21 Tips For Bringing MIDI To Life PDF

21 TIPS
FOR BRINGING
MIDI TO LIFE
By Benjamin Botkin
It's easy to get caught up in the pursuit of what is technically realistic for an instrument, but
while that's not wrong, I think it's not actually the point. The point in creating music with
samples (or with any instruments for that matter) is to create and perform a piece of music that
is ALIVE and emotional and connects with people. So while figuring out how to make our
sampled orchestral instruments sound more real is important, the ultimate goal is that the final
piece of music is GREAT. If your sampled violin sounds real, but the piece of music it's inherently
boring and the performance is flat, then what it the point? Put a real Stradivarius in my hands
and it's gonna sound 100% real, but I can't make it sing like Itzhak Perlman does.
So when it comes to bringing samples to LIFE, this is partly a matter of knowing how to use the
technology, and partly a matter of good old-fashioned musicianship.
01 Don't think of your samples as "fake" instruments, think of them as…

instruments. This is kind of a psychological point, because, yeah, your
sampled violins are actually not the real thing. But you make real music
with them. That makes them instruments. I think that having this
mindset affects how much you respect your tools and how high of an
emotional ceiling you perceive them as having.
02 Similarly, don't give yourself the mental handicap of "well, my

instruments are fake. If I had REAL instruments then my music would
be awesome." While you may be correct, this attitude can also be used
to give yourself an excuse for not making great music. If you can
control notes and dynamics and time, you can create great music.
03 Apply some Reverb to your instruments (either an algorithmic reverb

like Valhalla Room or a convolution reverb like Spaces by East West),
but not too much. I like to think of adding reverb like adding salt--the
reason to add salt is usually not to make something taste "salty", but to
bring out the natural flavors of the dish more. Likewise, in most cases
you don't want your piece of music to sound obviously "reverb-y", but
reverb can enhance the sound of the instruments and serve like an
acoustic gel to put all of your instruments in the same "room". So I like
to start with my instruments dry and slowly dial up the reverb until it
sounds like it's just enough. I try to lean towards too little reverb in the
composing session, because I can always add a little extra in the mix or
mastering steps.
www.fortecomposeracademy.com
21 TIPS
FOR BRINGING
MIDI TO LIFE
By Benjamin Botkin
04 If your instruments come from different companies (recorded in

different rooms with different mics), then consider applying different
amounts (or types) of reverbs to those different libraries get them to
sound like they are in the same space. So put more reverb on the
instruments that are naturally drier.
05 Write intentional musical phrases, with "breaths" in between. Even

though you are using samples and your musicians do not technically
need to "breathe" (although some non-looping samples will end after a
few sustained seconds), I have found that consciously thinking of
melodic lines as if the performer needed to stop for a breath results in
more naturally flowing and lyrical musical ideas.
06 Focus on solid composition and arrangement. This doesn't sound like

performance advice, but it actually matters a lot. If you hear sampled
mockups of classical pieces, these often sound quite good compared to
pieces by (not classical masters) using the same libraries. This is
because good composition, part writing, phrasing, and usage of
orchestral color is a big part of what makes music emotional… which is
a big part of what makes music feel like it possesses LIFE… which is a
big part of what makes it seem "realistic!"
07 Consider using fluctuations in timing - rubatos, bird's eyes,

accelerandos (gradual speeding up), and ritardandos (gradual slowing
down). Even if you compose everything to The Grid with a metronome
in your DAW (I always do this), you should be able to program (draw)
these timing fluctuations onto the tempo track.
08 Write within the instrument's natural range. This is a pretty simple tip,
and these days most orchestral sample developers only record and
offer that instrument's natural range anyway, so you're probably doing
this by default even if you don't know it.
21 TIPS
FOR BRINGING
MIDI TO LIFE
By Benjamin Botkin
09 Become familiar with and educated (wikipedia and youtube FTW) about
the various articulations that come included in your sample libraries
(spiccato, sforzando, legato, marcato, etc.), and use a variety of these
in your compositions. This is good for at least 2 reasons: (a) it gives you
more tools in your orchestration toolkit, and (b) some phrases can only
be convincingly created by switching between different articulations
within the phrase (i.e. switching between staccato and marcato notes
with brass, depending on where longer or shorter notes should be).
10 Use dynamics! Few things scream "fake" as loudly as using sustained

note patches (like strings, but this applies to brass and winds as well)
without any dynamic fluctuation. Think of strings as if they're the
ocean, with an natural ebb and flow--with valleys and peaks. Practice
creating a 4-bar, single-chord string swell starting from pp to ff and
then back to pp. Hear how different this feels emotionally from 4 bars
of that same chord all at a static mf.
11 The dynamics of most sustained patches are controlled by Mod wheel

(CC1) or expression pedal (CC11) data. This allows you to slide between
different dynamic intensities mid-performance. Be sure to utilize this
feature, and either input the CC data live if you have a controller with
an appropriate wheel, pencil in the dynamic curves in manually, or do a
combination of both.
12 Some instruments, like piano and harp (or "short" articulations like
pizzicato strings) have dynamics triggered by velocity (how hard you
strike the keys). Be sure to have fluctuations in velocity, as a sequence
of notes performed at a static velocity sounds super bogus. This kind of
thing really stands out in piano performances that are
programmed/drawn in instead of played in. If you are not a keys/piano
player, be aware that this might an Achilles heel for you. Velocity-
static string ostinatos are also bad news.
13 All samples have a certain speed of "attack" (how long the notes take
to "arrive" at their regular dynamic), so try to use samples that possess
an attack speed appropriate to your usage (sometimes you can control
the speed of the attack). For example, Don't use string with a really
slow attack for quick arpeggios or runs, or the note won't even start to
sound properly by the time you've left it for the next one.
21 TIPS
FOR BRINGING
MIDI TO LIFE
By Benjamin Botkin
14 Get input on the realism of your piece from more trained ears, either by
composers who know more about how things should sound or--better
yet--by instrumentalists who know those instruments inside and out.
This kind of feedback can be brutal (I know, my wife is a cellist), but it
is super revealing.
15 Quantize (snap notes to grid) some parts, don't quantize others.

Quantizing is GOOD in that is tightens sloppy performances, but
potentially BAD because it can make things sound robotically perfect,
and this doesn't sound very real. So it has to be used sparingly and
judiciously. Elements that need to be *really* tight but are not at the
front of the piece (like percussion) can have tighter rhythms, and you
can use the quantize function to make sure those are precise. Or better
yet, use an iterative quantize feature (this allows you to snap notes to
the grid, but control how many degrees "off" from perfect it will be). I
also like to use iterative quantize on things like string ostinatos or
woodwind patterns that need to be tight, but not robotic.
16 Use legato patches for lyrical or melodic lines if they sound better than
straight sustain patches, but don't use them for everything. Good
legato is like good gelato… it's wonderful, but it's not the only part of a
balanced diet. Oh, and bad legato is like bad gelato. Don't do it.
17 I think this one is obvious, but try to acquire high quality sample
libraries where and when you can. This is easier today than it has ever
been, as there are a lot of great options out there. Listen to demos,
read what the developers says about their libraries, and visit composer
forums and facebook groups to see which libraries are most loved by
working composers. Many forums have dedicated threads or polls for
things like "the best string libraries" that can be found if you google
around.
18 In general, try to use sample libraries the ways that their developers
intended them to be used. A certain library these days is usually
created with a specific goal in mind, and is recorded and programmed
to specifically meet that goal (i.e. "Soaring Strings", "Session Strings",
"Hans Zimmer Strings", "Orchestral String Runs", etc.). So make sure to
consume all the developer documentation available for the libraries you
have, whether manual, walkthrough videos, or whatever.
21 TIPS
FOR BRINGING
MIDI TO LIFE
By Benjamin Botkin
19 Get perspective on your piece (when you have the luxury of time) by
stepping away from it for a few hours or a day, then come back to it
with fresh ears and see what stands out about the performances to
you. When we are working in our DAWs it's really easy to get fixated
on tiny details and lose the big-picture arc/flow/feel of the entire
performance.
20 Listen to real instruments, specifically in the context of the styles you

are trying to write in. Try to observe which things in the performance
are static, and which things fluctuate. When does the musician take a
rest? When does the musician use a different articulation or attack?
How much ebbing and flowing is there is the use of dynamic extremes?
21 Keep on keeping on! Composing is a long game. The more you write,
and listen, and learn, the more life-like and emotional your music will
become.

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21 TIPS

01 Don't think of your samples as "fake" instruments, think of them as…

02 Similarly, don't give yourself the mental handicap of "well, my

03 Apply some Reverb to your instruments (either an algorithmic reverb

04 If your instruments come from different companies (recorded in

05 Write intentional musical phrases, with "breaths" in between. Even

06 Focus on solid composition and arrangement. This doesn't sound like

07 Consider using fluctuations in timing - rubatos, bird's eyes,

10 Use dynamics! Few things scream "fake" as loudly as using sustained

11 The dynamics of most sustained patches are controlled by Mod wheel

15 Quantize (snap notes to grid) some parts, don't quantize others.

20 Listen to real instruments, specifically in the context of the styles you

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