A GUIDE FOR THE ASPIRING COMPOSER

Orchestration
Essentials
A beginner's guide to virtual
orchestration using sample
libraries

CHRISTOPHER SIU
Before we begin...
I'd like to thank you for downloading
this guide! It means a lot to me that
you find value in what I have to offer.

In this specific guide, I'll share a 5

step process with you that you can
implement immediately to start
sketching your music in your DAW
using virtual instruments.

The only prerequisite I'd

recommend is to internalize the
sound of each orchestral
instrument, so that when you go to
apply this material, it will be a simple
and smooth process.

It's gonna be short and sweet, so I

hope you're ready!

Let's do this.
1. Establish general
instrumentation
This is the most important step to lay
down your foundation.

Once you've played out your main

ideas on your instrument of choice,
you need to establish which
instrument group(s) will perform the
melody, harmony, and rhythm.

For example, I might want the strings

to play the melody, the brass to play
the harmony, and the percussion to
play the rhythm.

Now, you can absolutely use the

same section for different roles
(strings for melody and harmony), but
it's good to get our brain working and
consider the different orchestral
sections for unique purposes.
2. Establish specific
instrumentation
Now that we have our core
instrument groups laid out, let's get
specific. Which instruments in each
section will perform their
corresponding roles?

For example, if the strings are playing

the melody, will the violins perform it,
or the cellos? Will you combine
violins 1 & 2 together in unison?
Which brass instruments will perform
the harmony? Will the horns play a
pad while the trombone performs a
countermelody?

If you go through each section of your

piece and decide which instrument is
doing what, you'll start mapping out
exactly what each performer is doing,
and that's how you think like an
orchestrator.
3. Let''s sketch!
Beautiful! We've now mapped out
what each instrument will be doing at
each point in our piece, so now let's
sketch!

In your DAW of choice, choose which

sample libraries you'll use, then lay
out your instruments one at a time.

I prefer using individual instrument

patches, but you can absolutely begin
with a full orchestra or ensemble
patch if that's easier for you.

You can track in any particular order

that works for you, but I like to
record the melody instruments first,
followed by the harmonic
instruments, and finally the rhythmic
instruments.

Pay attention to note values,

articulations, and dynamics to
ensure the instruments sound
natural.
4. Cherry on top!
We've now laid out our complete
orchestral sketch! But something
might feel like it's missing, maybe
some decoration or sparkle?

If the piece calls for it, this is where we

can add in our ear candy, such as
additional textures, runs, or glissandi.

For example, some of my favourite

enhancing textures include
woodwind runs, harp glissandi,
string ostinatos, and shakers.

Notice that none of these are

absolutely essential, but they do add
to the production and will enhance
the listening experience.

The best way to discover what ear

candy will work for your music is to
listen to a lot of music in your
preferred style! You can learn so
much by listening to the greats.
5. Double check!
Now that we've completed our full
orchestral arrangement, it's our final
chance to go back and check if we
want to revise anything before
mixing/mastering.

Perhaps the main theme isn't strong

enough in the violins 1? We can
double it with violins 2 or a flute for
more air!

Is your bass drum too heavy and

present? Perhaps turn it down or
remove some of the hits/rolls to
ease up on the low end.

This is our final check. If you can listen

through the entire piece without
having anything stick out as sounding
unrealistic to you, you're ready to
proceed to the mix (volume balancing,
EQ, reverb/compression adjustments).
That's it!
We've made it through all 5 steps!

This is my personal process when it

comes to orchestrating my music, and
starting from 0 to completed
arrangement.

Establishing the core

instrumentation for each musical
role (melody, harmony, rhythm) will
lay the perfect foundation to build off
of.

Diving deeper and being more

specific allows us to refine exactly
which instruments to use at any given
moment, and then adding extra ear
candy is like wrapping a bow on top.

I hope this has been helpful! If you'd

like to explore more of my material,
I've included some links on the
following page. Thank you so very
much!
Extra resources
Cinematic Music Creation (the perfect
starting point)

Songwriting for Animation (write Disney-

style music)

Chris' Composing Community (exclusive

membership)

Youtube channel

Discord server