Solo or ensemble Articulations?

[jseveriniii]

I've seen the other post that is similar to this, but I want to get a few opinions on how you guys work.

When you are doing full symphonic pieces with SO, do you use the solo articulations for each of the winds? or do you use the ensemble patches? It seems with strings, you can pretty much get away with always using the 18 vlns for example.

So....as an example - if you have a section of 2 flutes.....Do you use 2 solo flute instances? Or the enseble patch.

I tend to think to use the solo articulations as long as the parts are different. If they are playing in unison, I find the Section patches sound more realistic.

Opinions?

[jseveriniii]

41 views and nobody replies? any thoughts guys? it would be a big help. Thanx.

[Enrique]

I usually use the section patches for sections and the solo ones when I distinctly need a solo sound, but my needs may not be as particular as yours.

I have yet to experiment with setups such as in your flute example, but the way you do things is probably the way to go about achieving a more realistic ensemble. Details like that get washed away in larger works, but for more intimate settings, that would be the way to go.

Hope that helps somehow!

Enrique

[paulwr]

I've been doing more action style cues than anything and the ensembles have been working best. But for more intimate arrangements, often the solo versions work best. If you are uncertain about how your orchestrations are sounding, in your project place couple of good movie soundtrack cues (or classical, etc...) in the same style you are working on. Then check yours against your favorites, and adjust your stuff as you feel you should. That goes for mixing/mastering, too. Having some top notch stuff around that you compare your stuff to will pull your quality up very quickly.

-Paul

[Vatroslav]

I've seen the other post that is similar to this, but I want to get a few opinions on how you guys work.

When you are doing full symphonic pieces with SO, do you use the solo articulations for each of the winds? or do you use the ensemble patches? It seems with strings, you can pretty much get away with always using the 18 vlns for example.

So....as an example - if you have a section of 2 flutes.....Do you use 2 solo flute instances? Or the enseble patch.

I tend to think to use the solo articulations as long as the parts are different. If they are playing in unison, I find the Section patches sound more realistic.

Opinions?

Well, with SO, if you need 2, you have to use two solos.

If you need 3, of course you will use the 3 patches.

Of course, with two combined solos you can't just copy/paste and set them to the same articulations. You have to do the nit-picking to make this work.

Personally, I wouldn't advise you that. There's not that much difference between 2 and 3 unison, especially when it comes to wws, so for simplicity and time, I hardly ever use 2s.

The same goes for brass as well. Obviously, you never have 18 horns in a film assembly, but you can't really hear that with an SO render.

The lib does lack divisis across sections though, that is for sure. Hopefully we'll see them in future updates of SO.

You can't get away with always using 18 violins, don't worry. ;)

[pinkster]

Hi guys

I see it a bit different. For me a small orchestra is like a chamber one: Let's say you have two violins, an alto, and a sello. However in correct-unisono (sorry I don't find the exact expression) you wanted them to play, they won't, if you are pinpointing. So: these two wiolinists have a bit different character in phrases, they end their glissandos in a little bit different way and so on. They even sit in a slightly different manner, if you see what I mean. The differences are so minimal, but still remarkable, that this is the thing that (or not) makes the unity sound good.
To me two and usually three are individuals, after that, part of the section. You can play these tracks live if you are good, but like in my case, I usually copy and vary the track afterwards.

Thank you guys for your interesting conversation and opinions.

pinkster:)

[ED BULLER]

Hi

If the winds are making up chords go for solo. It sounds much more realistic. To be honest solo's are my defult patch

ed