- How is this different from power metal?
- The status of the orchestra. Power metal uses keyboards to imitate orchestral thickness while twin guitars and a tenor stay in charge. In symphonic metal the orchestral writing is compositional, with its own themes and counterpoint, the lead is often an operatic soprano, and the tempo is less hurried. One is fast and bright; the other is large and weighty.
- How do I prompt for a genuine orchestral feel?
- Write out that full strings and brass carry the main theme, the choir enters at the chorus, timpani mark the downbeats, and guitars handle rhythm rather than melody. Asking to add orchestra typically returns a thin string pad with no internal voicing.
- The vocal keeps getting buried.
- Specify vocal forward with the orchestra clearing 1–4 kHz. Element density is extreme in this style, and without an explicit frequency brief the strings and choir will swallow the lead. It also helps to ask for a thinned verse arrangement with the full tutti held back for the chorus.
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