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An orchestra for $99!


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I got the orchestrated score today. They'll send you an e-mail link to download it, which is a zipped PDF file of the score and parts.

Has anyone got their score transcribed and performed yet?

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I got the orchestrated score today. They'll send you an e-mail link to download it, which is a zipped PDF file of the score and parts.

Has anyone got their score transcribed and performed yet?

I'm sorry, what exactly did you do?

You played something or wrote a piano score and they transcribed it for orchestra?

Did they record it?

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It was a piano piece recorded on my phone. I only pledged for the transcription and score, not a recording.

If you pledged for a recording in addition to the score, they'll set the recording date and let you watch video of the session live.

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I was actually hoping at least one person did this, just so I could hear the end result. I guess the good news is that their link seems to be a store now, and not just Kickstarter campaign. So you can just buy a session whenever.

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I did it. But my recording got pushed back to November due to them having an old e-mail of mine thanks to me not updating my Kickstarter and for whatever reasons theirs were not being forwarded to me but went to spam. Anyway, I got a hold of them and it is still happening, just at a later date than most people. So I'll report back when it happens.

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  • 1 month later...

They've started a second campaign, with the second batch of sessions scheduled for late November and January 2016. Their goal is to streamline the process and make the file delivery process faster.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1592127308/99-orchestra-2nd-campaign?ref=project_link

And due to popular demand, they've added a piano and small percussion (snare drum, triangle, crash cymbals, suspended cymbals and wood blocks) to the ensemble.

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My cousin is thinking of doing this just for the hell of it. I wonder how skilled these folks are though, and if they could handle what he gives them.

They've updated their site with five audio clips of the commissions they've done. They sound good, probably better than comparable players in Bulgaria or Prague. I wouldn't say they're at the level of London or L.A. musicians.

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They navigate Debussy and Ravel well enough. Not bad.

Still, the time limits are so small, it's hard to say it's really worth it.

Also, I wonder who these people are. It says it's based in LA but I haven't heard anything about it.

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Buyer beware. They are making you think for $99 you get the quality of the recording they demo. It might be the same players for much longer than seven minutes to get the results they demonstrate plus a pro editor and mixer which is not in the cost. This is basically demo level material.

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They navigate Debussy and Ravel well enough. Not bad.

Still, the time limits are so small, it's hard to say it's really worth it.

Also, I wonder who these people are. It says it's based in LA but I haven't heard anything about it.

They probably launched the project from L.A., but the music is coordinated in New York and recorded in Lisbon, Portugal. New York-based Yianjiao Chen likely does the piano transcriptions and sends the sketches to Andre Miranda for orchestration. Miranda then conducts the sessions in Lisbon.

Miranda just graduated from NYU last year with a Masters in Film Scoring, so I'm surprised he and Chen were able to launch this relatively quickly.

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Buyer beware. They are making you think for $99 you get the quality of the recording they demo. It might be the same players for much longer than seven minutes to get the results they demonstrate plus a pro editor and mixer which is not in the cost. This is basically demo level material.

Yeah, I'm not advising in favor of it.

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They offer mixing and mastering services separately, but there are other places that do it for a better price.

Even with the extra costs, their services help democratize indie filmmaking. Plus the transcription and orchestration service is a great boon alone to musicians or people who want to try it.

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They offer mixing and mastering services separately, but there are other places that do it for a better price.

Even with the extra costs, their services help democratize indie filmmaking. Plus the transcription and orchestration service is a great boon alone to musicians or people who want to try it.

I thought they said during the last kickstart that it can not be used for commercial projects. So this doesn't actually work for indie filmmaking. This is really aimed for the student, fun, or non-commercial demo.

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  • 6 months later...

The organization has launched a third campaign, this time on Indiegogo. Along with the same perks, there's an option to record with 40 piece orchestra, as well as the usual 30 piece orchestra.

 

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-99-orchestra-an-orchestra-for-everyone/x/200174#/

 

Same financial goal as the previous two: $10,000.

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  • 6 months later...

I got an e-mail notice from one of the co-founders, Andre. They will launch a brand-new website next week, and the campaign has been so successful that they have evolved into a full company. There will be a "premium recording location in another country", early bird discounts, and live customer service.

 

I doubt the "premium recording location" will be Seattle, London, or Prague. Maybe Bulgaria?

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Me and my big mouth. They've updated their site to announce the relaunch for November 8. But apparently the business is so good, they are doing sessions in London as well.

 

Those start at $199, and their Portugal based $99 sessions can be booked for $89.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Their site has been relaunched, with the early bird discounts (discounts cease once they reach 20% capacity). Here are the full options for recording:

 

London sessions (union) - 20 piece orchestra - starting at $299 $199 (first session in January 2017)

  • 1 flute / piccolo
  • 1 oboe
  • 1 clarinet
  • 1 trumpet in Bb
  • 2 French horns
  • 1 tenor trombone
  • 1 bass trombone
  • 6 violins
  • 2 violas
  • 3 celli
  • 1 double bass

Lisbon, Portugal 30 piece orchestra - $99 $89 (first session in December 2016)

Same ensemble as the Kickstarters

 

London strings - 10 pieces - $199 $149 (first session January 2017)

  • 5 violins
  • 2 celli
  • 2 violas
  • 1 double bass

Lisbon, Portugal 50 piece orchestra - $166 $149 (first session January/February 2017)

No word on whether percussion is included.

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  • 11 months later...

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