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Previews

Every recipe starts with a video…

You’ll hear the orchestration, then see a quick DAW build.

Every recipe starts with a video

You’ll hear what you’ll be creating, then watch a quick DAW build.

Every recipe starts with a video

You’ll hear the orchestration, then see a quick DAW build.

All recipes also include detailed Chef’s notes, scores, MIDI files & PDF desk references.

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…then detailed Chef’s Notes, scores, MIDI files & PDF guide

All included in your purchase of Volume 1 or 2; Volume 3 has all details in narrated videos instead.

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Recently Released

Volume 3

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Volume 3 Tour

2 hours of fully narrated videos
Walkthroughs, illustrations and loads of fresh musical examples to explore, in a new, brisk, fully narrated format.

Packed with orchestrated examples & ideas to try
Start with the videos. Practice building versions of your own, until you don’t need the videos. Then the sound is yours, to summon, whenever you need it.

Going beyond instrumental combinations
Spices are harmonic frameworks that inspire ideas, elevate cues, and set foundations for orchestrations of your own. (Which is the ultimate aim of this series)

Out now

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Tour

2 hours of fully narrated videos
Walkthroughs, illustrations and loads of fresh musical examples to explore, in a new, brisk, fully narrated format.

Packed with orchestrated examples & ideas to try
Start with the videos. Practice building versions of your own, until you don’t need the videos. Then the sound is yours, to summon, whenever you need it.

Examples from Volume 3

Spices inspire orchestrations. Notice just how different two cues with the same spice can be—thinking harmonically with spices can smash through writer’s block, and inspire orchestrations of your own.

All examples use readily available sample libraries, out-of-the-box—there’s nothing in the effects chain, beyond a splash of reverb on the master output. Effects, the libraries you use…it’s all icing; the notes you choose are the cake.

All examples use readily available sample libraries, out-of-the-box—there’s nothing in the effects chain, beyond a splash of reverb on the master output. Effects, the libraries you use…it’s all icing; the notes you choose are the cake.

Tour
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Start cooking

Volume 1: Classic

The original collection, drawn mostly from classical combinations.

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Volume 3 *New*

Going beyond instrument combinations.
2 hours of videos, packed with ideas to try.

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Volume 2: Cinematic

More commercial in focus, with recipes targeting specific moods and scenes.

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About the Orchestration Recipes Chef

Philip Johnston is one of music education’s best selling authors, known for presenting complex ideas in simple, engaging formats. Classically trained, he has a Masters Degree in Music from Indiana University and has recorded for Warner Music as a pianist/composer.

Philip has been working with orchestral sample libraries since the Gigastudio days. (You can still hear some of Philip’s Gigastudio demos at VSL’s website—created in 2003 on a PC that has worse specs than your phone…it’s all about the recipes, not the gear)

Email Philip