARD, and i mean Asian sytle, but Practice "Slowly", it's really important...
Then Sight read/Play New Classical Sheet Music at the Piano everyday, to really learn the skill at first sight instead of Memorizing a single piece, so get Bach First Lessons & 371 Chorales and eventually move on to Beethoven if you really want to cement Vertical & Chordal reading...
Good Luck Heroix!
A.


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## MarcelM (Oct 30, 2015)

the book looks interesting. i never heard of it, but i googled it and iam gonna get it i think.

i might skip the piano part though. i can play a bit, and it is enough to record the midi tracks but i doubt ill be able to play beethoven soon 

so far i did all my stuff by ear only, but i understand i have to do some theory and will.

iam really happy about all the help here and all those kind words.. thanks guys!


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## NoamL (Oct 31, 2015)

Rctec said:


> So Right! If you want to balance your orchestra, import the audio of a recording you like, get the score and just match it with your samples. You'll learn about tempo, phrasing, orchestration, recording, programming...and most importantly - you learn how to really listen! - the reading bit is easy...



Yep, I've done this... it's so educational for orchestration!!

Heroix - and anyone else who would like to try - here is the MIDI for a John Williams piece I recently mocked up. The score is available from Hal Leonard_._

I have _removed _all of the automation data & phrasing, except for the tempo map... it's up to you to craft a realistic performance. Look at the score! 

*DOWNLOAD MIDI*

Of course, Heroix you should still learn score study... it is a very valuable resource for understanding orchestration as well. I recommend Kent Kennan's "Technique Of Orchestration."


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