Cubase users with Kontakt Vocal instruments

[paulears]

I'm doing much more composition and arrangement stuff post Covid - and have bought quite a few packages. The least satisfying ones are the vocal packs - I like the haunting melodies so Irish, clasical, opera type voices and a few of the package have similar features. Oooh, aahs and stuff are fine, but words are tricky - the ones where you have to create each word take so much time, and as a composer I'm no good with words, so for me they're out - but I have a couple where there are phrases - in one, you select French or Latin, and there are little snippets you can play in. The deficiency being you need to select a key, and then the phrases fall into that key. I bought an new instrument and they kind of inspire you to write according to the sound, so I ended up with a fairly orchestral piece - I figured that as I can't speak latin, an operatic voice in latin would really work - even if the words make no sense to a latin speaker? The trouble was the piece had key changes and needed notes that were not in the phrases, but worse, the phrases had the wrong accidentals. Then I wondered if I created the track, converted it into audio, then got cubase to let me change the recorded notes and it actually worked! Client's very happy - and in a day or two I'll share it here.

The problem with these phrase based packages is that some of the phrase 'shapes' are really nice but just don't fit. Changing the actually notes I just didn't think of, but Cubase's system is pretty good now. It means that some of the other phrase based stuff I have I can now revisit and make work. No idea why I never thought of this before. Has anyone else been doing this and I'm late to the party?

 

[miyaru]

I tried the voice packs a while ago, and was dissapointed too. There are online services to connect composers to singers/vocalists. Most of the time you have to pay for it though, but it could be a solution.

It is always tricky to get good vocals from a pack. This I found out the hard and expensive way.......

 

[paulears]

I'm glad it's not just me - this is one I did, but when it was finished, I'd sort of used up that idea, and never found a second chance for it? The new editing should get a little more out of them.

 

[miyaru]

A very open en dynamic production Paul!!!! Hats of to you!!!!

I think you did a great job with the voice packs here......

 

[paulears]

Thanks - but I want to experiment with the ones where they can sing words - and those that can do BVs - but I expect the time to do them properly will be silly!

 

[audiokid]

beautiful

 

[Tony Carpenter]

Thanks - but I want to experiment with the ones where they can sing words - and those that can do BVs - but I expect the time to do them properly will be silly!

I have and have used Realivox blue ladies and I have and have used east West Hollywood choirs and background. Word use is challenging but rewarding once you use it properly.

 

[paulears]

here is the new one where the vocal part has been pitch changed so the notes in the phrases don’t have to follow the notes in the pre-done chunks. The track itself was done in the new Arkhim package I’m still playing with.

The usual process with prepackaged vocal packages is that you select a key and then stick to it when you write music, but this time a wrote the music, then fitted phrases to it, just altering the notes, which is tricky, but it does work. For fun, I bought a Irish fiddle pack so tried a jig and a reel.

covid lockdown, with nobody to work with means the rock and distorted guitars have gone, and even the jazz stuff has stopped. Even the show tracks have really eased off as there are no shows. It’s weird that the music that’s left that earns a little in these hard times is so old in style.