Synthestration is the art of
composing music
Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...
in the form of a
MIDI mockup. A mockup is an extensive demo of a musical recording, for playback by computers triggering virtual instrument software or hardware, to emulate an
orchestra
An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments:
* String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...
l recording.
The process involves inputting notes into a computer sequencing program as
MIDI
Musical Instrument Digital Interface (; MIDI) is an American-Japanese technical standard that describes a communication protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, ...
data, which then produces those
tones via virtual instrument software/hardware. This is followed by significant programming in order to realistically mimic the ensemble playing of an orchestra.
The term is a combination of the words 'synth(esizer)' and '
orchestration'.
"Synthestrated" mockups are frequently used in projects requiring large budgets to record, such as film scores. A mockup allows the director, or producer, to hear the compositions in a setting that approximates their final version, allowing them to approve or alter the project before the budget has been committed to record live musicians. However, because the replication of acoustic instruments has progressed steadily, MIDI mockups are occasionally utilized in the final score on films, in cases where time has run out, or due to budget constraints. For big-budget films, mockups are eventually converted into an orchestrated
score and recorded by a live orchestra.
References
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MIDI