https://provsmusicsite.com/blog/ EN Tue, 28 Jul 2026 15:04:00 +0200 Incomedia WebSite X5 Pro imblog

I've been trying to stay away of all things political. It's not that I don't care, it's because talking about it often brings out the darker side of people. Early on I often voiced my opinion about what was going on politically, but these are very different times.

One very large red flag I can't ignore is the ongoing conflict in Iran. There are so many aspects of this war that can, and will, affect all of us in one way or another, none of them good. It's a battle more of egos than anything else. We need to end it. Nothing good will come out of letting it go on seemingly forever.

So many people have been killed or wounded thus far, and there'll be many more before it's over, and it doesn't look like the end is in sight. Having lived through the Vietnam war, I've seen this movie before. One very effective way to let it be known you're opposed to this war is to vote. And don't think your vote doesn't count. It does. If it didn't, why would they try so hard to take that right away from you?

]]> Tue, 28 Jul 2026 13:04:00 GMT https://provsmusicsite.com/blog/?some-thoughts----- https://provsmusicsite.com/blog/rss/000000011 imblog

I'm a long time user of Sibelius notation software, starting with version 1.2 developed by the Finn brothers. I've always upgraded to the newest version as soon as I knew it was released. I have a perpetual licence with an annual subscription, which made the process easy.

When Avid released version 2026.5, I jumped on it! This upgrade finally included compatibility with VST3 instruments and plugins. I'd been waiting for this seemingly forever. I was now able to use many of the VST3 libraries I already owned. This was a big deal for me, and all the other users awaiting this update.

The next release was 2026.6 which, among other things, enabled the installation of the new Cantai app which promised to sing the lyrics added to the vocal parts. That sounded awesome! So I purchased a copy of Cantai for Sibelius and added it to my Symphony No. 11 that I had just finished. It was a rude awakening.

First of all, Sibelius 2026.6 was very slow when adding dynamics and other techniques. It felt wonky and unstable. When I added the lyrics then added an instance of Cantai for each voice I wanted sung, I tried playing it back, waiting for that gorgeous sound they led me to believe I was going to experience.

It was a disaster! Sibelius crashed every time I tried to play it back. It did the same thing when I tried assigning a Cantai voice to each vocal. Between the crashes and how slow Sibelius was with the 2026.6 upgrade, I had enough. I rolled back Sibelius to version 2026.5. It responded to each command instantly. My work flow was back to where it was before this update debacle.

I paid $149 for the Cantai plugin that was compatible with both Sibelius and Dorico. If I ever get around to learning and using Dorico, I'll give Cantai another chance. But that's not enough to get my hopes up. This was an Avid and Cantai problem that should have been worked out before they released new versions. Lesson learned.

]]> Sun, 12 Jul 2026 13:09:00 GMT https://provsmusicsite.com/blog/?to-sing-or-not-to-sing https://provsmusicsite.com/blog/rss/000000010 imblog

I'm still working on Symphony No. 11, having finished the 1st Movement a few days ago. It's on my What's New page. I extracted a couple of themes from it and put together Variations on a Theme. I wanted to create an ambient-style piece to manipulate the thematic material, instead of a more conventional approach. I've also added some video links on my Music and Score Videos page. This is essentially a duplication of what I've posted on my YouTube channel, along with a few score following videos.

I upgraded my DAW from Presonus Studio One 7 to Fender Studio Pro 8.1 which essentially is the replacement for Studio One. Fender has owned Presonus for some time now and decided to revise and re-brand their DAW. I don't use a DAW as most users do. I don't work with rock and pop songs, nor do I do live recording. I'm not a studio for hire. I use it to mix and master my own compositions, and produce a better sounding finished recording. My feeling is the the new Fender Studio Pro 8.1 is far better than its predecessor. For what I do, it's perfect.

I'm still using Sibelius notation software for scoring and playback. The latest version now has VST3 plugins and instruments. This has opened up my instrumentation options a lot. So far. it's working out just fine. This is an improvement I've been waiting for at least a couple of years. I even considered changing to Dorico Pro as they already have that capability and more. But I wasn't up for learning a brand new notation software at this point. But I'm not ruling it out.

]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2026 18:48:00 GMT https://provsmusicsite.com/blog/?making-some-changes https://provsmusicsite.com/blog/rss/00000000F imblog

I've made some changes to my website. I added a Score Videos page. These are videos that follow the score as the piece plays back. I'm choosing works that I though might be interesting to those that like following a score while listening to the piece. I added a new sample of my Symphony No. 11 on my What's New page. I'm still working on that piece, and it's coming along.

As usual, the piece will tell me when it's finished, then I'll stop work on it as publish it on my 2026 Page 2 page. I still firmly believe that a piece's duration is determined by a conversation I have with the piece that tells me it's done. I ignore the conventional form, like Sonata, even though I sometimes include Sonata in the pieces title. It's more like..."Say what you came to say, then shut the hell up!" If you keeps adding more to the piece because you think it's not long enough, you'll often make it worse. Less is often more, when it comes to music.

]]> Sun, 07 Jun 2026 14:47:00 GMT https://provsmusicsite.com/blog/?sunday-thoughts https://provsmusicsite.com/blog/rss/00000000E imblog

I started work on Symphony No. 11 and posted a new sample on my What's New page. This will be an ongoing project, along with some other projects I've been thinking about for a while. The Symphony is for a full orchestra and choir, and is Atonal and Serial in its construction. The other projects involve Ambient sounds and narration. I've already done a few pieces like that, featuring various poems and other writings. I download the spoken versions from Librivox.org. All of the recordings on that site are in the public domain, so there's no worries about copyright infringement.

I believe there's a lot more I could do with Ambient sounds, so I want to explore it. Using Ambient sounds is, in many ways, different from instruments and music notation. The approach is different and it lends itself more to a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation), but I often use both for the same project. The primary use of the DAW is for mixing and mastering of the final recording. Sibelius makes it easy to export the entire score as an audio file or midi file. It also lets you export each instrument as its own audio file. That works best for mixing and mastering. I'm using Fender's Studio Pro 8, which is the replacement for Personus Studio Pro 7.

I tried Cubase, which is used a lot for developing ambient sounds in a cinematic score. But the learning curve was a bit too steep for me. I would have to un-learn Studio Pro, and didn't feel the trade-off was worth it. I applied the same thinking when I was considering Dorico Pro as a substitute for Sibelius. And now that the latest version of Sibelius finally supports VST3 instruments and plugins, most of my reasons in considering Dorico are no longer valid. I may change my mind at some point but, for now, I'm okay with Sibelius and Fender Studio Pro 8.

]]> Fri, 29 May 2026 14:49:00 GMT https://provsmusicsite.com/blog/?symphony-no--11 https://provsmusicsite.com/blog/rss/00000000D imblog

I've created quite a few Ambient pieces lately. Many started out as a learning experience, as I explore the world of sound design and cinematic style music. So far, I've learned quite a bit, but I've also discovered that I haven't been creating enough variety. I realise I need to pay more attention to how I construct my soundscapes.

Adding variety goes a long way to help the listener connect with an ambient piece. I need to figure out how to do that without compromising the overall aesthetics of the piece. That means more exploration of the myriad of software VST instruments available. There are so many presets that usually come with these instruments. For the ambitious of us, creating your own presets by tweaking the different elements is a possibility. I chose not to do that. There's enough presets included with each instrument. I hope to find what I'm looking for from those.

At this point, I'm ready to return to atonality and serialism as the medium I want to use to compose more orchestral and ensemble pieces. I'm planning to compose a full symphony with multiple movements. By it's nature and scope, this should be a long and intense process. I'm going to take advantage of my Note Performer library and Sibelius plugins and reset the orchestral tuning to A = 432 Hz. from the usual A = 440 Hz. This is said to have a relaxing and even healing effect on the music. Sounds intriguing enough to give it a try. I'm always ready to try something new.

]]> Mon, 18 May 2026 14:09:00 GMT https://provsmusicsite.com/blog/?what-s-next https://provsmusicsite.com/blog/rss/00000000C imblog

Recently I've been focused on creating Soundscapes. I interpret a Soundscape to be a collage of sounds from various sources. Some are from music written for actual musical instruments, some are from sounds from various synthesizers and other VST instruments, and some are real sounds from natural sources. These Soundscapes can be a standalone that's the composition itself, or they can be a background for narration of any kind, like poetry.

I like the fact that they are in real time, not necessarily in musical time. For narration background, duration is dependent on how long it takes to read the poem or libretto. As a standalone piece, duration is dependent on the piece itself. I'm a believer in "Less is More" as a general guide to a work's duration. I think you should say what you want to say, but no more than that. Everybody's attention span isn't very long, so if your piece is too long, in their opinion, they'll stop listening.

Then again, sometimes I disregard that rule of thumb and let the duration of a piece last until I'm done saying what I want to say. The piece may be longer than the average listener can handle, but I like to challenge them now and then and get them out of their comfort zone. All it costs you to do that is your time, and not that much of it. The reward may be well worth the effort.

]]> Sat, 16 May 2026 15:39:00 GMT https://provsmusicsite.com/blog/?soundscapes https://provsmusicsite.com/blog/rss/00000000B imblog

I decided to start blogging again. I took a hiatus from it because there was so much happening in my life, I didn't have the energy to keep going. Most of the situations that kept me from blooging are pretty much resolved, so I'm starting over.

I've expanded my musical palette by adding ambient sound elements to my usual approach to music. I still use Sibelius for notation, but I also use Fender Studio Pro for mixing and mastering. I'm using more digital libraries and instruments, including many from Kontakt, Steinberg, East-West and those included in Fender Studio Pro.

Besides that, Sibelius have updated to version 2026.5, which is now compatible with VST3 instruments and plugins. This opens up more possibilities for creating with some fabulous digital instruments I couldn't use before. So far, it's working out very well for me. I'm still committed to my music and love sharing it on my website for all who may be interested. There's never a charge for downloading, so I would encourage you explore my catalogue of work. You're always welcome to visit my website.

]]> Wed, 13 May 2026 16:26:00 GMT https://provsmusicsite.com/blog/?prov-s-blog https://provsmusicsite.com/blog/rss/000000009