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Sunt lacrimae rerum - piece for two violins, viola, and cello

muk

Senior Member
Hi everyone,

Here is a new piece I just finished: 'Sunt lacrimae rerum' for two violins, viola, and cello.

https://app.box.com/s/tlxqk05gffeotbq70yah18fb3w0yb12s

Any comments on the music and the mix are appreciated. I used very light touches on the mix intentionally. I thought the intimate, direct sound suits the music well. So not much reverb and polish.

And here is a version with piano. (A semitone lower because I like the resonance of the piano in this range).

'Sunt rerum lacrimae reprise':

https://app.box.com/s/6erzzn7j37g4vjqi6xue8sxz6mbubsb5

Thank you for listening!
 
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I enjoyed it, thanks for sharing. Gotta love those sus chords. :thumbsup:

May I ask which lib(s) you used? The intimate quartet sound is terrific.
 
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Thank you all. @Tacet the quartet version is an actual recording. For the piano version I used the Fracture Sounds Woodchester piano.

Thank you @miket. Glad you like both versions. It's nice that apparently they both bring different aspects of the piece to the surface.
 
quartet version is an actual recording.


Thought so. In fact, not that solo strings libraries have come a long way in the last 2-3 years, but if its possible to get anything remotely approaching the nuance of those performances out of a sample library in even the next decade I'll be shocked (though also overjoyed).


Again, beautiful piece, beautifully performed.
 
Thought so. In fact, not that solo strings libraries have come a long way in the last 2-3 years, but if its possible to get anything remotely approaching the nuance of those performances out of a sample library in even the next decade I'll be shocked (though also overjoyed).
Right you are :blush:.

But a guy can dream, no? ;)
 
Well I actually started a mockup of the piece with Cinematic Studio Solo Strings. But I quickly realized that it won't work. Much as I like CSSS, I concur that solo strings libraries are a long way off of working in a string quartet setting. The difference to a real recording is huge.
 
I nearly fell of my chair at the quality of that *library*
Simultaneously glad that you had this played and recorded by a real quartet (for my ears, and for you) and yet also disappointed that it isn't something I already own :D

The piece itself is absolutely fantastic. Really enjoyed it!!!
 
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Very nice, indeed, and the quartet has such an intimate, melancholic sound, it fits the track like a glove.
 
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@I like music Haha, yeah it definitely would be nice to have a solo strings library that can produce such results. Maybe in the future. In any case it was a very nice experience having my piece recorded by real players.

Thank you Rob, glad you like it.

Thanks @TGV. I like the sound of the quartet as well. It has a very nice human feel to it. They are very nice people to work with, and the players immediately understood where I wanted to go with the music. So I'm very pleased with the result.

Interestingly I find that their sound is much more intimate and direct than that of the solo string libraries I have. They all sound processed in comparison. I'm sure the performance plays a huge part in this too. But still, the work that has do be done to the samples to make them into a library seems to take its toll too. In the end, for exposed string quartet music sample libraries don't come close to a real recording yet.
 
Actually I first read the header and was afraid to listen to... until I read it was a real recording. It's still hard to listen to sampled solo strings in most scenarios.
Interestingly I find that their sound is much more intimate and direct than that of the solo string libraries I have.
I think the main reason is that good real players can decide how intimate they want to sound. They can make a connection between the music and performance. That's a connection that is cut in sample world.

Anyway... great music!
 
Thanks Saxer. Agree on player interaction with the music. It's just not there with samples. Luckily, a string quartet is just four players, which makes a real recording somewhat affordable compared to a full orchestra.
 
Thanks Saxer. Agree on player interaction with the music. It's just not there with samples. Luckily, a string quartet is just four players, which makes a real recording somewhat affordable compared to a full orchestra.

Curious about the rough price ranges for a quartet of around this level? I guess it varies a bit.
Are you in the US?
 
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Thanks for sharing this. What space was the recording made in ? Sounds very controlled and up close.
 
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Thank you everyone.

Good question @ism! I didn't write it for a particular project, and I don't know yet if and how best to use it. But I think I will try to find a publisher for it. Ideally I could do a whole album in this style, with this track being a part of it. I haven't started researching, and haven't conatcted anybody yet. But I have a feeling that it won't be easy to find a publisher for this sort of music. So if it is going to be released at all, it will take time.

@I like music prices do vary. Here is a link about Leos Strings:


If you google you'll find quite a few remote recording services for string quartet, all with their own price. I'm in Europe. Switzerland, to be precise.

@col Two links where you can see a few photographs of the studio:



Each instrument was recorded with a spot mic, and I used reverb only sparingly. Hence the close sound. I think they will upload a short video (30 seconds or so) of the recording of my piece on their website soon. There you can see the exact setup for my recording.
 
Thank you everyone.

Good question @ism! I didn't write it for a particular project, and I don't know yet if and how best to use it. But I think I will try to find a publisher for it. Ideally I could do a whole album in this style, with this track being a part of it. I haven't started researching, and haven't conatcted anybody yet. But I have a feeling that it won't be easy to find a publisher for this sort of music. So if it is going to be released at all, it will take time.

@I like music prices do vary. Here is a link about Leos Strings:


If you google you'll find quite a few remote recording services for string quartet, all with their own price. I'm in Europe. Switzerland, to be precise.

@col Two links where you can see a few photographs of the studio:



Each instrument was recorded with a spot mic, and I used reverb only sparingly. Hence the close sound. I think they will upload a short video (30 seconds or so) of the recording of my piece on their website soon. There you can see the exact setup for my recording.

Thanks for the answers. Turns out, they are quite close to where I am (an hour or a bit more away!) and those are damn good rates (even if I haven't looked into rates for others, that's a pretty good price I feel!)
 
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