Ennio's Dance

[fastlanephil]

I thought I'd post one of my efforts from years ago.

I used Sampletank2, Miroslav Philharmonic, GPO 4, Garritan Steinway Model D and my Martin D 16R GT.

https://app.box.com/shared/alpofwp440

[Eauson]

This is v nice, couple of resonance's and the strings do come in full impact, but I dont care, as you say its a few years since made. The geetar bits, hey gringo, larf @ my lisp and I'll kill you
Overall its definitely got that ride off into the sunset feel to it

[ChamMusic]

Enjoyed this one - with it's clearly separate sections,quite reminiscent of the 'For Few Dollars More' soundtrack medley...definitely an Ennio vibe about it all...loved the guitar touches throughout.

They work in this context - you've got the best out of them, but I'm not overly keen on the orchestral / choir sounds...never really liked the timbres in Miroslav Philharmonic or GPO...always needed so much effort to make them 'sing' and 'flow' naturally for me.

Big, solid chordal string section was effective, but I thought one or two harmonic choices could have been tweaked a little bit?

[fastlanephil]

This is v nice, couple of resonance's and the strings do come in full impact, but I dont care, as you say its a few years since made. The geetar bits, hey gringo, larf @ my lisp and I'll kill you
Overall its definitely got that ride off into the sunset feel to it

Yeah, I believe I was layering GPO and Miroslav strings to try and get a bigger sound. GPO, although not the best recorded strings had the ground breaking modulation/expression feature and Miroslav had the on stage recorded realism. These libraries were affordable and quite a bit less than the East West Orchestra at the time. The Vienna Symphony Library was unaffordable except for successful pros and those with very deep pockets. Thousands.

[fastlanephil]

Enjoyed this one - with it's clearly separate sections,quite reminiscent of the 'For Few Dollars More' soundtrack medley...definitely an Ennio vibe about it all...loved the guitar touches throughout.

They work in this context - you've got the best out of them, but I'm not overly keen on the orchestral / choir sounds...never really liked the timbres in Miroslav Philharmonic or GPO...always needed so much effort to make them 'sing' and 'flow' naturally for me.

Big, solid chordal string section was effective, but I thought one or two harmonic choices could have been tweaked a little bit?

When I listened to it I thought it could have at least used more bass. GPO 5 still isn’t strong in attaining a lush full string sound onslaught. But I have recently listened to a Mahler Symphony arranged and recorded using only GPO 5 for the sound track of a German documentary film. It also seems to be popular as a scoring and demo tool for professionals and semi-professionals as well as less demanding sound track work.

Miroslav Philharmonic 2 was a major upgrade in 2016 with apparently some new studio sampling and not just polished up the analog stage samples from the original library that began development in 1993. But even with an upgrade discount it’s more than I paid for the original with a pre-sale deal. I upgraded to GPO 5 from GPO 4, but why not at $50.

[sjm]

Was pretty much perfect to listen to while getting ready for bed. Nicely evocative and visual, maybe I'll have interesting dreams.

[Frantz]

It pays homage to Morricone in an enjoyable way.

There are some gaps which give the impression of smaller bits joined together.

Good job overall.

[seismic1]

Part 1 sounded a little like a Fripp soundscape with a piano backing. It was very pleasant to listen to but the string intro of Part 2 seemed a little abrupt after the earlier section. Incidentally, I can hear a "rumbling" sound during that string section. Is that Miroslav? I think I have noticed that same effect here in the past. If you still have the project files, some EQ might clean that up a little. Alternatively, it may be that the peak levels have pushed above 0dB and the mp3 encoding has thrown a wobbly.

Subsequent transitions work more convincingly, and as the piece develops the Morricone inspiration comes to the fore, especially during the Fleetwood Mac section

Very enjoyable, and I may have to buy the Blu-ray boxed set 'cos I haven't watched these for a while.

Good work

[fastlanephil]

Was pretty much perfect to listen to while getting ready for bed. Nicely evocative and visual, maybe I'll have interesting dreams.

I’m glad it made a nice night cap for you!

[fastlanephil]

It pays homage to Morricone in an enjoyable way.

There are some gaps which give the impression of smaller bits joined together.

Good job overall.

Yes, the gaps were intentional. Maybe a little tounge in cheek but also hopefully respectful.

Thank for commenting.

[fastlanephil]

Part 1 sounded a little like a Fripp soundscape with a piano backing. It was very pleasant to listen to but the string intro of Part 2 seemed a little abrupt after the earlier section. Incidentally, I can hear a "rumbling" sound during that string section. Is that Miroslav? I think I have noticed that same effect here in the past. If you still have the project files, some EQ might clean that up a little. Alternatively, it may be that the peak levels have pushed above 0dB and the mp3 encoding has thrown a wobbly.

Subsequent transitions work more convincingly, and as the piece develops the Morricone inspiration comes to the fore, especially during the Fleetwood Mac section

Very enjoyable, and I may have to buy the Blu-ray boxed set 'cos I haven't watched these for a while.

Good work

The rumble could be Miroslav. I have no easy way to tweek those projects because the DAW I have been using up until a few years ago is still 32-bit and barely functions under macOS Sierra, even with smaller track projects. I’ve updated a few but it it’s quite time consuming to get the tracks into Logic, either midi or audio.

My old DAW was upgraded to 64-bit in Windows and I had it it running in Windows 7 on my Mac for a while using Bootcamp on a seperate drive but Logic Pro X is a much more sophisticated DAW and I’ve used only Macs since 1987. But I might give it a go as a challenge.

I remember when those movies came out. They were ridiculed as being cartoonish and Morricone’s soundtrack work was also blasted.

[fastlanephil]

Hey!

I managed to import the tracks from my old 32-bit DAW into Logic, updated instruments and remixed.

The developer recently closed his support forum so I better at least start exporting the midi tracks into a folder of the projects I might want to update or use sometime.

https://app.box.com/s/eu2lvs4jdz4py4jwgde9xuen5t0dnshg

[seismic1]

I just heard the remix, and the rumble in the second section of the original seems much less pervasive. I think the new mix has a generally smoother sound.

Good work

[fastlanephil]

I just heard the remix, and the rumble in the second section of the original seems much less pervasive. I think the new mix has a generally smoother sound.

Good work

Thanks seismic1 !

I replaced the strings and other instruments that I could upgrade some. I also used Quantum Leap Spaces in place of the old built in Apple verb.

The percussion instruments in the ”dance” section are cymbals, castanets, tambourine, timpani and snares. Also grand piano, string bass, male choir, ST3 female pop choir, violins, trumpets, f. Horn, ST3 vintage electric organ, trombones, and my Martin D-16.

[StudioDave]

Greetings !

I've only listened to the first version, so my comments are based on that hearing. It sounds very much a cinematic/soundtrack piece, which not wholly my cup of tea, but it certainly sounds like you know what you're doing with your plugins and your mix. Your guitar playing is very good throughout, and that first 60 seconds is musically solid gold.

Good work indeed.

Best,

dp