I have recently been working on a classical track. I have completed the first 3 minutes and all is well. However, I am trying make it sound HUGE, i have been playing around with reverb and EQ settings but just can't get the sound, it all sounds too thin well it does with the Classsical. Anyone got any tips or anywhere i could look :) ? Thanks

I have recently been working on a classical track. I have completed the first 3 minutes and all is well. However, I am trying make it sound HUGE, i have been playing around with reverb and EQ settings but just can't get the sound, it all sounds too thin well it does with the Classsical. Anyone got any tips or anywhere i could look :) ? Thanks


The MOST important thing for making a recording is haveing the tracking perfect. So no matter hou much EQ and reverb you add i wont help you sound good if the playing and the recording was not huge.



On the other side, if you want to pump it, you can add compression, although compression and clasical are said not to go well together, you can try.

Right, that's something to go on at least. I might try some compression :)

What is it? I can't imagine a flute solo could ever sound huge. Assuming you've got a huge song and huge instrumentation, orchestras can do with a lot of power in the low mids. Dynamics often equal size as well.

You are turning it up enough to sound huge, aren't you?

I think i have maybe been too vague sorry. I am recording some classical stuff or the first 3 minutes of a track, more specifically it is an String Adagio. It obviously needs to be very powerful but i am finding that hard due to it not being a REAL MASSIVE orchestra. I am using Atmosphere VST which is amazing. I bought it for Dark Ambient which it is incredible for. However, it has a really good selection of hybrid strings. I can't really buy anything else so i will have to make do with what i have in Sonar and Atmosphere. I will play around a bit more with levels etc and see what comes out of it :) Thanks

Do you have a rendered mp3 so i can hear it?

Clasical can go from one extreme to another and its difficult to help you if i dont know exactly what are we talking about!

Ill be very happy to help you if you want to.

If I read this correctly you are using vsti instruments. If so, try layering more instruments with slightly different settings on eq and such. Maybe even a slight delay to give the impression of more instruments playing. Try altering the pitch just a touch on one layer to give the impression of mixing several players together.

I would kill to record an orchestra in a nice sounding room.

If I read this correctly you are using vsti instruments. If so, try layering more instruments with slightly different settings on eq and such. Maybe even a slight delay to give the impression of more instruments playing. Try altering the pitch just a touch on one layer to give the impression of mixing several players together.

Exactly my answer. I did 2 full symphonies years ago and to make the strings sound like they "should", I did other tracks slightly de-tuned. never tried delay, but three tracks ought to do pretty well. Try and separate them L-R just a bit, too.
My .02

Mark

http://www.garritan.com/

garritan personal orchestra. I've heard good things about it...and I plan on buying a copy before too long.

edit: it could also be your composition is lacking power. add some parallel octaves on the bass. throw in some big minor chords. Throw in a diminished or two. Perhaps let us hear a sample.

As has been said compression or doubling or tripling up the traks will help. But I would suggest that you kill all your reverb &/or delay until you have the texture you want and then try to use as small a space as possible to keep the sounds direct rather than diffuse.

Making orchestras sound huge mostly has to do with the arranging.

Maybe post a sample so we can hear whether it's a mixing issue or arranging issue.

I will complete the piece to my best ability before putting before the undoubted criticisms :D

allot of good advice, however I would really NOT use compression for classical, thats almost a cardinal sin! Although as it is Vsti's you may get away with it..

as has been said, the key to getting a massive sound in most genres is the layering. lots of DIFFERENT sounds all working in your track will make it an epic, multiples of the same will just sound flat. as Zinkff said, it doesnt have to be allot of vastly different sounds, just make sure that the sounds you do have are subtly different so they sound like real people playing real instruments rather than a sampled/synthesised sound doubled up (which leads to some of them canceling out others)

Through good harmonization you can get way more massive than doubling instruments. It all has to do with having a good feel for the instruments and how to arrange for a full orchestra.

I started reading Rimsky-Korsakov's book on orchestration about 5 or 6 years ago. It was way over my head at the time, but it seemed like a great book dealing on the subject.