Welcome
Welcome to the website for Gilreath: The Guide to MIDI Orchestration.
Since its initial release in 1997, Paul Gilreath’s The Guide to MIDI Orchestration has been the premiere text on creating realistic emulations of a symphony orchestra using samplers and computer recording techniques. Recent years have seen huge advances in sampling technology, and the demands put on the MIDI composer to produce extremely realistic orchestral textures have never been higher. Now in its fourth edition, The Guide to MIDI Orchestration explains how to merge this ever-expanding technology with the artistry of orchestration to produce the most lifelike recordings possible.
The book is a comprehensive text that progresses from an overview of orchestral history to in-depth discussions of each section of the orchestra. Detailed information on each instrument’s timbre, range, and uses is included. Specific orchestration techniques are discussed, including how to use the various instruments for accompaniment and melody, how to approach an orchestration from the ground up, and how to achieve balance and interest within the orchestration. Gilreath then explains how to translate these elements into the MIDI and sampling environment, providing a clear and precise approach that will allow the reader to employ the necessary techniques with assurance. Chapters on studio setup and requirements, effects processing and plug-in considerations, DAW choices, and mixing guidelines highlight the text. Insightful interviews with mastering engineers Bob Katz and Bob Ludwig provide useful, real-world knowledge that can be implemented in your work on a daily basis.
The book is written for composers, arrangers, and MIDI musicians of all levels, and will be helpful to game composers, film and television composers, traditional orchestral composers, teachers, instructors, and the serious hobbyist. The Guide to MIDI Orchestration is a one-of-a-kind text that enables composers who demand the best to achieve successful and realistic MIDI orchestrations.