MattHawkins Online - Film Making Forum

Do any of you composers out there use actual stringed instruments--not guitar, but violin, cello, etc.--in your recordings? How about brass?

It seems that everyone uses synthesizers/MIDI, but in my experience that is so limiting. For the score I'm working on I really need a driving, percussive string sound, like can be heard in parts of the Pirates of the Caribbean score. I just can't get it on MIDI and I'm wondering if it would be advisable to pursue actual violin recording.

Well good luck man the reason synth is used more often (perhaps with some solo instrumentation - if ur lucky) is because 1 you can't just record a pile of solow performances and add them (and expect the same timbre as an orchestral sound) and 2 cos obviously getting an orchestra is nigh on unaffordable. (Try even getting yer highschool orchestra to learn and play some composition you get etc.)

Its a tough one !

Have you actually tried to score the film with MIDI? Or are you just guessing that it wouldn't work? Because if you have a good set of tools, it can sound very convincing.

Unless you're willing to hire an orchestra...

I have done some MIDI scoring already, some of which I am pleased with, esp. anything involving organs or more electronically oriented sounds.

But in this specific case, yes, I have tried MIDI, but I could not get the sound I wanted. Then again, my tools might not be the greatest. I guess I need to go back and do some more experimentation.

Thanks for the suggestions though.