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Question about how synthesizers work for very low budget.

H

harmonica44

For a short film I was thinking of having a jazz score, and getting a composter to do it, who has a synthesizer. Now as I understand the synths can mimic instruments from electric instruments quite will such as electric guitar, and violin, but can they mimic the sounds of acoustic horns well?
 
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Metal guitarist available said:
I think it took me thirty seconds to get the horn sound. I'm sitting on a trailer that has the sound in it. Shit. Lol.
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Is that in the trailer you posted here? I'll definitely check that out when I get home (no sound/youtube from work). I'm also a Sonar user! And have oddly enough found myself doing jazz/noir scores a lot lately (checked out those libraries you recommended in another thread, Michael. Awesome stuff, and on my list when I have a bit more of a budget!)

Also your point about tempered scales, while outside of the scope of the original question does bring up an interesting point about live orchestra. The 12 note western scale is essentially rounded to a "close enough" scale, with very few notes ACTUALLY in tune (which is why 5ths and octaves sound more consonant to our ears than, say, sixths, and the basis behind the "power chord" in rock). A live orchestra, when not playing with a temepered instrument (piano, organ, guitar, etc) will actually play in tune with microtonal adjustments for each note. So you play a C major chord on piano or guitar, the harmonics of the root and fifth will line up, but the third will be SLIGHTLY off. Those playing that note in an orchestra will be playing a note that would sound out of tune to your tempered third, but perfectly in tune with the rest of the orchestra because the harmonics line up. This is where the math in music comes from, and 20th century music explored a lot of microtonal relationships (even with guitar; check out Glenn Branca or Wendy Carlos for the electronic end of things).

Diverging from the main point. Harm, finish your movie first. Hire a composer later. He or she will know all about this crap so you don't have to worry about it.
 
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One movie that was successful on all fake synth sounds was The Terminator. I don't think that movie had any real instrument sound in it, that wasn't an obvious synth sound accept for maybe the Piano, during the love scene, but that's all I can think of.
 
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