how lucky I am to be on your channel! some of the most interesting videos in their category. Thank you very much, it's very interesting to listen to you
I cannot thanks you enough for your three videos on Template : very useful and practical insights. This clear, precise and objective. It helped me a lot to improve my template which now sounds far more better. I am using Dorico but I successfully implemented your advices on a combo of Dorico mixer, NotePerformer Spitfire engine (For orchestra) and VEPRO (Other Percussions + Keys, Synth, etc.). Several years to be at this stage, several year still to improve it now but as you said, this is an ongoing and endless effort. I cannot wait to compose my new work using this new template. I wish you all the best with new fantastic project.
Yes, I believe there are too many "TH-cam" composers who buy everything shiny and new the day it comes out and create this false sentiment that this is how professionals work. That's simply not true. Most studios I've worked at have their go-to libraries and plugins, some of which are very old - because if it works, why change it. It's such a myth that everybody always has the latest of the latest stuff.
@@AnneKathrinDernComposer I've been using the good old EW for years. I finally decided last year to take advantage of Black Friday to add a new library to my palette... Guess what? I can't (yet) get the sound I want because I don't have the same CONTROL. I don't even talk about the DAW. I've seen some Cubase composers on YT promoting other DAWs (always the same BTW) for a couple of months ... and get back to square one after a while.
Thanks Anne .. been binging your channel over the last few days and I really like the way you don't try to over complicate things. "make what you have work first" .. oh yes. :)
This is a very comforting and reassuring video. Mixing orchestral music seems way over my head, but looking at this video, I think I was overthinking it. You make it as simple as can be, and ultimately that might be the best thing to do. Thanks!
Wow! Just came across your channel from a suggestion from VI Control. What a wealth of no BS information, concise and to the point. Your experience shows. A couple of questions if you have time: 1-How important to you are keyboard skills and improvisation to the compositional process? 2-Do you write in the notes, or play most of them in? Thanks and congratulations on all your success!
Glad you like the content! To answer your questions: 1 - I compose mostly in my head and only move to the keyboard later so to me it’s not that important. I am a classically trained pianist but I don’t use that skill for composition all that much. Others might have a different approach though. 2 - Depends on the instrument. I tend to play in piano parts (or other keyboard instruments) but other parts I craft a lot more with the pencil tool, kind of as if I’m writing onto sheet music except it’s in the piano roll. I find my arrangements and orchestrations to be cleaner that way.
This is a gem of a youtube video, thank you for doing these. To me it's a very different beast to take on how to make your orchestral libraries sound the best than anything else I've done with music, and I'm second-guessing my ears a lot more than I would do making the more common electronic music. For instance, rolling off the high-end on the reverb sounds counterintuitive to me because I'm used to wanting to keep all bass sound very mono and dry to not clutter the mix and sidechain this with the kick. I really appreciate you generalizing the process and underlining personal preference, but I would still love any videos on more in-depth use of eq/compressor/reverb. It's all very inspiring.
I'm glad this is helpful! Thanks for watching. I agree, the production process between electronic music and orchestral music is very different. It kind of gets blurry when doing a hybrid style since you need knowledge of both worlds.
Thanks again Anne, I’ve seen the Jake Jackson reverb videos (most of the spitfire videos related to reverb as well), they are all really great! I still think it would be interesting to see your take on it just for some additional perspective.
Thanks, Anne. It's just everyone's way of getting to the same end. As I evolve as a composer and constantly keep at the whole process, I myself can become the other person doing it differently than I swore was my ultimate way of doing it only a week ago- sometimes a day ago. Writing style always dictates work flow for every other process. Writing process always leads the way, I find. It's a quest to get everything as organized as possible so it does not get in the way of quick and productive writing. Noodle around as much as you need after the fact but by God template, don't road block my notes, my part as it's flowing out of me. It's everything. Thanks for all you do here Anne. In case you don't hear it enough, you're awesome and just so talented. Be well.
Watching this (and your other Template Videos) was an eye opener for me - my template now makes so much more sense to me (2x effects sends per group plus FX send I use for Parallel Compression. Also, hiding the 400 or so instrument tracks makes using the mixer much easier. Obvious stuff, but sometimes one needs a video like this to remind me of what I should be doing. Well done, love your videos
Valhalla Room is decent but you can get Seventh Heaven standard version for the same price when it goes on sale, and it’s much better. R4 is available for $29, and I also find that preferable. After buying cinematic rooms, I think a high end reverb is worth investing in, even if one has to buy fewer sample libraries. Thanks for making these videos!
There are many good reverbs - some expensive, some not. It's not so much about which one is better but rather which one suits the mixing and writing style the most. I find Valhalla has some really nice colors, though it's certainly not a natural sounding reverb (nor is it trying to be). I actually encountered Valhalla products at many high end studios. I was introduced to it at Steve Jablonsky's studio because they use it a lot - my copy is actually a birthday gift from that studio since I liked it so much.
Hi Anne, Love the videos and your template layout, one questioni have is where did you get the Bricasti preset for Valhalla from as it doesnt appear to be a factory preset
13:39 Actually, you can also send a signal to two (or more) FX or Group Tracks in Cubase, using two different methods: Sends and Direct Routing. Direct Routing is usually inactive by default, it's an option (Direct Routing Summing Mode On) that appears in the arrow to the left of the Racks icon in MixConsole.
@@mar0k You use sends when you want to control amount of the track injected. Direct routing is a prefader sending the track anywhere (even severals outputs).
Thank you SO MUCH! Your videos have been such a great resource and might be the best insight into all of the nitty-gritty of a working composer on TH-cam. After years of just going along with what the project needs, I've finally decided to build my own template. I'm still figuring out the routing, so this video came just at the right moment. Your routing seems to be Instruments (VEP) + Reverb + EQ -> Parallel Compression -> Instrument STEMS -> Master Out. While researching routing, I've come across a lot of composers who join their groups together into Brass, Strings, Woodwinds and Percussion / High, (Medium) and Low / Longs and Shorts. Why do you personally favor processing single instruments instead of range / articulation / instrument groups? I'd love to hear your thoughts on that as I'm still figuring out what would work best for me.
Glad you like the videos! Note in the routing that the reverb does not go into the parallel compression since it's used as a send effect. It goes straight into the Master Out. If you're using reverb as an insert it would also go into the parallel compression which I would avoid though (makes stuff muddy as hell). You can separate out the instruments however you like. I've had different setups over the years but came out at this separation since I wanted this amount of control and since my mixer prefers these stems. It also depends on what kind of music you write, if you frequently have live recording etc. - this all plays into my decision to have this setup. To give an example: I need all my woodwinds separated like this because I almost always record them live in the end - so the mixer needs to be able to mute the mockup solos when we recorded live solos while keeping any instruments we didn't have in the live orchestra or also keeping Tutti parts to fill up the sound. But they can't do that if all the woodwinds are printed together. But as you say, others prefer to have longs and shorts separated, again others have the instrument groups bundled up into high and low. The only way to figure this out is to set up your template and then work on projects in it. You'll quickly see what works for you and what doesn't. Then before the next project, you simply adjust.
Using reverbs as inserts is not just a resource hog, but you will have a build up of reverbs, making the reverb more prominent and unnatural. Parallel compression can also allow you to play with panning on the compressed channel - tighten the focus by mid/siding this bus.
Indeed. Aside from that adjusting a global reverb setting would be nightmare if one has 20 of them loaded. I actually haven't tried playing with the panning on the compressed channel yet but that's an intriguing idea. I'll try that on my next bigger / cluttered cue that needs more focus.
Hi there, I just found your channel and I'm glad I did. I can take so much out of your tutorials. Thank you for that. But I have one tiny little question: When you mention the parallel compression (11:49) you have the Renessaince Compressor as an insert effect. How do you mix between compressed and uncompressed signal? I thought you need a send effect for that. When you have time I would appreciate a little help. Thanks again.
Coming from a rock/metal mixing background I'm using parallel compression all the time on drums. It's THE way to get a punchy sound but funnily enough I've actually never thought of using it for the orchestra even it might be super obvious. Thanks for the inspiration!
Thanks! Great insight as usual. There is definitely a way to side chain the settings in the master bus, so that when your stems are assembled they will sound exactly the same. You shouldn’t have to copy Ozone to all of your busses. I definitely watched a video in TH-cam.
Yes, with some plugins you can sidechain but due to its versatile nature Ozone doesn't have a Sidechain Input (at least 8 doesn't, haven't checked out 9 yet) so this is not an option.
Hi Ross, please explain how to do this technique. I am in Logic X and I have to do Stems for library music. I hate not "glueing" everyone with comp/limiting....thx....Ozone 9 also has no side chain input :((
@@mysterybro100 I was wrong! It does work with other mastering plug ins but Ozone doesn’t have any side chaining. I used it recently with Neutron to mix a show at Christmas. It saved me a lot of mixing.
Really learning from your channel. Thank you so much. Since my last PC reincarnation I have eliminated VPro from my system and run all my m.2 drives (6 of them) off of one system. I also keep my tracks disabled in Cubase. Even huge templates load in seconds. This works really well here. my system is 6 core and 64 gig RAM - so it's no longer the best but it has never spluttered. Als, in the Project setup dialogue you can set up "bar offset" so that Cubase numbers bars from bar X where X is a number of your choice - bars prior to this are (e.g two bar offset) -2.-1 etc. Your points about timing and track delay offsets have made me rethink my template strategy completely. I was using Keyswitches - I now see this leads to poor timing of events. I see in Cubase and VI threads that some people are calling for the next (long overdue) incarnation of Expression maps, to enable "offsets per individual articulation" which would solve this issue and lead us back to the logical "ideal" of one track/ per instrument/ per one notation staff (single or split), which is better for scoring views and generally more sane.
At 9:20 you mention and show a "Bricasti Concert Hall" preset for Valhalla Room. I'd like to hear how that sounds, but my installation of Valhalla Room doesn't have any such preset. Is that something that you added yourself, or is my plugin missing some components?
Maybe I misunderstood but you actually can send tracks to multiple aux/group tracks in Cubase. Either via sends (groups have to be created before) or via direct routing in the mixer view. Shift+Click on one of the assigned outputs will activate all of them on the selected track(s).
If you ever find the time, I'd be really interested in a more in-depth video about the whole parallel compression thing. I must have watched every video on making and mixing orchestral music under the sun, but never came across anyone using this technique with orchestral instruments.
Yes, it’s definitely on my list. It’s actually very common in film scoring (which usually isn’t pure orchestral music to begin with) but some ppl prefer to use plugins instead of my setup.
I can't really recommend OTT for orchestral music, what it does to the high end sorta tricks your brain into thinking it sounds better but I've seen many mixes ruined by OTT. My own too!
Hello Anne-Kathrin, after having watched many of your tutorials, I would like to thank you very much for your great work. All of your videos are excellent, you always get straight to the point and the presentation is perfect. In addition, everything is spoken very well. Your videos really helped me improve my own template. If you can find the time ... What is the advantage for you of setting up the Kontakt instruments as Multis in VE Pro? You could do it with Kontakt single instances, right?
If I didn't find it useful, it wouldn't be in my template. Like I say in the video, parallel compression is one of the driving factors behind the larger than life "Hollywood sound" and it's something I've learned from being a studio assistant here in LA.
So in "Logic X parlance", the group tracks in Cubase correspond to AUXs and the stems' audio comes from what's called "bus" - e.g. from a summing stack or folder stack or manual bus - in Logic? (and the latter being either also routed to AUXs or other FX signal "lanes"?) It was new to me that one can do without stereo "staging" of instruments or instrument sections (the reason you gave was that the original samples are mic'd in such a way that they'll sit where they are supposed to given the seating order on stage...?)
Why most composers don't separate the brass section into horn legato and horn staccato in the bus, but instead have brass high and brass low buses, what is your advice for dividing or grouping? Thanks a lot!
Question about panning woodwinds from CineWinds and CineWinds Pro (Dennis Sands mix) : are the instruments in the library already placed “where they should be” in stereo image ?
Not sure whether I understand parallel compression correctly. Why two aux tracks? Wouldn't you get the same result by using the Dry Mix parameter in Cubase's compressor?
Revisiting this after your compression video, and your signal flow is definitely clearer to me now. Follow-up question on parallel compression: since the compressed signal is not being sent to the reverbs (they're not, right?), hence drying the sounds, and since the compressed signal is more prominent in quiet passages than loud ones, wouldn't this mean the full mix is wetter in loud passages and dries out as it gets quieter? This is not an issue?
You do some great videos, down to the most essentials, thanks. What is the main reason you went from Logic to Cubase. Do you use Vienna Ensemble Pro on all your templates? Only if you have time to answer this, and a happy new year, best wishes from Norway. 😊
I like your composing suite ..its the pro version of mine..my neck is hurting coz i have to turn my head right to watch the computer screen while im sitting at the keyboard ..do u have a seperate screen behind ur midi keyboard or u also feel the pain..?
Thank you! every year I change the approach to my template.I'm never satisfied! Can I ask you what level do you have on the forte of each group? For example, what peak does it reach for a full strings staccato in the string group, or in every section (vln1 vln2 vla etc...) Many thanks!
Allo Anne-Kathrin Dern, I'm just starting out in the field and still have a lot to learn, so this kind of video is a gold mine for me. I live in a place where there is no one who does this, so I have to learn more on my own, it's a very difficult environment with a lot of competition. You inspire me a lot ! I was wondering for parallel compression if it was better to equalize before or after compression ? Because I tell myself that compressing so much can generate frequencies that you don't want. And maybe even put on a low cut ? Some people send the reverb in parallel compression is this a good idea ? Because if we don't send it there won't be any reverb, do we send it later ? Can you also use Andrew Scheps' "Rear bus" technique ? I already export in sub-groups (violin, flute, clarinet) and then in groups (wood, brass, string). Maybe I'll separate this into high and low frequency. So if I edit the frequencies or the fader I will have more targeted control. P.S. Is it so cold in your house that you need a coat ? I'm sure in Quebec (Canada) it's colder than in California lol ! But i'm the same I'm still freezing ! I'm sending you a heat wave from canada to warm you up ! Have a good day ! Thanks for your videos !
Hi Amy, I'm so glad the videos are helping you! Honestly, if you're just starting out, I'd probably advise you to stay away from heavy processing for now and add it one by one as you gain more understanding of routing and signal chains. The best way to start is to learn how to best use your libraries - learn them inside out, program them, make them sound good, do proper volume balancing. Then I'd venture into EQs and reverb. And only after that would I start concerning myself with compression and other fancy stuff. PS: It's not super cold but it does get quite fresh in Southern California in winter at night, especially since it's a desert and I'm also close to the Pacific Ocean. I'd normally run the heater for a few minutes if it gets too cold but it's too loud while recording my videos.
A question that comes to my mind because I'm currently re-organizing my template is how you handle microphone options from different libraries. Apologies if this was already covered somehwere but I think it wasn't. So like let's say one library comes with close mics and tree mics enabled by default and another one just with the tree mics. Do you leave it just as it is or do adjust the settings so they are somewhat coherent?
hello anne very good videos. I had a little question when you talk about the reverb that you put two. Do you remove the reverb that the orchestral libraries have or do you attenuate them a bit or leave them as they come and then they mix with the two that you have in fx? thank you. I suppose that each case is different but I mean how you have it from the beginning in principle
Hey Anne! Loving these tutorials! A quick question regarding EQ for violins - if you’re using a lot of CSS and CSSS how do you get past the “noise” when boosting those top frequencies to add air to the strings? I feel that’s one of the big gripes about CSS is the upper noise captured? Thanks!
Hi Ann, thanks for the interesting video. So you only have 2 reverb channels for the whole template? Or 2 per instrument type (2 for strings, 2 for brass) ? Or else?
It's two reverbs for the whole template, dialed in different amounts into the different groups via sends. Sometimes I do need a third or fourth reverb (e.g. when working with choir or with world instruments) but I'll add those as needed.
i always get lost in the mixing section...specially get mad with sends,inserts...fx bus or just bus...etc....thanks for your tutorials anyway..you are an amazing composer..i listen most of your tracks and film scores and i love your style..thanks
Thank you Anne for your videos! I am building a new and larger template and your videos have been very helpful and mostly everything you’re saying is very easy to understand, however I am not using Cubase but DP, and I am slightly confused on how you are setting up the parallel compression. You feed the reverbs and parallel compression via sends (reverbs pre-fader, compression post-fader, correct?) but it looks like you have the same channel twice, and from one you feed the reverbs and from the other one you feed the parallel compression, or is it from the same channel? I don’t understand why would you use two different instances of the same channel to feed the reverbs bus and the parallel compression bus when you can do it from the same one!
I have 64 GB in my VEP machine and 64 GB in my host computer, with the option of going up to 128 in both. I'm not using nearly all of it though. I tend to use about 45-50 GB on my VEP machine and about 20-30 GB on my host.
Hi Anne! Thanks for the tip on parallel compression. I have never heard anyone mention using it for orchestral instruments, only for drums and bass. I have done another Google search on the use of parallel compression in orchestral music, and nothing turned up. It must be a closely guarded secret :) Since I have used parallel compression only on drums and bass so far, I have a few questions about using it on orchestral instruments so I would avoid using it incorrectly and save myself from years of trial and error and ruined tracks: 1) How many dBs of compression do you apply for parallel compression of orchestral instruments - for example, is it -3 dB, or -10 dB, or even more? And do you apply it in the same amount to low-range and high-range instruments, and to different instrument families (strings, woodwinds, brass, keys, percussion, choir)? 2) Do you use the same Attack, Release, and Ratio settings that you showed for parallel compression of all the tracks, or do you tailor it differently depending on the instrument family and range? 3) Do you use it by default in almost every mix, or, for example, only for more intense and action cues, and do you usually use it on every single instrument of the orchestra or only on select instruments that you want to beef up and make more prominent, such as only the instruments playing the main melody or rhythm? 4) Do you use it equally in your film and video game scoring? To your knowledge, is the use of parallel compression for orchestral instruments widespread among video game composers as well?
Apologies if this has been asked before but if I use only one sample library, does it make more sense to use room mics instead of a reverb plugin? I am struggling to understand how reverb is supposed to work on top of the room mics. I use EWQL SO and EWQL Hollywood Orchestra and in both cases I can use the room mics for the natural ambience of the hall but Play also has reverb built-in and I am stuck because I can never decide if I should be using the natural reverb from the room mics or the convolution reverb with close/stage mics.
It’s more refined this way and gives more control. You can do it by groups as well but it’ll sound different of course. Also then you would only be able to print the sections as a whole as stems if I understand you correctly. That’s possible but very uncommon when delivering to a score mixer (more common if you deliver to a dub stage).
There's not much that sounds really good on the mixbus, i think and makes the level loud enough so no-one complains about it. Ideally i would mix it at Itunes/spotify level with load of dynamic range but that's not very loud. I've always used Ozone, now i'm trying Elevate (wait for a good deal as Eventide goes crazy sometimes). Anyway, these are the best videos on a template i've ever seen. Very elaborate. And i can't help looking at that scarf as that must be my favourite colour. Take care.
Hi Anne-Kathrin - I've search for videos of your specifically on reverb. I would like to ask, what do you use for reverb? Additionally, do you have any experience with VSL Mir Pro? I ask about that because I love the idea of arranging instruments in visually-oriented space. Thanks.
Thanks for all this videos. It's not very easy to configure all the workflow and your help is very appreciate. What controllers do you use ? Best regards from France.
Great video as usual, thank you, have you ever mixed in surround? is it something required by you or it is done on the stems you provide? would you consider upgrading to Nuendo?
I have mixed in surround but I try to stay away from it - as do most composers, especially when it comes to delivering theatrical mixes that need to play back in a Dolby certified environment. Theatrical surround mixes are usually handed off to experience score mixers. They do an upmix of my stereo stems and also take the live recordings which are usually done in surround anyway. And no, I don't see why I would upgrade to Nuendo.
Thank you for the informative lesson! I have a problem. I can't create a Bass Drum like Alan Silvestri in the tracks The Avengers and Back to the Future. I tried it in different ways. Leering of several libraries. You don't get such a powerful bottom. Can you tell me? I'd appreciate it. This also applies to Toms.
There’s no answer to this unfortunately. It all depends on so many factors (what library, mics, mic positions, room, players, etc.) that the answer would be different for everyone. There is no “one trick” to get sound X the same way there’s no “one way” to EQ violins. Every stage sounds different, every library sounds different, every group of players sounds different, every engineer sounds different - so the processing will need to be different.
Anne: "Your libraries are already recorded sitting in the right positions, so that's already done for you." Me: *cries in German orchestra seating* Nothing Vienna MIR can't solve though.
Thank you! It’s very generous of you to share your experience with the world.
3:54 4 khz is the demon of audio.
It certainly is unpleasant, that's for sure...
Thank you for this excellent video, Anne-Kathrin! I would definitely love a video about you going over how you EQ your tracks, cheers
how lucky I am to be on your channel!
some of the most interesting videos in their category.
Thank you very much, it's very interesting to listen to you
Thank you so much for your kind words! I really appreciate it!
I cannot thanks you enough for your three videos on Template : very useful and practical insights. This clear, precise and objective. It helped me a lot to improve my template which now sounds far more better. I am using Dorico but I successfully implemented your advices on a combo of Dorico mixer, NotePerformer Spitfire engine (For orchestra) and VEPRO (Other Percussions + Keys, Synth, etc.). Several years to be at this stage, several year still to improve it now but as you said, this is an ongoing and endless effort. I cannot wait to compose my new work using this new template. I wish you all the best with new fantastic project.
Excellent Anne! 🙏🏽
I liked very much the "know your gear" lecture, this is crucial and saves so much money while enhancing your skills...
Yes, I believe there are too many "TH-cam" composers who buy everything shiny and new the day it comes out and create this false sentiment that this is how professionals work. That's simply not true. Most studios I've worked at have their go-to libraries and plugins, some of which are very old - because if it works, why change it. It's such a myth that everybody always has the latest of the latest stuff.
@@AnneKathrinDernComposer I've been using the good old EW for years. I finally decided last year to take advantage of Black Friday to add a new library to my palette... Guess what? I can't (yet) get the sound I want because I don't have the same CONTROL.
I don't even talk about the DAW. I've seen some Cubase composers on YT promoting other DAWs (always the same BTW) for a couple of months ... and get back to square one after a while.
@@AnneKathrinDernComposer They use them once and in the next video it's back to the "old" favorites.
Thanks Anne .. been binging your channel over the last few days and I really like the way you don't try to over complicate things. "make what you have work first" .. oh yes. :)
Awesome, glad you like my content! Thank you for watching!
Many thanks for your professional and constructive approaching in your videos which is very inspiring.
Thank you for watching!
This is a very comforting and reassuring video. Mixing orchestral music seems way over my head, but looking at this video, I think I was overthinking it. You make it as simple as can be, and ultimately that might be the best thing to do. Thanks!
Wow! Just came across your channel from a suggestion from VI Control. What a wealth of no BS information, concise and to the point. Your experience shows. A couple of questions if you have time:
1-How important to you are keyboard skills and improvisation to the compositional process?
2-Do you write in the notes, or play most of them in?
Thanks and congratulations on all your success!
Glad you like the content! To answer your questions: 1 - I compose mostly in my head and only move to the keyboard later so to me it’s not that important. I am a classically trained pianist but I don’t use that skill for composition all that much. Others might have a different approach though. 2 - Depends on the instrument. I tend to play in piano parts (or other keyboard instruments) but other parts I craft a lot more with the pencil tool, kind of as if I’m writing onto sheet music except it’s in the piano roll. I find my arrangements and orchestrations to be cleaner that way.
Great question. Thanks for asking InLight Tone.
This is a gem of a youtube video, thank you for doing these. To me it's a very different beast to take on how to make your orchestral libraries sound the best than anything else I've done with music, and I'm second-guessing my ears a lot more than I would do making the more common electronic music. For instance, rolling off the high-end on the reverb sounds counterintuitive to me because I'm used to wanting to keep all bass sound very mono and dry to not clutter the mix and sidechain this with the kick.
I really appreciate you generalizing the process and underlining personal preference, but I would still love any videos on more in-depth use of eq/compressor/reverb. It's all very inspiring.
I'm glad this is helpful! Thanks for watching. I agree, the production process between electronic music and orchestral music is very different. It kind of gets blurry when doing a hybrid style since you need knowledge of both worlds.
Thank you for sharing your time and knowledge with us Anne-Kathrin. I for one, would love to get a glimpse of your Audio Performance Meter.
Really interesting ! thank you - Waiting for your EQ video !
Thanks again Anne, I’ve seen the Jake Jackson reverb videos (most of the spitfire videos related to reverb as well), they are all really great! I still think it would be interesting to see your take on it just for some additional perspective.
Thank you
Anne-Kathrin for this well presented series. Stay well!
Thanks for watching!
Thank you, a lot of people waste time trying copy another ppl template rather than create something that fits their style of workflow.
This is great, to the point, and really clear! Thank you so much! :)
Thanks for watching! Glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks you thanks yoooou! the ways your explaination was done so full of clarity and cleverness its shoud be a real quality standard...
Thank you so much! I really appreciate the kind words!
Thank you very much. The parallel compression makes a huge difference.
Glad to hear that!
Thanks, Anne. It's just everyone's way of getting to the same end. As I evolve as a composer and constantly keep at the whole process, I myself can become the other person doing it differently than I swore was my ultimate way of doing it only a week ago- sometimes a day ago. Writing style always dictates work flow for every other process. Writing process always leads the way, I find. It's a quest to get everything as organized as possible so it does not get in the way of quick and productive writing. Noodle around as much as you need after the fact but by God template, don't road block my notes, my part as it's flowing out of me. It's everything. Thanks for all you do here Anne. In case you don't hear it enough, you're awesome and just so talented. Be well.
Watching this (and your other Template Videos) was an eye opener for me - my template now makes so much more sense to me (2x effects sends per group plus FX send I use for Parallel Compression. Also, hiding the 400 or so instrument tracks makes using the mixer much easier. Obvious stuff, but sometimes one needs a video like this to remind me of what I should be doing. Well done, love your videos
Very helpful video. Highly recommended!
Thank you!
Valhalla Room is decent but you can get Seventh Heaven standard version for the same price when it goes on sale, and it’s much better. R4 is available for $29, and I also find that preferable. After buying cinematic rooms, I think a high end reverb is worth investing in, even if one has to buy fewer sample libraries.
Thanks for making these videos!
There are many good reverbs - some expensive, some not. It's not so much about which one is better but rather which one suits the mixing and writing style the most. I find Valhalla has some really nice colors, though it's certainly not a natural sounding reverb (nor is it trying to be). I actually encountered Valhalla products at many high end studios. I was introduced to it at Steve Jablonsky's studio because they use it a lot - my copy is actually a birthday gift from that studio since I liked it so much.
Hi Anne, Love the videos and your template layout, one questioni have is where did you get the Bricasti preset for Valhalla from as it doesnt appear to be a factory preset
Thanks Anne.. amazing.. very helpfull!
Glad to hear that!
So glad I found you ,
Very knowledgeable and you explain very well ... +1 subscriber here
Glad you find my content useful! :-)
13:39 Actually, you can also send a signal to two (or more) FX or Group Tracks in Cubase, using two different methods: Sends and Direct Routing. Direct Routing is usually inactive by default, it's an option (Direct Routing Summing Mode On) that appears in the arrow to the left of the Racks icon in MixConsole.
So what would be the best or the most effective setup?
@@mar0k The one that works for your needs.
@@samuelvelhomusic This was not the answer I was waiting for? What is the difference between Sends/Direct Routing method?
@@mar0k You use sends when you want to control amount of the track injected. Direct routing is a prefader sending the track anywhere (even severals outputs).
Thank you SO MUCH! Your videos have been such a great resource and might be the best insight into all of the nitty-gritty of a working composer on TH-cam. After years of just going along with what the project needs, I've finally decided to build my own template. I'm still figuring out the routing, so this video came just at the right moment. Your routing seems to be Instruments (VEP) + Reverb + EQ -> Parallel Compression -> Instrument STEMS -> Master Out. While researching routing, I've come across a lot of composers who join their groups together into Brass, Strings, Woodwinds and Percussion / High, (Medium) and Low / Longs and Shorts. Why do you personally favor processing single instruments instead of range / articulation / instrument groups? I'd love to hear your thoughts on that as I'm still figuring out what would work best for me.
Glad you like the videos! Note in the routing that the reverb does not go into the parallel compression since it's used as a send effect. It goes straight into the Master Out. If you're using reverb as an insert it would also go into the parallel compression which I would avoid though (makes stuff muddy as hell). You can separate out the instruments however you like. I've had different setups over the years but came out at this separation since I wanted this amount of control and since my mixer prefers these stems. It also depends on what kind of music you write, if you frequently have live recording etc. - this all plays into my decision to have this setup. To give an example: I need all my woodwinds separated like this because I almost always record them live in the end - so the mixer needs to be able to mute the mockup solos when we recorded live solos while keeping any instruments we didn't have in the live orchestra or also keeping Tutti parts to fill up the sound. But they can't do that if all the woodwinds are printed together. But as you say, others prefer to have longs and shorts separated, again others have the instrument groups bundled up into high and low. The only way to figure this out is to set up your template and then work on projects in it. You'll quickly see what works for you and what doesn't. Then before the next project, you simply adjust.
Using reverbs as inserts is not just a resource hog, but you will have a build up of reverbs, making the reverb more prominent and unnatural. Parallel compression can also allow you to play with panning on the compressed channel - tighten the focus by mid/siding this bus.
Indeed. Aside from that adjusting a global reverb setting would be nightmare if one has 20 of them loaded. I actually haven't tried playing with the panning on the compressed channel yet but that's an intriguing idea. I'll try that on my next bigger / cluttered cue that needs more focus.
Thanx for sharing
Hi there, I just found your channel and I'm glad I did. I can take so much out of your tutorials. Thank you for that. But I have one tiny little question: When you mention the parallel compression (11:49) you have the Renessaince Compressor as an insert effect. How do you mix between compressed and uncompressed signal? I thought you need a send effect for that. When you have time I would appreciate a little help. Thanks again.
Sorry, missed that bit. All clear now. Keep up the great work.
Thank you Anne! This video was very helpful. In terms of parallel compression, how are you duplicating the original signal? Thank you so much🙂
Nevermind....I found the answer. th-cam.com/video/mESmc-cXlBE/w-d-xo.html thank you anyways :-)
Coming from a rock/metal mixing background I'm using parallel compression all the time on drums. It's THE way to get a punchy sound but funnily enough I've actually never thought of using it for the orchestra even it might be super obvious. Thanks for the inspiration!
I love it! Thanks!
great video, thnks!
Thanks for watching!
Thanks! Great insight as usual. There is definitely a way to side chain the settings in the master bus, so that when your stems are assembled they will sound exactly the same. You shouldn’t have to copy Ozone to all of your busses. I definitely watched a video in TH-cam.
Yes, with some plugins you can sidechain but due to its versatile nature Ozone doesn't have a Sidechain Input (at least 8 doesn't, haven't checked out 9 yet) so this is not an option.
Hi Ross, please explain how to do this technique. I am in Logic X and I have to do Stems for library music. I hate not "glueing" everyone with comp/limiting....thx....Ozone 9 also has no side chain input :((
@@mysterybro100 I was wrong! It does work with other mastering plug ins but Ozone doesn’t have any side chaining. I used it recently with Neutron to mix a show at Christmas. It saved me a lot of mixing.
Really learning from your channel. Thank you so much. Since my last PC reincarnation I have eliminated VPro from my system and run all my m.2 drives (6 of them) off of one system. I also keep my tracks disabled in Cubase. Even huge templates load in seconds. This works really well here. my system is 6 core and 64 gig RAM - so it's no longer the best but it has never spluttered.
Als, in the Project setup dialogue you can set up "bar offset" so that Cubase numbers bars from bar X where X is a number of your choice - bars prior to this are (e.g two bar offset) -2.-1 etc. Your points about timing and track delay offsets have made me rethink my template strategy completely. I was using Keyswitches - I now see this leads to poor timing of events. I see in Cubase and VI threads that some people are calling for the next (long overdue) incarnation of Expression maps, to enable "offsets per individual articulation" which would solve this issue and lead us back to the logical "ideal" of one track/ per instrument/ per one notation staff (single or split), which is better for scoring views and generally more sane.
At 9:20 you mention and show a "Bricasti Concert Hall" preset for Valhalla Room. I'd like to hear how that sounds, but my installation of Valhalla Room doesn't have any such preset. Is that something that you added yourself, or is my plugin missing some components?
Maybe I misunderstood but you actually can send tracks to multiple aux/group tracks in Cubase. Either via sends (groups have to be created before) or via direct routing in the mixer view. Shift+Click on one of the assigned outputs will activate all of them on the selected track(s).
The tools you have are always better than the tools you don't have.
True. But the tools you "know" are even better.
If you ever find the time, I'd be really interested in a more in-depth video about the whole parallel compression thing. I must have watched every video on making and mixing orchestral music under the sun, but never came across anyone using this technique with orchestral instruments.
Yes, it’s definitely on my list. It’s actually very common in film scoring (which usually isn’t pure orchestral music to begin with) but some ppl prefer to use plugins instead of my setup.
Did you hear about OTT multiband compressor? Is it something that you would recommend to use for orchestral instruments?
I can't really recommend OTT for orchestral music, what it does to the high end sorta tricks your brain into thinking it sounds better but I've seen many mixes ruined by OTT. My own too!
Hi Anne. Try Q-Link for adding or removing a plugin to multiple tracks at once.
Hello Anne-Kathrin,
after having watched many of your tutorials, I would like to thank you very much for your great work.
All of your videos are excellent, you always get straight to the point and the presentation is perfect.
In addition, everything is spoken very well. Your videos really helped me improve my own template.
If you can find the time ... What is the advantage for you of setting up the Kontakt instruments as
Multis in VE Pro? You could do it with Kontakt single instances, right?
I’m glad you like my content! You could use single instances but that would end up being incredibly cluttered when you load hundreds of patches.
Curious to know more why you do the parallel compression like this. Do you actually find it useful for orchestral music?
If I didn't find it useful, it wouldn't be in my template. Like I say in the video, parallel compression is one of the driving factors behind the larger than life "Hollywood sound" and it's something I've learned from being a studio assistant here in LA.
@@AnneKathrinDernComposer Thank you for replying and looking forward to future videos. Cheers!
So in "Logic X parlance", the group tracks in Cubase correspond to AUXs and the stems' audio comes from what's called "bus" - e.g. from a summing stack or folder stack or manual bus - in Logic? (and the latter being either also routed to AUXs or other FX signal "lanes"?)
It was new to me that one can do without stereo "staging" of instruments or instrument sections (the reason you gave was that the original samples are mic'd in such a way that they'll sit where they are supposed to given the seating order on stage...?)
Why most composers don't separate the brass section into horn legato and horn staccato in the bus, but instead have brass high and brass low buses, what is your advice for dividing or grouping? Thanks a lot!
I would like to see a VST Studio Tour ;-)
Question about panning woodwinds from CineWinds and CineWinds Pro (Dennis Sands mix) : are the instruments in the library already placed “where they should be” in stereo image ?
Not sure whether I understand parallel compression correctly. Why two aux tracks? Wouldn't you get the same result by using the Dry Mix parameter in Cubase's compressor?
you are awesome !
Revisiting this after your compression video, and your signal flow is definitely clearer to me now. Follow-up question on parallel compression: since the compressed signal is not being sent to the reverbs (they're not, right?), hence drying the sounds, and since the compressed signal is more prominent in quiet passages than loud ones, wouldn't this mean the full mix is wetter in loud passages and dries out as it gets quieter? This is not an issue?
You do some great videos, down to the most essentials, thanks.
What is the main reason you went from Logic to Cubase.
Do you use Vienna Ensemble Pro on all your templates?
Only if you have time to answer this, and a happy new year, best wishes from Norway. 😊
I like your composing suite ..its the pro version of mine..my neck is hurting coz i have to turn my head right to watch the computer screen while im sitting at the keyboard ..do u have a seperate screen behind ur midi keyboard or u also feel the pain..?
Hey love your stuff. Had a quick question.What did you noticed when you Parallel Compressed the group instruments as opposed to every instrument?
Thank you!
every year I change the approach to my template.I'm never satisfied!
Can I ask you what level do you have on the forte of each group?
For example, what peak does it reach for a full strings staccato in the string group, or in every section (vln1 vln2 vla etc...)
Many thanks!
Allo Anne-Kathrin Dern,
I'm just starting out in the field and still have a lot to learn, so this kind of video is a gold mine for me.
I live in a place where there is no one who does this, so I have to learn more on my own, it's a very difficult environment with a lot of competition.
You inspire me a lot !
I was wondering for parallel compression if it was better to equalize before or after compression ?
Because I tell myself that compressing so much can generate frequencies that you don't want. And maybe even put on a low cut ?
Some people send the reverb in parallel compression is this a good idea ?
Because if we don't send it there won't be any reverb, do we send it later ?
Can you also use Andrew Scheps' "Rear bus" technique ?
I already export in sub-groups (violin, flute, clarinet) and then in groups (wood, brass, string). Maybe I'll separate this into high and low frequency. So if I edit the frequencies or the fader I will have more targeted control.
P.S. Is it so cold in your house that you need a coat ?
I'm sure in Quebec (Canada) it's colder than in California lol !
But i'm the same I'm still freezing !
I'm sending you a heat wave from canada to warm you up !
Have a good day !
Thanks for your videos !
Hi Amy, I'm so glad the videos are helping you! Honestly, if you're just starting out, I'd probably advise you to stay away from heavy processing for now and add it one by one as you gain more understanding of routing and signal chains. The best way to start is to learn how to best use your libraries - learn them inside out, program them, make them sound good, do proper volume balancing. Then I'd venture into EQs and reverb. And only after that would I start concerning myself with compression and other fancy stuff. PS: It's not super cold but it does get quite fresh in Southern California in winter at night, especially since it's a desert and I'm also close to the Pacific Ocean. I'd normally run the heater for a few minutes if it gets too cold but it's too loud while recording my videos.
A question that comes to my mind because I'm currently re-organizing my template is how you handle microphone options from different libraries. Apologies if this was already covered somehwere but I think it wasn't.
So like let's say one library comes with close mics and tree mics enabled by default and another one just with the tree mics. Do you leave it just as it is or do adjust the settings so they are somewhat coherent?
hello anne very good videos. I had a little question when you talk about the reverb that you put two. Do you remove the reverb that the orchestral libraries have or do you attenuate them a bit or leave them as they come and then they mix with the two that you have in fx? thank you. I suppose that each case is different but I mean how you have it from the beginning in principle
Hey Anne! Loving these tutorials! A quick question regarding EQ for violins - if you’re using a lot of CSS and CSSS how do you get past the “noise” when boosting those top frequencies to add air to the strings? I feel that’s one of the big gripes about CSS is the upper noise captured? Thanks!
Tolles Video Anne! Den "Bricasti Concert Hall" Patch für Valhalla kann ich allerdings nicht finden - hast du ihn dazu gekauft?
Hello Anne, I have a question for you. What happens if parallel compression is applied to an audio signal that is already reverberated?
Hi Ann, thanks for the interesting video.
So you only have 2 reverb channels for the whole template? Or 2 per instrument type (2 for strings, 2 for brass) ? Or else?
It's two reverbs for the whole template, dialed in different amounts into the different groups via sends. Sometimes I do need a third or fourth reverb (e.g. when working with choir or with world instruments) but I'll add those as needed.
i always get lost in the mixing section...specially get mad with sends,inserts...fx bus or just bus...etc....thanks for your tutorials anyway..you are an amazing composer..i listen most of your tracks and film scores and i love your style..thanks
Thank you Anne for your videos!
I am building a new and larger template and your videos have been very helpful and mostly everything you’re saying is very easy to understand, however I am not using Cubase but DP, and I am slightly confused on how you are setting up the parallel compression.
You feed the reverbs and parallel compression via sends (reverbs pre-fader, compression post-fader, correct?) but it looks like you have the same channel twice, and from one you feed the reverbs and from the other one you feed the parallel compression, or is it from the same channel?
I don’t understand why would you use two different instances of the same channel to feed the reverbs bus and the parallel compression bus when you can do it from the same one!
Hi. How much RAM do you need for a template like yours? Thanks for this video.
I have 64 GB in my VEP machine and 64 GB in my host computer, with the option of going up to 128 in both. I'm not using nearly all of it though. I tend to use about 45-50 GB on my VEP machine and about 20-30 GB on my host.
Hi Anne! Thanks for the tip on parallel compression. I have never heard anyone mention using it for orchestral instruments, only for drums and bass. I have done another Google search on the use of parallel compression in orchestral music, and nothing turned up. It must be a closely guarded secret :)
Since I have used parallel compression only on drums and bass so far, I have a few questions about using it on orchestral instruments so I would avoid using it incorrectly and save myself from years of trial and error and ruined tracks:
1) How many dBs of compression do you apply for parallel compression of orchestral instruments - for example, is it -3 dB, or -10 dB, or even more? And do you apply it in the same amount to low-range and high-range instruments, and to different instrument families (strings, woodwinds, brass, keys, percussion, choir)?
2) Do you use the same Attack, Release, and Ratio settings that you showed for parallel compression of all the tracks, or do you tailor it differently depending on the instrument family and range?
3) Do you use it by default in almost every mix, or, for example, only for more intense and action cues, and do you usually use it on every single instrument of the orchestra or only on select instruments that you want to beef up and make more prominent, such as only the instruments playing the main melody or rhythm?
4) Do you use it equally in your film and video game scoring? To your knowledge, is the use of parallel compression for orchestral instruments widespread among video game composers as well?
Apologies if this has been asked before but if I use only one sample library, does it make more sense to use room mics instead of a reverb plugin? I am struggling to understand how reverb is supposed to work on top of the room mics. I use EWQL SO and EWQL Hollywood Orchestra and in both cases I can use the room mics for the natural ambience of the hall but Play also has reverb built-in and I am stuck because I can never decide if I should be using the natural reverb from the room mics or the convolution reverb with close/stage mics.
i've learn't a few things in life ..1 is reverb can be the culprit for muddying up a mix, especially in an untreated audio room !!
Hey Anne, quick question: what are the advantages of having a parallel compression bus per channel rather than by groups? Brass, Woodwinds, Strings
It’s more refined this way and gives more control. You can do it by groups as well but it’ll sound different of course. Also then you would only be able to print the sections as a whole as stems if I understand you correctly. That’s possible but very uncommon when delivering to a score mixer (more common if you deliver to a dub stage).
There's not much that sounds really good on the mixbus, i think and makes the level loud enough so no-one complains about it. Ideally i would mix it at Itunes/spotify level with load of dynamic range but that's not very loud. I've always used Ozone, now i'm trying Elevate (wait for a good deal as Eventide goes crazy sometimes). Anyway, these are the best videos on a template i've ever seen. Very elaborate. And i can't help looking at that scarf as that must be my favourite colour. Take care.
Thank you! And it’s my favorite color too - it’s either wine red or burgundy... :-)
@@AnneKathrinDernComposer that red has got incredible depth. Like an incredible orchestration captured in a colour.
Hi Anne-Kathrin - I've search for videos of your specifically on reverb. I would like to ask, what do you use for reverb? Additionally, do you have any experience with VSL Mir Pro? I ask about that because I love the idea of arranging instruments in visually-oriented space. Thanks.
Thanks for all this videos. It's not very easy to configure all the workflow and your help is very appreciate. What controllers do you use ?
Best regards from France.
Great video as usual, thank you, have you ever mixed in surround? is it something required by you or it is done on the stems you provide? would you consider upgrading to Nuendo?
I have mixed in surround but I try to stay away from it - as do most composers, especially when it comes to delivering theatrical mixes that need to play back in a Dolby certified environment. Theatrical surround mixes are usually handed off to experience score mixers. They do an upmix of my stereo stems and also take the live recordings which are usually done in surround anyway. And no, I don't see why I would upgrade to Nuendo.
Debunking Hollywood composing myths, one video at a time.
Thank you for the informative lesson! I have a problem. I can't create a Bass Drum like Alan Silvestri in the tracks The Avengers and Back to the Future. I tried it in different ways. Leering of several libraries. You don't get such a powerful bottom. Can you tell me? I'd appreciate it. This also applies to Toms.
There’s no answer to this unfortunately. It all depends on so many factors (what library, mics, mic positions, room, players, etc.) that the answer would be different for everyone. There is no “one trick” to get sound X the same way there’s no “one way” to EQ violins. Every stage sounds different, every library sounds different, every group of players sounds different, every engineer sounds different - so the processing will need to be different.
Hi Anne, do you use parallel compression on all single tracks in your template or is it done to instrument groups?
Anne: "Your libraries are already recorded sitting in the right positions, so that's already done for you."
Me: *cries in German orchestra seating*
Nothing Vienna MIR can't solve though.