New to GPO -- how am I doing?

[ydnandrew]

I'm a new user to GPO having just purchased it 2 weeks ago. So far I'm just working on getting some of my old pieces to sound somewhat realistic. Here are two samples:
A Child's Dream
This is a larger work. I kept the dynamic contrast pretty simple. Most intstruments move uniformly and at a minimum.

Within - 3rd movement
This is a woodwind sextet, so I there is a lot more dynamic variance and individuality between the parts.

I use Noteworthy Composer almost exclusively, so I do have some sequencing limitations. But for the money I've found it to be really a pretty solid little program that's much easier to get a handle on than any of the big boys (eg. Finale).

Any tips, suggestions or other comments in regards to how I can make my music sound better with GPO would be great. What am I doing right and what am I doing wrong? Thanks in advance.

[Raymond62]

Child's Dream... piano too much reverb. Strings too dry. Together with bells rather good. Please consider this.... the orchestra is the main feature. get the reverbs and the sound, soundbalance allright and then add the piano. The piano acts like a soloist thus it must be on the foreground. Further it is a nice piece of music, worth a much better rendering....... It is not consistent in reverb. When you have the full orchestra playing it sounds much better mixed.

Within is much better rendered. It bit too dry, but that is good for me as if it is played just in my living room. Vary the tempi a bit, now it more like some "automated playing device". .... and what is more important vary also the volume of the various instruments, giving it some effect of soloïng some phrases. It needs some "swing" !!!!!

My two cents,

Raymond

[FLWrd]

I've only heard "Within" and I agree with Raymond. It's a bit static. The writing is good, the balance too, but it could be more alive, but ... I know that's not easily achievable in a notation program, but writing for a sample library is not the same as writing for live interpreters. You might have to exaggerate the dynamic marking or add MIDI data (mod wheel and velocity) and small tempo changes (ritardando at the end of phrases, short breath pauses) to make it feel more live. It's a nice piece, it deserves it.

[ydnandrew]

Thanks for the replies and nice comments as well as the constructive ones.

Within has modwheel changes all over the place as a matter of fact, but you're right that the tempo is very straight. I think I only added a couple of tempo modifiers and they're not all that exaggerated.

As for A Child's Dream I'll have to play around a lot with the reverb. Honestly the only settings I have there are the "Concert Hall 2" and the "send" knobs maxed out. That stuff is all new to me. My intention is that the piece is to feature the piano and celesta, so I do want them to be heard even with the full orchestra playing. How much would I benefit by changing the strings from what I have now (sections:violin 1, violin 2, viola, cello and bass) to actually copying and pasting the parts out for each individual instrument and then using the various individual section string voices?

[gardibolt]

By and large the Concert Hall and Cathedral settings are way too wet to be of much use, period, and I doubt that you can get anything good out of any effect with send set at 100%. I tend to use Jazz Club or Parlor with send at about 1/3 and that's plenty of reverb for most things (though the cymbals are so weak I do send them pretty high to get them to sound decent if I need a crash).