On the Use of the Computer and Virtual Orchestra
in Music Composition and Performance
CLASSICAL MATTERS: Thank you very much, Jennifer, for taking the time to chat with us. At Classical Matters, we have a keen interest in the use of digital technology in the creation and performance of music. You use the computer and software instruments along with a real orchestra to stunning effect in your albums. Tell us a bit about your background and how you got into using computers in music.
JENNIFER ATHENA GALATIS: I was born in Montreal, Canada and my first encounter with the piano was at the age of 5. I really like pressing buttons and the piano has 88 keys. I was fascinated by the instrument. I took formal lessons at the age of 12, and my first teacher was a family close friend, Maria Nikolaidou. She had a jazz piano and I was spending endless hours at her house learning by ear, songs and composing at the same time. After that, I went to the National Conservatory of Greece. During that time (the 1980's), the computer that had on board a MIDI interface, the Atari 512 or 1040, was very expensive to purchase. However I was going weekly to the store to see and learn this new fascinating technology. I was very surprised as to how the computer was capable of writing the notes instantly while I was playing them on a MIDI controller.
One problem back then was the clutter and the complications of having to connect a lot of keyboards to one computer. Also, I needed a lot of space. After leaving Greece, I pursued my studies In Canada and the US. In Canada, I studied piano at the University of Montreal with Professor Claude Savard and at McGill with Professor Reiner. In the US, I took Master Classes in the summer with Professor Oxana Yablonskaya at Juilliard in New York. My composition professor was Yannis Kastrinos.
During the 1990’s, my first attempt to compose with MIDI again was with a PC running Windows 95 and a Korg M1. I have to admit that I was composing more on paper than with a computer because I found that PC’s were not reliable back then. For example, I would start writing a piece and the computer would freeze. In 1999, I met my best friend, Fernando. Fernando is a sound engineer and a guitarist. He showed me his PC and how he was composing using this new technology. He had a software program called Cubase and using it he could produce virtual instruments for piano, bass, guitar strings, etc. The quality back then wasn’t that good but I was hooked immediately. "This is what I have been waiting for," I said to my friend. After that, I went out and I bought myself a new computer and a couple of VST* instruments. I am very fortunate to have Fernando as my friend because he is the master of Cubase and Pro Tools. During all these years I learned so much from him.
CLASSICAL MATTERS: Tell us about the hardware and software you use.
JENNIFER ATHENA GALATIS: Presently I use three PC’s running Cubase SX and I have almost all the VST instruments from East West, all the libraries from Spectrasonics, and all the effects from Waves. One PC is connected to one 27" Dell UltraSharp monitor and my Korg M1, which I still love. In addition, this computer is connected to a second monitor, a Samsung widescreen display, where I preview the film and cut the right time with the sound. On that PC, I write my scores using Sibelius and I preview the sound with the VST’s. I have a Logitech 5.1 surround speaker system on that setup. My second system is hooked up on a Media Center PC running Windows Vista connected to a 42" 1080p display. The sound monitoring is a state-of-the-art system consisting of a Sony ES amplifier and a 6.1 speaker setup from Sinclair Audio. I also have a Blu-Ray and HD DVD player for viewing the movies that producers send me to score. I still have Cubase SX installed on this system and all the Waves plugins. With this system I do the mixing in surround sound and I listen to the final masters coming from the studios. My third computer is at work where I teach and it is connected to a Roland Digital Piano and a 21" Dell UltraSharp display. On that system I have everything, all the VST’s, Cubase, etc.
The cost is very high but is worth it. The VST instruments** cost from $1,000 to $3,000 each. There are also cheaper instruments for $500.
CLASSICAL MATTERS: Were there any difficulties you encountered in learning how to use these program?
JENNIFER ATHENA GALATIS: I didn’t have any difficulty in learning the software. Everything was very easy. When I had questions about something, I would ask my friend.
CLASSICAL MATTERS: Discuss the results, advantages, disadvantages, and aesthetic issues of virtual music.
JENNIFER ATHENA GALATIS: The results are extremely good. Every year I find that VST instruments improve in sound and touch. A lot of times I show my work to a director or music supervisor and they like better the sound on the VST instrument than the real orchestra, especially when there are fast passages. Also consider that we work with a budget. I myself find that there is some work to be done on the violins in the high register. Also when I have a romantic scene I prefer the real orchestra playing. However, if I have a score that demands a lot of percussion and fast orchestra I prefer the VST because I find musicians have a difficult time in trying to follow the computer.
CLASSICAL MATTERS: Tell us about how you blend the real orchestra with the virtual orchestra, and examples from your albums.
JENNIFER ATHENA GALATIS: I always try to blend my music with real and virtual instruments. The result is outstanding. You get the best from both worlds. I should point out that I only do step recording*** of the drums. The rest I always play live with the metronome in order to get the touch of the instrument. I have heard examples of other composers using VST’s with step recording and it doesn’t sound good at all. Music is about expression and I believe music has to be played and not to be input by a mouse click to the score. So basically, for myself I use every VST instrument as a normal acoustic instrument. I play it live and that is why I get very expressive results.
Examples of my work you can find are in Mars Landing, Charlot and Charlie, and The Amadea Chronicles.
CLASSICAL MATTERS: What advice would you give to people considering getting into using computers/software in their music?
JENNIFER ATHENA GALATIS: I totally encourage people to try it. Some people will find it more difficult than others. I have encouraged fellow musicians myself and yes, some of them dropped out. A lot of them had difficulty in learning the software. Some of them couldn’t afford it. However, there are a lot of MIDI studios in the US and Canada that people can use and experiment.
CLASSICAL MATTERS: What are your thoughts on the future of the technology?
JENNIFER ATHENA GALATIS: I think one day all the VST instruments will sound perfectly. I also believe that playing with the orchestra live cannot be recreated with the computer. There is a human communication. I also believe in combining both the real and the virtual.
People who attempt to learn how to use the technology don’t need to be genius composers. They can be people who like technology and like to work as an assistant to the composer. All people are welcome to try. People who love music.
* VST is "Virtual Studio Technology." The technology was developed by Steinberg, a German company founded in 1984. VST is used to denote a wide array of virtual instruments.
** A VST instrument referred to here is actually a collection of many individual instruments. For example, the East West Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra product has many strings, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments.
*** Step recording is a process that lets one precisely enter notes one at a time.
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