Acoustic and MIDI Orchestration for the Contemporary Composer: A Practical Guide to Writing and Sequencing for the Studio Orchestra

By Richard DeRosa and Andrea Pejrolo

Book Overview

Get complete guidance on both traditional orchestration and modern production techniques with this unique book. With effective explanations and clear illustrations, you will learn how to integrate the traditional approach to orchestration with the modern sequencing techniques and tools available. You will discover how to bridge the two approaches in order to enhance your final production. The accompanying CD includes a comprehensive and wide selection of examples, templates and sounds to allow you to hear the techniques within the book. By covering both approaches, this book provides a comprehensive and solid learning experience that will develop your skills and prove extremely competitive in the music production business.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0240520211
• ISBN13: 9780240520216
• Release Date: September 2007
• Publisher: Focal Press
• Length: 308 Pages
• Weight: 1.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.6" x 0.6" x 7.5"

Customer Reviews

Very informative, useful material.

Thanks to Andrea Perjolo and Richard DeRosa. This book is extremely helpful to the computer musician/producer who wants to learn how to make his MIDI productions shine. The chapters are separated by orchestral sections, and detailed guidelines are provided for each, in terms of sequencing, arranging, applying effects, etc., with many examples provided so you can see and hear what is being discussed. The book is very comprehensive, as I would expect from professors from Juliard and Berklee. I was not prepared, when I first read this book, however. After I finished it the first time, I had to go back and completely review everything I could about the MIDI features/capabilities/procedures of my MIDI interface, and of my DAW. What I mean is that I could understand the MIDI concepts and functions that the authors were outlining and I could follow along adequately, but I had to do a significant amount of review to get to the point where I was able to implement these very useful guidelines and recommendations on my specific MIDI controller/DAW. I also learned about what features to look for in sample libraries, samplers, and synthesizers. On my second pass throough the book, I was actually prepared to work through the exercises.

5 stars it deserves

This is definitely a book that deserves 5 stars. The information present is great, and the book does not need any editing. There are some other books that might on music composition that were published before MIDI was even a standard, and some authors have written books both on orchestration and arranging both before and after the adoption of MIDI. Some of these books are also very good, but like most people, and probably even more so, musicians are limited by their financial resources, so if you want to invest in only one book of this nature, this would be a very good one to choose.

Excellent book for midi orchestration!

I have not finished reading this book yet, but after reading a few pages from the midi sequencing sections for different instruments I'm pretty convinced that this is the book for a guy like me with beginner/intermediate skills. Absolutely practical information in simple and straightforward language. If the DVD had videos rather than just audio, it would have been a major plus. However, Im so satisfied with the contents of the book that the DVD is just a bonus for me.

Very good book

A bit ascheptic before buying this book (because of the title) and been completely surprised after making a first fast-read. The authors are able to expose from a bit review of instrumentation (instrument ranges, zones where the players can or not to play comfortably, those where an instrument sounds brighter, etc) to a comprehensive tips & tricks about how to make a good mix with software instruments. Who decides what is a "good" mix? Well, these tips are the result of the author experience and they provide enough information to allow the reader when modify their suggestions. This is not a mixing tutorial, but a tool to make more realist your compositions thanks to using properly all the available midi parameters. A good book for those who have some classical studies and didn't have time to experiment deeply in midi orchestration.

Great book, great insights !!

A great book for beginners and intermediate orchestrator enthusiasts who wishes to sequence their scores in the computer. Provides a pretty technical explanation of using sample libraries and the way to actually sequence different sections of the orchestra. A very good blend of traditional and modern orchestration insights. Book is very well organized in addressing different needs of modern day orchestration using computers. I would recommend this book for any budding composer or orchestrator who wishes to create a mock-up of the orchestral piece...