Something I've been tinkering with for a while

I've been working on this for a while and seem to be at a standstill with this.
 
It's sort of an invention. Inventions AFAIK were only written by JS Bach however, it does not follow strict Baroque rules of counterpoint. The entire work so far is based on the first six notes or some form of them as well as the counter-melody  which is the next two that come next after the initial six in the violin.
 
Things I know that need fixed.
 
Dynamics
A few spots where the harmony doesn't sound right
overall balance
 
I guess I'm hoping for some comments on where I should take it next. I thought about the next part just being a retrograde of what was already written in whch case I need to fix the few harmony problems.
 
Any comments are welcome.
 
Thanks for listening
 
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/14693440/Quartet.mp3
-------------------------EDIT--------------------------------
 
I worked on the balances, edited a few notes here and there and extended it.
 
I'm still not happy with the ending. I'll work on that plus I still have to work out the individual dynamics.
 
I'm not used to mixing this sort of stuff so it's a new one for me.

Ahhh Chamber music! Don't get a lot of this on the forum. Gopher Baroque? There's a lot of movement in this piece. As a general constructive critique, I would say pick parts that move and parts where it flows more smoothly? Like a river? Places are wide and lazy and bend back and fourth slowly, and there are other parts where the water is white and rough. I'm also looking for something thematic to follow. I know that this type of music doesn't really have a melody per-se? Or a chorus? But it should have "sections." And they flow in to one another, again with the river analog. It's an ambitious piece and I can tell that you've put some work in to it.  I'm so Baroque that I can't pay attention! 

Hey Guitarpima -
    First - impressive composition undertaking.  I found it very interesting to listen to. 
    Second - I would not want to try and articulate this whole thing with samples :)

Suggestions - I think dynamics would make a huge difference in this piece.  Make some decrescendo's and crescendo's with the dynamics of the strings.  I dont mean make some notes at like 87 velocity and others at 95 I mean really bring some sections way down by velocity and taking out some instruments and then opposite to really build up some sections.  Not suggesting a giant tutti section but just some intimate parts and normal parts.  Maybe PP-F...as it seems like everything here is f or mf the whole way through.

#2 - some of the harmony in the bass might benefit from a Pizz bass.  I was interested in all the things going on, but I think the Pizz would add another level of interest while allowing the upper voices a little more 'openness' if that makes sense.  Or heck even the opposite,..pizz on the high voices while the lower strings sustain.

Just some thoughts and suggestions.  Nice job and I hope you keep working on it and post again, it's very interesting!

Thanks for listening.

The strings are Miroslav Philharmonik. I think it is going to be a matter of massive midi editing to get it to sound right. The thing that is going to be the hardest is doing it. I'm not really sure how to go about it really.

I was thinking that figuring out how each string reacts via each note's level and going from there. I think automating the sliders will utimately be self defeating because your just moving the volume of that one sound being played. If there were a way I could control the volume of each note as it's playing with a control surface then it would be fairly easy. Can that be done? Any advice here would be very much apprecitated. Going through this note by note would be crazy.

I'm not a Baroque fan per se either, but this sounds like quite an ambitious work, and I can sure appreciate that!  My strings certainly don't sound real either (using EWQL), but Ron F. has taught me a lot about  CC work to make them sound better.  Have you done any of that?  Most likely you'd get a lot of help on the Miroslav forum (if they have one)...listen to the great guys and ask them how they do it.

This is quite nice IMO.  

(ending was quite abrupt...did it cut off?)