Creative Vision for the Track: I wanted to create a good sounding waltz, kinda with a Disney sound, with inspiration taken from both Shostakovich (Waltz 2) and Tchaikovsky (Sleeping Beauty). This is my first ever try at composing with BBC Orchestra as I used free stuff such as DISCOVER. I’m pretty satisfied with the end result even though I know there are mistakes and things that can be WAY better. I used FL Studio. Anyways, this is totally new to me, as an 18 year old, I’m pretty proud haha. However I’d love to hear some criticism because I know I can progress! By the way the artwork is of my mom! Search Nathalie Maquet on google and you’ll find her!!! Thought it blended well with the music.
Composition Details (Tempo, Key, Main Chords etc): It kind of goes everywhere so I do not have fixed chords… As it is a Vase I put a 3 4 rythm, to mimic the dance! Perhaps I should have changed the volume sometimes and I’m not sure if the middle part is that good.
Main Instruments used: BBC Symphony Orchestra Core. I used the strings (bass, cello, violins), and also several woodwinds (clarinet, oboe, flute) and the horns (similar to the use of the saxophone in Shostakocich’s waltz). Perhaps should I have used percussion. Dunno.
Very nice Alexis! You’ve captured that Romantic era, Richard Strauss sound well with some lovely melodic ideas and harmony. If I were to pick out two critiques, one it sounds as if the woodwinds harmonizing over the horns toward the beginning are not in an ideal range and sound to be competing and playing in the same space as the hors making it a bit muddy sounding. Second, just be sure to give your wind players a bit of time to breath here and there. Samples can play forever, but just to give it a bit of realism, give them a short rest now and again–the horns seemed to play quite extended sustained parts.
Other than that, I really liked it! Gives me a bit of inspiration to go write a bit myself!
There are several thoughts about reverb, but the main think is that you can give depth to the track.
On YouTube you can find some tutorials of Chris Lord Alge very interesting
I also read a post of Beat Kaufmann about his setup for the orchestral reverb that I think is very useful
Find your setup, and try, you can change the sound of the track.
For your 1st try Alexis you did a great job! I don’t know a whole lot about music so I can listen to your piece as maybe someone at a dance who just asked a pretty lady to dance this waltz with.
I thought you had good balance between your strings, woodwinds, etc. Again, a professional sound person might be able to more constructively critique your piece but the average person like myself is going to listen to it and either enjoy it or ho/hum it. I can say I really enjoyed it. I think you accomplished your goal of giving it a kinda Disney motif.
Keep learning. Keep producing! Good luck! Thanks for sharing.
Chris
I think this is really, really good work. The composition is great with all those nice turns a waltz should have. Great.
IF I try to find something to say anything about it would be that you could tweak dynamics a whole lot. Especially in the brass.
