> Step by step

1. Cinematic arrangements with Hans Zimmer Strings

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With an initial tempo of 90bpm, we load up Hans Zimmer Strings and start our piece with a low octave part on the cello playing an articulation called ‘Tremolo CS Pont Waves’, which means tremolo playing near the instrument’s bridge. Because this is a sample of 60 players all playing at once, it sounds instantly epic. We continue this effect over the first four bars.

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For each new part, we’ll be adding a new Software Instrument track with a new instance of the HZS plugin, loaded with the desired articulation for that track. So next we add two violin tracks and load up 60 Violins Longs and 20 Violins CTR Tremolo. We combine these to create a tense Cm9 chord over the cellos that will eventually fade up to transition into the main violin part.

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Next up – an eight-bar-long cello part. For this we use the 60 Cellos All Longs: Long articulation, but we play two notes at once, overlapping and changing alternate notes every bar in the key of C minor. Because this part is slow and smooth, we lengthen the release parameter from 50 to 75% to smooth out the transitions between each note.

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Now let’s replicate the cello part on the violin track that’s playing the 60 Violins Longs articulation. Rather than pasting over the actual MIDI part, though, we record the part in afresh on the violins, playing one octave higher than the cellos. This helps to reinforce the illusion of multiple humans playing the same part but in different registers and with slightly different timings.

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The part’s major 2nd intervals and suspensions are lending it a baroque feel. After repeating the section to double the length to 16 bars, making a slight change to the end of the cello part in the first copy by shifting the G note up to B to improve the transition, we add a new track and introduce a long, flowing bass part using the 24 Basses: Long articulation.

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Halfway through the first half of our new 16-bar section, we introduce a new viola part. Using the 20 Violas Wide: Long articulation, this line adds a third, midway voice to the existing violin and cello parts, to create a three-part harmony. Crucially, in the second part, the C note in

Db, bar 18 changes to a altering the

Db. perceived chord from Fm to

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Over the second repeated eight-bar region, using another new instance of the plugin set to 60 Violins: Legato, we record a legato violin melody playing in the higher register. With the Legato articulation, we ensure that the resulting melody is smooth and sweet, using that

Db modified major chord in bar 18, with all notes joining together smoothly.

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With the first part of our arrangement done, we now create a short, one-bar link to the second section with another low octave cello trem sul pont part, plus another new track with a downward spiralling violin effect from the 60 Violins:all In One FX articulation. This second section will feature a bit of a change of pace, with some rapid, upbeat arpeggiated chords on the violins.

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We start the second section by bringing in a chugging bass part, playing eighth-notes on the 24 Basses: Short articulation for a driving, staccato feel. The Short articulation is perfect for this kind of part, delivering short, sharp notes with a strong attack. The last 10 bars of this lengthy 30-bar region are made up solely of pedalled G notes, the reason for which will become clear later!

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We double the bass part with a similarly chugging cello part, this time played using the 60 Cellos: Short articulation in another new instance of the plugin. Played one octave higher than the bass part, the quarter-note downbeats are accented with an additional note an octave higher still, and the higher velocity of both notes on these beats further accents the driving rhythm of the part.

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For the lead violin part in this section, we need a short, stabby marcato articulation with a fast attack capable of handling quick sixteenth-note passages. So on another new track, we load the 60 Violins: Short articulation, and record in the part shown, entering after two bars of cellos. The second portion of the part makes more sense of those pedalled G bass notes.

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To back up and add some mid-range body to the violin part, we then record an identical part an octave lower with the 20 Violas WIDE: Short articulation. While tidying up some wrongly-played notes, we spot that the rhythmic pulse of the part works better with the velocity of the notes that fall on the quarter-note beats maxed out, so we go through the piano roll and tweak these.

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In the final two bars of the first half of the second section, we go back to the original long cello track we used for the first section. We introduce an additional high cello line that plays a flowing, legato countermelody that meanders amidst the frantic marcato violin and viola parts throughout the second half of the section.

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We then double this second cello line with an identical legato violin line played in the upper register on the original legato violin melody track we used for the first passage. This differs from the cello line in one area – it plays a single, sustained G note over the top of the cello melody between bars 42 and 47, before rejoining the cello melody once again.

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For the ending, we switch back to the Long articulation tracks for all instruments and program in the required notes to make a final, sustained G major chord. We use the Expression and Dynamics faders to shape a naturalsounding crescendo (increase in volume) as the note continues throughout the length of the bar.

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With all parts in place, we can add further authenticity by creating tempo variations in our DAW’s master tempo track. By plotting points on the tempo curve, we create the effect of a slowdown in pace (ritardando) at the end of each section, while adding a sense of excitement by increasing the overall speed of the second half.