Experimenting with chinese instruments

paulrmartin · Post by **paulrmartin** » Sun Jul 09, 2006 4:21 pm

<a name="planetz-file"></a><a href="http://www.planetz.com/Pulsar/files/mus ... .mp3"><img src="/forums/images/listen_icon.gif" border="0" alt=" Song"> Song</a> <a name="planetz-tag"></a>Genre: Symphonic ambient <a name="planetz-tag"></a>Uses: Pulsar Effects SOCAN© 2006 Paul R. Martin _____________________________________ I really need some clues as to how to EQ this one.

I am trying to emulate a chinese symphony orchestra, it's "nasal" timbre. I just can't seem to get the right EQ settings to balance out my mix though.

Any clues?

Janni · Post by **Janni** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 4:43 am

Don´t know exactly what you mean,
but I would give frequencies between say 400 and 1000Hz a little boost...
For my ears, there´s something missing in the middle...
Hope it helps, but I´m not used to asian sounds...
BTW, I like it! Is it a customer-production?
Cheers,
Jan

Post by **hubird** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 9:02 am

Great job you did

Can't be too difficult to find what you're looking for, or?
Walk through an eq, or imply a resonant filter with low q factor (broad) to uplift the frequency spectrum that does tje job

paulrmartin · Post by **paulrmartin** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 2:05 pm

Thanks for the resonant filter suggestion, Huub. I'll run it around the 400-1000 area and see what happens.

This is a personal experiment, not for a contract. I like to copy styles.

One comment I got from a non-musician friend is that the key is too high. She's right because this piece is a tritone away from the traditional D pentatonic of chinese music.

I was thinking perhaps I should redo the ambient loop at the start, removing the reverb from the original recording. It would open up the frequencies maybe?

paulrmartin · Post by **paulrmartin** » Thu Jul 13, 2006 2:39 pm

I'm a bit surprised that Ken didn't have a go here, if only stylistically.

kensuguro · Post by **kensuguro** » Fri Jul 14, 2006 6:07 am

lol, you're right. I'm in a hotel, in NY. Will be back in Miami tomorrow to check it out.

kensuguro · Post by **kensuguro** » Sun Jul 16, 2006 6:40 am

the erhu solo sounds really good, maybe some exciter could liven it up a bit. Anyhow, the main resonance sounds okay, just more life in the high end.

The main melody with lute and reed sounds great, I think it just sounds a bit too close. Especially the lutes, or are they the hammered strings. Seems to me that since most of these chinese tunes are recorded live with an ensemble, the mic position is much further away. An ER might mix things up just right.

Also, it would make sense if you threw in the flutes and chinese koto (for harp-like phrases) since you have most of the ensemble in there already. Oh, and it might seem cheesey, but a typical chinese thing might be to add some "talk back" phrases whenever you have some long tones in the main passage. Especially when it comes back the second time.

Overall it sounds very authentic! I'd personally prefer some more chord movement, but this is a great way to start.

added: this guy's got some really nice recordings for his vsti
http://www.chineekong.com/vstmain.htm
Atleast the demos would pass for something I can neutrally listen to without thinking anything about how the vsti is made.

by the way, you didn't mean the eq on the surrounding orchestra sounds did you? It seems like in many cases, the chinese ensemble is backed with a real orchestra, creating a sound similar to what you have. If you're looking to get the "chinese instrument only" orchestra sound, then that's a different story.

[ This Message was edited by: kensuguro on 2006-07-16 10:26 ]

paulrmartin · Post by **paulrmartin** » Sun Jul 16, 2006 1:37 pm

Oh Boy, ohboyohboyohboy!!!

Thanks for that fabulous link, Ken!! I just tried the free erhu and it sounds really good.

I should have thought of an exciter on the erhu track... Good cue.

Thanks for the ER suggestion as well. It might be just the balancing beam I need. The orchestra is indeed too close.

I hope I can try all these idea out soon. I just found me a full-time job (a real job with real people!) and I have to learn a lot of stuff if they're going to keep me.

Gordon Gekko · Post by **Gordon Gekko** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 10:32 am

c'est bon ça. you have western influences that make it sound half way.. like greek for bits. planetz level has gone up a notch lately

braincell · Post by **braincell** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 6:32 pm

I just installed the free ones. Thanks Kensuguro. I can use these. I recently bought the World Winds Akai samples as well.

RedSun · Post by **RedSun** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 2:46 pm

Ok, I have to disagree with everyone else. It doesn't sound authentic at all.

For that you would need to play it through a cell phone or a similar device, and then record the output with an old tape deck. Then it would sound just like the music that the cd shops in our chinatown keep playing in the street all year long.

Red5un .:.

dawman · Post by **dawman** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 5:01 pm

Ladies And Gentlemen,........Red Sun.

paulrmartin · Post by **paulrmartin** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 5:44 pm

Jimmy, thanks for the compliment but you misunderstood RedSun's sarcasm. It was a joke. Very funny if you ever get a chance to walk in Montreal's chinatown.

kensuguro · Post by **kensuguro** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 7:24 pm

speaking of which, last time I was in chinatown in NY, and was in a tea shop, they were playing a karaoke of some sort with a very old school electric organ (with the cheesy rhumba beats) and a ventures style tremolo guitar as lead, with occasional visits by sexy saxophones. The duo would play Chinese fold songs and other folk songs resembling Japanese Enka. but anyhow, that stuff was authentic like as it can be.

That's the stuff taxi drivers used to play when I was a kid, in Taiwan.. it was almost 100% standard on taxis.. It went away around when I was in 7th grade.. and then bam! In Chinatown, in NY I hear it again. On CD! On instant reflex, I thought I wanted one.. but then I thought back to the taxi rides back in Taiwan and how the cheesy tunes annoyed me.. and well.. I didn't want it so bad anymore. Still brings back so much memories! I was surprised because the music itself was so bad!

braincell · Post by **braincell** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 4:35 am

Why is music required everywhere? What is wrong with silence? I remember being in a bank where they where playing a Musak version of a Led Zeppelin song. Most of the customers and tellers were recent Hispanic and Asian immigrants. Nobody in the entire bank looked like they would enjoy that music; furthermore they couldn't fathom the absurdity of heavy metal muzak covers. The older I get, the more isolated I become. I would enjoy hearing traditional ethnic music when eating exotic food but we have to remember that we are merely guests of the manager who requires really bad music to make it though another day of his incredibly boring life.