1. Score Recognition
I am currently taking remote lessons from my musical advisor on Elgar’s Cello Concerto, but in between, I’ve started gradually sequencing Schumann’s Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 129.
This piece is considered one of the three great cello concertos, alongside Dvořák’s and Haydn’s (No. 2). Naturally, given my current cello skills, performing it myself is out of the question - it requires an exceptionally high level of technique. That’s where MIDI sequencing comes in.
Surprisingly, I couldn’t find a MIDI file for this piece anywhere online. So, for the first time in a while, I’ve taken on the challenge of transcribing the score into MIDI from scratch.
Nowadays, many sheet music scores are available in PDF format, so there’s no need to start by scanning physical copies. However, the accuracy of PDF-to-MIDI conversion varies significantly depending on the software.
I use KAWAI’s ScoreMaker, which I find to have excellent recognition accuracy. Once the conversion is complete, you can simply export the MIDI file.
2. PC load in orchestration
Now, Elgar's cello concerto required 24 tracks, while Schumann's was 18. Until now, I had no problem with less than 10 tracks at most, but when I started up all 24 tracks at once, my PC started to run out of steam. So, I decided to purchase Vienna ensemble pro 7.
This software can be launched as a server, allowing me to install the virtual instruments that were previously running inside the DAW. The idea is to reduce the processing load on the DAW.
Furthermore, this server can be set up not only on the same PC but also on another computer within the network. By installing the virtual instruments on the server and connecting it to the main system via LAN, I can effectively create a dedicated sound library PC. This setup enables MIDI programming without worrying about CPU load.
With this approach, all performance issues are resolved, and it also makes good use of an otherwise idle computer!