Hi, everyone,
This is my recent classical composition for piano, solo viola, cello, two violins and bass. It is in B flat min. Viola and cello play the melody, later the violins join them. I wrote the middle part for more interest and than returned to the main theme but with more modulations in the third part. I was interested in how solo strings sound and found out that viola sounds beautifully, also when it play a duet with a cello. Thank you for listening
Hey Julia, I really like this and your strings sound lovely. The whole composition is fab!
The only thing is the piano feels a bit flat and stuck to a grid. Perhaps it could be a little less robotic feeling? 
otherwise it’s a fantastic composition 
Very nice piece, Julia!
I’m curious as to your inspiration. There was melancholy but hope as well. Looking at the photo next to the player I could almost envision an overdue homecoming. Again, nicely done!
Have you had the chance to hear this done with a live ensemble? Some of the releases seemed a bit abrupt but I attributed that to the samples and not the writing.
The solo voices stood out nicely in the mix. When dealing with homogeneous instruments (in this case strings) the good news is they blend well. The challenge is to manage the registers so when the lower voices need to come through they can do so without having to turn the volume up to 11. By putting the viola higher in its range over lower violins you accomplished that. The upper register adds tension and presence.
Keep the good music coming, Julia! Congrats on your work!
Stan
Thank you, Geoffrey, how can I make piano less mechanical in the Daw?
Thank you, Stan, may be my dream will come true and the strings ensemble will play this piece some time in my life…
There are a few things you could do.
You can make the dynamics of each note have a bigger range and have it evolve through the piece, and you can include the mechanism sounds of pianos if your piano library has them (these are pedal and key sounds).
You could also include more sustain passages to add more variation.
To make the piano pop in the mix you could add a slight boost around 2k which is always nice.
Finally, you could even mix a few piano sounds together that have different characteristics to make a new sound. This one works particularly well.
It would be their loss if they did not.
Keep the faith. Keep your passion. Keep writing!
Stan
Sweet and melancholy - Great work Julia!
Just reading Geoffrey’s advice and agree with his pointers 100%. Also take a look into automating the dynamics, which is also very effective on those beautiful solo strings. Loads of videos to research this too
Overall, a beautiful piece and plenty of talent!
Thank you Derek. I try to give constructive criticism that will help people
Thank you guys! I was automating dynamics, but may be not enough
No problem Julia.
I’d suggest having a reference track to compare yours to. This will reset your ears when you listen to it, so you can be critical when adding the expression you need.
Yes, something I need to do too.