Song: "Conestoga Schooner" - "The Drunken Sailor Song"

[Steve_Karl]

No guitars or bass guitars in this now, but
the original idea was written in the mid 70's on a '65 Pbass with a pick and it is now the Sea Shanty theme that starts this piece and evolves throughout.

https://soundcloud.com/steve_karl/conestoga-schooner?in=steve_karl/sets/orchestral

 

[stratamania]

Good job. Listening to the final part now.

Interested how you recorded it.

 

[Steve_Karl]

Thank you.

Well, there's a lot to say about the process for this type of work for me, so if I'm not getting to what you want to know you can be more specific.

All virtual orchestra instruments (*** Listed at end) running in Kontakt ... 5 instances of Kontakt in Sonar Platinum.
About 90% of this one was played manually on a Yamaha S90 which triggers the instruments hosted on Kontakt.
Also always no quantization although sometimes I use the grid to line up notes or shift their timing.
I might go into the Piano Roll View and move notes around to change timing or pitch but that is done manually also.
That other 10% (I'm just average guessing on the %ages) is pencil work in PRV and sometimes letting the notes snap to the timing grid.

One track at a time, one part at a time, the way real players play in that a violinist most always is playing one note at a time unless double stopping.
An other way to explain that is that I don't play chords to create string, wood wind or brass chords.
I might sometimes play the single line and then in PRV grab/drag(up or down)/copy off of that one note to stack up a chord.

This one took a long time to develop conceptually. Started in 2010 with Sonar 4 and 3 'Giga Studio 3' satellite host computers.
Upgrade PC later on and moved Giga to Kontakt and then could get it all into one PC.
Final track count (guess) is around 80 midi and 80 audio.

***
Strings (Violin, Viola, Cello, Contra Bass) and Brass - Kirk Hunter Emerald Orchestra
Other Strings - Kontakt Factory Vienna, Kirk Hunter Virtuoso, Advanced Orchestra Pizz.
WoodWinds - Kirk Hunter Emerald (early on) and then the 'good/really articulate' ones are from Advanced Orchestra.
Percussion - East/West Gold, G-Town Percussion, Ultimate Orchestral Percussion.

( ) = tracks
1st Violins, 2nd Violins, Violas, Cellos, Contra Basses - many articulations on individual tracks some Key Switched instruments.
Probably about 20 or more string tracks.
Trumpets in Bb(4) FHorns (French Horns(4) Trombones(4) Bass Trombones(1) Tuba(1)
Piccolo(1) Flutes(3) Oboes(3) English Horn(2) Clarinets(3) Bassoon(2) Bass Clarinet(1) Contra Bassoon(1)
Concert bass drums(2), timpani, snares(3), Cymbals(12 or so) Gongs(2)

---
So, I've been building this work method since around 2005 originally using 4 PCs
Started out as 1 Workstation with Sonar 4 talking to 3 satellites via "MidiOverLan"

Here's one near the end of the 4 PC rig completed in 2007:
"The Diamond"
https://soundcloud.com/steve_karl/the-diamond?in=steve_karl/sets/orchestral

Conestoga was started in 2010 on the 4 PC rig but then moved to the on PC rig and finished.
I've been on an off with this one since 2010.
Some of them only take a few weeks but The Drunken Sailor was a real puzzler for me off and on.

 

[Logrinn]

Wow, very impressive!

 

[Steve_Karl]

Wow, very impressive!

Thank you!

 

[Cagey]

That is one helluva piece of work! Even without the story preamble, I would have imagined something very similar - you really nailed it. Great recording, too. I listened to it over digital studio monitors, so it got very little help/hindrance on this end.

My only concern is you say you started this in 2010 - at this rate you're gonna starve to death if you ever expect to support yourself musically :laughing7:

 

[Steve_Karl]

Thanks man!

Yea ... this one took a long time. They're not all like that.
This one seemed to want a lot of long term development and I needed to learn more to finish it the way it wanted to be finished.

The other one in my second post, "The Diamond"

https://soundcloud.com/steve_karl/the-diamond?in=steve_karl/sets/orchestral

... probably took about a month, but that's not a month of 8 hour days working on that alone.
I usually only do this kind of stuff when I'm really in the mood, or if I get obsessed.

 

[stratamania]

Steve, that more than answered the questions on the recording process. Very informative thanks.

Have you had any training in this area of composition or is it something you just went for?

 

[Steve_Karl]

Steve, that more than answered the questions on the recording process. Very informative thanks.

Have you had any training in this area of composition or is it something you just went for?

No formal schooling other than High School Band which was under great directors from Duquesne University Pittsburgh PA.
I think I've just been very very lucky.

My best education was very early listening as an infant to 3 or 4 yrs. old ... my mom played music for me constantly.
Lots of classical, big band and pop of the times -(born in 1951) - Tchaikovsky melodies stuck with me big time.

I started playing trumpet and taking lessons at 7 so I got some reading under my belt but now, I can barely read music at all.
Well ... it's just very very slow like "see spot run" slow.
Continued on trumpet until end of 1968(Junior Year) - 3 years in high scool band, but then I heard Jimi Hendrix and needed to get a guitar. Self taught mainly on guitar ... just lots of listening and copying.
My younger brother Greg has a doctorate in musicology and writes Classical from a ~very formal schooled~ perspective so I learn a lot from him also ... but often don't take his advice.
Just real lucky is the way I see it. And grateful.

 

[stratamania]

Thanks, Steve, I guess you could call it learning via osmosis or something. It appears to have worked.

 

[Steve_Karl]

Thanks, Steve, I guess you could call it learning via osmosis or something. It appears to have worked.

Yea. I guess it's somewhat environmental also.
If mom had played a lot of Miles Davis and Coltrane and my brother was a jazzer .... well ya know ... who knows man ... can ya dig it

 

[stratamania]

Thanks, Steve, I guess you could call it learning via osmosis or something. It appears to have worked.

Yea. I guess it's somewhat environmental also.
If mom had played a lot of Miles Davis and Coltrane and my brother was a jazzer .... well ya know ... who knows man ... can ya dig it

I dig it man. My folks were both classical musicians so I grew up immersed in sound. They had a couple of jazz records and things also and then I remember the Beatles, Stones and Hendrix etc coming out on the radio. I ended up with quite an eclectic taste so its all good with me.

 

[Steve_Karl]

Yep. I guess that's one of the ways musicians are made ... early home schooling.

 

[stratamania]

Agreed.  ccasion14:

 

[Verne Bunsen]

Very cool! It definitely conveyed the story you were telling. To me it felt very much like exploring a new town in a Final Fantasy game, to be perfectly honest. Sounds like a massive undertaking, Well done!

 

[Steve_Karl]

Thank you -VB- !