Orchestral Mockup Fundamentals
Transform your mockup production from good to great in this no fluff crash course by Zach Heyde, including 5 hours of original content, tons of bonus content, assignments, downloadables, and more!
What students are saying
This course is one of the best investments I've made in an area of music making I've struggled with for a very long time. Through clearly communicated material and relevant assignments, I've made great strides in a very short amount of time and gained a lot of confidence in this area of my music production. Can't recommend this course enough.
— Steve Winkler
I really think Zach nailed it with his new course, "Orchestral Mockup Fundamentals". I can't recommend this enough for anyone looking to produce better orchestral mockups. This course is packed with useful tips/recommendations for both beginners and professional composers. I can't wait to put some of these new tips into practice. Thanks Zach for this amazing course and for being an incredible educator that really cares for your audience. I look forward to seeing more courses/content in the future.
— Marc-Antoine Gagnon
There is so much important information and ideas, really five stars of five! I've been choosing select chapters and learn more with every watch. It's like a loved good book, you might read several times and always find something new or something you have not noticed before. Thank you so much for all your time, effort, and skill in presentation.
— Jürgen Hochfeld
This is simply an amazing course "Fundamentals of Orchestral Composition", the best of its kind. At first I wanted to skip it but changed my mind at the last minute and it was the best decision I ever made. I thought I already knew the basics, but Zach showed a lot of small improvements that turned my world upside down. But then it was even better - it turns out that there are practical tasks on which you can assimilate and consolidate the material received. Learning has never been so fun!
— Alexandr Sosorev
Zach's course has been very beneficial. Especially creating realistic mockups using modulation and expression curves, which was a weakness for me before the course. I highly recommend the course.
— Jason McCall
Very helpful course for orchestral mockups! This course not only helped me make better sounding mock-ups but also helped streamline the process. The course covered everything from creating a more efficient and user friendly template to using MIDI CCs to create more realistic sounding mockups. I highly recommend this course for composers looking to upgrade their mockup game.
— Shirleen X
This is an incredible find from a talented, decade-long professional composer. Zach Heyde is so personable and encouraging it's hard not to have him feel like a friend. Each lesson is easy to understand and packed with useful tips from the beginner to the professional. While there are some videos linked from his public YouTube channel in the course, I was stunned at how much exclusive content is available. This is an exceptionally valuable course and well worth investing in to take your mockups to the next level.
— Heather Buhler
Zach knows his craft and how to teach it. Watching him demonstrate his skills to shape an orchestral piece was very enlightening. The condensed approach to this course allowed me to come away from every lesson with more than just knowledge, but practical action steps I will be implementing in the coming weeks.
— Aron Pedersen
Zach has really outdone himself with this class. He covers more useful material and strategies in this one class than I've found in any textbook. His teaching style is both engaging and empowering, and I can't recommend the course enough!
— Stephen Berkemeier
What You'll Learn...
Terms, Tools, & Setup
Demystify common mockup terms, grab the essential tools, and learn the basics of setting up a project file.
MIDI Realism
Master the nuances of expressive VST performance, whether you use a fader, breath controller, or a mouse & keyboard.
Production Realism
Hone your orchestral mockup with good mixing techniques, including volume balancing, reverb, and mic positions.
Course curriculum
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1👋 Before You Start
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😁 Welcome
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📄 Download the Course Guide
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2🎓 The Basics
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🎓 Basic Terms & Tools
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🎓 Hardware & Software
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🎓 How to Make Cheap/Free VSTs Sound More Realistic
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3🖥️ Setting Up
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🖥️ Create an Orchestral Template
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🖥️ Managing Pre-Delay
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📝 Assignment 1
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✋ Q&A: How to Reduce RAM Usage
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✋ Q&A: How to Reduce Project File Size
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4🎚️ MIDI Performance & Programming
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🎚️ MIDI CCs Explained
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🎚️ Performing with a Fader
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🎚️ Performing with a Breath Controller
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🎚️ Programming with a Mouse & Keyboard
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✋ Q&A: How to Reset MIDI Values
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🎚️ Articulations & Blending
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✋ Q&A: Articulation Sets for Ensemble Patches
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📄 Download the MIDI Cheat Sheet
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5🎻 Programming in Action
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🎻 Performing & Programming Strings
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📝 Assignments 2-5
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✋ Q&A: Programming MIDI for Other Sections
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6🎧 Production Workflow
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🎧 Volume Balancing
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🎧 Panning Practices
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🎧 Blending with Reverb
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✋ Q&A: Reverb by Track or by Section
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🎧 Creating Depth
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🎧 Sweetening the Mix
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✋ Q&A: Using Mid and Side EQ
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✋ Q&A: Mixing in the Same Project or Separate
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📝 Assignment 6
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✋ Q&A: Mastering Volume
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✋ Q&A: My Stem Mastering Chain
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7🎉 Congratulations
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🙌 Congratulations!
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Want to Learn How to Get Paid Work?
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💡 Additional Resources
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8🎁 Bonus Content & YouTube Videos
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🎧 Mixing: My Strings/Winds/Brass Mix Settings
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🎧 Mixing: Matching String EQ to a Reference Track
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🎧 Mixing: Choosing a Short & Long Reverb with Valhalla Room
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🎹 Mockup: Working in Detail vs. Speed
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🎹 Mockup: How to Score Study for DAW Composing
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🎹 Mockup: Composing Orchestral Runs in Real Time
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🎚️ Production: Enhancing Trailer Percussion
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🎚️ Production: Ensemble Patches vs. Individual Instruments
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🎻 Orchestration: How to Voice Chords in the Orchestra
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🤓 Workflow: My Orchestral Template Walkthrough
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🤓 Workflow: VSTs I Use (Other Than Cinematic Studio Series)
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🤓 Workflow: My Optimized Legato Shortcut
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🤓 Workflow: My Folder Structure
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🤓 Workflow: Logic Pro Shortcuts for Faster Mockups
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🤓 Workflow: How to Make Articulation Sets in Logic Pro
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Bonus Content
Bonus Videos (2+ Hours)
Supplemental content, Q&As from students, uncut composing videos, and MIDI downloadables (plus access to any future material to be added!)
Study Guide & Bonus Resources
Get a breakdown of all course material, available for Notion users or as a downloadable PDF. Includes quick tips, screenshots of various presets, and quick links to useful videos and books.
"If you want to compose for a living, master your mockup chops."
That's the number one piece of advice I got from Star Wars: The Clone Wars composer Kevin Kiner when I met him in 2018.
I was eager to write music for a living, but was struggling to find consistent work on higher-paying jobs. I'd spend hours tweaking my MIDI programming, mix, and VSTs, never really making them sound better--just different.
But all of that changed when I decided to take my mockups seriously.
I spent years studying and practicing what makes great orchestral mockups sound great. Today, one of the most common reasons I'm hired for work is the quality of my orchestral mockups. Many of my clients can't tell the difference between synthetic and live orchestra in my music.
In the media industry, production is king.
You could have the greatest orchestrations in the world, but without good production skills, the barrier to higher level work will remain closed.
I've seen countless composers make the same mistakes and struggle with the same knowledge gaps. I've coached hundreds of students in mockup and production skills.
And I'm ready to pass those skills on to you.
About Zach
Zach Heyde is a full-time orchestral composer for media with over 10 years of experience working in the industry.
Recent client work includes music for Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight (Netflix), Honor of Kings (Tencent), and promotional work for Kerbal Space Program (Private Division).
Zach has also educated composers through coaching and content creation for over 15 years, and maintains an active YouTube channel alongside his client work.
FAQs
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No, this course is video only. Purchasing this course will give you lifetime access to our archive of streamable lessons, downloadables, and online resources. You can learn/study at your own pace!
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This is best for composers who are already writing in a DAW with VSTs, but struggling to bring them to the next level.
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You'll need a DAW (I use Logic, but any DAW will work), a MIDI keyboard, and ideally a CC controller like a fader.
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No. While we'll discuss the orchestra as it pertains to mockups, we won't be discussing composition, arranging, or orchestration.
Orchestration is an enormous subject that needs years of study and practice to master. This course won't give you that, but it will ensure your mockups don't stop you from creating realistic orchestral production with the tools and skills you have.
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Absolutely! If you don't feel you've gotten value from the course after 14 days, reach out to me and I'll have a refund sent your way.