One note samples

[sylva]

Hi all!

Probably this subject has been raised time and again and again, beaten to death, but I cannot see it in the threads.

I am a COMPLETE idiot, newbe, just starting to get my feet wet in producing music via software. Now, I am at pro level in high tech as well as music, but never had the opportunity to take to software composition.

My songs are in the Latin style, mostly ballads, therefore they don't have much need for salsa percussion loops. Later on I may add some percussion and harmony loops, but the essential thing is to add the one note samples back to back, turning them into long melodic lines. As you may know, the Latin style also has lots of harmonic singing, just like country music, so timing synchronicity issues may arise. But that's methodology which comes later. First the samples.

Since I need to compose traditional music, I need one note REALISTIC saples of instruments and voices. Where can they be found? Are there any free ones available to my feeble capabilities? What software would you guys recommend for the purpose described?

Also:

1. What book can you recommend which explains in detail how MIDI, sequencers, synthesizers, samplers, etc. function and how they're used together

2. Where can I find good realistic vocal samples?

Enlightenment would be very appreciated.

Yours, John.

[Mutant]

Hi all!

Hi and welcome

Since I need to compose traditional music, I need one note REALISTIC saples of instruments and voices. Where can they be found? Are there any free ones available to my feeble capabilities? What software would you guys recommend for the purpose described?

You need a host (Cockos Reaper for example) and a sampler:
Payware: Native Instruments Kontakt
Freeware: RgcAudio Sfz

Free samples ? There are tons of them on the web.
Which instruments do you want ?

1. What book can you recommend which explains in detail how MIDI, sequencers, synthesizers, samplers, etc. function and how they're used together

You dont need a book - every host/synth comes with its own manual and some are so user friendly that you don't even have to read the manual. Just don't be afraid to experiment.

Its easy :
Fire up your vst host/sequencer.
Load a sampler of your choice.
Load a sample library into the sampler.
Compose

2. Where can I find good realistic vocal samples?

East West Quantum Leap Symphonic Choirs

[EDIT]
Oh you said good not excellent

If you only want a good choirs library then EWQL Voices of Apocalypse will do and is a lot cheaper.

[sylva]

Oh, thank you, Mutant! I am not at all afraid to experiment, in fact my whole life is one. Your recommendations will certainly be heeded.

As far as vocal samples I don't need choirs, but single sampled voices such as one soprano, one alto, etc. In other words, solos. Can those be found in the packages you recommend above? Well, I can't possibly afford EastWest. I'll look into EWQL.

Thanks again, John.

[Mutant]

As far as vocal samples I don't need choirs, but single sampled voices such as one soprano, one alto, etc. In other words, solos. Can those be found in the packages you recommend above?

http://www.soundsonline.com/product.php ... W-165#tabs

5 Choirs - Boys, Alto (Female), Soprano (Female), Basses (Male), Tenors (Male) plus Solo Singers

Well, I can't possibly afford EastWest. I'll look into EWQL.

EastWestQL

[sylva]

Of course, of course, EWQL is EastWest, I really meant Voices of the Apocalypse, which is about $250. But there are other packages, for ex. Vocal Planet. My writing's purpose is mainly to inquire. I don't know any of the packages, vocal or other, synths, samplers, etc. so I need to find out from people who are experienced. I cannot go out and buy up expensive items, especially that the investment may never pan out, without knowing where I am going. There's another problem: manufacturers don't have too many illustrative vocal demos. They have FX-ed, mainly short, or garbled, notes from which I cannot deduce their sustained and phrase wise qualities, especially that I am looking for ballad type renditions.

As far as EW, I listened to some of their orchestral renditions. Frankly, their strings did not impress me very much. Of course, everyone's hearing is subjective.
I may have to go out and beg some people to let me look over their shoulders while working away at different packages.

John.

[Shane Sanders]

This field, even as a hobby, will drain your wallet dry. You'll eventually lay out the cash for a good sample set. I suggest Colossus. You could write a lot of music with it alone. It has drums, basses, and an entire GM set on top of tons of other stuff.

edit: My logic or rationale here is that your time is worth money. The time you waste using crappy samples making music you're not entirely satisfied with is better spent working with good samples that are inspiring...etc...

[sylva]

Thank you, Shane, very informative.

>> This field, even as a hobby, will drain your wallet dry. You'll eventually lay out the cash for a good sample set.>>

You're exactly right. It'll happen, but right now I am trying to know what I am doing, so by the time it comes to the real spending, things will be clearer to me as to what the technology can do and how to use it. Right now, I got hold of an ACID 3 book and a complete Pro demo which lets me chop up audio samples even to their individual notes. From www.vocal-samples.com I got a few good solo vocal samples (sampled at 192Khz) which will be of optimal use for my endeavors. The problem with ACID and its type of software seems that they cannot vary rhithmic patterns (please correct me if I'm wrong expressly), re, in stead of regular 4 quarters in a bar, to have a quarter triplet and two quarters. This is but one example of the unwieldy world of loop driven software. I think that for my type of music some notation software will be a better answer, such as Sibelius or Finale. See, not knowing anything about Colossus (or any other program), I have no clue whether it is a fully fledged authoring package or it will need a synthesizer and MIDI, etc, or it'll be sufficient for composition by itself. Would it produce triplets, quintuplets, septuplets, etc., etc.? Since I compose ballads in the Latin style (without being Hispanic), I need to acoommodate the highly ornamental instrumental and vocal mannerisms of the genre. Without that, it'll never sound Latin. In final analysis, all I want is to produce a demo CD of my songs at bareable quality.

Yours, John.

[Mutant]

The problem with ACID and its type of software seems that they cannot vary rhithmic patterns (please correct me if I'm wrong expressly), re, in stead of regular 4 quarters in a bar, to have a quarter triplet and two quarters. This is but one example of the unwieldy world of loop driven software.

You need a MIDI sequencer - you can do everything -compose a pop hit or a symphony in a piano roll and a sampler/sample player which will play your sequences.

Hosts/sequencers with piano rolls:
Cubasis VST is a free version of Cubase
Energy-XT has a free fully working demo (IIRC you can save , but can't load)
Reaper is shareware and cheap and not too good (yet) for editing MIDI.

Sample players:
Native Instruments Kontakt
Steinberg Halion or cheaper Halion Player
RGCAudio SFZ (freeware sample and Soundfont player)

Free sounds:
Sampletorrents (Mats Helgesson's Concert Grand Piano)
Soundfonts

Commercial Sounds:
Garritan Personal Orchestra
Lots of tv&movie soundtracks were composed with GPO.
EWQL Symphonic Orchestra Platinum (high quality, but pricey)
Vienna Symphonic Library

See, not knowing anything about Colossus (or any other program), I have no clue whether it is a fully fledged authoring package or it will need a synthesizer and MIDI, etc, or it'll be sufficient for composition by itself.

AFAIK Colossus is just a huge General MIDI sample library (most probably comes with it's own sample player), so you still need a host/sequencer to use it.

[sylva]

Dzhin Dobre, Mutant (Mutatis Mutandis?)!

thanks. Just as a remark, I got back a message from Colossus, stating they don's have solo voice samples, just choirs. why, I can't understand. Now the package can be bought at half price from them directly til Dec. 31. too bad. In any case, shane is dead right: the industry can run one's wallet dry.

John. I'll write more later.

[sylva]

Mutant,

what's the musical life like in Poland? It used to be absolutely brilliant due to the experimentalist mentality and armosphere back in the '60s and 70s in total defiance to the Soviets who were beside themselves of anger )). Everyone in E. Europe was green of envy that you could get away with it. Penderecky and Lutoslawsky, then Gorecky lead the pack. Of course, tons upon tons of jazz, more, much more than in Hungary (though Kurt Edelhagen's orchestra was in the East). Anyhow, because of your and Shane's generous guidance some things are beginning to clear. I'll download everything you've mentioned above and get to work in earnest. As I said, all I want for the time being is to author a 3 song demo CD. I don't even know whether the songs are any good. Afterward, I'll take to some bigger things, hoping for some more money sources. Dum spiro speri.

Yours, John.

[Mutant]

Mutatis Mutandis?

Yeah i have some unusual physical and non physical powers hehe (and my favorite mutant is Wolverine) !

what's the musical life like in Poland?

I'm a metalhead so all what i can tell you about Poland is that we are a Death Metal and Black Metal superpower.