This is probably the best comparison you could ever get to a sample library vs real players. Samples have their place (either for sketching a track, or for use in a final track if you can't afford a real group, or if the track just doesn't need the level of detail), but nothing replaces being able to have a real person track the part. You can tell them to play exactly what you have in mind down to the smallest detail, and you can record it exactly the way you want. I'm glad Spitfire recognizes this, and in m any ways they work around this fact by creating instruments focused on inspiration and creating the impossible.
yeah i agree too, i wish i wasn't so stubborn against live recording, mainly because i can't afford all that it entails.. so for now i'm all in-the-box, and spitfire has been a lifesaver. ..i wonder if they stripped the video away from this ^ and only had audio samples (with the best possible midi programming for the sample track) we would be able to tell... the tracks on the product pages of the spitfire site are amazing. personally, i don't think a general audience would be able to tell..and (if your a media composer) when an editor adds sound design and dialogue all over the music.. wouldn't the things we're noticing in the live recording become a little buried and wouldn't REALLY matter?..simple because the samples are so. good. ..idk just my two cents.
Andrew Southworth it’s also cool how he brought the samples back in for the final track. Countless film composers record live players but bring the samples back in under the mix for that edge. In my own work I try and record at least live soloists along w samples if the particular budget doesn’t afford for larger instrumental forces.
Really, really interesting exposition and analysis. This feeds straight to all my nerdy, musical, and emotional sides. I just discovered Ólafur last year, how could I have missed his work for so long?
I need to tell you something - I am not a ''scoring'' guy or any other film composing master - my taste is close to ''rock & etc...'' genre....but I am totaly crazy after I saw first time Christian Henson's YT channel and all Spitfire Audio contents and of course my favourite, magical, mystical Olafur :-) He opened my ears that the sound, melody, songs is not only frequencies, hit, energy and volume or gain - but also music has a layers and textures so thanks a lot my brother Olafur and Christian! my musical world has opened now without any limits of my personal habits used from many years. ps. rest of the people from my ''world'' are waiting for the new album of TOOL but I've been waiting for the new album of Olafur 're:member' I am really serious - it's a sick I know! huge respect for you Man! Seb.
Loved hearing the A/B and his Olafur's thoughts on why live always wins. That being said, the samples are more than usable and beautiful for those of us who don't have a label behind us!
It’s really great that you are touching on the crucial elements of sampling vs live recordings, whether technical or creative aspects of both and being honest about it. Thank you for sharing your thoughts! Made my day. Þakka þér fyrir :)
As always Olafur, thanks for sharing. So nice to see you talk with such honesty about your music, you really are an inspiration, my 1 year old baby loves Remember, 😀
It's funny, how Olafur does not really make a great sales pitch by commenting on how samples have shortcomings compared to a real string ensemble. However, hiring an ensemble and going to Air Studios in London (or anywhere else in the world) is not an option for many, many artists or producers. And considering where and how an album like this will be listened to probably 90% of the times, this sample library still is amazing quality. And "regular" music listeners will never hear a difference anyway.
Ólafur....your video here is very generous. Thank you for openly sharing your ways, thoughts and methods. It was refreshing hearing your brief mention of why you’re using Pro Tools. I’ve been using PT for at least 15yrs and have not been convinced to change to another DAW. I’m a Spitfire fan, and have purchased their products. This video is making me reconsider your library, though I’ve examined it on Spitfire site several times already. Btw...I’m sure that a sober Hans Z CAN pronounce your name perfectly! ☺️
As an avid user of OACE, I thought to myself while listening to the album "I think he's using OACE on this". Looks like I wasn't completely wrong. Excellent work as always to all involved.
The direct comparison of real players to Chamber Evolutions starts at 21:48. Other than some hyping in the high end on the samples they are very similar. The samples sound a little bigger because of the ensemble getting multiplied by using chords with such wide voices.
Pro Tools is pretty much on par with the rest when it comes to Midi these days. I still think what sets it apart is that built in Edit Tool. That feature alone is worth the price and all the Avid bullshit that comes with the platform. I also think it's faster at Midi note input, if only a little bit, than the rest plus the slip and grid feature is a dream to use. I'm sure the others can do the same thing but for example in Logic I can't quite get the slip and grid thing to work as seamlessly (could be me though). But yeah I don't think these days one needs to worry about Midi in Pro Tools. It's good.
24:50 Fun fact! Hahaha that's really odd....does it have to do with a sessions duration and/or the players time? Or you're strictly limited to a single "layer" of music per song PER day?
I'm not familiar with UK law but it sounds there may be a restriction imposed by the performer's union on how much the performer's can be told to perform in a single session.
I am completely in favor of using Pro Tools for midi work. I have done so for more than ten years following Sonar and can think if no reason to move away from PT. It is so easy to draw my midi data in my track. It’s a no-brainer.
I don't know much about music so I don't understand what Olafur is saying from the 24:30 mark onwards. What's the difference between 'evo' and 'wave' ? What are they used for and why are they necessary ?
Enriko Saar The waves he is referring to are the main chords, ie. the melody of the track. He first mentions them around 3:31. The evos are evolutions, an atmospheric sound that is overlayed and constant throughout the track. He first mentions them around 5:57. Evos and waves are the terms used to describe these different sampled playing techniques in the Olafur Toolkit Spitfire library
Hello, this was very insightful, thank you. I would like to ask how does one know how to notate what is actually happening in the individual string parts if afterwards they want to record their track live? (I am talking about this type of playing where things are evolving). Olafur, did you have the primary violin player do this for your track?
a notator usually goes over piano rolls and notate accordingly if you write in midi. I know hans zimmer example uses notators on big scores because he usually writes in midi.
ha! the attitude to produce music and save money at the same time is what separates you from Olafur. I know a top composer in Hollywood who spent his first budget on a film on renting an orchestra. You have to invest in your craft bro.
Well according to Christian Henson that's not such a smart idea. But seriously I did prefer the sound of the library, the "few quid" remark was just a flippant aside. We all have different ears.
Doesn't really make a difference because we know he, at the very least, produced the demo with the samples. For example, my boss composes everything on a piano VST then produces and arranges later whereas I try to get my sounds and timbre set up early in the process and compose/arrange at the same time.
What happened to the vocal audio at 15:20? I thought maybe the microphone went way out of axis and then UGH. How can video recorder do such a fundamental mistake? Great video and great conversation but it was painful to listen to his voice.
