OUR EARS ARE VERY GOOD AT

DETECTING WHAT SOUNDS

NATURAL, AND WHAT DOESN’T.
HOW TO CREATE A REALISTIC, BALANCED, & DETAILED ORCHESTRAL MOCKUP

SIGNS OF AN UNREALISTIC MOCKUP

1. Frequency imbalance - when one area of the frequency spectrum is
overloaded compared to the others (low, mid, high)

2. Volume imbalance - 6 horns playing ff are not louder than a solo flute

3. Extreme/inconsistent panning - LCR is a common pitfall

4. Depth - are your dry samples conflicting with your wet samples?
Reverb choices are crucial

5. Lack of expression - a musician can perform one note in many

different ways

We must consider all these aspects when working with samples.

HOW TO CREATE A REALISTIC, BALANCED, & DETAILED ORCHESTRAL MOCKUP

AN OVERVIEW OF THE ORCHESTRA

▸ 4 distinct sections (strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion)

▸ Strings: smooth, elegant, wonderful for pads and melodies

▸ Woodwinds: light, gentle, distinct, great for solo lines and

counterpoint

▸ Brass: powerful and majestic, ideal for chords or strong themes

▸ Percussion: typically used to emphasize moments or add new

colours

▸ All 4 sections combine to create a cohesive sound

HOW TO CREATE A REALISTIC, BALANCED, & DETAILED ORCHESTRAL MOCKUP

THE ORCHESTRA, IN SAMPLES

▸ The recording and processing techniques of a developer determine
the quality of the sound (microphones, post-processing)

▸ The room and its size is just as important, if not more important, in
determining your reverb choices (mic positions, external reverbs)

▸ When looking for orchestral samples, consider the sound and

where it was recorded (purchasing all sections by one developer
will naturally make combining them much easier)

▸ Pro tip: if you have libraries from different developers and want to
combine them, find a setting in both that sounds similar in
brightness/darkness and reverb.