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Sample Modeling Strings playing Lord of the Rings by Howard Shore.

Leandro Gardini

Senior Member
I am happy to announce the release of the first episode "Taking Your Strings to the Next Level."

Taking Your Strings to the Next Level is a series of short videos where I will share how to improve your string mockups using the new Sample Modeling Solo & Ensemble strings.
I carefully chose some of the most difficult pieces of music to mockup and put them into four episodes. The first one playing the Beethoven's 5th Symphony can be seen here.



If you want to read the full article click on the following link of Gardini School Blog.


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The second episode is up and running now. This time I've made a mockup of Mozart's Symphony no.40.



If you want to read the full article click on the following link of Gardini School Blog.

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This is the mockup of a cue from Gladiator score by Hans Zimmer.
Patricide was a big challenge because of the many different characteristics of the strings.
70% to 80% of the strings are Sample Modeling.
The new tutorial about this mockup is coming soon.



Let me know your impressions!

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The 3rd episode of the series is finally out!

This time let's see how we can achieve the minimum and the maximum of drama with virtual strings.
The chosen piece, as above, is the Gladiator score by Hans Zimmer.



To read and watch the full article click on the following link.

For more free tutorials don't forget to subscribe to my Youtube channel and the Gardini School newsletter.

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The 4th and last mockup of Taking Your Strings to the Next Level is finally out.

This time I thought it would be very instructive to work on another film music that has some beautiful melodies and is a big challenge for any midi orchestrator.
The music of Lord of the Rings was the chosen one.



Stay tuned, the tutorial of how I programmed this music is coming soon.
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I am happy to announce the release of the 4th and last episode of our acclaimed series Taking Your Strings to the Next Level.

Now it is time to work on a realistic mockup of Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Seriously, if you wish to improve your string programming like never before, you should study this free tutorial and all the previous ones, if you haven't done so yet. You simply can't miss these materials!
I believe there's no teaching about midi mockups that is so detailed and deep as Scoring Tools Masterclass.
I put in this course everything that I know about midi orchestration. Therefore, next time, don't ask me which library I use, but instead, ask me how I use them.


Let me know your impressions.
 
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Loved the beginning, got really exited hearing that Beethoven Demo, but I stopped after you said that this tutorial is about Sample Modelling Strings, which I dont have (which I would like to have, but can't afford right now). Anyway, I guess people with that software can learn a lot, because that 5th Symphonie Mockup really sounds very very good.
 
Loved the beginning, got really exited hearing that Beethoven Demo, but I stopped after you said that this tutorial is about Sample Modelling Strings, which I dont have (which I would like to have, but can't afford right now). Anyway, I guess people with that software can learn a lot, because that 5th Symphonie Mockup really sounds very very good.

Thanks for the heads up.
 
This sounds really good. The strings have nice expression and are obviously very versatile. I've always found that you have to sacrifice sound for versatility with a lot of these types of libraries. But I don't really see that being the case here.

This is also the first I hear from the Cello and Basses in isolation and they sound good as well.

I guess the Brass is SM Brass? At least it sounds like it.
I can't figure what Woodwinds your using? Audio Modeling?
 
Doesn't necessarily take a video; just conscientiously follow the initials: RTFM!
 
Lots of really good advice re programming SM libraries.

This is my dilemma, and it's not aimed specifically at your video - I've struggled with this problem many times before after hours of work with SM libraries: I'd never choose to listen to this as a finished piece for pleasure.

As a demo to play to someone else then yes, it's very good. But using the notation software of your choice with Noteperformer will yield results not a million miles away from this and be much, much quicker to achieve, assuming the composer reads notation. Sure, the expression wont be as compelling but it is enough to give a decent impression so why bother with all the programming? Either it sounds like the finished product or just use noteperformer.
 
This sounds really good. The strings have nice expression and are obviously very versatile. I've always found that you have to sacrifice sound for versatility with a lot of these types of libraries. But I don't really see that being the case here.

This is also the first I hear from the Cello and Basses in isolation and they sound good as well.

I guess the Brass is SM Brass? At least it sounds like it.
I can't figure what Woodwinds your using? Audio Modeling?
It is indeed a versatile library with a very good sound. The other sections are Infinite Series.
 
Very good!!!
How do you compere to other string libraries ?
I don't think there is any other library that can "perform" the 5th symphony like Sample Modeling.
Every other sample library has its all fingerprint no matter how you customize it. I am amazed by how you can shape and change the expression of Sample Modeling. In the end, this is your sound on the library and not the library in your sound.
 
Lots of really good advice re programming SM libraries.

This is my dilemma, and it's not aimed specifically at your video - I've struggled with this problem many times before after hours of work with SM libraries: I'd never choose to listen to this as a finished piece for pleasure.

As a demo to play to someone else then yes, it's very good. But using the notation software of your choice with Noteperformer will yield results not a million miles away from this and be much, much quicker to achieve, assuming the composer reads notation. Sure, the expression wont be as compelling but it is enough to give a decent impression so why bother with all the programming? Either it sounds like the finished product or just use noteperformer.
These are all different approaches that provide us different results. I've never used any notation software to program samples but I've seen some good results. However, in my opinion, if you what to achieve the best results you have to use the notation software to what it has been designed for.
 
I just didn’t like the sound of those strings, especially the vibrato.
I can take the blame. This library is so versatile that if anything goes wrong the problem is in the usage and not in the instrument (at least in the majority of cases). However, I don't think you would dislike it if you didn't know it was midi.
 
Hej Leandro,

cool video and great that you are explaining techniques for the next level of string realism. But I am not quite stoked about the result with that mockup...:( unfortunately because I think you put quite some work in there. And it is indeed a hard piece but I doubt that its only possible with sample modeling. Actually I don´t think the sound of that strings in that context is doing that composition a favor..they simply sound super fake .I mean, thats not aimed at you, but in that regards I am on Jays side with that. Especially those dadada dahhh..left to be desired...The fluidity of the lines is great, no doubt about that, but the sonic apperance is total fake, I am sorry. Just my opinion of course.

I mean..thats a quick take done with other libraries and what I miss on the sm in particular is that aggressivness and ommpf. You know? When the cellos with DB and Violas build that melange of "unity". I am not sure if you could tweak your strings quite a bit? Also..I mean that is matter of taste but I find the entrance somehow a way too slow. But sure..there are tons of different interpretations out there, so that it is surely up to taste. And I am 100 percent sure that with enough work you could mockup that piece with other libraries too which I believe would in the end sound better..from a "macro" perspective speaking.

 
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I can take the blame. This library is so versatile that if anything goes wrong the problem is in the usage and not in the instrument (at least in the majority of cases). However, I don't think you would dislike it if you didn't know it was midi.

No, I would dislike it if it was real also, but despite your prodigious skill set, it would not fool anyone who has experience with real strings.
 
No, I would dislike it if it was real also, but despite your prodigious skill set, it would not fool anyone who has experience with real strings.

Jay just said what was on my mind.

No disrespect meant, it's not a bad video at all imo. I didn't have a problem with it before the proclamations of it sounding authentic came up.

Not here. Too many ears with too many miles.
 
No, I would dislike it if it was real also, but despite your prodigious skill set, it would not fool anyone who has experience with real strings.
Jay, no offense taken, but maybe you are right and those string players that I have shown are not paying close attention to the mockup because none of them so far got suspicious it was a virtual orchestra. A question that I have received from them was "where was this recording?"
Virtual instruments will always have a long way to go until they sound like a talented musician, however, I have the impression that the modern composers, that usually spent much more time in front of the computers than in front of a real orchestra, are losing the perspective of reality.
Today is much easier to know how we would like an instrument to sound than how it really sounds.
I respect your opinion about the sound of this library and I believe you know how the real strings sound, but saying that it would not fool ANYONE who has experience with real strings is too much, otherwise I have to deal with better musicians because it has fooled some of them.
 
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