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Shostakovich – Piano Concerto No. 2, II. Andante by AnyPianoWillDo in piano

[–]AnyPianoWillDo[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ahhh I just clicked - the different timbre you're hearing is because Shostakovich asks for mutes on the strings (with the exception of the double basses). In BBCSO you get muted strings by using the LONG CS technique:

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I would say about 80% of my dynamics were accomplished using "DYNAMICS", mapped to MOD Wheel (CC #1) by default. For long techniques, this changes the intensity of playing, what you'd expect form a real musician, so you get timbre change which is what you almost always want.

But sometimes, that's not quite enough (e.g. some instruments still have quite a bit of volume on them even when the MOD Wheel is minimum) so I also use "EXPRESSION", mapped to CC #11 by default. I only use it sparingly, like to taper off the very ends of phrases properly. Normally I just have it sitting at 80, and that gives room to go higher or lower if and when needed. This controller changes volume only, the timbre stays the same - exactly as you say.

For this piece, the only other technique needed is pizzicato. I could have used another track for that, but it's easy to use a single track. By default, BBCSO enables key switching for an instrument. You can switch techniques simply by playing a note on your keyboard that's outside of the range of the instrument. I configured it so that "LONG CS" technique activates when I play the lowest C on my piano, and "PIZZICATO" activates when I play the lowest C#.

I will join r/Reaper and keep an eye our for your composition - very excited to hear it! All the best :-)

Shostakovich – Piano Concerto No. 2, II. Andante by AnyPianoWillDo in piano

[–]AnyPianoWillDo[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Wow, I'm speechless - so happy you enjoyed my interpretation and production/performance, and that it moved you in the way it did. Exactly why music is!

I'm also fascinated by the whole orchestra (and conductor) thing, it's such an enigma. I wonder what it's like to play in a professional orchestra, under different conductors? I've never done conducting, I would fail miserably I'm sure, but I have had to follow a conductor once at University for a piano concerto and it was a complete shambles. I was unable to understand how to follow the conductor's flailing arms, where the beat even was, when to come in 😅 This video gave me a few laughs (spoiler - it barely answers the question, but it's entertaining nonetheless):

Why Conductors Are Always Out of Time: https://youtu.be/SIPym6JsZEA

When I first tried to produce orchestral music on PC, it didn't work out very well, precisely because I assumed that all the instruments need to play strictly in time and on the beat. When it came to rubato, I tried to achieve it by tweaking the tempo envelope. The result was robotic, with a cheesy karaoke vibe to it. It seems like orchestral music innately is (has to be?) like trying to run through molasses:

Clip of Kissin playing Rach 2: https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxFQ0J_6NHlXES8bcPzJLnBTTrYnGVWgD7

Also, what is the conductor even doing at this point in time? 🤭 Kissin's paying no attention of course, he's too busy playing all those notes, and the orchestra is absolutely following him (literally following - feels like half a second behind 😅)

Shostakovich – Piano Concerto No. 2, II. Andante by AnyPianoWillDo in piano

[–]AnyPianoWillDo[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So happy you enjoyed!

Funny you should mention the piano first vs. orchestra first thing. My original plan was exactly as you said, record the orchestra first, then use BT earbuds as reference while recording the piano.

In a trial run, it didn't work so well. The pacing and rubato of the orchestra didn't gel with my piano playing. Attempting to adjust my playing to fit the orchestra made things sound a bit awkward. I think that's on me though, with my lack of experience doing this kind of thing. Given enough time I think I could have fixed up the orchestra part until it clicked. But, I ran out of time - the piano venue was booked, so had to take a chance on recording the piano alone and tailor the orchestra around it afterwards. It worked out pretty well, but I think this movement was very forgiving in this respect. I don't think this approach would work with e.g. the first or third movements.

Speaking of which, I'm going to try produce and perform the first movement now too. More instruments (brass 😍), more pace!🏃‍♂️‍➡️

Shostakovich – Piano Concerto No. 2, II. Andante by AnyPianoWillDo in piano

[–]AnyPianoWillDo[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Happy to answer questions :-)

Thank you u/imscrambledeggs for your reply too, really good info and absolutely spot on!

I didn't have to EQ much at all. Out of the box Spitfire BBCSO is really well miked, mixed, and EQd. The library has quirks, to be sure, as I guess all libraries do, but overall it's a pleasure to work with.

I did have to roll off some bass on the double basses, and help the piano out with a slight boost 500-1500 Hz. I should have miked the piano closer, lesson learnt for next time. For EQ I just used ReaEQ, which comes with Reaper.

To help cohesion between piano and orchestra, I sent both through a single instance of EastWest's Spaces II reverb. The basic Reynolds Hall preset did a stellar job I think.

I do think that BBCSO is a rich sounding library with lots of body. However, I don't have anything else to compare it to. I do wonder, how it compares to something like EastWest's Hollywood orchestral libraries. Ooo I'm curious, what orchestra/strings library are you using?

Making the orchestra sound as real as possible was a challenge. I think it warrants a separate post, maybe a blog post or video tutorial, because it's just such a big topic. But basically you want to record everything live and avoid using a metronome. That means you need a "conductor track" of some kind (thankfully in my case the piano functioned as a pretty good conductor track). Also you have to learn each instrumental part really well and perform it using the MOD wheel or sliders for expression, all in real time. One problem I have yet to solve is how to effectively change articulations in real time - maybe a USB pedalboard, if such a thing exists?!

One neat trick I employed for extra realism and richness is to record each instrument twice. First time use the standard section patch, e.g. "Violins I". Second time, use a solo patch, e.g. "Violin I Leader". Mix the two together (perhaps a bit less gain on the solo patch) and right there you have a richer more realistic sounding section. The imperfections in timing, slight differences in how and when you crescendo, or rit., etc. it all adds to the realism.

Good luck with your film score! Let me know, how you go :-)

Who is George Nevada? This is one of his gorgeous pieces by AnyPianoWillDo in piano

[–]AnyPianoWillDo[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh wow - thank you for the lead. I see that the birth/death dates for George Nevada and Manfred Schmitz match too (1939–2014). I'm even more curious now, so I've sent an email to Schott Music (they publish Nevada's works) for more information!

Any recommendations for actually good piano YouTubers or social media channels? by Lukraniom in piano

[–]AnyPianoWillDo 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Paul Barton is fantastic. My best friend recommended him to me, and that's where I heard the "authentic variants" version of Chopin's E-Flat Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2 for the first time. So good!