The Name Game Pro Tip:
  1. Didja accidentally blow through the whole, "We're using our real names" thing on registration? No problem, just send me (Mike) a Conversation message and I'll get you sorted, by which I mean hammered-into-obedient-line because I'm SO about having a lot of individuality-destroying, oppressive shit all over my forum.
    Dismiss Notice
  2. You're only as good as the harshest criticism you're willing to hear.
    Dismiss Notice

First composition with Dorico & Noteperformer

Discussion in 'Critique & Feedback' started by Amadeus Pakmur, Dec 30, 2018.

  1. #1 Amadeus Pakmur, Dec 30, 2018
    Hi folks :)

    I wanted to share with you my first composition using Dorico + Noteperformer. Initially I just wanted to learn the program by sketching out a little idea I had, but that lead me to another one, and somehow I ended up combining three little themes into a short orchestral suite :D

    Dorico is actually the first notation program I have ever worked with, so coming from more of a "midi-background" I might still be a little bit unfamiliar with all the notation details etc.

    As I wanted to write the piece as if it could be performed by live players, I'd be super grateful for any insights/tips regarding the orchestration that some of the more experienced people could give me :) I was really unsure about a lot of decisions I made.

    This is the Noteperformer export:



    and here is the score:

    https://amadeus-pakmur.com/Notendi Suite 1.2.pdf

    https://amadeus-pakmur.com/Nontendi Suite (Transposed).pdf

    I really have to say that I enjoyed working with a notation program and noteperformer. Although it might not sound as good as a fully programmed mockup, and there are also some things that noteperformer doesn't perform as it should, I think the overall result is quite decent (especially when I consider the amount of work that it needs to produce a mockup in cubase). So in general I think it is a great tool to give you a first impression and I think this will be my preferred way of working in the future.
     
    Paul T McGraw, Rohann van Rensburg, Max Arthur and 2 others like this.
  2. #2 Doug Gibson, Dec 31, 2018
    how is Dorico ? I am planning on trying it out this year.

    Sibelius and noteperformer at it for me. The mock-ups were always for the client and never were a big factor in my composing, so I have
    no plans to deviating from NP. Somethings are irritating (no muted string sounds on guitar ? how hard can that be ?) but it's the best otherwise IMO.
     
  3. #3 Amadeus Pakmur, Dec 31, 2018
    Last edited: Jan 1, 2019
    I'm probably the wrong person to ask, since I never REALLY used Sibelius or Finale (Although I tested both of them and found it to be extremely frustrating). I absolutely love the Dorico workflow, it is easy, self explaining and so it really just worked from me right from the start.(with exception of some minor issues)

    One thing that bothers me is that you can't put 2 instruments into 1 stave (e.g. 2 horns, 2 clarinets). You would always have to create a new stave for every instrument, same thing with string divisi - so you end up having a very large score. But I'm sure Steinberg is going to implement this in the near future, since I see it being requested by a lot of people.

    I also read comments from people who made the switch from Sibelius who simply cannot get used to Dorico, but I think that is a common problem when you work with a program for such a long period. As someone who tested both of them as newbie, I can say that Dorico felt A LOT more intuitive.
     
  4. #4 Doug Gibson, Jan 1, 2019
    Cool. Thanks for the feedback. I will always be a Sibelius user. Simply for archival purposes. I have years of large projects that means I will always have Sibelius
    on the computer. I am curious to try it out to see if, for my own scores, it offers advantages. I have heard from a few people that the work-flow is quicker, and anything that means I am spending more attention on the music and less on the computer is of interest to me.

    Thanks again
     
    Amadeus Pakmur likes this.
  5. #5 Aaron Olson, Jan 1, 2019
    My preferred "medium" for composing is pencil and paper (usually at the piano) so when I use software I want it to behave like a much faster and easier version of paper. I had previously settled on Notion for quick renderings because I found Sibelius and Finale way too fiddly. I understand that's where their power lies, but as a hobbyist I'm not interested in micro placement of anything; I just want it to be fast to lay stuff down that's close enough to read later.

    Having said that, I love Dorico. The layout engine "knows" my intention with very little coaxing from me (if any) and the rendering is gorgeous. I found the shortcuts easy to learn (from nothing), the note entry is quick & easy, and the newest version does realtime MIDI recording. The playback options and the consequences for the score itself are limited right now, as Amadeus mentioned, but for me that hasn't been an issue yet.

    So while I can't speak to it compared to other music software, as a pencil and paper person, I'm having a great experience with it.
     
    Amadeus Pakmur likes this.
  6. #6 Rohann van Rensburg, Jan 1, 2019
    Great little piece! Sounds pretty dang good with Noteperformer, but the good composition and orchestration probably help the most.
     
    Paul T McGraw and Amadeus Pakmur like this.
  7. #7 Amadeus Pakmur, Jan 1, 2019
    That is exactly my impression. I also like to sketch things on paper (and also did here first) But Dorico comes very close to this experience because it feels so natural. Really well thought through from Steinberg.

    Thank you very much for your kind words! :)
     
  8. #8 Daniele Nasuti, Jan 3, 2019
    nice piece sounds like one of disney music. About orchestration I'm not more experienced than you but as a composer I can say you that orchestration here is ok, a good piece and flavor to listen.
    Instead if I can give you an advice I recommend you to concentrate your efforts more on writing good melodies, because orchestration is ok but I feel that those melodies are a bit weak, not memorable, maybe because there are too many notes I think. A trick can be to sing some random word with it and you will immediately realize that it's not singable, and if it's not singable it's not memorable. Simpler melodies are always stronger.
    I hope that helps.
     
    Paul T McGraw likes this.
  9. #9 Amadeus Pakmur, Jan 3, 2019
    Thanks for your advice! In fact I thought the melodies were quite simple when I wrote them (almost too ordinary is what I thought), but that is of course highly subjective - especially in the process of creating a piece. I find it always hard to change perspective and imagine how it would sound for somebody who doesn't know the melody as I do.

    Bottom line, writing good melodies is not easy and I surely will try to improve on that aspect as well. :) Thanks for sharing your first impression with me, this is always a valuable insight!
     
  10. #10 Daniele Nasuti, Jan 3, 2019
    I know, but if you listen the most beautiful pop/rock songs (and also our favorites soundtracks) they have always simple melodies, so that we can remember and “sing under the shower”.
    Another good advice is to let other people not musician to listen your pieces sometimes and if it’s good they will tell you; maybe they’re not able to tell you why but in some way they know if a piece is good or not. ;)

    You’re welcome!!
     
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)

Share This Page