Creating an Orchestral

Room for a Virtual

Orchestra
Film music, John Williams Style
Overview
The purpose of this guide

The goal for this guide is to help provide the building blocks for creating an orchestral set up with virtual
instruments that can produce a realistic room sound. My benchmark for this is the earlier recordings of
John Williams film scores such as Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Empire Strikes Back and many others in the
80s and 90s, including the prequel Star Wars recordings. If the new modern Star Wars recordings such as
The Force Awakens, with their cleaner digital sound and less ‘room’ quality is your preference, you can
certainly use this guide to achieve that as well, it’s just a matter of adjusting depth and reverb to taste. The
choice of room depth and many other decisions you’ll see is going to be ultimately up to you.

There’s nothing in this guide that suggests this is the right way and other methods are wrong, it is the
method I’ve had the best results with and is simply a guide to get you off the ground. All methods I use here
can be tailored to your own preferences or dumped entirely (in which case I apologize in advance for
wasting your time!)

1
 What you should already know and have…*
 A digital audio workstation (DAW), such as Cubase, Ableton Live, Logic, Studio One, Reaper (any
one of these or others would do). I will be using Ableton Live for this guide.
 Familiarity with how to route in your DAW and perform other tasks in it.
 General familiarity with sample libraries and how to use them in Kontakt (and other sample players)
 Orchestral Sample Libraries – an assumption is made that you have orchestral instruments
TIP: There is likely going to be a lot of available to you already.
information you already know. It’s
ultimately up to you if anything here is  Strings, Brass, Woodwinds and Percussion.
new, different or useful to you, and there  I do not make recommendations on which sample libraries you should buy as people's
is no suggestion that one method or preferences (and the expense in purchasing these) means you should think hard about
another is wrong. I base my methods on which ones suit you – a catch 22 because suitability comes from experience with a library. I
results, not on what some may suggest do however have key expectations from sample libraries that are not met by all. I explain
is ‘supposed’ to be done. Remember, too, these later.
that this is a singular aim, a good room
orchestral setup, not a template that will  Good MIDI programming is required with all sample libraries by the user. You can get great
results from most libraries if you put enough time in programming them, choosing the right
create any style of music for any
articulations, and have a well-trained ear. Some are easier to program than others. I have
situation. That isn’t how a template heard the best sample libraries sound poor, and the oldest sound good – skill of the user sets
works. most of these apart. It’s worth nothing that despite this, certain libraries can only achieve so
much, and others offer the possibility to reach a closer realism benchmark with less effort.

*Despite some prior knowledge preferred, as noted above, this guide will still start with a lot of basics. Only because
they are relevant to how I do things. I go through basic routing, mic use in sample libraries, and placement basics. I
wanted to make sure this guide was covering everything needed to end up with a better result, even if starting with a
blank project file.
But I am using my ears?

TIP: A commonly used phrase is ‘use your ears’. This is both a

frustrating phrase to be told, but also a vital part of understanding
issues. If your ear is untrained the phrase doesn’t help much. You
will need to develop the sense that what you are hearing is
natural sounding or not.

A shocking revelation, but a well-trained ear is required to know

what sounds good or bad. Using real recordings as references
and critical listening to these recordings is vital. The goal is NOT
to match the sound of original recordings, the goal is to have your
own natural room sound and orchestra. But how can this be
achieved if you cannot recognise this sound naturally?

It’s tricky because there are different needs for different

situations. Remember the focus of this tutorial, a John Williams
orchestral sound. I will attempt to address this by explaining
some basic balance techniques between instruments later.
Several factors come together to contribute to the aim of a realistic virtual
orchestra…(these are the ones I consider to be the most important )
NOTE! Orchestration accounts for half the overall total here (which you
Realism Chart may or may not agree with).

• The principle here is that good and balanced orchestration already

accounts for solving a large portion of both mixing and programming
needs, meaning less reliance on those to fix issues. It also won’t
matter how good your mixing and programming is (or even your sample
library) – if you arrange orchestral music poorly, you may not get good
results.
Mixing ability and
Reverb • Skilled MIDI programming also chips away at the need for greater
20% mixing needs. This means utilising everything in your arsenal to
produce a ‘performance’. Choosing the right articulations for example
and cc automation is vital.

Orchestration • Good sample library quality (with a host of articulations, mic options
50% and a good sound out of the box) further reduces the need to heavily
MIDI Programming
Skill mix and rely on reverb. If you rely on reverb to fix problems, you’re
20% already in trouble. The dry mix (no reverb tail) must be balanced as
much as is possible. This is difficult when bringing together a series of
Sample Library libraries from different developers as they can have varying degrees of
Quality wetness (room) baked in. If you add a dry instrument into an orchestra
10% that is already placed with close, mid, and far mics, the dry instrument
is going to stick out until it is given placement treatment with panning,
convolution reverb to simulate a hall, and perhaps EQ for further
sculpting of the sound. Before you add a reverb tail to anything, it’s
best to have all the instruments balanced and placed, dry or wet. Note
the distinction here that I’d consider the use of convolution reverb to
place an instrument not part of the actual reverb set up for the whole
orchestra. It is for hall placement.
A Typical John Williams Orchestra
This is the typical score order. You can include additional patches as needed. For example, you might have a horn (solo), a 4
horn ensemble, then 6 horns, 12…or 4 horn solos, 3 trumpet solos, those choices are up to you, but they are not necessary.

Woodwinds Brass Percussion Strings

Flute 1 Horn (solo) Timpani (hits and rolls) Full String Ensemble (1)
Flute 2 Horns 4 ensemble Bass Drum (hits and rolls) Full String Ensemble (2)
Piccolo Trumpet (solo) Snare Drum (hits and rolls)
Oboe 1 Trumpet 3 ensemble Toms
Violins 1
Oboe 2 Trombone (solo) Violins 2
Suspended Cymbals
English Horn (if you have one) Trombones 3 ensemble Violas
Large Cymbal
Bb Clarinet 1 Bass Trombone (solo) Cellos
Med Cymbal
Bb Clarinet 2 Tuba (solo) Small Cymbal Basses
Bass Clarinet (if you have one) Piatti
Bassoon 1 Tam Tam Add solo and con sord
Bassoon 2 Triangle patches if needed.
Contrabassoon Mark Tree
(if you have one)

Orchestral ‘Toys’ (Woodblocks,

shakers,
Hi Woodwind Ensemble etc.) TIP: You can add or remove any
Lo Woodwind Ensemble Crotales instruments you want. It’s your set up
Xylophone in the end and your choice whether
Marimba to use certain instruments over
Glockenspiel others. This guide will show the most
Vibraphone typically used concert performance
Celeste instruments and is useful for many
Harp orchestral pieces, not just John
Piano Williams music.
Sample Library Basics TIP: Mic use in a sample library
better represents how an orchestra is
Though I won’t recommend any one library over another, I do have my own preferences for recorded in a real setting. There’s also a
what makes a sample library useful. certain real room quality to the
behaviour of instruments in these rooms
that may not be replicated well using a
MIC options (Close, Mid, Far, etc.) – this helps you get a sound that has a room quality around it dry close instrument with convolution
without even touching reverb. The natural ambience around a recorded instrument is very useful reverb. I don’t consider ‘close mics’ to
as a starting point to creating space. ‘Dry’ recorded instruments are very useful for smaller be the same as dry recorded
instruments! I avoid using just close
ensemble, and studio like mixes, for a more intimate sound. Take note of my distinction between mics. I use all the mics available.
a Close Mic and a Dry recorded instrument (see box out). More on making dry instruments work
in the mix later…

Performance ability: very hard to quantify until you spend time working with a library. Though a
good range of demos can give you a sense of the performance ability of a library, they are often
written in a way to avoid their shortcomings. Still, if you hear performance quality in the demos
then it’s a useful indicator the library can do certain techniques. Things to look for are: NOTE! Close Mic versus a Dry Instrument.
A dry instrument is recorded in a dry environment. A
• Good range of articulations (a range of shorts, true legato, longs, marcato, tremolo,
close mic’ed instrument is usually recorded in a hall,
and extended techniques). I list the most useful articulations on the next page. with a mic close to it (for adding definition to a
• Listen for fast repetitions - short repeated notes, particularly in the same pitch. If recording). I consider the close mic only sound to be
demos avoid this, see if you can find out how it sounds through a walkthrough or other a thin sound and thus not a good representation of
means. Even if a library has many round robins, it does not necessarily mean it won’t that instrument’s timbre. With this in mind:
sound odd with fast repeated notes.
• For a dry sound, use dry instruments recorded in a
• Ability to change or shorten set-length articulations. For example, marcato in brass is
dry environment.
a more aggressive mid-to short note, and if these are a pre-set length, it greatly limits
your ability to use it. If you hold down a marcato and it stops when you lift the key, this • For an orchestral sound, use close mics to add
is much more versatile. Pre-baked lengths are tricky to compose around but not some definition to an instrument in addition to the
impossible. mid and far mics.
This is my list of the most useful articulations and instrument sections – it is not an exhaustive list of all possible articulations
or instruments, and to you, perhaps one I haven’t listed might be more useful to you than I. I’ve not included Choir.

Woodwinds Brass Percussion* Strings*

Flute (solo) Horn (solo) Timpani (hits and rolls) Violins 1
Flute 2 or ensemble* Horns 4 ensemble Bass Drum (hits and rolls) Violins 2
Trumpet (solo) Snare Drum (hits and rolls) Violas
Piccolo (solo)
Toms
Oboe (solo) Trumpet 3 ensemble Cellos
Oboe 2 or ensemble Trombone (solo) Suspended Cymbals Basses
Clarinet (solo) Trombones 3 ensemble Piatti
Clarinet 2 or ensemble Bass Trombone (solo) Tam Tam • Legato
Bass Clarinet (solo) Tuba (solo) Triangle • Sustains
Mark Tree • Spiccato
Bassoon (solo)
Bassoon 2 or ensemble • Legato Orchestral ‘Toys’ (Woodblocks,
• Staccatissimo
Contrabassoon (solo) • Sustains shakers, etc.) • Staccato
• Staccatissimo • Sforzando
• Legato • Staccato Xylophone • Pizzicato
• Sustains • Sforzando Marimba • Harmonics
• Marcato Glockenspiel • Tremolo
• Staccatissimo
Vibraphone
• Staccato • Mutes Celeste
• Trills
• Sforzando • Marcato
• Portato Harp (including glissandos) • Con sordino
• Marcato Piano • Fast runs
• Trills
* Most percussion libraries will include this * I haven’t included solo
and much more, there’s a lot of choice strings, but you can if
* It is useful to have Flute 1 and available. These are what I use most. you wish.
Flute 2 if possible (and repeat for
each woodwind), but either
option works.
Isn’t it better to have 4 solo horns? 4 Horn patches
= 4 Horn Ensemble

Some people prefer the versatile nature of having 4 solo horns, 3 trumpets, etc. This is
more conducive to natural writing; but the resulting sound can be a little off because
your 4 separate horn patches are not playing back in a room together. What happens in
a real room environment when 4 horns play together is not what happens in your DAW
with reverb on it. 4 separate lines works better than joining them into a single line
ensemble. Ensemble patches exist for the joining of the instruments.

You could have 4 horns and have a 4 horn ensemble. Having that flexibility is good, but
it’s not required.

Using a 4 horn ensemble patch to write a 4-part horn chord doesn’t sound like 16 horns
are playing. My main advice here is to simply ensure the top voice is a little louder than Warning – do not double the same
the lower ones. This is easy to do with velocity for shorts, but for longs you may need to solo instrument patch over itself to
duplicate the 4 horn patch and MIDI track and use less mod-wheel (or reduce actual make it sound like 2 instruments
are playing the same phrase. This
volume) of the lower 3 voices. So, two tracks of the 4 horn ensemble. One is the single causes phase issues because you
upper voice, and the other is the 3 lower voices. Careful listening to the balance is key. are playing the same samples
This theory can be used on any instruments, trumpets, trombones, etc. directly over itself (an example of
something that would not happen in
a real recording environment)
Signal Flow
The basics of routing in your DAW to set up
the Orchestral Template.
DAW Basics
Here I will go through the initial setup and routing of tracks. You can skip this part if you have your own set up or preference to how you do
this. However, if you are a beginner then this section could help. It’s also possible your current setup isn’t working well for you, if that is the
case perhaps check some of these notes and see what suits you better.

There are various ways to set up routing and this is my method. I will also explain the other methods that are popular.

In my final template, the Instrument Patches are routed to Audio Tracks from
Kontakt (or any other sample player such as SINE, Spitfire Audio Player, Play
Engine, etc.) TIP: There are various personal
choices in setting up a template. And
I use Kontakt to hold multiple patches. Each patch goes to a MIDI channel.
some are choices based on delivery of
Each patch is also Output from within Kontakt to an audio track.
audio to others. Also, different DAWs
If you wish, you can instead use one instance of Kontakt per instrument and have different methods for routing. The
route that track to an audio output. It doesn’t matter which method you use. principles are the same regardless of
the software used, and so will
I also use a single MIDI track per instrument to hold all articulations (where translate across different DAWS and
possible). I prefer to use Keyswitching on a single track. For example, Flute 1 sample players (e.g., Kontakt, SINE,
MIDI track can play shorts and longs, legato, etc. Spitfire Audio Player, Play Engine, etc.)
If you wish, you can use one MIDI track per articulation. A common
approach is to divide the instrument into LONGS and SHORTS. Route all
LONGS to one set of audio tracks and route all SHORTS to another.
 Setting Up Instruments – (all articulation patches)
1. To start I load Flute 1 and Flute 2 into Kontakt.
2. The MIDI channels are set up to receive Flute 1 and Kontakt
MIDI channel #1, and Flute 2 on channel #2.
Flute 1 (all articulations)
3. Kontakt is set up that the Outputs (st.2)* thru to (st.16) Output: st. 2
will output each patch on that channel so that my audio Midi Chn:: [A] 1
tracks can be set up the same way. Flute 1 audio and
Flute 2 audio.
4. Steps 1 to 3 are repeated for the remaining woodwind Flute 2 (all articulations)
section. If your woodwind section would fit into a single Output: st. 3
Midi Chn:: [A] 2
instance Kontakt (16 patches), you can continue adding
patches. Or open a new Kontakt instance per
instrument type.

Alternate Method: Some find it much simpler to load one instrument * I find that st.1 output is used by the actual Kontakt instance, so only
only into Kontakt and create a new instance of Kontakt for each outputs st.2 thru to st.16 can be routed. Depending on what DAW you use,
instrument. Then, simply route the audio from that track to an this limitation might not be present.
associated audio track. This method is useful if you wish to load up
different articulations (shorts and longs) as different patches, and route
the shorts to one audio track, and the longs to another. I just like using
as few instances of a sample player as I can, so I prefer to group them.
The choice is totally up to you!
Signal Flow – different types
There are various ways to route the signal to a bus (If delivering multiple stems, you usually need a reverb set up for each bus)
 Delivering all individual tracks to a mixer (whether they want reverb or not should be discussed)
 Delivering stems (combined groups of woods being 1 stem, strings being another stem, etc.) – multiple reverb setup required
 Delivering stems further divided so that short articulations collect in a bus, and long articulations collect in another bus (also
divided by each section, woodwinds, strings, etc. – multiple reverb setup required
OR
 The simplest set up which I use most of the time is to have a single reverb setup for the orchestra. This is when producing and
mixing music for my own productions where I avoid the need for multiple busses with multiple reverb setups. I generally have my
set up ready to be routed to the stems, but if not required I turn them off and disable unneeded processing.
TIP: On the next pages I explain
the BUS method, but I usually
use a single reverb set up to
Note! Over the next few pages, I remove pr
explain the different signal flow
options. What you choose (or
already do) is entirely up to you.
The results of the room sound will
be exactly the same regardless of
the routing method chosen above.
 Simplified Signal Flow - if you don’t need to deliver stems
Most of the time, if producing music for my own productions and finished releases, I can greatly simplify the reverb setup by only
using one signal flow. Audio channels send % of signal to reverb, reverb signal goes to Sub Master. Less taxing on the system, so
if resources for you are tight, this set up can work.
Kontakt TIP: ‘Sub Master’ is used as a
MIDI
Woodwinds Channels
track to put my final plug-ins on.
The reason I have this track is in
case I want a certain track (film
sound effects, dialog) to bypass
Audio this processing. I can send any
Channels track I want to bypass the Sub
% Sent to Reverb Master processing and go direct
Kontakt to the Master instead.
MIDI
Brass Channels

Audio
Channels
Kontakt
MIDI Reverb Tail Sub Master Master
Percussion Channels Aux

Audio
Channels
Kontakt
MIDI
Strings Channels

Audio
Channels
 BUS Signal Flow
The process for every single instrument is the same, regardless of sample library, dry or wet. A percentage of each audio signal is
sent to a Reverb Aux channel (for each bus) (more on this later so ignore for now)
Kontakt
MIDI
Woodwinds Channels Audio BUS
Audio Channels
% Sent to Reverb

Audio Woodwinds Reverb Tail

Channels BUS Aux
One for each BUS
Kontakt
MIDI
Brass Channels Each BUS

Audio Brass
Channels BUS
Kontakt
MIDI Sub Master Master
Percussion Channels

Audio Percussion
Channels BUS
Kontakt
MIDI
Strings Channels

Audio Strings
Channels BUS
 How that may look in a DAW Combined Stem tracks – all
Your DAW may look different, but the idea is the very same. Refer to your DAWs manual if unsure how to do routing in it. woodwind audio is grouped
Group your sections together, and colour code them however you like. Naming and grouping tracks is very important here, including reverb, then
for a faster workflow. sent to SUB MASTER

Grouped MIDI Grouped Audio

Channels Channels
Send the audio to
the grouped BUS
Stem - Woods Combined Mix
BUS

Track with
Kontakt on it
Mix (Sub)
Master
Read st.2 Output
Read MIDI from Kontakt
% Sent to Reverb
Channel 1 from
Kontakt

Master

Reverb Tail
Aux
 Further Busses - Dividing Short and Long Articulations
If you wish to have the flexibility to delivering to a TV or Film mixer, then dividing short and long articulations is often expected so that they
can be delivered as separate tracks. You can also keep splitting into more groups, increasing the granularity. Percussion can be drums,
metals, melodic, and so on. This also greatly increases the requirement to have multiple reverb instances. 1 or more for each BUS.

MIDI Channels Audio Channels

Woodwind - Longs
Audio Channels Woodwinds BUS Longs % Sent to Reverb

MIDI Channels Reverb Tail

Woodwind - Shorts
Audio Channels Woodwinds BUS Shorts Aux
One for each BUS

Brass - Shorts MIDI Channels

Each BUS
Audio Channels Brass BUS Longs

Brass - Longs MIDI Channels

Audio Channels Brass BUS Shorts
TIP: Remember that a % of audio signal will
MIDI Channels go to reverb, and then back to the bus for that
Percussion - Hits audio group. This means that you’ll need a
Audio Channels Percussion BUS Hits
reverb set up for EVERY BUS you have. In this
MIDI Channels example it’d be 8 reverb set ups. 1 for each
Percussion - Melodic bus.
Audio Channels Percussion BUS Melodic
If this taxes your system, you can work
around this by routing 1 reverb set up to each
MIDI Channels bus in turn, bouncing each stem, route the
Strings - Shorts
Audio Channels Strings BUS Longs reverb, bounce the stem, and so on. If you’re
not bouncing stems, you can route the reverb
MIDI Channels to the Sub Master instead.
Strings - Longs Strings BUS Shorts
Audio Channels
Microphone Options
Using the available mic options in sample libraries.
Seating Arrangements
On the right is a rough layout guide for orchestra seating.

A sample library is often recorded in seating positions like

Timpani and other
these. You will hear this in the mid and far mics mainly as
Percussion
those mics represent the orchestra hall placements. Trombones

If your chosen library is not recorded in seated positions (or

French Horns Trumpets
is a fully dry library), it is likely centered, and as such would
then need to be placed with both panning and reverb. I’ll Harp Tuba
show you how to do this later. Clarinets Bassoons
Piano
I don’t recommend to use only close mics (when multiple Celeste
mics are available), and don’t try to place the instrument with Flutes/Piccolo Oboes
just that close mic. You can if you want to, I just don’t
recommend it. Contra
2nd Violins Violas Basses
Close mics (or spot mics) are for adding definition, and not
intended to be used as the sole instrument sound. They
simply don’t represent the instrument at its best (often 1st Violins
Cellos
sounds thin/harsh). There are some limited exceptions to
this, but if the other mics are available, I use them in addition
to the close mic. If you want a dry intimate sound, you should
ideally be using dry recorded instruments recorded in a
small dry room – which can then be given placement
treatment later. A basic guide only. There are many variations on this layout, and
it changes from orchestra to orchestra. However, this would be a
‘typical’ seating arrangement. Note that the percussion would
more likely cover the width of the orchestra across the back.
Mic Options
Mic options in a library vary by maker, as do the names they give Kontakt
the mics.
 Close (or spot mic) – right next to the instrument. For adding Flute 1
Output: st. 2
definition to a recording or bringing out a solo.
Midi Chn:: [A] 1
 Mid (or Decca tree) – above the conductor’s position. For
adding placement and room sound.
0db 0db
 Far (or ambient mic) – at the back of room. Adds the most
room sound.
OR
 Full Mix – usually this is a combination of other provided
mics. A default mix created by the developer. Lowers the
RAM footprint because it’s the other mics combined. If
Close Mid Far Full MIX
using the 3 other mics, that’s 3 times the RAM amount.
 For this reason, I tend to favour the Full Mix if available.

There may be even more mics available depending on the library:

 Different brands of mics recorded
 Spill mic (captures an instrument through the OTHER mics
.
for those other instruments)
 Additional close mics.
Using the Different Mics for Depth
Preference of mic balance is up to you. If you want a close mic to be the highest and only have a hint of mid and far that’s fine. Some people prefer drier mixes.
However, remember that we’re looking to create a room here and that is best done starting with the room present in the samples.

If you don’t like the provided full mix (if available), you can sculpt the sound you want from the available mics. You’re looking to hear a sense of depth, but retain a
clear sound. Try to keep the relative volume levels the same as when the patch was loaded.

Libraries recorded in a similar way: The depth you produce with a single section should be a set benchmark to position the remaining sections around. Start with
strings, the closest section. You want these to sound full, with some sense of the room, but not distant. Then, you can balance your woodwinds to this to ensure
the depth you set with the mic options available has the woodwinds just behind the strings. Brass behind the woodwinds, and finally percussion at the back. With
orchestra sections from a single developer (given they are recorded in the same way or part of a single big orchestra package), this is easy enough to do. Usually
nothing more than setting the same levels across all. Remember: they are recorded in position in most cases. This means the woodwinds are automatically more
distant from the ‘mid’ (Decca tree) than the strings are, and closer than the brass are. So, setting the level the same, could work and should be the starting point.
However, you should still do this by ear – because if from different developers, the room sizes aren’t likely the same – the distances aren’t consistent.

Libraries recorded in different halls or by different developers: If you have 4 different sections by 4 different developers, woodwinds, brass, percussion, strings,
the depth balance (and your mic options) might be all over the place. The best you can do here is strike a depth balance without washing out any one section.
Even if it means with no other plugins used, the woodwinds (for example) are now sitting in front of the strings, this will have to do (for now). We’ll push them back
later with plugins to fix this. It’s important to continue to balance the orchestra with no plugins yet. Just watch you do not have a badly defined section sound (too
distant) because you turned off a close mic, or only use the far mic to get it behind the strings. That is doing more harm than good.

0db 0db 0db 0db

Close Mid Far Close Mid Far Close Mid Far Close Mid Far

Strings Woodwinds Brass Percussion

Orchestral Balance
Adjusting the levels to balance the
orchestra sections.
Bringing Balance to the Orchestra 1
Ok, you’ve loaded all your instrument patches, and routed the tracks. What now?

The plan is to balance these instruments against each other so that they are blending with each other in the same way they would be during a
performance. For example, how a flute playing ff would sound against violins playing ff . The aim is for a balanced playback sound. If you are
using an orchestra from a single source, let’s say the BBC Symphony Orchestra from Spitfire, you should already have a balanced orchestra (not
that it is perfect) – but it would be a good start that might need only a few adjustments – perhaps the same adjustment each section just to bring
the levels down to mixing volume.

If you have a collection of libraries from different developers (like I do) then different balancing levels of the orchestra may be required. This is to
achieve a general balance across the 4 sections, but wouldn’t necessarily negate the need for volume automation during the composing
process. That’s normal - a mixer with a live recording doesn’t just leave the faders idle!

There’s no exact science to this, but let’s look at this in more detail on the next page.

0db 0db 0db 0db

-14 db -12 db -12 db

-20 db

Woodwinds Brass Percussion

Strings Bus
Bus Bus Bus
Bringing Balance to the Orchestra 2
These are my starting points when I was setting up the template and are a basic guide only. There’s always variance with what you might be using that could change the results
but the main goal is having headroom of around 6db on the master bus when a lot of the louder instruments are playing together at max dynamic.

 Percussion: Play a timpani hit at max velocity (or a roll at top dynamic). Try a G2 note (taking C3 as middle C). Note where it hits on the meter of the percussion bus. Get
this to hit at its loudest around -12db by adjusting the percussion bus volume. The percussion bus, not the timpani track. Your instrument tracks should remain at 0db. This
-12db on your percussion bus is your base volume level. You haven’t made the timpani quieter (and must not balance all other percussion against it), what has happened
here is you have made the whole percussion section quieter – but maintained its own balance within itself. The only caveat here is if you are bringing in other percussion
patches from other developers. You may need to check how they sound. But again, this is difficult unless writing a piece (where it can become clear that something is out
of whack volume wise) – if so, you adjust that one track to balance it with the rest). But first, let’s just balance the busses to create headroom, before getting into the
tracks.

 Brass: Play a chord in the trumpets, say a high G (G4, B4, D5), max cc1 (or velocity – but I find sustains are much easier to read. On the Brass bus get this to a max of -12db.

 Strings: Take the cellos and the basses together and play a low sustained E1. Get this volume to around -14db

 Woodwinds: This is harder to gauge as it is more difficult to get the woodwinds to project. What I do is I play a flute and violins 1 patch together at max dynamic. I want to
only just about hear the flute blending with the strings once you get past G4 and up. And it will probably be heard a little more as you go up the register, becoming a little
more obvious there is a flute playing along. So, this means you’re adjusting the volume of the WOODWINDS bus, not the strings, to get this blend. There’s no telling what
the woodwind bus will need to be adjusted to here. Maybe it doesn’t even need to be adjusted at all. In my setup, with no adjustments, the flute (and other woodwinds) hit
around -20db with no adjustments, so I left it. You can then also play a clarinet along with the viola section, and ideally, they should blend as well now with no adjustments.
If you find the clarinet is too loud, it’s time to just adjust the clarinet track down instead (the bus is already set via the flute and strings).

It may not be perfect, but it’s a start. You might even find these figures don’t work for you. If using different patches from different developers, then you may need to repeat
balancing steps adjusting another instrument against the one in the same section. I suggest adjusting the other woodwinds track levels this time (not the bus) to sit well with the
flute and do not change the flute (as you balanced that against the strings already by adjusting the bus). Ignore this step completely if you are using woodwinds from a single
library. This principle also applies to the brass but note that trumpets are going to be weak in their lower register, trombones are going to be very strong in the same low register
the trumpet can play, so these can’t really be judged and balanced together. You must use your ears.

0db 0db 0db 0db

-14 db -12 db -12 db

-20 db

Strings Woodwinds Brass Percussion

Bus Bus Bus Bus
 Bringing Balance to the Orchestra 3
Taking C3 as middle C, this is my rough guide to blending different instruments. There’s no exact science, and differences between libraries and their own dynamic ranges makes
this more difficult to judge in people's personal setups. Some of these balances can be adjusted in mixing, but I try to have them close to this while writing. The needs of the
music I’m writing will dictate if I simply disregard a suggestion here due to what I’m looking to achieve in a phrase.

Blend with: Balance Dynamic – with legato* Register Loudest Instrument

At highest dynamic have the flute blending under C3 to G4 I do not expect to hear the flute - you should start to hear the flute a little
Flute 1 with Violins 1 Violins 1
the violins more as you rise through the scale approaching G4 and beyond.

At highest dynamic have the clarinet blending Around middle C I do not expect to hear the clarinet clearly, but you should know
Clarinet 1 with Violas Violas
under the violas it’s there underneath.

Mid dynamic they should blend together, it’s a Around C2 at mid dynamic, I want to hear the cellos a little more, the horns are Equal at mid
French
with Cellos great sound. Higher dynamic, expect the horns to adding a blending tone. As you rise in dynamic and the horns become more dynamic
Horns
start taking over the sound more. powerful, they should be easier to hear – maybe even becoming dominant. Horns high dynamic

Violins low register

Low trumpets (below and around C3) are not very powerful, and violins should
High register – both
Trumpets with Violins Highest dynamic. lead here. As the register increases the trumpets become more powerful and blend and trumpet is
should become more obvious (but still blending) as you start hitting E4 and up. clearer.

A solo tuba against the basses section – doesn’t seem fair. Tuba should be clear No clear winner here,
enough through all the dynamics and register. Not dominating, but clear that but both should be
Tuba with Basses Highest dynamic.
there’s a tuba playing as well. Overall, the tuba is one instrument I’m always obvious enough they
adjusting during a composition. are playing.

Timpani and the strings here should be clearly matching each other in low Blending in low and
Cellos and
Timpani with Use HITS/SHORTS for this test. All dynamics. dynamics, but as the dynamics rise, I expect the timpani to start dominating. You mid. Then timpani
Basses takes over in higher.
will often see timpani scored at forte, when strings are at double forte.

You get the idea here, and the balancing should ideally be done on the busses, because the sections should be balanced within themselves – but if you find there’s a disparity
between some instruments, then you can use the track fader instead. Again, if you want to swap out your trumpets for another library, you need to balance those new trumpets
by adjust its levels against the old trumpets, don’t reach for the bus again.

*Legato - In my experience, many instrument patches in legato mode tend to represent a mid to high level dynamic rather than full raw power. This is ideal for gauging the
balances above because in most cases, legato playing will usually be a blend, instead of one instrument completely dominating another. Shorts and other articulations aren’t
really suited to this, because a short high trumpet has that immediate loud attack that would be heard over just about anything else.
Some Basic Instrument
Characteristics
General guidelines and basic roles for the instruments.
Woodwinds – Basic Instrument Roles
Starting with the Woodwinds, these are some generalizations on the use of those instruments in the orchestra. Mostly related to common use from John Williams (as a starting
point). There are so many more uses - this is just some basic beginner use from an orchestration point of view.

Instrument Common Role Common Doubling or Unisons

Scale runs (often as colour, over sustains, gaps in the melody and as transitions). Solo melodies,
Flute Violins, piccolo, and other woodwinds, piano (runs).
and adding colour with high piercing flurries.

Scale runs (often as colour, over sustains, gaps in the melody and as transitions). Adding colour
Piccolo Violins and flutes, piano (runs).
with high piercing flurries.

Oboe Solo melody. Scale runs in the middle register and rhythmic support. Trumpets, other woodwinds, strings.

English
Solo melody. Scale runs in the middle register and rhythmic support. Horns, other woodwinds, strings.
Horn

Solo melody. Scale runs. Harmonic support (often two clarinets used to form a triad or other
Clarinet Horns. Violas, other woodwinds.
harmonic interval). Rhythmic support.

Bass
Bass support, rhythmic support. Trombones, basses.
Clarinet

Bassoon Solo melody. Bass rhythmic support. Cellos, basses, trombones.

Contra
Bass rhythmic support. Bassoons, cellos, basses, tuba, trombones.
Bassoon

Doubling – same notes but supported at a different pitch. Usually, an octave above or below. If you double the flutes with the violins, you are deciding that one of them
will be an octave above the other (or two).

Unison – same notes, and same pitch. This represents a single idea or phrase, across multiple instruments. If you have the flutes in unison with the violins, you are
deciding that they are playing the same pitch.
Brass - Basic Instrument Roles
Some general characteristic use of the brass section.

Instrument Common Role Common Doubling or Unisons

French Melody, solo and in unison. Rhythmic support (often in chords), sustained harmony support in Cellos in melody (great sound). Trumpets (low melody).
Horns chords (low dynamics for soft passages). Clarinets.

Melody, solo and in unison. Rhythmic support. Rhythmic motifs and support during melody breaks
Trumpets Violins, horns, trombones (low melody).
and transitions.

Rhythmic support. Rhythmic motifs and support during melody breaks and transitions. Sustained Cellos, basses, trumpets (low melody), bassoons, contra
Trombones
builds for tension. Harmonic support in chords (low dynamics for soft passages). bassoon, and horns.

Bass Useful low support for the tuba and trombones. Can often play the role of trombone number 3, as Trombones (part of the section), tuba, basses, cellos,
Trombone the lower voice. bassoons.

Bass support with sustains and rhythmic support. Often to punctuate an idea the tuba is often
Tuba Trombones, basses, cellos, contra bassoon.
resting for moments before joining the brass section to thicken the bass.
Percussion - Basic Instrument Roles
Some general characteristic use of the percussion section.

Instrument Common Role Common Doubling or Unisons

Bass accents, rolls for transitions, dramatic builds, orchestral pulse (repeated note to drive a
Timpani Low instrument accents, basses and tuba, etc.
beat). Solo flourishes.

Bass accents, rolls for transitions, dramatic builds. Very impactful when used to accent 2nd beat
Bass Drum Low instrument accents, basses and tuba, etc.
(not first).

Traditionally military and march, and can also provide drive and colour. Various snare sizes can
Snare Drum A snare and bass drum hit is a good combination.
add different colours.

Concert
The varying pitches creates Interesting fill moments. Very attack heavy and less resonance.
Toms

Suspended
Colour, texture, suspended rolls for build up and transitions. Often used in combination with a timpani roll.
Cymbals

Piatti Crash cymbals for accents, colour and rhymical support. Sometimes used in combination with a bass drum.

Tam Tam Rolls for transitions, dramatic builds. Big booming sound.

The triangle’s distinctive ring can add top end accents and some sparkle, especially if used as a
Triangle
tremolo. (Such as the opening of Star Wars)

The magical sparkle you hear in many fantasy and mystery orchestral pieces – mostly for adding
Mark Tree
colour and can be used for transitions.

Woodblocks, shakers, vibraslap, whip, and more. Lots of percussion colour options. Best used
Toys
sparingly.
Harp, Keys and Mallets
Some general characteristic use of the harp, piano and other keys, and the mallets.

Instrument Common Role Common Doubling or Unisons

Xylophone Often used to add a percussive element and colour to high accents in the woodwinds. Often with high woodwinds.

Marimba Can add a slightly exotic flavour and melody to a piece.

Commonly with brass. Often doubles the main notes of a

Traditionally military and march, and can also provide drive and colour. Various snare sizes add
Glockenspiel melody (not every note of a phrase, the most important
different colours.
ones).

Often used in quieter moments, to add mystery (commonly as a two note harmony). With motor
Vibraphone Common with harp, piano or celeste.
on, adds a slight sustained movement to a chord.

Colour, texture and adding mystery or sparkle (in the high end). Famously used for the Harry
Celeste With harp or piano.
Potter main theme.

Chords, and arpeggiated chords for harmonic support, glissandos for transitions and key
Harp Commonly with the celeste and the piano.
changes, and sometimes a main melody.

Bass support (low notes add a lot of percussive weight), melody, harmony support (chords or Often with the harp, and woodwinds (runs) or percussive
Piano
arpeggios). Runs (often doubles the woodwinds for this). Percussive accents. accents.
Strings
Strings are the backbone of the orchestra and fulfil many roles. Every section can be used for harmony, melody, rhythmic drive, and so on. The best use of the string section is to
utilize their registers in your orchestration and avoid simply copying one part into the next and avoid doing constant tight triads (playing it like a piano).

Instrument Common Role Common Doubling or Unisons

Violins 1 Around 16 players. Harmonic and rhythmic support, melody or unison with both violas and violins. Violins 2, violas (often unison in melody), flutes.

Around 14 players. Harmonic and rhythmic support, melody in double or unison with both violas
Violins 2 Violins 1, violas, flutes.
and violins 1.

Around 12 players. Great for rhythmic support and drive, filling middle harmony, and supporting
Violas Violins 1 and 2, cellos, clarinets.
big melodies in unison with the violins.

Around 12 to 10 players. Great for melody with the horns around middle C. Big arpeggios for
Cellos Violas, basses, horns, bassoons.
movement in sweeping melodic passages. Also great for supporting big melodies.

Around 8 players. Sounds an octave below the cellos. Aside from standard bass support, great
Basses Bassoons, contrabassoon, tuba.
for pedal tones, pizzicato notes for light rhythmic accents and movement.