Alex Weidmann

Interesting mixture of styles you have here Henry. On paper it shouldn't work; but I think you've pulled it off! Especially like the bluesy section. The lefthand figure from Chopin's Revolutionary Study made me laugh, because I once used that ostinato years ago for one of my own works.

Hi Luis, I've become very interested in music from Antiquity, like the Seikilos Epitaph, and Hurrian Hymn to Nikkal. I like the effort you've gone to here with retuning your scale. Octave species used in ancient music seems to be a very rich subject I've yet to fully understand! I sometimes wish film composers would employ the techniques you've used here, so they can create a more authentic musical language to reflect the ancient world. Seikilos epitaph Seikilos stele with poetry and musical notation Type Stele Material Marble Writing Koine Greek Created c. 1st or 2nd century AD, Tralles, Asia Minor Discovered 1883 Discovered by W. M. Ramsay Present location National Museum of Denmark

On this point, Bing AI said the following: ### **Considerations for Virtual Orchestration** - **Traditional vs. Modern Balance** – If aiming for a **historical or cinematic** sound, splitting violins left/right can add **depth**. If replicating a **modern concert hall**, keeping both violin sections left is more authentic. - **Stereo Width & Reverb** – Hard panning can feel unnatural; using **subtle stereo positioning** with **reverb** helps maintain realism. - **Genre & Style** – Classical recordings often favor **natural seating**, while film scores may exaggerate stereo separation for dramatic effect.

Thanks, that's a good tip! I asked another professional composer about this, and he suggested placing the 2nd violins on the right. So I proposed this arrangement to Bing AI, and it responded: - **Modern Standard (1st & 2nd Violins Together on the Left)** – Most contemporary orchestras place **both violin sections on the left**, with **violas center-right** and **cellos further right**. - **Historical Setup (1st Violins Left, 2nd Violins Right)** – This **antiphonal arrangement** was common in **early 20th-century orchestras**, particularly with conductors like **Mahler and Stokowski**, as it enhances **stereo separation** and **call-and-response effects** between violin sections. - **Film & Studio Mixing** – Many **virtual orchestras** use the **split violin approach** to create a **wider stereo image**, especially in cinematic scoring.

Sorry to hear that. Not sure why it's turned out so bad? Perhaps I've just been lucky, but my pieces seem to come through cantamus ok (e.g. the one below). Not getting any of that strange warbling effect you have. Wonder if notational changes might help? It is quite fussy about notation sometimes. (N.B. In my piece, I had to run it through cantamus twice, as it's half in English, and half in Latin.)

Sorry, I meant to write Audacity; not Audials! (That's a completely different piece of software!)

I think this is a rather good orchestration; though it's very uncommon to see French horns written in the bass clef. Usually you would just write in treble clef, with a whole bunch of ledger lines. If you wanted a better vocal rendition, I'd recommend cantamus.app (which has a free trial period). That will reproduce the actual spoken lyrics quite well. You can mix the cantamus audio file with the orchestral MuseScore output using Audials.

Thanks for the excellent tip about Symphony Series. I'm downloading it right now! I wonder, have you tried experimenting with different mic positions yet? Your piece sounds very cinematic to me: so I think you've hit the nail on the head! You're very good at crafting an atmosphere with your music, and sculpting a mental image. It felt like a very tense scene from a sci-fi action flick.

Thanks so much for listening Henry. It was actually inspired by John Williams "Leaving Hogwarts"; but I'll happily take the other Williams! Was trying to keep it simple this time, with memorable melody lines. I guess I heard the melody in my head being played on the flute: so that's how I wrote it. Will definitely try your suggestion though.

Hi to all! Here is my latest composition based on an extrasolar planet that may support life. The previous ones were "Tau Ceti" and "Iota Draconis (The Dragon's Quest)". Am planning to combine these into a symphony or suite eventually. The score is designed for midi playback, hence the strange note lengths and dynamics. Think I probably need to allow more time for winds and brass to breathe? Also my bass-line in the celli and doublebass is really boring: so perhaps I should change it? Looking for some feedback on how realistic the orchestra sounds, and what further steps I can take to improve this? I used MuseStrings and MuseWoodwinds with Berlin Brass. Haven't done any stereo panning yet. Think I may have pushed the dynamics too high in the climax at the end, as it sounds like it's clipping to me.

Thanks Henry, I love Hisaishi's music: so that's a great compliment! Watched a You Tube video the other day, about how to write Ghibli style chord progressions. I may decide to perform this in public at an upcoming concert, since it's very nice to play.

Hi to all. I've recently revisited this work to create a more accurate mock-up, and just wondered if I could get some tips on my stereo panning and mixing/mastering. It's all be created in MuseScore, with some of the extended instrument libraries from Spitfire, Berlin and Cinesamples. The score is designed for MIDI mock-up only. I tried to pan the instruments to roughly where they would be in a real orchestra, though I'm not sure I like having the high strings ranged left and the low strings right.

Just wanted to say well done for completing such a monumental work. I haven't listened to it all yet; but everything I've heard so far has been amazing!

Hi all. Just wanted to share this experimental composition I made some time ago in GarageBand. Was trying to get away from any idea of structure or form, and make something that sounds quite random. It does have an ostinato, to give the listener something to latch onto; but is otherwise very free. It's probably garbage, but I thought I'd post it anyway.

The ending is pretty weird; but it definitely made me laugh! (So lived up to the title.) Hope you're fully recovered from your recent illness Henry. Sending good wishes, Alex