# It has been a while, time for another waltz



## adrien (Sep 12, 2016)

Hi everyone.

I wrote yet another waltz. It doesn't really get to be a waltz until the 3rd section.

Trying to mix it up a bit in terms of mood / feel and orchestration. I think probably I still score too thickly.

Hope you enjoy it.


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## Owen David (May 15, 2020)

Very enjoyable. I was going to say: "Is it really a waltz?" but then at 04:35 the waltz began! I like the orchestration, though as a matter of personal taste I might have favoured a bit more restraint on the horns at times. Sounded to me like a movement in a symphony and I think it might be interesting to have one or two instruments highlighted here and there, maybe playing solo more or less. Impressive!


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## adrien (Sep 12, 2016)

Owen David said:


> Very enjoyable. I was going to say: "Is it really a waltz?" but then at 04:35 the waltz began! I like the orchestration, though as a matter of personal taste I might have favoured a bit more restraint on the horns at times. Sounded to me like a movement in a symphony and I think it might be interesting to have one or two instruments highlighted here and there, maybe playing solo more or less. Impressive!


Thanks Owen! I'll take another look at the horns, in some parts it's trombones, but I do tend to lean heavily on the horn players too. And sections rather than soli.


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## mediumaevum (Mar 24, 2011)

I like the arrangements (harmonic and contrapunctal movements + orchestration). 

But the lack on dynamics on the instruments makes it very "midi" to listen to, and I don't think like that.

Do you know of midi-CC dynamics/expression controls? I know you've put a lot of work/effort into producing this composition, but you also need dynamics on the instruments to make it more realistic and more pleasant for the listener. 

Of course, that could be due to the instruments in your software, perhaps a better VST could have a much better sound and realism?

Overall, a very well composed piece of music, but without dynamics it sounds too "fake", in my opinion and for me it kind of ruined my otherwise good impression of your work.


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## adrien (Sep 12, 2016)

Hi. Thanks for your comments. There are quite a few dynamic markings you can see in the score. Maybe it’s scored a bit thickly so you don’t really hear them. I think in general NotePerformer does a pretty good job of not sounding MIDI-like. I’ll need to take another look. Thanks!


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## mediumaevum (Mar 24, 2011)

adrien said:


> Hi. Thanks for your comments. There are quite a few dynamic markings you can see in the score. Maybe it's scored a bit thickly so you don't really hear them. I think in general NotePerformer does a pretty good job of not sounding MIDI-like. I'll need to take another look. Thanks!


I think it has to do with the virtual instruments themselves.

You can't make dynamics on virtual scores just by making the dynamic markings alone. You also need to draw midi-CC curves by hand on each midi channel (or adjust with a mod-wheel on a keyboard, but I prefer the first method).

But such feature is entirely something you get from certain specific virtual instruments, often a bit expensive virtual instruments.

Again, it's not your composition that's missing something, it is the virtual instruments.


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## adrien (Sep 12, 2016)

Actually you can do a lot with dynamic markings. NotePerformer has samples at several dynamic levels, so for instance you can hear in a brass crescendo the sound moving from treacly to really aggressive as you go from p to ff.

I've heard a lot of renders from NotePerformer, and I know you can do a lot with dynamic. Sure, you don't have the same level of control that you do in a DAW riding an expression fader it's true.

I do have cubase and Studio One, and some expensive libraries, but they are so difficult and time-consuming to use I just gravitate back to Sibelius + NotePerformer.


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