The Gang of Five
The Land Before Time => LBT Projects => Topic started by: action9000 on January 09, 2006, 09:10:34 PM
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As some of you know, I have a strong interest in music and composition, and I have decided to use this to our advantage, here on the Gang of Five :D
I have spent a number of hours working on a MIDI file of "Bestest Friends" (the in-movie version). The nice thing is, the program I used to create the MIDI file, is primarily a sheet music-style interface, which means I can also post the sheet music to my MIDI for all to see!
I created the music by ear, listening to the original song Countless times, trying to pick out every hidden sound I could; I'm fairly pleased with how it turned out :)
Now, the thing with MIDI files, is they will sound Different depending on your sound card. This song will almost definately sound different on my computer than on anyone elses because I have a fairly unique sound library for my midi playback. As a result, I hope the volumes and instruments sound balanced on your computers. I tested the midi file on a fairly standard sound library and it sounds decent, and I tested it on the sound library I use most often - again, decent results.
The links to the MIDI file, and the sheet music, are here:
http://www.angelfire.com/az3/action9000/lbt.html (http://www.angelfire.com/az3/action9000/lbt.html)
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That's pretty nifty....I'll tell you, if you can do the same for the LBT soundtrack, you'd have Malte eating out of your hand. :lol:
Oh, and go here for free web hosting: http://www.spiralmindsinc.com (http://www.spiralmindsinc.com) Screw angelfire.
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Oh, and go here for free web hosting: http://www.spiralmindsinc.com (http://www.spiralmindsinc.com) Screw angelfire.
Where is the free web hosting? I can only find 4.95 / month, and up.
EDIT: Nevermind, I found it in their forums :p
I have considered attempting some of the soundtrack from the original LBT, and I still *may* attempt it. Any track from the original soundtrack would be a Huge feat to attempt in MIDI for a number of reasons:
1) The music is very dynamic, from Very soft to Very loud - this is difficult to accomplish well in MIDI, however it is Possible. It will take careful consideration of instrument volumes from the very start of the project
2) The music has a very dynamic pace. The tempo (speed) of the music varies with nearly every note in some case. This will be very difficult to accurately depict in MIDI, especially while trying to fit it into the same time signature found in the original score. Again, it's possible, but getting all the timings accurate will be a heck of a challenge.
3) The sheer quantity of instruments in an orchestra is beyond General MIDI (GM)'s capabilities. GM supports up to 16 channels (instruments) at any one time. For the purposes of writing sheet music, I want to put every instrument on it's own staff, and its' own channel if possible. As a result, I will have to be careful of which instruments to choose. An orchestra has more than 16 instruments, especially including choir and percussion. Again, it's Possible to get around, but it will require being careful about channel usage.
4) The length of any of the tracks translates to a large amount of time required to complete any one project.
5) The quality of most people's GM instruments on their sound card (mine included!) can't do the music justice, unless you plug the midi into a $6000 software synthesizer (see Sounds Online (http://www.soundsonline.com) I've got the Symphonic Silver Orchestra sound library :^.^: )
Anywho, I'm always up for a challenge. I'll get back to you regarding any progress on an LBT music project.
If I was to attempt anything from the original score, it would likely be "End Credits" from the Soundtrack CD (Thanks to Roger for supplying the music :DD), to start with. if anyone has any preferences, let me know, and I'll start working on a different one :DD
This will be much more challenging than even the "Bestest Friends" project. That was somewhat difficult, but it was do-able. This will be very interesting, and it will really push the limits of my midi abilities. There is a reason there isn't a midi file of this music yet: it's Hard! :P:
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This is very cool. You did a great job.
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I'll tell you, if you can do the same for the LBT soundtrack, you'd have Malte eating out of your hand.
He already has :lol:
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Oy! Ok, I'm attempting to work on the End Credits music whenever I can, but it is proving to be Very difficult to get an accurate sound to the original. Be patient, and I'll release a sample when I get a significant section of the midi completed.
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Take to the end of the year if you must. We're not planning to fall off the face of the earth anytime soon. ;)
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Just got done listening to it for the 100th time. (Obviously, I LOVE the song.)
Most impressive. Very accurate indeed. However, I don't think all the insturments match what was actually used in the original movie. I would expect flutes and violins, not xylophones and (at least I think you used it) kazoos.
Still, just as good, maybe better. (If that's at all possible.) :D
Great job!
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I chose the instruments for the vocals for technical reasons: On most sound cards, the GM (General MIDI) violin is painful to listen to, and I couldn't get it to sound right, no matter what I did. I also found the vibraphone (which is what I used for Ducky's vocals; it is related to the xylophone) suited the purpose for Ducky's voice. It's light, not piercing or distracting, and it comes through even at lower volumes. The instrument list for the MIDI is actually as follows:
Piano (right and left hand)
String Ensemble (for some chords and most countermelody near the end)
String Ensemble (on another channel, for technical purposes)
Flute (mostly at the start of the song)
VOCALS:
Littlefoot: English Horn (what you probably heard as a kazoo)
Cera: Clarinet (I was thinking of using something like a brass instrument for her, but it really threw the balance off)
Ducky: Vibraphone (I considered makng her a violin, incidently :DD but the sound quality made it impractical)
Percussion
Electric bass
Oboe (used in the final section, playing a variation of "If We Hold On Together")
Choir (very last section, alongside the closing piano)
Funny you mentioned violin though. I am working (slowly :cry ) on remaking this midi file into a high-quality MP3. In That version, I have made Ducky a violin :p and it actually sounds decent. Amazing what a midi file can sound like when you throw 2.5 GB of orchestral instruments at it :lol
As for the flute; I did Not use the flute for vocal, simply because I didn't want confusion between the "real" flute, used at the beginning of the song, and the "vocal" flute. Therefore, I decided to Not use a flute in the vocals. This was difficult; I wanted to use a flute, too, but I concluded that using a flute, as both a flute, and a vocal part, didn't make the best sense.
I'm very pleased that you have enjoyed the midi :)
Looks like I'll keep em coming :wow
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I would like to render your song, but you are already doing it, so.... :D
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I'd love to see how you would render it, too :D
Feel completely free, but I'd like to see how it sounds :p
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Out of curiosity, JojotheIncredible, what would you use to render it? Are you a bit of a music nerd, yourself? B)
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I don't know. I'd use some VST instruments, and a little reverb.
Umm, is there a particular instrument you want me to use??
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Lol, not in particular :DD
I was just curious to see what your idea of rendering was. That's basically what I was going to do, except I also plan to re-arrange the music to fit the new instrumentation.
I tried simply loading the midi file up and applying some VST instruments. here's what it sounded like:
[EDIT] MP3 File has been removed due to lack of web space [/EDIT]
BTW all, I have 19 seconds Completed, of the Closing Credits midi project :lol
*NOTE* The volumes have only been Roughly set in place. I'll do the detail work on dynamics and style later, once I'm finished plugging in the notes.
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Fantastic! It's better than what I've been making.
Shoot, I might as well forget about it.
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I don't know about that.
It really depends on what style you wanted to take the song into. I was debating one of
1) smooth jazz (which would work out well, since the original has a piano line in it; I could simply adapt it for a jazzy piece)
2) Chorale orchestral; with Choir
3) Basic purely orchestral arrangement
The quick render shown above only sounds good because I threw a 2.5 GB VST instrument at it, and because I took the time to adjust the volumes so the instruments has a dynamic element to them. A lot can be done with this song, but this is the basis from which I can work from...whenever I get around to it :p
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Well, here goes nothing.
I made a "synthy" version with a koto and shamisen replacing the pianos, because I couldn't get the volume adjustments right, so it sounded better as a synth. Oh well.
This is my "fun" (http://www.megaupload.com/?d=I8VELE0I) version. :)
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Lol that's awesome :lol
It has a Very different feel, but it certainly works for the song. I like your choice of combining ethnic sounds with the vintage/modern synth-style. I like it; certainly a keeper. Glad you posted it :D
Too bad you could'nt get the volumes to work right, but it still sounds interesting. I have attempted the beginnings of a more synthetic remix of a different, non-LBT song before, but before I got much done, I lost my primary audio filter (called "Antares" if you were curious) in a hard drive crash, so I never did finish it.
Ahh well, I like this version. It is interesting, and amusing. A thought, perhaps, if you wanted to bring the percussion up-front a bit more. It sort of gets lost in the rest of the material. Nice use of reverb, to liven up the sound. Aside from volume issues, like you mentioned, I like the choice of instruments; very unique approach!
Out of curiosity, what VST(s) did you use? I used EastWest/Quantum Leap's Symphonic Orchestra - Silver Edition (http://www.soundsonline.com/sophtml/details.phtml?sku=EW-161)
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I used Native Instruments Bandstand for mine.
BTW, THANKS! :lol
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In my opinion, the prettiest program for this kind of work is FL Studio 6, Producer Edition (http://www.flstudio.com). I'm not sure what you use, but I've had the best luck with it, especially for volume control and VSTs.
If I can give you a hand at all, I'd be happy to try, but I don't know every program out there especially well :P:
*NOTE* see a couple of posts up: I have posted the End Credits midi progress. Volumes and details are not yet finalized in this midi; I'll take care of that after I get the basic outline of the song completed.
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Holy :o
Really nice job on those "Bestest Friends" songs guys! :DD
I'm getting choked up just listening to them :lol:
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I used Native Instruments Bandstand for mine.
I just did a little research on NI Bandstand, and I must say, it looks like a fairly nice piece of software :DD 2.5 GB of samples? That's not bad ;) .
I'd be interested, except I recently got a version of Eastwest's Colossus (http://www.soundsonline.com/sophtml/details.phtml?sku=EW-164), which is a similar idea, except more techno sounds, full GM compatability (just like Bandstand), more guitars, pop brass, and more percussion kits. 32 GB :D
Still, NI Bandstand is a nice bit of software. Sounds far, Far better than any MIDI instruments on any sound card or soundfont I've ever seen (I checked out some of the demo MP3s from Bandstand). Good stuff :wow
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Wowzaaa! That is incredible. I love the way you did this song Action9000
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haha, thanks a lot Dash. :DD I give Jojo credit, too.
Once he figures out how to get volume controllers to work, he'll have a lot more freedom with music.
Speaking of which, Jojo, have you played with any other projects using NI Bandstand? And have you had any luck with volume controllers?
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Good song