The book name is promising: "the guide to midi orchestration". Indeed he offers to approach orchestration on the one hand technical by using orchestral sounds banks and sequencers MIDI with the intention of simulating an orchestra in a most realistic possible way. Theme is interesting since not enough books succeed in putting into practice the notions of orchestration in the virtual world. Is the challenge of Paul Gilreath attained? According to the editor, yes since this book was sold in more than 25 000 copies in the world and that it is used in schools and universities American. It is even considered to be the Bible of virtual orchestration by the community of the musicians! In t-il answered my requests? Not so sure...

The first chapters concentrate mainly on the composition of the orchestra: instruments, sections. Said in another way, it is about chapters on instrumentation. All traditional notions on instrumentation are found: register, timbre, articulations... It is a pity that he is not considered useful to add to the registers of the written instruments, registers without transposition. Inconvenient therefore to use the annex on registers as reminder. On the whole, an instrumentation treaty will be more pertinent and full on subject.

100 following pages enter finally the initial subject of the book. He offers to take back the different sections of the orchestra and to introduce how to transpose them into the virtual world of COMPUTER MUSIC He itemises for example as to accomplish a realistic legato, to write a melody in wood playable, to write a harp glissando... In red thread, he uses Nuendo to illustrate concrete cases. In the final, in spite of some smartness or interesting suggestions, Paul Gilreath approaches problems only superficially. How to accomplish divisi for example? How to return a more realistic solo? Chapters lack examples on sheet musics and sound extracts. A CD would have been welcome to judge result.

After this first third of book, coherent plan is a little incoherent and lacks reflexion apparently. A chapter introduces the equipment of the studio (keyboards, audio interfaces) and the sequencers of the market (Cubase, pro Tools). Further to this technical interlude, the author re-concentrates on orchestration by approaching tempo changes within a piece. However, the reading of the textbook of your sequencer on the track Tempo will teach you just as much that this chapter. Book approaches then the environment of the orchestra, that is to say mainly the hall and its reverberation. This chapter is a chance to define how one "reverberation " on computer works. Little practical information is given on the use of a reverberation within a piece.

Paul Gilreath offers then to review in a chapter, the plug-ins main of the market: EQ, compression, reverberation, delay... This a description of samplers used succeeds to construct sounds banks: Gigastudio, Kontakt... Interesting to decide on the acquisition of a new product but this window of plug-ins is not willy-nilly pertinent in a book on orchestration.

The plan of book follows its logic by approaching ch from now on? urs. Further to some general notions on the writing in several voices, he describes some sounds banks on the market (Symphony Of Voices, Voices Of The Apocalypse). The sound mixing of an orchestral piece constitutes the following chapter. It is about a very complex and necessary subject. Unfortunately 22 pages are a bit thin thereupon. He gives some general truths: pan to respect the position of instruments in the orchestra, EQ to adjust a timbre... Some generality which would have been able more to be supported.

A hundred of pages of the book is dedicated to interviews accomplished by Paul Gilreath with Eric Persing (Spectrasonics), Gary Garritan (Garritan Personal Orchestra), Herb TucMandl (Vienna Symphonic Library), Doug Roger (East West), Jeremy Soule (compositor), Bob Ludwing (engineer of the sound), Bob Katz (engineer of the sound)... Some tackled points are interesting (development of a library, sound mixing of a piece) but the every rest too superficial.

150 last pages of the book review the different orchestral libraries by describing in detail the strong and weak points of each.

In the final, The Guide To Midi Orchestration is for me a book which does not hold its promises. Although the book is consequent (more than 700 pages), printed by an exemplary quality and illustrated with colour photographs, the bottom of subject, to know orchestration about computer, is not approached in a rather full way. First of all coherent plan is chaotic, musical theory is cut by technical descriptions which precede interviews before describing libraries. Second point, I have the feeling that Paul Gilreath filled up a lot when he wrote: the general truths, anecdotal chapters... What is lacking in this book, it is lack of offered methodologies, very definite examples... On group, only 25 % books is indeed dedicated to virtual orchestration. It's a shame! For more than 80? across the Atlantic, the Bible of orchestration will not have really persuaded a new supporter.