EastWest Academy 1: The Fundamentals | How To Use Virtual Instruments
Introduction
In this section, Ryan Thomas introduces the EastWest Academy Series and what it will cover. He also mentions that they will be breaking down various parts of a piece in many of the sessions.
- The EastWest Academy Series will explore every aspect of music production from beginning to end.
- Topics covered include composition theory, theme writing, orchestration, MIDI programming, workflow tips, and mixing and mastering.
- They will work their way through the entire production process from coming up with themes to finalizing the mix.
- Various parts of a piece will be broken down in many of the sessions.
Foundational Principles
In this section, Ryan Thomas discusses foundational principles that he'll build on in later videos. He talks about reverb, instrument dynamics and expression, and instrument selection and keyswitching.
Introduction to Reverb
- Reverb plays a massive role in the sound of a production.
- It's hard to be inspired when playing an instrument with no reverb at all.
- Hollywood series instruments can sound lush or cinematic depending on how much reverb is applied.
- Opus player gives you three different moods: Classic Mood, Epic Mood, Soft Mood.
Instrument Dynamics and Expression
- Different instruments have different dynamic ranges that need to be taken into account when composing.
- Expression is important for conveying emotion in your music.
Instrument Selection and Keyswitching
- Choosing the right instrument for each part is crucial for achieving the desired sound.
- Keyswitches allow you to switch between articulations within an instrument.
Using Opus Player
In this section, Ryan Thomas demonstrates how to use Opus Player by loading up an instance of Opus and choosing a violin legato patch. He also explains the different moods available in Opus Player.
- Choose the stereo option when loading up an instance of Opus.
- Load up one instrument per track, per instance of Opus.
- Opus player gives you three different moods: Classic Mood, Epic Mood, Soft Mood.
- Violin legato slur plus port light is a good patch to start with.
Using External Reverb in Opus
In this section, the speaker explains why using external reverb is better than internal reverb when working with Opus within a digital audio workstation. The speaker also demonstrates how to apply an external reverb to a track.
Applying External Reverb
- Create an auxiliary channel for the reverb.
- Duplicate the audio signal from the main track into the auxiliary track and send it at -7dB.
- Apply EastWest Spaces 2 convolution reverb to the auxiliary track.
- Turn off dry signal and turn up wet signal.
- Mute internal reverb in Opus before applying external reverb.
Benefits of External Reverb
- Workflow optimization and granular control over sound.
- Ability to pan at level of digital audio workstation without restricting access to entire stereo field.
MIDI CC's for Realism in MIDI Programming
In this section, the speaker introduces MIDI CC's as foundational to achieving realism in MIDI programming.
Introduction to MIDI CC's
- MIDI CC's are used for controlling parameters such as volume, expression, vibrato, etc.
- They allow for more nuanced control over individual notes and can be automated over time.
Introduction to MIDI CC1 and CC11
In this section, the speaker introduces MIDI CC1 and CC11, which are modulation and expression controls respectively. The speaker explains that these controls can have different effects depending on the instrument being used.
Dynamics vs Volume
- Dynamics refers to crossfading between different samples recorded at different dynamics, while volume simply adjusts output levels of a signal.
- Increasing dynamics has a greater sonic effect than increasing volume because it changes the tonal characteristics of an instrument.
- Different instruments use CC1 and CC11 differently. For example, some woodwind and string patches use CC1 to control vibrato while others do not.
Examples with Instruments
Alto Flute Patch
- In this patch, CC1 controls vibrato while CC11 controls dynamics.
- When using only CC1, the sound is less expressive compared to when both CC1 and CC11 are used together.
Solo French Horn Patch
- In this patch, CC1 controls dynamics while CC11 only controls volume.
- The sound changes in response to changes in dynamics but not in response to changes in volume.
Velocity
- Velocity affects actual dynamics for short or accented articulations but does not affect overall dynamics for sustained notes.
- Some patches allow for control of short length using velocity or by setting values for mod wheel (CC1).
String Spaccato Patch
- Velocity affects the actual dynamics of each note played.
Combining Shorts
The speaker suggests combining various lengths of shorts in a passage to achieve beautiful effects.
Understanding CC1 and CC11 in Opus
In this section, the speaker explains how to understand what CC1, CC11, and Velocity do in a particular patch. They suggest referring to descriptions in the Browse page or product manual or playing around with it to figure out what does what.
Setting up Workflow with CC1 and CC11
- There are two ways to set up workflow with CC1 and CC11:
- Map them to different controllers on your MIDI keyboard
- Map them both to the same control
- Vibrato tends to scale with dynamics.
- Sometimes having volume scaling with dynamics gives you a more expressive result.
Controlling CC1 and CC11 with the Same Controller
- One way of controlling both is by creating a macro:
- Add macro from ellipses menu
- Assign it to mod wheel (or any other controller)
- Open inspector pane > parameter > add two targets (modulation wheel and expression)
- Moving modulation wheel controls both CC1 and CC11
- Another method involves using MIDI transformer in Logic:
- Open MIDI environment > clicks and ports > add MIDI transformer
- Draw cable from transformer to sequencer input
- Double click on transformer > select apply operation and filter non-matching events
- Data by one is equal to one, fix it to eleven.
Finessing Programming of CC1 and CC11
- Programming of these controls varies from instrument to instrument as they are played differently.
- Take into account the instrument being played and where to swell.
- French horn passage example shows how programming can affect the sound.
Creating Realistic Compositions with Virtual Instruments
In this section, the speaker discusses how to create realistic compositions with virtual instruments. They cover dynamics data and caution against using volume automation. The speaker also talks about instrument selection and key switches.
Dynamics Data
- The second round is the same passage but has more realism due to finessing CC1 dynamics data.
- Avoid using volume automation for changing dynamics; use CC1 or CC11 instead.
- Do not draw in expression or CC1 data as it does not sound as natural as live playing.
Instrument Selection and Key Switches
- EastWest's patches are intuitive and efficient, making them easy to use.
- Strings are broken out into legato, keyswitch, and shorts patches. Brass and woodwinds mostly have keyswitch patches along with specialized effects patches like runs.
- Key switches include multiple articulations in a single instrument that can be switched between using notes outside of the range of the instrument.
- Using different articulations maximizes realism in compositions.
Articulation Matrix
- Opus Player has a customizable articulation matrix that can be set to keyswitches, program changes, different controllers, or even different keyswitch notes.
- Changing up articulations keeps compositions interesting and maximizes realism.
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Conclusion
In this final section, the speaker concludes the video and thanks viewers for watching.
- The speaker ends the video by thanking viewers for watching.
Overall, this section is very short and only contains one bullet point. The speaker simply concludes the video and expresses gratitude towards viewers for watching.