JWFan Composers The Composer's Thread

[KK 3,307]

Haha thanks guys

The cue was for something else from a year or two ago and ended being used to make this reel. Looking back at it now, not terribly fond of the piano part, but I do like that progression.

JNH sounds about right, especially in the first half, and Korzeniowski-ish is pretty apt when it comes to the ornamentation I think.

Still, I'd rather take the Djawadi compliment please. He is the future and saviour of film music after all!

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[karelm 2,903]

Hi everyone. I am posting this brief excerpt from the climax of my newly composed space piece. The whole piece is about 14 minutes long and intended to be a bit of a throw back to action/adventure and space opera. It is dedicated to James Horner and his love of flight so features a few Hornerisms such as his adventure riser plus a lot of John Williams's Star Wars flourishes and stylistic tip of the hat...

KELM-SpaceTheaterEND.mp3

[The Psycho Pianist 216]

Wrote a bit of music recently which was live recorded for an upcoming game. YT playlist link is here.

I trust you'll hear a little of Williams in the horn line midway through "True Evil"

https://youtu.be/g9zK7tHIgZ0

Would appreciate any feedback! Thanks.

[Jilal 569]

Very cool! Great that it was recorded with a live orchestra - is this the first time you've had the pleasure of hearing your music performed that way?

[The Psycho Pianist 216]

Very cool! Great that it was recorded with a live orchestra - is this the first time you've had the pleasure of hearing your music performed that way?

The first time with a full symphony orchestra yes

Genuinely a great experience. Really gives you an appreciation as to the talent of orchestral musicians.

[Jilal 569]

Where you given any restrictions as to the assembly of the orchestra or the number of players allowed per section, or were you relatively free in that regard? Could you, for example, have opted to use an extended woodwind section in 4's and proportionally decrease the number of string players, or a clarinet section consisting entirely of bass clarinets?

[The Psycho Pianist 216]

Where you given any restrictions as to the assembly of the orchestra or the number of players allowed per section, or were you relatively free in that regard? Could you, for example, have opted to use an extended woodwind section in 4's and proportionally decrease the number of string players, or a clarinet section consisting entirely of bass clarinets?

I could have chosen any size and arrangement I wanted. In this case, it was the standard:

50 strings (14-12-10-8-6)

2 Flutes, 2 Oboes, 2 Clarinets, 2 Bassoons

4 Horns, 2 Trumpets, 3 Trombones, Tuba

Harp

Timpani (4), 2 aux percussion (glockenspiel, cymbals, snare drum)

In hindsight I would have gone with 3 trumpets, as I thought the trumpets in general were a little weak in their sound. The orchestra can be tailored however you want it though in terms of the session.

[KK 3,307]

Great pieces PsychoPianist! The evil theme is fun stuff!

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Your work is puerile and under-dramatized. You lack any sense of structure, character and the Aristotelian unities.

[Incanus 5,713]

Your work is puerile and under-dramatized. You lack any sense of structure, character and the Aristotelian unities.

Too many notes. That's it.

[The Psycho Pianist 216]

Great pieces PsychoPianist! The evil theme is fun stuff!

Thanks KK! I enjoyed the cliché of it all

Your work is puerile and under-dramatized. You lack any sense of structure, character and the Aristotelian unities.

Cheers! I feel this is a compliment coming from JWFan

[karelm 2,903]

Wrote a bit of music recently which was live recorded for an upcoming game. YT playlist link is here.

I trust you'll hear a little of Williams in the horn line midway through "True Evil"

https://youtu.be/g9zK7tHIgZ0

Would appreciate any feedback! Thanks.

Very nice job! Congratulations!

[Loert 2,510]

Here's a little compilation of ideas I put together for a battle scene in a video game I was working on recently.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/18637418/battlesketch1end.flac

(The theme sung by the choir is the main theme of the game.)

Any feedback or comments would be appreciated!

Wrote a bit of music recently which was live recorded for an upcoming game. YT playlist link is here.

I trust you'll hear a little of Williams in the horn line midway through "True Evil"

https://youtu.be/g9zK7tHIgZ0

Would appreciate any feedback! Thanks.

Incredible! And I have to say it looks really dramatic when all those violins play the spiccato notes in "True Evil"! Great work.

[karelm 2,903]

This is the opening first few minutes of my new space opera piece with live orchestra.

KELM-SpaceTheaterOpen.mp3

[karelm 2,903]

Here's a little compilation of ideas I put together for a battle scene in a video game I was working on recently.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/18637418/battlesketch1end.flac

(The theme sung by the choir is the main theme of the game.)

I like it. Nice and intense.

[ChrisAfonso 186]

loert423, on 15 Oct 2015 - 5:39 PM, said:

Here's a little compilation of ideas I put together for a battle scene in a video game I was working on recently.

https://dl.dropboxus...sketch1end.flac

(The theme sung by the choir is the main theme of the game.)

Nice work! There's a good coherence throughout that makes it work as a setpiece. I also like the mix, good balance (something I personally find quite challenging to achieve).

This is the opening first few minutes of my new space opera piece with live orchestra.

KELM-SpaceTheaterOpen.mp3

This sounds really good! As you stated, the Horner and Williams influences are obvious, but well executed, and I especially like the intro and bridging sections that sound a bit more individual Great orchestration, throughout.

[karelm 2,903]

This is the opening first few minutes of my new space opera piece with live orchestra.

KELM-SpaceTheaterOpen.mp3

This sounds really good! As you stated, the Horner and Williams influences are obvious, but well executed, and I especially like the intro and bridging sections that sound a bit more individual Great orchestration, throughout.

Cheers, old buddy.

[Loert 2,510]

Hi everyone. I am posting this brief excerpt from the climax of my newly composed space piece. The whole piece is about 14 minutes long and intended to be a bit of a throw back to action/adventure and space opera. It is dedicated to James Horner and his love of flight so features a few Hornerisms such as his adventure riser plus a lot of John Williams's Star Wars flourishes and stylistic tip of the hat...

This is the opening first few minutes of my new space opera piece with live orchestra.

KELM-SpaceTheaterOpen.mp3

Absolutely amazing! The orchestration is fantastic throughout and both excerpts have a good flow to them. It would fit perfectly into a "space opera" as you say, lots of little turns which bring up cinematic images. And the orchestra play your work wonderfully too.

And thank you for your kind comment!

Nice work! There's a good coherence throughout that makes it work as a setpiece. I also like the mix, good balance (something I personally find quite challenging to achieve).

Thank you ChrisAfonso! I am glad you liked the mix, since it's something I find quite challenging as well! I spent a lot of time trying to make it sound as good as possible, even though I'm not very experienced with EQ and automation and all that jazz...

[Dixon Hill 4,233]

You should only be EQ'ing very subtly, if at all, with orchestral music, and forget about anything else like compression… just my two cents.

[Loert 2,510]

I didn't use compression because I really wouldn't know when/how to use it! I think I used EQ'ing a bit to bring out the winds in certain portions and that's pretty much it. Most of the mastering I did was just setting the best volumes for each track. I did add some reverb to the mix overall though, since I think many of the original orchestral samples are quite dry.

[Dixon Hill 4,233]

That's a totally fine approach. When you're mixing different libraries together, you've gotta make sure the volumes are properly adjusted obviously, but beyond that and putting everything in a "space" it's definitely wise to avoid anything more than little touches of EQ.

[Jilal 569]

We could definitely use a handful of expert MIDI production masterclasses here, Grey .

[Dixon Hill 4,233]

Yeah that sounds great, dozens of rambling paragraphs that ultimately say nothing useful… my specialty!

[Jilal 569]

What you've posted so far is indeed that and nothing more, unfortunately, so I'd really like to request something more detailed, as I'm sure you're more than capable of teaching some of your techniques.

[karelm 2,903]

I thought we once had a technique subforum.

[tannhauser 101]

Hello folks, here's a little animated short which I scored a little while ago. It was composed performed and recorded within 2 days and a night, so it's a little rough round the edges. But I'd love to hear some thoughts from some of the great composers and keen enthusiasts on here. Thanks in advance

[Jilal 569]

I thought we once had a technique subforum.

We have a couple of threads where a handful of members versed in the subject posted some of their thoughts and experiences, but there has never been anything as substantial as actual guides or tutorials, which I think would be a very interesting opportunity for some members here to showcase their talent and help others get started with MIDI business.

[karelm 2,903]

I thought we once had a technique subforum.

We have a couple of threads where a handful of members versed in the subject posted some of their thoughts and experiences, but there has never been anything as substantial as actual guides or tutorials, which I think would be a very interesting opportunity for some members here to showcase their talent and help others get started with MIDI business.

I guess I was remembering the thread you resurrected.

Hello folks, here's a little animated short which I scored a little while ago. It was composed performed and recorded within 2 days and a night, so it's a little rough round the edges. But I'd love to hear some thoughts from some of the great composers and keen enthusiasts on here. Thanks in advance

Tannhauser,

Cool animation of that little short. Also liked the reaching for the flower melodic moment around 1:40 because it has a nice longing quality to it that matches the visual very well. I am curious why the harpsichord with organ at the very start? Were you given guidance from the film makers about the sense of mood? Nice tension rising midsection when puppet tries to break free. I also liked that you did not use a waltz 3/4 when the puppet started breaking free around 2:30…that would have been a serviceable obvious choice but you put it in 4 which made it still have a dance feel but slightly less predictable. Good mix of sound design and scoring elements. Did you do the sound design as well? Nicely done!

[KK 3,307]

A MIDI production thread of its own would be a fantastic resource, I think.

EDIT: I forgot about that one...wish it were more active! Thanks Alexander for bumping it.

[tannhauser 101]

Hello folks, here's a little animated short which I scored a little while ago. It was composed performed and recorded within 2 days and a night, so it's a little rough round the edges. But I'd love to hear some thoughts from some of the great composers and keen enthusiasts on here. Thanks in advance

Tannhauser,

Cool animation of that little short. Also liked the reaching for the flower melodic moment around 1:40 because it has a nice longing quality to it that matches the visual very well. I am curious why the harpsichord with organ at the very start? Were you given guidance from the film makers about the sense of mood? Nice tension rising midsection when puppet tries to break free. I also liked that you did not use a waltz 3/4 when the puppet started breaking free around 2:30…that would have been a serviceable obvious choice but you put it in 4 which made it still have a dance feel but slightly less predictable. Good mix of sound design and scoring elements. Did you do the sound design as well? Nicely done!

Thank you Karelm for your feedback and compliments. I wasn't responsible for sound design, but I too think that the final mix achieved a nice balance between sonic elements. As for the opening, I wasn't given much guidance, it was quite reactionary on my part to my initial feelings on watching the film, and not over-intellectualised! The instruments at my disposal that day were piano, harpischord and organ, and I played all three myself for the recording. I wanted the opening shot to have a foreboding feel to underline the puppet's plight in captivity and feelings of hopelessness, and I liked the colour of the harpsichord and organ together.

[The Psycho Pianist 216]

Here's a little compilation of ideas I put together for a battle scene in a video game I was working on recently.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/18637418/battlesketch1end.flac

(The theme sung by the choir is the main theme of the game.)

Any feedback or comments would be appreciated!

Wrote a bit of music recently which was live recorded for an upcoming game. YT playlist link is here.

I trust you'll hear a little of Williams in the horn line midway through "True Evil"

https://youtu.be/g9zK7tHIgZ0

Would appreciate any feedback! Thanks.

Incredible! And I have to say it looks really dramatic when all those violins play the spiccato notes in "True Evil"! Great work.

Ah missed this. Thanks for the compliment Yeah, I was quite looking forward to seeing 36 violins/violas playing the same note - kind of wishing I'd marked them as forte in hindsight now rather than mezzo.

And that's a great piece you posted; the choral section sounds amazing, and it really sounds like a cohesive arrangement mixing-wise! I need to work on my sample mockup skills - what were you using there, just out of interest?

[Loert 2,510]

Thank you.

For my setup, see:

As for my setup, I use Cubase 8.0 with:

Strings: Berlin Strings

Winds: Berlin Woodwinds

Brass: Horns - BML HORN SECTION VOL. 1,

Rest: Hollywood Brass

Perc: True Strike 1 + The Timpani

Synth: Zebra2 + Reaktor

Choir: Requiem Light

I also bought a "Composer's Collection" bundle from EWQL a few years ago when it was on sale, which included 7 libraries. Among these are: Voices of Passion, Ra, Symphonic Orchestra, Symphonic Choir, Goliath, Pianos, Stormdrum 2. I used to use these mostly but it's been now mostly replaced with the stuff above. However usually if I can't find what I want in the stuff above then I make do with whatever is available in the CC.

[The Psycho Pianist 216]

Thank you.

For my setup, see:

As for my setup, I use Cubase 8.0 with:

Strings: Berlin Strings

Winds: Berlin Woodwinds

Brass: Horns - BML HORN SECTION VOL. 1,

Rest: Hollywood Brass

Perc: True Strike 1 + The Timpani

Synth: Zebra2 + Reaktor

Choir: Requiem Light

I also bought a "Composer's Collection" bundle from EWQL a few years ago when it was on sale, which included 7 libraries. Among these are: Voices of Passion, Ra, Symphonic Orchestra, Symphonic Choir, Goliath, Pianos, Stormdrum 2. I used to use these mostly but it's been now mostly replaced with the stuff above. However usually if I can't find what I want in the stuff above then I make do with whatever is available in the CC.

OK I definitely need to acquire Berlin WW. I have BST already, which was amazing even before the Capsule update, now it's even better! Also might need to consider Requiem Choir after hearing that...really disappointed with Symphonic Choirs, although of course it is quite an old product now. This is the kind of thing I've managed with samples, I'm not totally happy with the overall sound of it though.

Which reverb do you use? I hear everyone uses Altiverb these days, although I've seen a few other options too.

[Loert 2,510]

In terms of reverb I used RC 48, but only very lightly (the original samples were pretty wet already). Apart from that I just set volumes so that the wind wasn't too loud (as is almost always the case...)

[karelm 2,903]

Thank you.

For my setup, see:

As for my setup, I use Cubase 8.0 with:

Strings: Berlin Strings

Winds: Berlin Woodwinds

Brass: Horns - BML HORN SECTION VOL. 1,

Rest: Hollywood Brass

Perc: True Strike 1 + The Timpani

Synth: Zebra2 + Reaktor

Choir: Requiem Light

I also bought a "Composer's Collection" bundle from EWQL a few years ago when it was on sale, which included 7 libraries. Among these are: Voices of Passion, Ra, Symphonic Orchestra, Symphonic Choir, Goliath, Pianos, Stormdrum 2. I used to use these mostly but it's been now mostly replaced with the stuff above. However usually if I can't find what I want in the stuff above then I make do with whatever is available in the CC.

OK I definitely need to acquire Berlin WW. I have BST already, which was amazing even before the Capsule update, now it's even better! Also might need to consider Requiem Choir after hearing that...really disappointed with Symphonic Choirs, although of course it is quite an old product now. This is the kind of thing I've managed with samples, I'm not totally happy with the overall sound of it though.

Which reverb do you use? I hear everyone uses Altiverb these days, although I've seen a few other options too.

Dip the mid frequencies a bit. There is a build up with samples that make tutti passages sound unnatural. Also, the reverb is a bit thick. Are you adding reverb to the full mix or is it a bused out? Reverb is tricky to get right.

[The Psycho Pianist 216]

Thank you.

For my setup, see:

As for my setup, I use Cubase 8.0 with:

Strings: Berlin Strings

Winds: Berlin Woodwinds

Brass: Horns - BML HORN SECTION VOL. 1,

Rest: Hollywood Brass

Perc: True Strike 1 + The Timpani

Synth: Zebra2 + Reaktor

Choir: Requiem Light

I also bought a "Composer's Collection" bundle from EWQL a few years ago when it was on sale, which included 7 libraries. Among these are: Voices of Passion, Ra, Symphonic Orchestra, Symphonic Choir, Goliath, Pianos, Stormdrum 2. I used to use these mostly but it's been now mostly replaced with the stuff above. However usually if I can't find what I want in the stuff above then I make do with whatever is available in the CC.

OK I definitely need to acquire Berlin WW. I have BST already, which was amazing even before the Capsule update, now it's even better! Also might need to consider Requiem Choir after hearing that...really disappointed with Symphonic Choirs, although of course it is quite an old product now. This is the kind of thing I've managed with samples, I'm not totally happy with the overall sound of it though.

Which reverb do you use? I hear everyone uses Altiverb these days, although I've seen a few other options too.

Dip the mid frequencies a bit. There is a build up with samples that make tutti passages sound unnatural. Also, the reverb is a bit thick. Are you adding reverb to the full mix or is it a bused out? Reverb is tricky to get right.

Reverb is bussed out for strings/brass/winds. Yeah I know there are a lot of things about it that make it sounds unrealistic, will try the EQ'ing a little more severely next time. Thinking about investing in something like EastWest Spaces or Virtual Soundstage - would perhaps make mixing a little easier? Thanks for the feedback though!

[karelm 2,903]

Thank you.

For my setup, see:

As for my setup, I use Cubase 8.0 with:

Strings: Berlin Strings

Winds: Berlin Woodwinds

Brass: Horns - BML HORN SECTION VOL. 1,

Rest: Hollywood Brass

Perc: True Strike 1 + The Timpani

Synth: Zebra2 + Reaktor

Choir: Requiem Light

I also bought a "Composer's Collection" bundle from EWQL a few years ago when it was on sale, which included 7 libraries. Among these are: Voices of Passion, Ra, Symphonic Orchestra, Symphonic Choir, Goliath, Pianos, Stormdrum 2. I used to use these mostly but it's been now mostly replaced with the stuff above. However usually if I can't find what I want in the stuff above then I make do with whatever is available in the CC.

OK I definitely need to acquire Berlin WW. I have BST already, which was amazing even before the Capsule update, now it's even better! Also might need to consider Requiem Choir after hearing that...really disappointed with Symphonic Choirs, although of course it is quite an old product now. This is the kind of thing I've managed with samples, I'm not totally happy with the overall sound of it though.

Which reverb do you use? I hear everyone uses Altiverb these days, although I've seen a few other options too.

Dip the mid frequencies a bit. There is a build up with samples that make tutti passages sound unnatural. Also, the reverb is a bit thick. Are you adding reverb to the full mix or is it a bused out? Reverb is tricky to get right.

Reverb is bussed out for strings/brass/winds. Yeah I know there are a lot of things about it that make it sounds unrealistic, will try the EQ'ing a little more severely next time. Thinking about investing in something like EastWest Spaces or Virtual Soundstage - would perhaps make mixing a little easier? Thanks for the feedback though!

I have both Quantum Spaces and Virtual Soundstage. Just another tool to add to the arsenal but it is important to remember these things are all additive so a little goes a long way otherwise you need more correction and tools to fix issues these introduce. If I remember correctly, I think virtual soundstage offers a trial version.

[Loert 2,510]

Here's a little something I composed for the piano not too long ago:

Sheet music can be downloaded here:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/18637418/impromptuinc_tomekkobialka.pdf

[karelm 2,903]

A little March of the resistance inspired idea I have been having some fun playing around with this morning...it starts like March of the Resistance but a few seconds after the theme, turns into a mashup of various Star Wars conventions.  Not sure what will become of this but it's been fun toying with it.

MarchIdea.mp3

 

[Loert 2,510]

Sounds like somebody just dropped a bomb on the Resistance parade!

 

[karelm 2,903]

2 hours ago, loert423 said:

Sounds like somebody just dropped a bomb on the Resistance parade!

 

 

Well, maybe more like its a melancholic take (ala Mahler/Shostakovitch) on the Resistance.

[Loert 2,510]

27 minutes ago, karelm said:

 

Well, maybe more like its a melancholic take (ala Mahler/Shostakovitch) on the Resistance.

 

I guess that's a more sensible interpretation...

 

I like it though, and especially that transition from loud and bombastic to subdued and mysterious. What programming do you use for creating these mockups, BTW?

[karelm 2,903]

24 minutes ago, loert423 said:

 

I guess that's a more sensible interpretation...

 

I like it though, and especially that transition from loud and bombastic to subdued and mysterious. What programming do you use for creating these mockups, BTW?

 

Cheers old buddy.  This is just Sibelius export using note performer software which is really good.

[Dixon Hill 4,233]

+1 for Note Performer. Wallander does great stuff.  

[BuzzLightyear 143]

I finished my first filmmusic composition. I tried to create something in the style of John Williams. You may notice some references to Williams scores. It's a kind of an jungle adventure. 

Enjoy it! 

spotify:album:6yxyb4eESfIWsnZUNRn0YX
 

[KK 3,307]

Recently wrapped up scoring a short film. Thought I'd post this "suite" (read: butchered collection of excerpts) here. Thematically, it's not the most daring thing you're going to hear, but I enjoyed writing something lighter in tone. The "meatier" stuff is in the middle-ish. And I got to play around a bit with colours and interconnectivity (which might not be well-represented here), so it was fun. As always, would love to hear thoughts!

 

 

[Dixon Hill 4,233]

The production quality of your stuff is consistently and exceptionally above average.  I may have asked you before but I'd love to again hear you walk through your methods.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Muad'Dib 1,801]

Lovely, reminds me a bit of Michael Kamen, in the best possible sense.