"I love Guy's approach to teaching... it doesn't feel like he's talking down to you, it feels like you're in the studio with him."

Josh McCausland
ThinkSpace Education student

Sampled Orchestration

WITH GUY MICHELMORE


$249 $149

A ThinkSpace Interactive course



CREATE MIDI MOCKUPS WITH THE REALISM OF A LIVE ORCHESTRA

Your orchestral sample libraries won't sound realistic right out of the box, but your DAW and samples are capable of creating stunning orchestral mock-ups. This course will help you breathe life into your orchestral music by using your DAW and sounds to their fullest potential.

You'll utilise optimised templates in Logic Pro X or Cubase 12, dive into Continuous Controllers, use reverb to bring all your samples into a single space, experiment with a variety of different instrument articulations and much more.

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Lifetime access. 30-day money-back policy


BRING YOUR midi orchestra to life

One of the big challenges in writing orchestral music in your DAW is getting your samples to sound anywhere close to realistic. This course takes you through the entire process of writing and recording your orchestral mock-ups, and then taking control of your DAWs tools to get the most realistic sound you can. 

Taught by Guy Michelmore, a professional composer and orchestrator, who has years of experience mixing bands and artists, as well as music for film and TV, games, and advertising.

  • 12 hours of hands-on MIDI orchestration and composition tutorials
  • Guides to build optimised DAW templates
  • Tasks in all modules so you can implement the skills taught in your own DAW.  
  • Interactive video tutorials and quizzes to tailor your course experience 
  • Taught in both Cubase 12 and Logic Pro X
  • Lifetime access to the course and our dedicated ThinkSpace Community Discord server

What you'll learn

1. HARDWARE, SOFTWARE, AND SAMPLE LIBRARIES

Here we look at the tools you have and decide whether they're up for the task! Guy will give you an in-depth look at the sample libraries and sample players you should be paying attention to, and will also introduce you to a quick DAW template structure for those looking to jump right in.

2. ARTICULATIONS

Guy demonstrates how to use libraries that utilise keyswitches, how to use Articulation IDs (Logic) and Expression Maps (Cubase), and ways to set up your template to manage the different ways of implementing sample library articulations.

3. DYNAMICS AND CONTROLLERS

Continuous Controllers (CCs) can breath real life into your sampled mock-ups, so in this module Guy will show you how they work, how to use them, and how to set them up in your project. He'll also teach you techniques for controlling dynamics with greater accuracy. 

4. TIMING AND RHYTHM

This is where we explore how to use track delay in your projects, general tips and best etiquette for quantising, and how to bounce your MIDI to audio to increase your DAW project's performance.

5. ROOMS AND REVERBS

Here we discuss the importance of the space in which you place your samples. Guy demonstrates how to manipulate reverbs using mic position, how to add reverb appropriately, and how to put your libraries 'in the same room'. 

6. SAMPLED MOCK-UP PROBLEMS

Here's some of the things that make your samples sound BAD and how to overcome them. These are common issues, like the 'machine gun' and 'pipe organ' effect, and how to make sure you don't 'muddy' those inner voices (and more!). 

WATCH A FREE SAMPLE

Guy's template using spitfire's bbcso discover

In this video tutorial from Sampled Orchestration, Guy Michelmore gives you a quick tutorial on getting up and running with an orchestral template using Spitfire's BBC Symphony Orchestra Discover.

This is a quick version of the process, but further in the course we go much more in-depth for those who want to build large, professional templates.


TAUGHT BY A PROFESSIONAL COMPOSER

Tim Johnson profile

Guy Michelmore is an award-winning film, games and TV composer. He is both an EMMY- and ANNIE-nominee and has scored projects for Marvel, Dreamworks, Lionsgate, Disney and many others. Hundreds of episodes of television on shows like Rocket and Groot, Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, Jungle Book, Lassie, Iron Man Armored Adventures and many more.

He writes, orchestrates and conducts orchestras in LA, London, Prague and beyond. What he really loves is working with nice, creative people on really cool stuff - you can catch more of his stuff on the YouTube Channel

In this course, you'll see Guy during your introduction and wrap-up session, and also in every course video throughout this program.

INTERACTIVE Learning That's Made for Music

Interactive Video

Interactivity is a core part of education, because how can you know how well you're doing without some form of feedback?

Many of you will be joining this course from different musical backgrounds, and the Interactive Videos will help personalise each module, allowing you to focus on the skills you need help with the most.

MinusONE™ ASSIGNMENTS

A MinusONE™ assignment provides you with a structured, professional track with a single element. This allows you to work on skills in isolation without being bothered by any surrounding tasks.

By the end of the course, you'll have replaced all tracks in the composition and end up with your own totally unique version (based on the structure and harmonies of the original)

ThinkSpace Interactive Video

In-video questions in Thinkspace Interactive courses personlise your learning journey


Moving audio regions in Logic Pro X

'MinusONE' challenges help you focus on particular instrument groups


JOIN A GLOBAL COMMUNITY OF composers ON DISCORD

We want to bring our students closer together, and we understand that learning online can be isolating at times. With this course you get access to our exclusive ThinkSpace Community Discord server. Here you can share your music, collaborate with like-minded musicians, and support each other through your creative journey.

We hope you use this community as a relaxed environment to share your work and progress alongside other students. With hundreds of students already active, it’s quickly growing into a vibrant and supportive community and we would love for you to be part of it.

Get Started Today

Vienna Symphonic Library player
Guy Michelmore scores in Logic Pro X
Guy demonstrates cubase automation
  • Master your sample libraries with over 12 hours of engaging video tutorials
  • Discover the workflow of a professional to level-up your skills.

  • Interactive assignment projects and quizzes for personalised learning
  • Lifetime access to course and student community, and 30-day money back guarantee

BUY NOW — $249 $149

Lifetime access. Start, finish and revisit anytime.
30-day money-back policy

save an extra 40% – bUY WITH trailer and game music courses

For a limited time, you can save an extra 40% when you buy Sampled Orchestration in a a bundle with our two other interactive courses: How To Write Trailer Music and How To Write Video Game Music.

Expand your musical horizons with this trio of personalised courses.

EXPLORE THE BUNDLE

have a question? contact us

Need some advice? Or just want to talk music? We’re always here to lend a professional ear.

contact@thinkspace.ac.uk

+44 (0)1243 256049

Frequently Asked Questions

If you are thinking about taking the course, there are some requirements you may want to consider. Here are the most frequently asked student questions to help you to assess whether the courses is right for you.