Orchestral theme in Dm (Roland JV-1080, MC-500)

[TwilightOdyssey]

Been trying out all sorts of stuff with the Soundrack Machine; getting all of the pieces to work together is not nearly as hard as writing a piece of music that will work with all of the disparate sounds! I have come up with a chord progression that I would like to explore, however. It's in the key of Dm. The progression is:
Dm - Bb - F - A
Bb - Gm - F - A

This was done using my JV-1080 orchestral expansion cards along with the Roland MC-500 from the mid-1980s.

I will definitely be making a post about the entire Soundtrack Machine and all its parts (there are a lot), just haven't had the time to sit down and write it out.

 

[GuitarStv]

Re: Orchestral theme in Dm (Roland JV-1080, MC-500)

I really like this progression. I can picture it as a piece of a larger Muse-style rock arrangement. It has that kinda vibe.

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Orchestral theme in Dm (Roland JV-1080, MC-500)

Thanks! This was a sketch so I won't forget the basic progression. From here I will work up something a bit more structured and some variations and then jam on it with the rest of the crew and see where it goes.
I've never really listened to Muse, but I think I can see where you are coming from; there will definitely be other elements added on top of this skeleton.

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Orchestral theme in Dm (Roland JV-1080, MC-500)

Updated the voicings a bit; I think I'm ready to add percussion now!

 

[GuitarStv]

Re: Orchestral theme in Dm (Roland JV-1080, MC-500)

Is there a simple (preferably free) way to knock together some similar synths/orchestrally type chords directly in a DAW without any hardware? I'd love to add bits of stuff like this to songs I'm working on, but haven't done anything more complicated with virtual instruments than programming drum tracks in hydrogen.

If you haven't listened to any Muse, check out their album the 2nd Law (or at least check out the song Survival from the album). I really think you would get a kick out of hearing the way they write and incorporate these big orchestral progressions into rock songs.

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Orchestral theme in Dm (Roland JV-1080, MC-500)

Thanks, I will check it out for sure!

You don’t need hardware at all. You could use the Piano Roll in your DAW to record with. Most DAWs also have orchestral soft synths or samples you can use.

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Re: Orchestral theme in Dm (Roland JV-1080, MC-500)

Sounds ****in' majestic :bigthumb:

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Orchestral theme in Dm (Roland JV-1080, MC-500)

lol thanks!

 

[DankStar]

Re: Orchestral theme in Dm (Roland JV-1080, MC-500)

Very cool

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Orchestral theme in Dm (Roland JV-1080, MC-500)

Thanks!