Quote:
Originally Posted by thevisi0nary
Say you are working with several midi orchestral tracks. Would you be automating the standard volume envelope (hitting V on the highlighted track), or is it better to automate the fader itself?
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Automating midi is not the same as audio. Well, I guess that's up to who's doing it.
And actually it is similar, just different controllers.
With audio you have several ways to control volume, and you can also have several ways to control midi volume, it really depends on the VSTi programs you're using.
Personally I would never try to automate midi with audio envelopes, I use the CC controllers, in there own lanes. Many orchestra libraries will have at least 2 controllers for volume, but many will have 3 or more. CC11, known as "Expression" is just another volume control and is available on nearly any library. Some, maybe most will also have CC01 for dynamic crossfades, and it also generally acts as a volume control as well as for using the dynamics of the samples.
Then you have CC07 as the overall volume control.
Most of my orchestra libraries have both CC01 and CC11. What I do for say, a Violin track, is setup CC07=90 and CC11=85. Then I use CC01 to adjust the dynamics as well as the volume. Of course that depends on whether the samples have been recorded and edited to do that, and many of mine have been.
Also there is another factor, "velocity". For many, if not most midi instruments that have CC01 for dynamics, they will also have the velocity intensity at 0%, which means that velocity is ineffective as a volume controller. What that indicates is that the various sample levels, p, mf, f, ff, have been recorded and left at their original recorded levels (meaning they probably haven't been normalized).
Using CC controllers you have everything you need to conduct an orchestra.
But of course it's not that simple.
Using midi to make orchestra music has two important factors, at least that I know of. #1, you have to understand the music you're trying to create, #2 you have to know how to use midi to achieve that. Learning and using the controllers for your particular libraries is very important, at least I think so.
I don't think there's a shortcut, but if you think you've got one, good for you. For me creating midi arrangements, whether it's orchestral or what ever, has always been a challenge and not easy, but I know if I put the time and work into it, I'll at least end up satisfied.