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How to credit use of Virtual Instruments?

E

endorka

New Member
Hello folks,

I'll soon be redoing my website to focus more on my arrangement / production / composition work, and will be using musical examples of pieces I've worked on.

I'm trying to work out credits for this for when I use Virtual Instruments. It's obvious when I play a "real" instrument on a track, or mix it, that's what the credit will be.

But what about VIs? I have no worries about citing piano when I've used a piano VI, but for something like a hurdy gurdy I'm less sure! On one level this makes sense - I use a MIDI controller keyboard which looks and feels a lot like a real piano, so there is some connection to the real instrument, but I've never (to my knowledge :) even been in the same room as a hurdy gurdy!

I know some use "programming" to cover VIs such as this, but I'm not sure. I think many people outside of the technical side of music think of "programming" as something you do to write computer applications, and not really related to music.

I'd be really interested to hear what people think about this :)

Cheers,
Jennifer
Click to read more...
 
I'm not so sure about "synth programming". First off, I wouldn't call virtual instruments "synths". But more importantly, in my experience, the general public would never associate "synth" with anything sounding remotely 'realistic', they think of 8-bit, Kraftwerk, Daft Punk, Vangelis.

"Sample" on the other hand is very often associated with remixes.

And when I mention MIDI, they generally assume I'm writing 90's style computer game music, that uses your soundblaster's integrated synthesizer to produce sounds.

Man the general public is stupid :D
Hoping someone will come up with a good, short suggestion, because I've been looking for one for a while too.
 
Seems like "Virtual Instrument Programming" would work and sounds cool. Most non-musicians I know don't know what a VI is, but when I say "Virtual Instrument" they get it right away- instruments inside the computer. It covers samples (which I think has become an old school term), synths, and any other type of VI.
 
Not sure what you are getting at - are you looking to give credit to VIs that you have used in your compositions, or people who have worked with/for you?

If the former, there is certainly nothing that requires you to do this. You can if you want to; if that's the case, simply do something like:

Sample Libraries used:

Piano: Vienna Imperial
Strings: Cinesample's CineStrings
Percussion: Spitfire Audio's HZ01
Synth: Zebra2

Track composed, orchestrated and programmed by Jennifer Xyz

And that's about it - that covers everything and doesn't really leave any questions as to what you did and used.

If the latter, then maybe this will help:

http://www.jeffreyhayat.com/tdkln.jpg

Cheers.
 
I'd probably use Virtual Instrument Programming or Sample Programming. They're a little bit long though, but I've yet to come up with anything shorter.
 
Thank you for all your responses, it is refreshing to hear that others have a similar dilemma!

Kurtvanzo and Boberg suggested "Virtual Instrument Programming", and I think that is really helpful. It gets across the musical aspect without sounding too technical. "Synth Programming" seems good too.

Thanks RiffWraith, my concern was not so much with crediting the sample libraries in this instance, although that would certainly be useful in other contexts. That link you provided to the Zimmer credits was superb, and I'll be saving it for current and future reference.

To provide a bit more context, on this particular page of my website I'm looking to have a showcase of some of the music I've worked on. It's for the purpose of attracting clients to contact me for work, so it really should speak their language. Kejero really hit the nail on the head the he mentioned the perceptions amongst non-technical people that some of these terms brings.

Sometimes people think in binary terms, and I get the impression that some terms can give them the wrong idea, that you are a technical rather than creative person, or that you are more "left brained" than right, or interested in complexity just for the sake of it. Of course, good music has a balance of both, but based on the target audience, I think it should go towards the musical/emotional aspects rather than technical/production, because that is where they see the important aspects of music.

Yet at the same time, I don't want to lose the communication with people who are familiar with music production, and I'd also like to do it in a way that avoids pretending to be something I am not, such as a master hurdy gurdy player :)

Thanks again for all the input, it is really good stuff.

Jennifer
 
If I were you, I wouldn't use the term "programming". It makes me think the person didn't play the notes but entered them in.
 
Michael K. Bain @ 11th June 2015 said:
If I were you, I wouldn't use the term "programming". It makes me think the person didn't play the notes but entered them in.
Click to expand...

I agree... I'd use Virtual Instruments Performance or something like that
 
Credits

Rob @ Thu Jun 11 said:
Michael K. Bain @ 11th June 2015 said:
If I were you, I wouldn't use the term "programming". It makes me think the person didn't play the notes but entered them in.
Click to expand...

I agree... I'd use Virtual Instruments Performance or something like that
Click to expand...

I guess it depends on what was done. Someone who designs sounds and customizes the VIs is a programmer, and a performer who plays but doesn't tweak is a player- performer, performance can do. But many of us do more, including a lot of midi work to make it really sing, thus programming. It can be a personal choice, but I think you have to examine what you spent more time doing. I hope to someday work a system where I'm more player and less programmer, but at the moment... I'm a programmer ;) Cheers
 
endorka @ Thu Jun 11 said:
Thank you for all your responses, it is refreshing to hear that others have a similar dilemma!

Kurtvanzo and Boberg suggested "Virtual Instrument Programming", and I think that is really helpful. It gets across the musical aspect without sounding too technical. "Synth Programming" seems good too.

Thanks RiffWraith, my concern was not so much with crediting the sample libraries in this instance, although that would certainly be useful in other contexts. That link you provided to the Zimmer credits was superb, and I'll be saving it for current and future reference.

To provide a bit more context, on this particular page of my website I'm looking to have a showcase of some of the music I've worked on. It's for the purpose of attracting clients to contact me for work, so it really should speak their language. Kejero really hit the nail on the head the he mentioned the perceptions amongst non-technical people that some of these terms brings.



Sometimes people think in binary terms, and I get the impression that some terms can give them the wrong idea, that you are a technical rather than creative person, or that you are more "left brained" than right, or interested in complexity just for the sake of it. Of course, good music has a balance of both, but based on the target audience, I think it should go towards the musical/emotional aspects rather than technical/production, because that is where they see the important aspects of music.

Yet at the same time, I don't want to lose the communication with people who are familiar with music production, and I'd also like to do it in a way that avoids pretending to be something I am not, such as a master hurdy gurdy player :)

Thanks again for all the input, it is really good stuff.

Jennifer
Click to expand...

Not to detract from the conversation and play devils advocate, but have you considered NOT displaying this information at all? In my experience, clients don't usually care much for what you use, as long as it sounds killer. Moreover, if they are the type who cares, they will simply ask, and you can inform them.

Apart from synths and electronic scores, we spend a lot of time towards making our samples sound as "real" (notice the quotes) as possible, why then mention anything at all?

Ok, now, if I had to choose, I'd go with Jeffrey's proposition and just list the samples/synths used. Clean and clear, with no mentioning of potentially de-humanizing activities.

Luc
 
I agree on not using "programmed by". It does sound like a lifeless approach. When I do virtual orchestration, a great deal of the success comes from the way I perform each part. VI's CAN be played with great emotion.

Therefore, I always request something to the effect of: "Orchestration arranged and performed by Larry Hall".
 
Why not just "music performed by"?

Seems fair enough when the music is performed using a keyboard or wind controller. Many of us have put as many hours into practicing those instruments as other players have put into their acoustic instruments.

And the tweaking that follows is not in principle different from editing, auto-tuning, etc. of recorded audio from an acoustic instrument.
 
Thanks clisma, brunodegazio and LHall, I like the suggestions based around "performance" and avoiding specifics in terms of mention of samples, or what have you.

Ray, I concede it is possible that I am over-thinking this :)

I've started building the website now, it will be ready in a few weeks, so will be interesting to see how it all pans out.

Jennifer
 
Boberg said:
I'd probably use Virtual Instrument Programming or Sample Programming. They're a little bit long though, but I've yet to come up with anything shorter.
Click to expand...
Michael K. Bain said:
If I were you, I wouldn't use the term "programming". It makes me think the person didn't play the notes but entered them in.
Click to expand...
For this very reason, I do not credit Virtual Instruments beyond being fully transparent about using them. I know the accompaniment my songs deserve and am willing to spend hours "entering them in" on MuseScore 3.2 and refining them for GarageBand, taking credit only for what I have physically performed and of course the composition and arrangement. I send the video containing my final mix to Vimeo, which allows for replacement of any or all of the end product should a human party weigh in. Either way, I am adamant that the weight belongs there.
 
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I just use the premade categories they offer (actually, I can't enter my own at all), usually "synthesizer" or "programming" ect. What it's called isn't important, as long as they pay you for whatever you've entered. I don't see vendor names relevant at all, we are talking about registering with a mechanical rights organization, no? If not, I would just list "keys", "synths" or "drum/midi programming" - I would still never use vendor names, unless they pay/sponsor you to mention them.
 
GtrString said:
I just use the premade categories they offer (actually, I can't enter my own at all), usually "synthesizer" or "programming" ect. What it's called isn't important, as long as they pay you for whatever you've entered. I don't see vendor names relevant at all, we are talking about registering with a mechanical rights organization, no? If not, I would just list "keys", "synths" or "drum/midi programming" - I would still never use vendor names, unless they pay/sponsor you to mention them.
Click to expand...
I don't use patches either; my drums are scored by hand as well. The voices and enhancements I use are strictly on-boards that came with my Mac.
 
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