Jeff Hijlkema | This is No' My Plaid // Scottish Folksong // Orchestral Arrangement // Mix breakdown in description @jeffhijlkema | Uploaded April 2022 | Updated October 2024, 6 hours ago.
Inspired by an old little Scottish Folksong. Using BBCSO Pro only in this mockup. Mixed and produced in Cubase 11 Pro, using FabFilter, Brainworx and Waves plugins. The score was printed using Finale.
IN DEPTH ON MY ORCHESTRAL MIX and MASTER
Note: this mix was produced after a concerthall listeners perspective, not a conductors standing point one. After rendering every single midi instrument track two times (apart render combi spill & atmos mics) I made subgroups for all orchestral sections; woodwinds, brass, percussion, strings. Switching off all inserts and sends that I added in the midi phase and I start making a static mix, per subgroup; panning and balancing. Treating every subgroup as being a beautiful concert on it’s own.
Then I put a high pass EQ on all separate instruments in a subgroup, to get rid of unwanted low rumble. I use a FabFilter EQ, while it also graphicly shows what is going on. Now the static mix gets pretty transparent already. On the combi spill & atmos tracks I roll off anything beneath 75 Hz.
I putted back in some 'noise floor' sound; exporting it seperately from the Spitfire Audio Appassionata plugin.
Then I started putting a insert chain on the orchestral subgroups; FabFilter EQ, for general controls and a EQ for mid-side issues, then the Waves Puig tec EQ, for character, bringing back some high and lows mainly. All just a touch.
In this case I did not use any compression or limiting on the tonal subgroups, keeping the natural orchestral dynamics intact. Mastering will take care of that. Now the static mix has it's tone and color mostly, for as I want it. I did use the Waves C6 multiband compressor on the percussion subgroup (piatti, triangel, timpani, bass drum) and after that a little Fabfilter C2 compression. So both compressors doing little, instead of one doing all.
Time to get to the send efx; putting reverb on the subgroups. I use a chain of two reverbs;
1. Liquid Sonics, Seventh Heaven, convolution reverb, warm hall 2.20 sec., with 35ms pre-delay. Giving it a minus 11 to 12 amount in Cubase
2. FabFilter, Pro- R, algorithmic reverb, Vanilla hall 3 sec., with 35 ms pre-delay, giving it a minus 9 or 10 amount in Cubase. On this Fabfilter Reverb I put a insert high pass EQ, with a 80Hz roll off.
For mastering this orchestral mix I used a chain of 5 plugins;
1. Fabfilter EQ, some general low-mid-high control, both boosting and pulling, just a touch.
2. Fabfilter EQ, for mid-side controls, both boosting and pulling, also just a touch.
3. Brainworx digital V3 EQ, finetuning the mono and stereo spectrum and also widening the stereo image a bit.
4. Fabfilter C2 Compressor, threshold -2db, soft knee, mid to slow attack and release, ratio 1:2
5. Fabfilter L2 Limiter, LUFS -11, ‘Safe’ setting, Gain +8db and -0.5 DBtp.
Note: right click on the YT video taskbar to see 'statics for nerds' ; in this case shows only a -0.4 db compression by YT on a 100/100 volume setting.
Hope this helps you a digital bit.
Be well,
Jeff Hijlkema
#bbcso
#oneorchestra
#scottishfolksong
Inspired by an old little Scottish Folksong. Using BBCSO Pro only in this mockup. Mixed and produced in Cubase 11 Pro, using FabFilter, Brainworx and Waves plugins. The score was printed using Finale.
IN DEPTH ON MY ORCHESTRAL MIX and MASTER
Note: this mix was produced after a concerthall listeners perspective, not a conductors standing point one. After rendering every single midi instrument track two times (apart render combi spill & atmos mics) I made subgroups for all orchestral sections; woodwinds, brass, percussion, strings. Switching off all inserts and sends that I added in the midi phase and I start making a static mix, per subgroup; panning and balancing. Treating every subgroup as being a beautiful concert on it’s own.
Then I put a high pass EQ on all separate instruments in a subgroup, to get rid of unwanted low rumble. I use a FabFilter EQ, while it also graphicly shows what is going on. Now the static mix gets pretty transparent already. On the combi spill & atmos tracks I roll off anything beneath 75 Hz.
I putted back in some 'noise floor' sound; exporting it seperately from the Spitfire Audio Appassionata plugin.
Then I started putting a insert chain on the orchestral subgroups; FabFilter EQ, for general controls and a EQ for mid-side issues, then the Waves Puig tec EQ, for character, bringing back some high and lows mainly. All just a touch.
In this case I did not use any compression or limiting on the tonal subgroups, keeping the natural orchestral dynamics intact. Mastering will take care of that. Now the static mix has it's tone and color mostly, for as I want it. I did use the Waves C6 multiband compressor on the percussion subgroup (piatti, triangel, timpani, bass drum) and after that a little Fabfilter C2 compression. So both compressors doing little, instead of one doing all.
Time to get to the send efx; putting reverb on the subgroups. I use a chain of two reverbs;
1. Liquid Sonics, Seventh Heaven, convolution reverb, warm hall 2.20 sec., with 35ms pre-delay. Giving it a minus 11 to 12 amount in Cubase
2. FabFilter, Pro- R, algorithmic reverb, Vanilla hall 3 sec., with 35 ms pre-delay, giving it a minus 9 or 10 amount in Cubase. On this Fabfilter Reverb I put a insert high pass EQ, with a 80Hz roll off.
For mastering this orchestral mix I used a chain of 5 plugins;
1. Fabfilter EQ, some general low-mid-high control, both boosting and pulling, just a touch.
2. Fabfilter EQ, for mid-side controls, both boosting and pulling, also just a touch.
3. Brainworx digital V3 EQ, finetuning the mono and stereo spectrum and also widening the stereo image a bit.
4. Fabfilter C2 Compressor, threshold -2db, soft knee, mid to slow attack and release, ratio 1:2
5. Fabfilter L2 Limiter, LUFS -11, ‘Safe’ setting, Gain +8db and -0.5 DBtp.
Note: right click on the YT video taskbar to see 'statics for nerds' ; in this case shows only a -0.4 db compression by YT on a 100/100 volume setting.
Hope this helps you a digital bit.
Be well,
Jeff Hijlkema
#bbcso
#oneorchestra
#scottishfolksong
