But It Isn't Real

The virtual orchestra. The virtual band. It's all still music composition and production and requires a great deal of taste and skill.

What goes into a production like this? It’s a MIDI sequencer program using sample libraries created by the recordings of real performers in studio. So the sounds of the instruments are indeed the real thing but the performance must be produced to work within the composition at hand.

While the instrument is not being "performed on" by the producer of the recording, the performance is indeed still constructed in much the same way a player would construct the performance. The performances of each instrument are initially played on a MIDI keyboard that inputs the data into the computer sequencer. A great deal of empathy must go into each part just as if the part is a real performer but it will always be a simulation at best.

The Work

It begins with the creation of the overall song structure & composition (chord progression, melody etc), This alone could possibly require years of development and nurturing. Then you build it out as you decide what instruments or sounds to combine and use (the arrangement), what note is played by what instrument, the duration of each note, what articulation is used for the note, the volume, the expression, the vibrato, if it’s an inversion, if it’s a harmony or if it’s a unison. It is the basis of all musical composition and requires the same process of decision. A million decisions and a million revisions.

Now do this for every note of every instrument.
This is where the real work exists. It takes a great deal of time and in some cases it's possible for a producer to get buried if proper planning in advance hasn't taken place.

Once all the instruments are in place and you're beginning to get the feeling of a complete performance, it’s time to mix it. (the audio engineering aspects) The sound of the room, where the instruments sit in the room all of these things are part of the engineering of the recording and all a part of the artform and decisions the producer must make.

The Dilemma

To dismiss it as fake and say “you really didn’t play those instruments” is a bit like standing up in the middle of a crowded theatre during the middle of a movie, and telling everyone that it’s all fake and didn’t really happen. To which everyone would probably say, sit down and let the rest of us enjoy the movie for what it is, entertainment.

No matter what though, there will still be those that say, "The real thing is better". No shit sherlock. Extend your perception and use your imagination. If it provides a pleasurable listening experience, that’s all that matters. Listening to it is intended to be entertainment. Nothing else.

“Well, you’ll never be able to play that live”
They said that about my rock songs when I made them alone in my studio too but the band followed and the band played the songs live.

Who knows. I have no immediate desire to do all the work involved to make a live show like this happen, but I never say never. What you are doing here is creating a digital version of the score sheet that actually has sound. Before any concert can be staged, this work would have to be transcribed for each instrument, but that’s a whole other journey, and it is really not required to enjoy this version of the recorded artform.

Ultimately, the job in a recording studio is to create a stereo emulation of something that sounds like a live performance, when in fact it is a production. I don't care how much of the performance was captured live, you still have to produce the recording for it to translate in the stereo field. Hence the big issue many have with the recording studio and why some bands recordings are never as good as their live show. It's not the same thing nor can it ever be.

Art Appreciation 101

Most people don’t understand the work involved which is why I wrote this little blog. (and to vent some frustrations) It’s a bit like telling the furniture maker that you prefer trees. Sorry if I sound offended but it’s a definite turn off. It’s supposed to all be about creativity, but oh no, don’t do that, that isn’t real. If you want to get philosophical about it, what is real? We could write an entirely separate blog on that one.


When you walk into an art gallery filled with portraits, you don't expect the portraits to be real. We have no problem applying this extension of belief to special effects in movies so what is it about music that many people see as a major faux pas. Granted a virtual orchestra is reaching for the far end of things but it still requires some serious knowledge of music and skill to pull off as vaguely reminiscent of the real thing.

No, it will never have the same virtuosity of someone that is a master, and at one with their instrument, but let's face it, most of this music is used for backgrounds in those very movies we've already mentioned. They are not the focus but just another extra character in the scene. We watch animations of people all the time with great enjoyment, I see this as just that, animated music.

Animated Music

It's a virtual representation that requires hundreds of hours to draw and perfect and the end result, while in some peoples opinion, certainly lacks allot of the heart and soul of the original, there is still a ton of work that goes into making one of these things sound marginally realistic. Much like any animation.

Virtual orchestrations, when done well, are master paintings that require some understanding to truly appreciate what goes into them and to see them for what they are. Let go of the shallow perceptions and see them  for what they are, instead of judging them for what they are not.

The underlying reality is that most people don't realize or acknowledge how prevalent these programs already our in our culture. I'm not saying we should replace real orchestras or bands with virtual one's but in a pandemic world, the likelihood that these virtual versions will become more and more common cannot be denied. To be honest, that notion is why I set out to make these recordings. What if we now live in a world where this many musicians could never be in the same room again? What a travesty!

That's what things looked like eight months ago. I certainly hope it is not our future but the disdain some people have for the kind of work that I love to undertake, will never change what I do. In fact, it just adds more fuel to the fire.

Comments

  1. I posted a link to this blog in one of the Facebook groups I participate in and it got a great conversation started with many composers adding their two cents. Many great points were made in addition to the examples I gave but a few of the best examples came from the composers that are making a living making virtual orchestrations in their studios.

    In short, this type of thing is being used to supplement real orchestrations in major films already. It's just a matter of time before it becomes even more prevalent. Even major tours are running sequencers with orchestrations supplementing the band on stage. It's everywhere already and those that don't get it are probably just not aware of it.

    There will always be those that criticize what they don't understand.

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