On Jun 23, 2007, at 6:55 AM, dhbailey wrote:
[snip]> I am working on an interactive jazz arranging book/DVD -
whatever it's
going to turn out to be - for Gary Garritan. I am convinced that
this technology provides a useful sketch tool for composer
arrangers who don't have musicians available, but it only serves
as a severely limited interim sketch tool.
I wish I were better equipped to describe the differences between
midi instrument playback (at the mundane level of notation
software playback) and living musicians. It might be a useful
descriptive skill to include in the book.
Chuck
[snip]
These comparative remarks assume that the midi playback will always
be through the same midi device, whether soft-synth or hardware
module:
1) midi instrument playback will always be the same, always
predictable, always have hits exactly the same volume in exactly
the same spots. Live musicians will vary their performance with
each new performance of the song.
2) midi instrument playback will not interact with the live
performer at all, so that if a human musician gets some new
rhythmic groove going it won't matter one bit to the midi
instrument playback, there will be no variation. Live musicians
will follow and build on such a lead, so that a real dialog will
get going.
3) midi instrument playback will always demonstrate the same
"envelope" around the sound, same attack, same release, same
vibrato at the same rate and same depth every single time the song
is played. Live musicians will alter all aspects of the sound,
sometimes consciously just for variety's sake, sometimes
unconsciously as their bodies change from day to day.
4) midi instrument playback will always have the same tone with no
atmospheric or personality variations from day to day or season to
season. Human musicians can't demonstrate quite the same
consistency, since certain physical attributes of their instruments
vary as weather varies (humid/dry, cold/hot).
5) midi instrument playback, by definition, involves listening
through and amplifier and speakers. These never replicate the
acoustic properties of hearing human musicians playing acoustic
instruments. When the humans are playing only electronic
instruments such as electronic drums, electric piano, electric
guitar, this difference becomes much less noticeable, but when
humans are playing on acoustic instruments, the physics of sound
are quite different and the listening sensation is very different
than hearing even the same sounds through speakers.
6) human aspects such as personality, good-day/bad-day, happy,
angry, moody, sad, and other psychological factors will never
become part of midi instrument playback, yet they have an enormous
effect on the sound of human playback.
Heh, heh!
Seems like an excellent start, but I think Chuck was thinking along
the lines of "here's a recording of a MIDI band playing the passage"
and "now here's a recording of the same passage played by live
musicians."
Just that step is a huge one. I often have a "Finale kazoo band"
playback and a gorgeously recorded CD of the same piece to play for
clients so that they recognize what they are listening to when I
create a mockup for them, and so that their imaginations can make the
necessary leap.
Most of my students do their projects on Finale or Sibelius, and
sometimes they ask me if they can submit an MP3 of the playback
instead of preparing parts and bringing them to the reading session.
I always respond with an emphatic "NO", as a huge part (perhaps the
biggest part!) of composing and arranging for live musicians is
hearing what the live musicians do with your piece. Besides, I can
read the score pretty well, so the playback isn't for ME anyway!
Christopher
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