Volume 3: Bisected 10th Example 1

Used Instruments

  • Brass Ensemble

  • Strings

  • Percussion

Downloads and further Information

Score

Musical score showing an example of music notation for horns, trombones, tuba, bass trombone, and strings as part of Volume 3: Bisected 10th.

Piano Roll

Digital audio workstation screenshot displaying MIDI notes for Low Strings, featuring a musical composition for brass ensemble, strings, and percussion.
  • Strings: Pink (moving)

  • Horns a6: Pink

  • Trombones a4: yellow

  • Bass trombone + Bass tuba: Green

Strings

Orchestral string instruments, including multiple cellos and double basses, representing string ensemble music.

Instrument / Preset Selection

  • Tutti full range / VelXF sus / Wide

Preparation / Articulation Selection

  • Staccato bold

  • Delete Violins 2 to prevent "jumps" between instruments

Screenshot of music software showing 2nd violins highlighted with a right-click context menu open, emphasizing the Delete option.

Basic Phrasing

Velocity adjustments:

  • High amount of variation
  • 2 bar phrases with 1 bar crescendo followed by 1 bar decrescendo
  • Loudest points on 4th and 8th bar
  • Decrescendo at the end
  • Always play back repeated second note with less velocity
  • Add an expression curve to increase (de)crescendo effects
MIDI piano roll with blue and purple notes representing string ensemble musical expression, showing velocity and CC11 dynamics for Volume 3 Bisected 10th Example 1.

Finishing Touches

  • Humanization Delay Scaler (CC25): ~21
  • Double-check that Violas and Cellos (only instruments that play back) have different tuning curves
User interface showing Humanize effect settings: In tune random v8 selected with 16ms delay and 50 cent range for musical instrument audio.

Brass

Three brass instruments: a tuba, a French horn, and a trombone.

Instrument / Preset Selection

  • Horns - 6 players / VelXF sus / Wide
  • Trombones - 4 players / VelXF sus / Wide
  • Bass trombone / VelXF sus / Wide
  • Bass tuba / VelXF sus / Ambience (More reverb)

Preparation / Articulation Selection

  • Legato

Basic Phrasing

  • 1 bar crescendo followed by 1 bar decrescendo (similar to strings) with Modulation (CC1) and Expression (CC11)
  • Short break after every 2 bar phrase
Digital audio workstation showing musical notation and modulation curves for a horn ensemble, with red note blocks on a grid representing D#2, G2, A#2, F2, F#2, and D3, illustrating Volume 3: Bisected musical examples.

Finishing Touches

Timbre Adjust (CC8) for slightly darker sound

  • Horns: 95
  • Trombones: 78
  • Humanize Delay Scaler (CC25) for all instruments: ~20
  • Adjust note ends (not all instruments stop playing at exactly the same time)

Percussion

Black and gold snare drum, musical percussion instrument.

Percussion Score

Percussion sheet music for Concert Toms, Taiko, Snare Drum, and Bass Drum, from Volume 3: Bisected 10th Example 1.

Toms

Instrument / Preset Selection

  • Concert Toms / VelXF sus / Comp+Boom+Sat+Reverb

Basic Phrasing

  • High (10'') and low (20'') Tom (played by midi notes C4 and C2)

  • Accents as indicated in the score (Beat 1, 2+, 4)

  • Crescendo at the end

Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) screen showing midi programming for high and low tom drum patterns, with velocity bars indicated by arrows, optimized for Volume 3: Bisected 10th Example 1.

Taikos

Instrument / Preset Selection

  • Taiko / VelXF sus / Wide

Basic Phrasing

  • Similar to low tom but with increased differences in velocity of accented / unaccented notes

Digital audio workstation showing Taiko instrument MIDI notes and velocity levels for music production

Snare

Instrument / Preset Selection

  • Snare / VelXF sus / Classic

Basic Phrasing

  • 16th notes

  • low velocity

  • minor velocity variation

Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) interface displaying a snare drum MIDI pattern with continuous C notation at C3 and velocity data, demonstrating instrument programming.

Finishing Touches

Remove the stroke and keep only the "sizzle" sound by applying EQ on both (!) Microphones

  • Low Cut

  • 1,3 kHz

Synchron Player software interface showing snare drum settings, equalizer controls, and available sound presets, including Snare Classical preset.

Bass Drum

Instrument / Preset Selection

  • Snare / VelXF sus / Wide

Basic Phrasing

  • Constant velocity with buildup at phrase end

Digital audio workstation (DAW) screenshot showing a bass drum MIDI pattern with C3 notes, highlighted velocity settings, and white arrows indicating dynamic changes for percussion arrangements.

Mixing

Strings

  • Increase cello mid microphone from -6 dB to +1 dB

  • Pan violas more to the left (center to L47)

Software interface for Synchron Player showing a Mid VA Power Panner window with an L and R stereo field, control nodes at -30 and 30 degrees, and additional settings for articulation, attack, and instrument stack including violins, violas, cellos, and basses.
  • Increase horns master volume from 95 to 108

  • Increase taiko and bass drum master volume from 113 to max (127)