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Orchestration 3 Highly Recommended

Discussion in 'Info, Requests, etc.' started by Paul T McGraw, Oct 29, 2017.

  1. #1 Paul T McGraw, Oct 29, 2017
    I'm not sure if this is the right place for this, but for anyone who is at all interested in Orchestration, I want to highly recommend the Mike Verta Masterclass, "Orchestration 3." I am no stranger to orchestration. I have read all of the classics, I can see the Rimsky-Kosakov, Adler, Forsyth, and Kennan on the shelf in my studio, and I have probably read more. And I think I do a pretty good job with orchestration in my own pieces of music.

    Despite all of that I learned a lot (TONS) from this video and was able to internalize the concepts because of the way Mike presented them. Mike takes one melody that he wrote (and a good one) and shows about 30 or 40 different ways to orchestrate that melody. I lost track of the number when it went over 28. He calls each of these a "preset" and demonstrates each in front of the viewer as he creates a mockup of that idea or preset. Let me repeat that because it is a big part of why this video is so powerful. He creates a mockup (midi-performance) of each of the presets right in front of the viewer instrument by instrument in just minutes per example (Lord, why didn't I learn piano? I'm jealous of Mike's keyboard skills.) His focus is not on everything technically possible, but on "presets" that he knows from experience will work well in an orchestra.

    His teaching method of giving all of the examples with one single melody is brilliant. It allows us to focus on the orchestration technique, not the musical example, although it is an awesome melody, I cant get it out of my head. This is not an academic study. These "presets" as Mike calls them are absolutely practical and usable in just about any style of orchestral music, live players or with samples. The video masterclass is over 6 hours long and Mike answers many, many questions from the folks who were participating live.

    So I learned lots of new things, and I am not a newbie. I enjoyed it, and it was only $30. In my opinion, he should charge more.

    I am going to post this over on VI-C as well.
     
    George Streicher, Didier Recloux, Daniele Nasuti and 8 others like this.
  2. #2 Luke Johnson, Oct 29, 2017
    Sounds amazing. I’ll be sure to buy it soon! Thanks!
     
    Paul T McGraw likes this.
  3. #3 Gregory D. Moore, Nov 3, 2017
    If I remember correctly (I think it was this class), one of the coolest things was after the show when he pulled the recording. I think someone asked about his EQ and he showed how he was running FabFilters on many of the instruments to smooth out their resonances. I never thought about EQing to this extent but it sure sounded like a good idea when he compared with/without. Overall, it really helped to create a nice blend between instruments when each was already in its sweet sound zone. It really helped to glue everything together nicely I think. Something I wish was in the recording but hey, maybe Mike can make another class about "Setting Things Up" or "Behind the Scenes". After the woodwinds class of course. ;)
     
    Daniele Nasuti, Luke Johnson and Paul T McGraw like this.
  4. #4 Paul T McGraw, Nov 3, 2017
    Last edited: Nov 3, 2017
    Wow, you watched for over 6 hours. And it went beyond that after the recording? You and Mike have some really amazing stamina. I have never participated live in any of the masterclass recordings. I buy them and watch the vimeo so I can pause and take a break for bathroom, food, take phone calls, and stuff like that.

    QUESTION: was Mike using FabFilter Volcano?
     
  5. #5 Luke Johnson, Nov 3, 2017
    Sounds good. I’ve watched 3hrs of it so far. Sadly I was busy so couldn’t participate live and itching to finish it. It’s really well done and illustrates how many options you have with an Orchestra. Endless!
     
    Paul T McGraw likes this.
  6. #6 Gregory D. Moore, Nov 5, 2017
    Ha! No, I don't have Mike's stamina nor the privacy. I'm constantly getting called for help and other distractions so I couldn't view the class straight through but I came back later and stayed for the end. I do like to be able to ask questions, lots of 'em. If Mike gave me me free access to the courses, I'd prepare a pile of valuable content questions to keep him busy all six hours. Of course a few playful or "mischievous" members (you know who you are dude!) have discovered that asking certain questions will send Mike off on a 1/2 hour rant. "Similarly", (hmm...) good questions will keep the focus on course and result in deeper conversations about the topic.

    As for which Fab filter plugin he used, I don't recall. It was just the standard filter but not sure if it was V1 or V2. Any EQ that doesn't use too much CPU power would accomplish the same thing. I'm not big on copying settings as I find it just as easy to make my own. Besides, its always dependent upon the sound and the situation. There's is no one size fits all when it comes to EQ. Use what's needed.
     
    Paul T McGraw and Jason Tackaberry like this.
  7. #7 Gharun Lacy, Nov 11, 2017
    Check the Orch 3 MasterClass discussion thread, guys. I just uploaded a preset cheat sheet for everyone that took the class.
     
    Daniele Nasuti, Federico Solazzo and Rohann van Rensburg like this.
  8. #8 Jay Polk, Nov 15, 2017
    I have been able to download the videos and watch them later. Vimeo usually gives you an option.
     
  9. #9 Luke Johnson, Jun 27, 2018
    Ok, so I finally just bought Orchestration 3. I shall watch it after Live Symphonic Brass. Feels like Christmas.
     
  10. #10 Daniele Nasuti, Jul 12, 2018
    Thank you for this review, I've just thought back and as soon as possible I will buy this class instead of another one. :)
    These feedbacks are important to us for choosing the right classes to buy each time!
     
    Paul T McGraw likes this.
  11. #11 Nick Thacker, Dec 17, 2018
    Yeah... watching it now. (A few 15-minute blocks at a time, as I have children...).

    Freaking amazing. Seriously.

    Mike, you’ve outdone yourself, and I feel that with the huge Black Friday discount I got on it, I’ve stolen something from you.
     
    Bradley Boone likes this.
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