Ambient orchestra with piano, Sequential Take 5, Novation AFX Station, Korg MS-20

video upload by Jay Hosking

"Please support my work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jayhosking
A live performance on piano and Sequential Take 5, with a couple of extra "orchestral" layers added afterward.

Despite putting so much time into synthesizers, drum machines, etc., I probably play more piano than anything else these days. I love music arranged for piano and synth, and I watch a ton of it here on YouTube. So it's nice to finally be making some of that on the channel.

Here, I use the Take 5's sequencer with some slow attack to create a backdrop for playing piano over. As the song moves, I progressively open the Take 5's filter to fill more and more of the space.

For bass, I added the Novation AFX Station (aka Bass Station II), not exactly what you might think of when you hear "orchestral", but is amazing for bass and strikes a balance between fitting in and standing out.

To double the melody, I added the Korg MS-20. I've got both its filters tuned into the midrange with a good deal of resonance, so it cuts through the mix without taking up too much room. I've also got a little LFO on the pitch and some noise modulation on the filter cutoff to give the whole thing a warbled, falling-apart feeling.

For piano, I'm playing my Kawai CA49, which has a great keybed and wooden keys, though the sound isn't quite good enough for a recording (great for practicing, though). I'm sending its MIDI to Native Instruments' Noire (for the deeper, richer part of the piano) and also to XLN Audio's Addictive Keys (for more of the percussive/hammer/strike of the piano); I think the two blend really well.

All in all, I'm really happy with this piece and the mood it provokes, both through its melodic choices and its timbral choices. Thanks for listening.

Kawai CA49 into Native Instruments Noire and XLN Audio Addictive Keys - piano
Sequential Take 5 - Pad sequence ambience thing
Novation AFX Station into Valhalla Shimmer - Bass
Korg MS-20 into Synapse Audio Deep Reverb - Melody

Piano and Take 5 recording as a live performance, with bass and melody overdubbed afterward, and the standard EQ/compression/limiting on the master.

https://jayhosking.bandcamp.com"