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A separation instrument window in Synfire

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If you study this video http://www.evenant.com/music/3-beginner-tips-huge-orchestrations/, then there is no way in Synfire to see a ostinato /countermelody/melody and harmony altogether in one view

Separation of ostinato /countermelody/melody and harmony seems to be the keyword doing this by range/tonecolor/articulation and rhythm changes.

I  think this could be a ver usuful feature to combine instrumenttracks in one view for getting a clear separation of the tracks figures for classical composing
The only problem is how to get this working in Synfire with all those different symbols, while in Cubase only one note symbol is used. 

 


Fri, 2017-10-06 - 10:16 Permalink

We do experiment with overviews to achive something in that direction. The challenge with Figures is that they would all overlap, because their pitch is relative.

Interestingly, the clusters of regions you see in the Cubase tracksheet highly suggest the use of containers. While a flat overview is very helpful, making sweeping changes to a flat structure is extremely tedious. You will almost always break your carefully arranged sections that would better be preserved if packed in containers. Containers support thinking in terms of musical expressions achieved by multiple instruments (whether they are next to each other on the tracksheet, or not).

Fri, 2017-10-06 - 14:23 Permalink

A own container for a ostinato or countermeldy or melody or harmony gives not a absolute positions of the figures,so they can clash?

 

Fri, 2017-10-06 - 18:48 Permalink

Anything can clash whatever you use to create the music, but in synfire it is easy to stop phrases from clashing using multiple ways. A few suggestions worth looking at include:

Change the range a figure plays at, either low, mid, high, selectable via the toolbox buttons (pitch)

Change the playing ranges of each instrument so they play different ranges (pitch) and probably the simplest solution, even just changing the middle note can have a dramatic impact.

Change the pause, rhythm,step parameters so different instruments play at different times (timing)

Change the transpose parameter for instruments so they play different ranges (pitch).

Change the articulation of figures (articulation).

Change the instrument (pitch and/or tone).

probably loads you can think of too.

All of the above can be done per container, or in a 'master/parent' container that affects a number of specific parameters across the whole song; or a mixture of the two.

 

Fri, 2017-10-06 - 20:04 Permalink

Yes, a lot of suggestions you made..great! , but in Cubase it is a visual affair, there you react on and that is not possible in Synfire as it seems.
How you can see in Synfire what is clashing .. i must look at this. 

Sat, 2017-10-07 - 01:57 Permalink

if you use the features I've suggested, which mimic what was shown in the video you linked to, you wont have any clashes. Compose it that way with synfire and synfire will ensure there arent clashes. Seems much easier than throwing stuff together and dealing with the aftermath by using a view of selected tracks superimposed over the top of each other.