Getting started... orchestration and reverb

Question

At long last, I am the proud owner of Logic Pro 7!
This program is so excellent. All the pro apps are eons above what I expected. Sculpture especially, but space designer too.
The main reason I'm posting this is for tips on getting started with the orchestral sound. I've got some orchestral sample sets, and i was hoping to get some starter tips on good reverb setups for them to get the most authentic, film-score sound i can.
Is there a site that offers downloadable space-designer IR's or other logic downloadables? presets for compressors or EQ's, etc.
I've bought Logic to score films... does anyone have any tried and true methods for orchestral setups. I'm really looking for what best string of reverbs works best, and sounds best. I've heard of using reverb on a certian section alone first, to put it in space (a small reverb on a violin section), then washing it with a hall reverb. Any recommendations? Space designer presets?
Thanks!
Chris

Answer 1

the trick is not just about reverbs, but also about attack and decay levels on your instruments and eq.
most sample libraries (including VSL) record instruments with the mikes too close to give an attack/decay and frequency response that resembles what you would hear from an actual orchestra. EWQLSO have addressed this but have other problems.
putting the instruments into a space relative to one another is certainly the key (including panning). the thing to do is to listen to a good film score, especially recorded by shawn murphy and listen to reponses of sections and individual instruments in relation to the their dynamics, note range etc and try to adjust your individual instruments to match this.
take for example a harp instrument. how would you hear a soft harp note compared to a loud harp note from the audience (or the OH stereo pair)? how do they compare to the sample instrument you've got.? for a start, from a distance the range between the 2 dynamics are much closer from far away than they are close up. the bass in the note dissapates over distance compared to the highly directional upper frequencies. the attack is not nearly as detailed over distance.
simply sticking different reverbs on or trying to find a "fix all" reverb will lead to frustration in my opinion. you need to do a lot of judicious placing, adjusting of attack and decay, and especially pulling out bass and lower mids. maybe even lifting the the upper mids a bit to give some clarity, all to push the instrument back into the hall. this will stop the muddying effect you get from using samples and leave space for your basses and cellos and other instruments that need to be heard in the bass spectrum.
so, a brief and basic setup might look like:
strings (ie all of them seperated NOT a pad and all adjusted individually) to bus 1 -> a little reverb
winds (likewise) bus 2 -> a little lower mid taken out, a bit more reverb.
brass (as with winds) bus 3 -> maybe eq'd a bit further than the winds and a bit more reverb as well.
percussion, bus 4 -> generally, because they are very loud instruments, they have been recorded at a respectable distance and sound right uneq'd. the timp is a different matter though, depends on what samples you are using.
piano & harp bus 5 -> have similar issues as one another and can be bussed with the percussion or on their own.
the advantage of doing things this way is that it makes mixing really easy because sections are often doing things together.
you rightly pointed out that you should have a reverb for the entire band to put them all into the same space. currently i still favour my outboard lexicon rather than space designer but it is absolutely brilliant. i sometimes use it as part of eq process for example with the brass or the percussion. but in the end i generally prefer it without. often less is more, and that is certainly true of reverb.