# Help with understanding which "type" of orchestra this is



## Ectomorph (Jul 29, 2019)

Hello, my first post here.

I really like the sound of this soundtrack and stumbled upon a video where you can see how it was recorded. (orchestral video starts at about 0:50)



I need a bit of help understanding what "type" of orchestra this is (sorry if I'm using the wrong terminology).
When I look at sample libraries online the orchestral ones are often titled "Studio Strings" or "Symphonic Strings" for example. I understand this depends on where it was recorded and maybe how many players there are. Some library demos I've heard sound massive and Hollywood-esque whereas the orchestra in the video I posted sounds a lot tighter and up-front imo. Is it simply because it was recorded in a studio (and not a stage), is it because it has fewer players than say a "Hans Zimmer"-type score? Or can you achieve that same sound with a "Symphonic" library just adjusting the microphone levels?

If I were to purchase an orchestra library (or just a string and/or brass library), what should I be looking for if I want to achieve that sound? Is it Studio-X or should I primarily look at how many players were recorded?

Thanks in advance


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## JohnG (Jul 29, 2019)

Trying to match this (or any) sound requires a little of both -- how many players in each section, and how they are recorded. Alas, although you could study the video and probably get close to the number of players, it's never easy to guess exactly which microphones they used in the final mix. Moreover, just because you only see, say, 18 string players (or whatever it is -- I didn't count) doesn't mean you are _hearing_ only 18 string players, because they might have stacked them (recorded twice and mixed both performances together). 

In this video, there are mics very close to the players but there are also mics for the room, usually a set near the conductor, and maybe others (recently my engineer used 79 mics in a big room) and the balance among them makes a big difference to the sound. That, unfortunately, you can only discover through trial and error.

So What?

In general, to match this sound, you would want a drier, less "ambient" sound, which you'd normally achieve with a relatively small section of strings, mic'd relatively close. Not necessarily super close, but not far, far away. Not, in other words, as if you were listening from the very back of a large cathedral (to take an exaggerated example).

Normally that means "studio" brass and strings, by contrast with "symphonic."

It's also good to buy libraries that offer multiple mic positions -- close, stage, room, and "ambient" if they are available. I prefer more choices to fewer, but those libraries sometimes cost more.

Listen to demos very, very carefully, on good speakers and / or headphones before you make your final choice.


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