Arranges
Beginning of process
For arrangements for any composition, I first make small sketches (they are good for orientation and often a bit faster to write down than entering notes into the program). Pencil and notepaper are integral tools in my musical work.
Balls or strips?
Once the arrangement is sketched, the digitization process comes next. For this purpose I use two options – depending on the budget. Either I edit the sketch and put it straight into sheet music (marbles) for future recording, or I record it as MIDI (noodles) for further ingestion (virtual instruments are used).
Sample sounds are not everything
I rely a lot on my ears and my imagination in this process. Once a piece is converted to notation, it is often difficult to make the demo from the program sound realistic. Therefore, I don’t rely on banked sound, but use my imagination to complete the overall picture. Years of experience in orchestras and bands are integral to being a good arranger.
Music preparation
I use Sibelius and Dorico programs to prepare the sheet music. In Sibelius I can create many things manually and a bit faster than in Dorico, Dorico on the other hand has an excellent typesetting algorithm that makes it very easy to work with parts and condensed scores.
Detailed description of the preparation of sheet music can be read here
Just for your ears
The arrangement is now ready and submitted in electronic form by email – mp3, pdf score, pdf parts (also source files), and if required, also in physical form – printout of the score and parts. For an even better result, I offer the possibility of conducting on the recording frequency, as I know the work perfectly, and if modifications are necessary, I can consult them on the spot to the greatest satisfaction of the commissioner.
Orchestration
Composer & orchestrator
The procedure for orchestration is similar to that for arrangement. However, it is important to add that orchestration for films is a delicate matter and requires good setup and conditions. If the composer is busy devising, an orchestrator comes in to help the composer write the music well. Film music usually has more minutes than arrangements, so it is more time-consuming to work with and therefore conditions are agreed upon individually.
MIDI & DAW
For many composers nowadays, the idea of composing music on paper is quite frightening. Usually, productions are trying to reduce budget and delivery time. This greatly limits the composer’s options in terms of speed and quality of the music written. For these reasons, and for sound reasons as well, the composer does not shy away from creating music directly in a DAW (digital audio workstation) program such as Cubase, Logic, Pro Tools, or Ableton. Often, he no longer wastes time with sheet music and records his ideas directly into digital form. Once that happens, it’s up to me to get the composed music right and convert the very limited MIDI data into sheet music.
“MIDI Cleaning”
Thanks to sufficient quality instruments, the data can be converted from MIDI format to sheet music. There are major limitations, and sometimes (especially when recording MIDI off the “grid”) it is more prudent and faster to record or seed the data into notes manually. This work is called “MIDI Cleaning”, it is an integral part of today’s foreign film production and many studios (Joann Kane Music Service) have a perfectly set up scheme of work for composers and orchestrators.
Work on the score
Now comes the time for real orchestration. If the composer is skilled enough, he or she will create a precise outline of his or her ideas in digital or written form, outlining in detail what he or she wants to have in the score. Like John Williams, Alan Silvestri, Jerry Goldsmith or James Horner, he creates the work into a precise sketch or “particello” (reduced score), which the orchestrator now breaks down according to the requirements. Nowadays, thanks to DAW programs, it is easy to write out the entire score digitally straight away. The orchestrator thus works with already prepared material, but has to add all the information such as dynamics, technique, phrasing and more.
After all the necessary information is completed, the “cues” are written according to the instructions of the production and the composer. These are important for orientation in the part if there is a longer pause for the players, and are also written for substitution or doubling of instruments.
