ENGLISH DETECTIVE bassoon escalops
with scurrying flute-string pan-bagnat

Used Instruments
Flute Bassoon 1st Violins Strings

Downloads and further Information

Source Description
Youtube (VSL) Video of this Serving Suggestion
Vienna Assistant Sequencer Projects, Instrument Presets, adjusted MIDI
OrchestrationRecipes.com Recipe #08 (Instructions, MIDI, ...)
YouTube (OR) Example of Original Recipe

Flute

Instrument / Preset Selection

  • Flute 2 (more airy / lightweight sound) / VelXF sus / Classic (presence on stage)

Preparation / Articulation Selection

  • Short Notes / Staccato (Timestretched ~30% longer)

Basic Phrasing

  • Velocity (Create two phrases and accents but not in too high ranges as it will get harsh)
  • Expression (CC11) (increasing dynamic range)

Finishing Touches

  • Humanize Delay Scale (CC25): 20

Bassoon

Instrument / Preset Selection

  • Bassoon 1/ VelXF sus / Classic (presence on stage)

Preparation / Articulation Selection

  • Staccato (agile and normal)
  • Portato
  • Long
  • Legato

Basic Phrasing

  • Velocity for Shorts
  • Modulation (CC1) for Longs (increase for the legato transition beginning of bar 8)
  • Expression (CC11) to increase dynamic range
  • Timbre Adjust (CC8)
    • Bring variation into staccatos
    • Shape note ends for longs
    • Tame the sounds of the legato transitions (bars 2, 5, 6)

Finishing Touches

  • Attack (CC22) to reduce the accents in the two last notes

1st Violins

Instrument / Preset Selection

  • 1st Violins / VelXF sus / Wide (Make space for the solo woodwinds)

Preparation / Articulation Selection

Custom Patch

  • Combine Marcato with Tremolo
  • Activate parallel mode and set to mix
  • Put Velocity Crossfade to off

  • Put the VelXF slider (In Perform Tab) to fixed value 75
  • Adjust Release (for the Tremolo patch only) to -4.26 dB

Basic Phrasing

  • Copy and Paste from Flute

Finishing Touches

  • Humanize Delay Scaler (CC25): ~15

Strings

Create 3 individual lines as indicated in the picture for

  • 2nd Violins
  • Violas
  • Cellos

Instrument / Preset Selection

VelXF sus / Wide

  • 2nd Violins
  • Violas
  • Cellos

Preparation / Articulation Selection

  • Pizzicato

Basic Phrasing

  • Velocity (variations & accents again) and two times 3 bar crescendo, 1 bar decrescendo
  • Expression (CC11) for increasing dynamic range

Finishing Touches

  • Humanize Delay Scaler (CC25): ~20

Mixing

Master Volumes

Instrument Value
Flute 126
Bassoon 115
1st Violins 75
2nd Violins 107
Violas 108
Cellos 114

Violas

  • Mid Microphone -6dB

Strings

  • Disable all EQs
  • Increase Reverb by 1dB (glue together accompaniment)

Other Tweaks

  • Add a tempo map from 260bpm to 265bpm for bringing in variations and a ritardando at the end

Top learnings

  1. Time Stretching (change length of the staccato patch)
  2. Custom patch - combining marcato and tremolo for a "busy violin" sound
  3. Attack Slider (to soften accents)
  4. Combine wide and classic Mixer Presets (increase stage prominence of solo instruments)