Good Samples vs. Bad Orchestras

Good Samples vs Bad Orchestras On low budget movies, composers often try to squeeze the last penny out of their budget and try to get amateur or student orchestras involved to record their score. My general experience on such experiments is to rather go for a good...

Key Switches vs. Many Tracks

Key Switches vs. Many Tracks The majority of sample libraries nowadays rely on so-called key switches. By triggering a (usually very low) note outside of the range of the instrument, you can switch to another articulation of the same instrument (e.g. switch between...

Samples vs. Real Musicians

Samples vs. Real Musicians Real musicians don’t work like samples which brings advantages and disadvantages. Musicians are people with a musical understanding and a sense of context, you don’t need to explain to them the obvious things, neither in written form nor...

Demo Mock-Ups

Demo Mock-Ups The media world nowadays doesn’t work anymore without detailed mock-ups (aka sample produced demos) of cues. The times when composers just presented their ideas on the piano and the directors trusted them that it will sound great in the end are over. If...

Writing “For Samples”

Writing “For Samples” Even with all the advancement in sampling technology, you unfortunately still need to write “for samples” nowadays. This means that you need to keep the strengths and weaknesses of your samples in the back of your mind and...