Alex Temple

Earthbound: I use Sonar for sequencing and then convert the exported .wav file to mp3 in itunes. coax: I used Project SAM for horns, trombones and tuba and VSL for everything else (and VSL is often doubling the SAM parts). Neither of which would sound nearly as good (together) without Altiverb. PhantomOfTheOpera: I'm fairly sure SAM's repackaged brass library is available in Kontakt format, though it may just use its own sample player. I'm using their old GigaStudio libraries run through GVI. VSL has its own sample player.

Leeran: I did sketch out some of the piece beforehand, though actually many of the harmonies were changed afterwards. I've been using my guitar more and more as an aid to the harmonic aspects of the composing process. Maxx: I agree that the strings are not "there" yet, but I'm afraid that performance legato patches aren't the answer - both pieces use them extensively already. I know there are some string passages in particular in the Allegro in B-flat minor that stand out as sounding too sampled. I'm generally less satisfied with the final sound I got from the strings in that piece than I am with the newer one. I've heard some people say that combining libraries does great things for improving string sounds, so if EWQLSO goes on another big sale again I may have to give that a shot. almacg: Thanks, and good observations. You're right about the main theme in The Vanguard being more of an incidental motif than a full theme - when I was originally sketching the piece I was thinking along the lines of a boss theme for a game, so I wanted something that could be listened to again and again without driving someone insane. That said, the next time I write a piece like this I think I'll aim for a theme with a little more melodic authority.

Thanks everyone. I made some substantial improvements to "The Vanguard" since I originally posted it (anyone who listened after February 7th heard the newer one), so it's rewarding to see the piece get more of a response now. And actually, to go back to some earlier comments, in addition to the additional material/fuller development of themes, I made some alterations to the string and wind programming that improve the realism and musicality.

Thanks! I'm glad the harmonies are appreciated, since I feel like I spend maybe a little too much of my compositional focus trying to make them interesting. I agree about the strings - those have always been the hardest part for me, and I still haven't nailed down a way of using Altiverb with the Vienna strings that I think really works well. I've been experimenting with layering different combinations of solo strings with various ensembles, but with the high violin lines (especially when doubled at the octave) I'm still not satisfied with the results. Did you find the strings to be noticeably worse in either track? "The Vanguard" is a newer track, and uses some different programming and mixing techniques which I'd like to think are an improvement. When I get a chance I'll take another crack at improving the string programming.

Hi everyone, This is the first time I've posted any of my work here, and I have two pieces to show, both orchestral mp3 files. The first one, "The Vanguard," is a piece I wrote over the past few days while procrastinating more serious work on compositions for my senior recital. It's frantic, loud and violent, but it has some lyrical parts to counter the brash brassiness of the rest of the piece. Think Wagner meets Ravel meets John Williams. This started as a one-mood piece that could have functioned as a boss theme in a game calling for a cinematic sound, but I felt like taking it in a different direction in the end. The second piece, "Allegro Molto in B-flat minor" (boring title, I know), is an orchestration of a piano sketch I wrote back in 2004, which is still listed on my page as "Untitled Piano Piece #1". I finally revisited and orchestrated it several months ago during a particularly hopeless dry spell of new material. Neither one of these is actually for a specific game or film, they're just exercises I'm doing to practice writing in these styles. Both pieces can be found here at the top of the page. High quality versions can downloaded here: "The Vanguard", "Allegro Molto in B-flat minor" Questions, comments and criticism welcome!

I've never heard the whole opera, but I was recently at a Stravinsky concert that opened with the Chairman Dances/Foxtrot for Orchestra, and I loved it.

Mahler, Stravinsky, Bruckner and Dvorak. Lists of favorite pieces would definitely include a lot of other composers' works, but these are the ones whose general output and style draws me in the most.

Hyperthreading can be turned off, so I wouldn't really worry too much about that. That said, Giga 3 runs fine on my computer even with hyperthreading on.

Yeah, it's a rip/glissando. I checked the score for the stravinsky passage you uploadedn and it's notated as a very quick six-note arpeggio with a crescendo marking. It also has gliss. marked above it just so that there isn't any confusion on the conductor or player's part about the intended effect. Another way of doing it is just notating the starting note and ending note and then making a line between the two the same way you would for a string or trombone glissando. It's one of my favorite effects. :w00t:

This was the first of Mahler's symphonies that really got my attention, at a time where my other two favorites were Bruckner's 8th and 9th symphonies. I still love the piece but not as much as I used to. The first movement - I love the thematic material in this, and the way it opens up. But there's something about the pacing that leaves me a little unsatisfied. I like the whole movement but it isn't until after the repeat of the exposition that things start to really grab my attention. The end of the movement is something spectacular, and I always find myself rewinding so that I can hear the last three or four minutes again. I don't have a lot to say about the scherzo, other than that I absolutely love it when it's played well. A good string orchestra and a conductor that doesn't drag things here are a must IMO for this to have the energy that it should. I'm not a fan of the third movement, in fact the only times I ever listen to this are when I listen to the entire symphony back to back. I love the last movement, although it's a little too episodic for me to consider it one of Mahler's truly great movements.

I'll definitely go with the Tragic. Over time it's become my favorite symphony by my favorite composer.