Author: Jooyoung Kim

Mixing Engineer, Music Producer

Orchestration Basics – Percussion (1)

Hello, this is Jooyoung Kim, a mixing engineer and music producer.
Today, I’d like to finish the final part of my orchestration basics series, focusing on percussion instruments.

Percussion instruments are a category of musical instruments that produce sound by being struck, shaken, or scraped. They consist of a striking object A and a struck object B, and the sound changes based on the material of each object.

Percussion instruments are generally divided into those with definite pitches and those without, but their playing techniques share similarities.

Therefore, we will first cover effective playing techniques for percussion instruments before moving on to descriptions of individual instruments.

1) Flam

Flam is a technique used to produce a quick “ta-da” sound, often used as an embellishment. Also known as a drag, it is commonly used on instruments like timpani, snare drums, and tom-toms.

2) Roll

A roll, also referred to as a trill, involves continuous tremolo and is a very impactful technique frequently used across many percussion instruments.

3) Mallet

A mallet consists of a stick and a head. Generally, the stick is made of rattan, while the head can be made of various materials, resulting in different timbres. Performers typically prepare several mallets to choose from, depending on the desired nuance, ranging from hard, medium, soft, wire brushes, timpani/bass drum mallets, to drumsticks.

  • Timpani

Timpani, also known as kettledrums or temple drums, are pitched percussion instruments. Originally used in military settings, they became essential in orchestras by the late 18th century. Classical composers like Mozart and Haydn typically used two timpani in symphonies, tuned to the tonic and dominant (or subdominant) of the key. Beethoven expanded their use to include four timpani, and Berlioz, known as the father of orchestration, even wrote pieces requiring 16 timpani played by 10 musicians. Modern compositions usually feature one player handling four timpani.

Timpani range and pitch are controlled by adjusting the tension of the drumhead. The shells are made from materials like copper, aluminum, or fiberglass, with hemispherical shells producing a brighter tone and parabolic shells a darker tone. The pedal at the bottom is used to tune the timpani, and while tuning during a performance is challenging, it can be done to produce glissando effects. Though not transposing instruments, their sound is typically perceived an octave lower than written.

  • Xylophone

The xylophone has wooden bars arranged like a piano keyboard and is sensitive to strong impacts, so its attack is not very forceful. It’s usually played with four mallets (two in each hand), and the resonators beneath the bars amplify the sound.

Xylophones come in various sizes and can cover up to four octaves. They are transposing instruments, sounding an octave higher than written. For longer note values, rolls are the primary technique.

  • Marimba

Similar to the xylophone, the marimba typically spans five octaves. Bass marimbas exist but are rarely used. Marimbas are larger than xylophones and produce a softer, richer sound. Unlike the xylophone, marimbas are not transposing instruments.

  • Glockenspiel

The glockenspiel, also known as orchestra bells, has metal bars and produces a bright, penetrating sound.

It is played with metal mallets and has a range of about three octaves, sounding two octaves higher than written.

  • Vibraphone

The vibraphone features a damper pedal to sustain or mute sounds and has electric fans that create vibrato. The mallets, referred to as beaters, have metal heads. Soft and hard mallets are used, with soft mallets being more common. The vibraphone is a non-transposing instrument.

  • Tubular Bells

Tubular bells, or chimes, consist of metal tubes and are struck with wooden or metal hammers. They produce a long, resonant sound controlled with a damper.

Tubular bells are transposing instruments, sounding an octave higher than written, but their sound is often perceived as lower. They are effective for creating church bell sounds.

  • Snare Drum

The snare drum’s characteristic sound comes from the metal wires (snares) on its underside. These can be tightened or loosened to alter the sound. Techniques like the rim shot, where the drum’s rim is struck, and playing with wire brushes for different textures are common. The snare drum doesn’t have a definite pitch, but it can have resonant frequencies.

  • Bass Drum

The bass drum, ranging from 24 to 36 inches, is played while standing and typically dampened by hand. It is notated on a single line in the score.

  • Cymbals

Cymbals are metal discs played by striking them together (clash) or by rubbing them for a roll. They can also be played with a bow for a unique sound. Stopping the cymbals’ vibration is indicated as a choke.

  • Tam-tam

The tam-tam, similar to a Chinese gong, can produce different sounds depending on the playing technique, such as scraping with a coin for a unique effect. It is usually played with mallets that have cloth or felt heads.

More percussion instruments will be covered in the next post. See you in the next article~:)

Orchestration Basics – Brass (3, Jazz Brass)

Hello, everyone! This is Jooyoung Kim, an engineer and music producer.

In this post, I’ll delve into the saxophone and jazz brass, instruments often associated with brass but not classified as such.

Strictly speaking, it’s not exactly orchestration, but since these instruments are used in various contexts, I’ll cover them briefly.

Shall we begin?

  • Saxophone

The saxophone is a woodwind instrument with a reed similar to a clarinet.

Though classified as a woodwind, its metal construction gives it a metallic timbre, allowing it to blend well with brass instruments.

The Alto and Tenor saxophones are the most commonly used, but there are also Sopranino, Soprano, Baritone, Bass, Contrabass, and Sub Contrabass saxophones.

In jazz brass, typically three out of five instruments are saxophones, which serve well both as solo lead instruments and as harmonic instruments that layer harmonies with brass.

However, due to its piercing sound, like other brass instruments, using it as a harmonic instrument might not always be ideal unless it’s within a brass harmony or a full band tutti.

The saxophone family consists entirely of transposing instruments, typically in Eb and Bb. You can easily understand their notation and range from the above staff notation.

  • Jazz Brass Ensemble

A typical jazz brass ensemble consists of three to five instruments.

Instruments such as Trumpet (Cornet, Flugelhorn), Horn, Trombone, Tuba (Euphonium), and Saxophone are selected based on their range. Common combinations when using five instruments include:

  • Trumpet, Alto Sax, 2 Tenor Saxes, Trombone
  • Trumpet, 2 Alto Saxes, Tenor Sax, Trombone
  • Trumpet, Alto Sax, Tenor Sax, Trombone, Bass Trombone
  • Trumpet, Alto Sax, Tenor Sax, Trombone, Tuba

Depending on their roles, instruments can be substituted, such as replacing the Trumpet with a Soprano Sax, using Baritone or Bass Sax instead of Trombone, or substituting Euphonium for Trombone.

  • Characteristic Voicing in Jazz Brass

Jazz brass frequently employs three voicing techniques: Quartal, Cluster, and Upper Structure.

Quartal Voicing
Cluster
Upper Structure (Poly Chord)

Quartal voicing builds chords in fourths. Cluster voicing, technically involving three notes in a half-step relationship (e.g., C, C#, D), can broadly include whole-step relationships.

Upper Structure involves splitting the range and playing different chords in each range. It often sounds unpleasant within a single instrument family but creates an intriguingly acceptable sound when divided among different families.

  • Virtual Instruments for Jazz Brass

Discussing virtual instruments, jazz brass requires meticulous editing even after programming, due to the varying lengths and attacks of the notes. Recommended virtual instruments include Kick Ass Brass, Broadway Big Band (quite expensive), Chris Hein Horns, and SWAM Solo Brass (a modeled instrument).

That’s it for the explanation on jazz brass. I haven’t organized the percussion section yet, but I should do it soon.

See you in the next post!

IK Multimedia T-Racks Max v2 Unprecedented Discount (Until June 30th)

Hello, this is Jooyoung Kim, an engineer and music producer. Today, I’ve come across an amazing discount, and I requested an NFR (Not for Resell) code from Plugin Boutique to review about those plugins.

buy T-Racks Max v2

(If you purchase through the link above, I receive a small commission which greatly helps in maintaining this blog)

The T-Racks 5 Max on sale this time is a package of plugins from IK Multimedia used for mixing and mastering. It includes a total of 53 plugins, and it has never been offered at such a low price before. You can think of it as getting each plugin for about $1.

Personally, I’m amazed that they’re offering all these reverbs at this price. If I remember correctly, Sunset Sound Studio Reverb was initially sold at a launch discount of $99, and Fame Studio Reverb wasn’t bundled with T-Racks and had to be purchased separately.

In addition to that, there are well-known emulation plugins such as Urei 1176, LA-2A, SSL Bus Comp, SSL Channel Strip, Neve 33609, Manley Vari-Mu, Empirical Labs Distressor, Neve 1073, 1081, Sontec 432c, Fairchild 670, Pultec EQP-1A, API 550a, b, API 560, etc. The names might be slightly different, but they are familiar and famous emulation plugins.

In the past, I used to recommend the Waves Horizon bundle for beginners due to its cost-effectiveness, but at this price, I would now actively recommend IK Multimedia.

I wish I could measure and test all the processors and upload the results, but there’s too much data, so I’ll focus on the well-known ones like 1176, LA-2A, Neve 33609, Fairchild 670, and SSL Bus Comp.

  • Black 76

First, the Black 76 which emulates the 1176. The harmonics come out well, and it slightly compresses with a Soft Knee. When applied, it seems to reduce the low-end power and emphasize the attack.

  • White 2A

The White 2A, emulating the LA-2A, shows in its Release time that it faithfully reproduces the characteristics of an Opto compressor. It also slightly cuts the extreme low-end. Note that when first applied, the Limit/Compress switch is set to Limit, so switch it to Compress if you want to use it as a compressor.

  • Precision Comp/Lim

The Precision Comp/Lim, which copies the Neve 33609, seems to boost the high frequencies when applied, possibly due to its harmonics. It’s quite good, and I find myself using it often.

  • Bus Compressor

The Bus Compressor, emulating the SSL Bus Comp, operates with a Soft Knee when selecting ratios of 1.5 and 2, compressing very smoothly. It also gently tidies up the high frequencies, which I really like.

  • Vintage Tube Compressor/Limiter Model 670

The Vintage Tube Compressor/Limiter Model 670, emulating the Fairchild 670, has a high ratio and is set with a Hard Knee. It slightly trims the frequency range, which sounds natural and not bad for acoustic tracks. However, for modern tracks that emphasize high and ultra-low frequencies, it might not be as suitable.

There are many other plugins that can be immediately used for your projects, so if you have the budget, I highly recommend this bundle.

buy T-Racks Max v2

(If you purchase through the link above, I receive a small commission which greatly helps in maintaining this blog)

As I’ve mentioned before, buying from Plugin Boutique adds about 10% tax, making it slightly more expensive than other places. Here it’s $54.99.
However, the benefits of buying from Plugin Boutique include:

1) Free plugin giveaways with purchases (the free plugins change every month)
2) Points accumulation

I usually buy expensive plugins from other places, but for plugins under $100, I decide whether to buy from Plugin Boutique or elsewhere based on the free plugin offered.

This month, the free plugins are Rhodes V-Pan, a unique Auto Pan, or Dehumaniser Simple Monsters, which creates monster-like voices used in special effects. Both can be quite useful musically.

Especially for Logic Pro users who lack a built-in Auto Pan and often use the Tremolo plugin instead, getting the feature-rich Rhodes V-Pan for free with the purchase of T-Racks 5 Max would be a very satisfying deal.

I rarely recommend sales or plugins this strongly, but this one is genuinely worth buying.
Writing this makes me feel like a salesperson…^^;;

See you in the next post!

Orchestration Basics – Brass (2)

Hello! This is Jooyoung Kim, an engineer and music producer. Today, I would like to continue with the basics of orchestration, brass instruments in part two.

This article will primarily cover four instruments: the Horn, Trumpet, Trombone, and Tuba.

Let’s get started!

  • Horn

The Horn is responsible for the Alto range in the brass family and has the softest sound among all brass instruments. In a woodwind quintet, it is often used alongside the Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, and Bassoon, bridging the timbres of brass and woodwind instruments.

In an orchestral setting, the Horn is usually arranged in pairs or groups of four. When there are four players, the 1st and 3rd players cover the high notes, while the 2nd and 4th players handle the lower notes. In the score, 1st and 2nd, as well as 3rd and 4th, are paired together.

Horn Range (Actual Sound)

The Horn has the widest range among brass instruments, utilizing both the treble and bass clefs. Being a transposing instrument in F, it sounds a perfect fifth lower than written. For clarity, it is commonly notated in the treble clef. When using the bass clef, remember that it sounds a perfect fifth higher than written. Accidentals are used instead of key signatures.

The Horn often carries the melody in the brass section due to its ability to change notes more smoothly than the Trumpet and blend well without overpowering other orchestral instruments. When considering melodic lines in the brass section, the Horn should be your first choice.

A unique technique for the Horn is Hand Stop, where the hand is placed inside the bell to produce notes outside the natural harmonic series. This is notated with a cross (+) and results in a lower pitch than the written note.

  • Trumpet

The Trumpet covers the Soprano range in the brass family. Historically, it was often used like percussion alongside the Timpani, but in modern times, especially in Jazz, it frequently takes on melodic roles.

Today, the most commonly used Trumpets are in C and Bb. The C Trumpet is non-transposing, sounding as written, while the Bb Trumpet transposes down a whole step. Like the Horn, Trumpets use accidentals instead of key signatures.

Trumpet Range (Actual Sound)

In an orchestra, Trumpets are usually arranged in pairs or groups of three. Their distinct sound and volume make them ideal for tutti sections or moments requiring emphasis.

Brass instruments, including Trumpets, generally avoid stacking harmonies in thirds when used in pairs or more. Instead, they use open intervals like fifths, sixths, sevenths, or octaves. This practice originated from the natural brass instruments which could not easily produce third intervals in the lower register and produced less resonant third intervals in the upper register.

The Trumpet family includes the Cornet, a smaller instrument in Bb. Though it shares the same range as the Trumpet, its tone is different, making it suitable for more agile, intricate music passages.

  • Trombone

The Trombone is unique among brass instruments for using a slide to adjust pitch and covers the Tenor range. This allows for effective use of techniques like Glissando and Portamento, though it can limit some melodic movements due to physical constraints.

In orchestration, the Trombone typically supports other instruments’ bass lines or enhances resonance rather than carrying the bass or melody alone. It has seven slide positions, each producing specific fundamental notes and their harmonics, from Bb to E.

Tenor Trombone (Actual Sound)
Bass Trombone (Actual Sound)

Commonly used Trombone types include the Tenor Trombone and the Bass Trombone, the latter being used in larger orchestral settings. Unlike the Horn and Trumpet, the Trombone is non-transposing.

  • Tuba

The Tuba occupies the lowest bass range in the brass family. Its imposing size matches its powerful sound, which can dominate the orchestra or project prominently in large ensembles.

The Tuba is effective in tutti or fortissimo passages, emphasizing the music. It also serves well for bass melodic movements due to its rich harmonics, provided it has sufficient support from other instruments.

Tuba Range (Actual Sound)

The Tuba is a non-transposing instrument in C, and a smaller, tenor-range Bb instrument called the Euphonium is sometimes used as well.

Euphonium
  • Orchestral Arrangement

In a two-player setup, it is common to have two Trumpets and two Horns. A three-player setup typically includes three Trumpets, four Horns, three Trombones (or two Tenor Trombones and one Bass Trombone), and one Tuba.

In larger setups, the number of Horns usually increases in even numbers, such as six or eight, with other brass instruments being added according to the woodwind arrangement.

This concludes our discussion on classical brass instruments. I hope you found it interesting!

In the next post, I’ll cover Saxophones and Jazz Brass. Stay tuned!