A Quick Start Guide for Combining Electronic and Instrumental Orchestration
A Quick Start Guide for Combining Electronic and Instrumental Orchestration
Interactive Project Report
Authors
Eliot Britton (University of Toronto) [PI] and Anthony Tan (University of Victoria)
Research Assistants
Joshua Weinfeld and Nolan Hildebrand (University of Toronto)
Published January 8, 2024
This module offers a streamlined resource for emerging composers seeking to introduce live electronics into their instrumental orchestration practice. Accessible and user-friendly software and hardware platforms offer a pathway for emerging or (technologically curious expert) composers to experiment with electronics in a low risk, low-cost context. From next generation rugged, ultra-compact samplers and cellphone-controlled DSP pedals to the retro revivalist modular synthesizers, the barriers to access have never been lower. However, available tutorials and support resources for this now ubiquitous generation of hardware ignores the relatively niche application of orchestration within a contemporary concert music context. This quick start guide thus focuses on basic strategies for blending and segregating electronic, sampled, and instrumental sources. This resource provides a critical point of entry for emerging composers and instrumentalists looking to integrate electronics into their orchestration practice. It builds on established and current repertoire and has the potential for expansion into more specialized TOR modules.
Video 1: Orchestrating with Simple Waveforms
This video provides a simple framework for utilizing simple synthesized waveforms when blending and orchestrating with acoustic and synthesized sources. It covers basics of three core waveforms (sine, triangle, and square) and how to analyze source amplitude, envelope, and spectrum data to inform decisions when blending acoustic and electronic sources. The video discusses a few simple examples of how this can be achieved: blending a snare drum with a sub-bass sine wave, blending a clarinet with a triangle wave, blending a clarinet, piano, and plucked synth, blending a piano scrape and a guiro, and blending a cymbal crash with a piano. There is also a discussion of the types of synthesized noise and how noise can be implemented to aid in the blending process. This video is useful for composers, instrumentalists, and technologists who are beginning to think about the process of utilizing electronic sources with acoustic sources in composition, mixing, sound design, and orchestration applications.
Video 2: Production Techniques for Blending Electronic and Acoustic Voices
Through a model composition of a short etude for flute, saxophone, and two electronic voices, this video discusses methods and considerations for utilizing some basic key tools of the digital audio workstation for blending and orchestrating. In the first section of the video, two synthesized voices are designed using “Vital,” a free software synthesizer. The synthesized voices are created utilizing techniques of blending with simple waveforms (with some more advanced techniques) as well as an analysis of key characteristics of source amplitude, envelope, and spectrum. The second half of the video takes us inside the digital audio workstation where we discuss important tools such as retiming and crossfading, pitch correction, balancing, compression, equalization, and reverb are applied to help blend the acoustic and electronic sources in the workstation environment. This video is useful for any musician, composer, or technologist who is looking to achieve a stronger grasp on the tools available in the digital audio workstation to help solve orchestration problems of blending electronic and acoustic sources in a digital environment.