Playing with Massive Sounds! - Composing from Scratch #9
In "Returning Victorious", I tried to push myself beyond my limits in terms of sound balancing. The result could still be enhanced but I feel like I managed to deal with the mids and lows better than usually. Once again, I did two versions of this track, the second allowing me to identify the main big issues, and to rethink the orchestration and redistribute the chords. The composition itself was pretty quick, but the mixing took a lot of time.... but it was worth it, I'm definitely getting better at it (I hope ?).
Time spent on the composition: ~ 6:00 hours
Time spent on orchestration: ~ 5:00 hours
Time spent on balancing and mixing: ~ 4:00 hours
Identified issues:
The stereo field is probably too much on the sides, I should have the melody more on the center;
Both trumpet sections in the second half of the track are clashing, still some orchestration issues apparently;
I'd like to have the choirs stand out a bit more in the second half, but it's probably too much chords here;
The second half is still too loud/busy... as always 🙃
===/ What is "Composing from Scratch"? \===
The composing process takes some practice and can be frustrating at some point. Working on 40 hours projects doesn't really help to keep enthusiastic... The goal of such composing sessions is to work faster and more efficiently on shorter projects and simple melodies. It also allows you to vary the styles and the structures instead of working on the same mix for weeks. The result may not always be satisfying but what really matters is progress and fun. I'll be sharing on my channel some of these ! Feel free to let me know in the comments if you identified other major issues on the track and how to solve the identified ones!
Artwork: "Snow Trails" by t1na
Make sure to check her amazing work !
https://www.deviantart.com/t1na