TSMefford

You rock as usual Jay! Thanks!

@Jay is working on one. He's going as fast as he can I'm sure. Lol. He has sheets for the first two, but not for this one yet. I have a super complicated one going right now with durations and film locations / times. It's a mess. Jay's will be better

Oh yes! I think I prefer it to the original from HP1. I mentioned it earlier, but CoS just feels so much more raw and loose in the performance and makes it more fun and powerful sometimes to listen to. This is especially evident in the Quidditch cue. They just go wild! Yes it's always nice to make those multipart cues stitched together as they were intended. As far as combos I don't think there are a whole lot in the first two. I do enjoy little things like that new bit in the beginning of the Diagon Alley cue though, if that counts.

Exactly. The set is really really well done. Honestly, I was a bit annoyed with everyone before the set was released seemingly writing off have the short cues separated because they're so short, but after hearing everything, I do get it. It can feel a bit disjointed at times and works far better in the film, so combining the thematically similar ideas like The Grim and Newspaper, Trouble Takes Many Forms, The Courtyard and Sir Cadogan, The Three Broomsticks, The Wizards Consort, etc. really does work well and it's better when you're just listening and enjoying the music. It is also done in such a way that if I want to lob most things out on there own to be more analytical, then I totally can. It really is outstandingly done. Also I agree on TTMF. Totally hit me as an epiphany shortly before the set was released on the double meaning. Hehe. Cool! Thanks for answering. So many hidden gems. Again, well blended and presented. Great choices by Mike here.

I am going through with the film edits mostly as a learning experience and because it genuinely interests me, but many of them are just not good edits (Buckbeak's Flight being a big example). I will probably listen most often to a chronological playlist with only a couple film versions (like Something Wicked Intro and Double Trouble combined, The Boggarts and Source mix, the version of Brief Snow Scene with the tracked ending, etc.) and plenty of Mike's combos, many of which I do really like. Plus, a couple of my own random edits. (Alternate Firebolt attached to the credits, etc.) On that topic, what are everyone's favorite combos? I like Trouble Takes Many Forms and The Three Broomsticks. Very well blended. Also @Jay I was listening again and noticed the new material in beginning of the "The Boggarts". I had always assumed the one on the OST was just missing the sinister opening underscoring Snape exiting the cupboard, but does the opening of the Boggarts actually contain "Snape Dresses Up" and an alternate of it back to back (0:00-0:42 & 0:43-1:22)? Or was is it all one cue? That's another excellent blend by Mike if it's two cues. I just breezed past that the first few times I heard it.

Those damn sound effects guys. I get it though. Lol. I am also one of them, but damnit.

Yep! Definitely seems that way when you look at it. I'm just surprised by the intricacy of some of the edits. Befriending the Hippogriff even has an extra Harpsichord flourish in the film. No idea where it's from, but didn't feel compelled enough to look for it.

First off, I'd love to watch POA in 4K. That sounds fantastic. Secondly, yes. I'm discovering almost everything is shortened or changed in some way. Just off the top of my head what I've discovered so far: Aunt Marge's Waltz The Knight Bus The Knight Bus Ride, Newspaper Headliner, Squeeze Play, Second Collision The Book Attacks The Dementor Appears Double Trouble March Rainy Nights, Dementors, and Birds Double Trouble on the Hill Befriending the Hippogriff Riding the Hippogriff (Buckbeak's Flight) Sir Cadogan Spider, Snake, Clown out of the Cupboard Snow Fight Brief Snow Scene The list keeps going. I swear in the first two films it's mostly just cutting things out or looping things and some tracking (I could be wrong), but Azkaban is quickly turning into quite a lot. They've done the usual cutting and tracking, but they've also grabbed a note or section here and there and pitch shifted them to help bridge an edit or make an edit sound more unique. They've also started slightly messing with the tempo as well. I'm talking stretching or speeding up from 100% to like 101% or something. It's extremely intricate. Not all the edits are badly done (a few are though). It's just meticulous. It makes me really curious what the film itself was like when the score was recorded. Seems like it was a much looser cut. Yep. Precisely. The Podcast includes the film edit that is shortened and with the tracked & pitch shifted section.

I mean I do it pretty similarly for the most part, honestly. It's slightly more precise I guess, since I get it lined up to produce phasing and when the phasing effect ceases, it indicates pretty much the exact point an edit is made. The real tricky part about Azkaban has been random single notes that are pitch-shifted and what not (The Knight Bus intro, Double Trouble March, and Buckbeak's Flight so far). Also having to do a lot of fake endings for things (like Snowball Fight). With the Double Trouble toad version, I actually grabbed the 5.1 mix and noticed the toads were only in the center channel (the thunder and fx were all in the surrounds and the left and right mains) so initially I had tried to line up that extracted center channel with the LLL track and ran into a lot of phasing issues (since the center channel was already present once in the track). So what I ended up doing to solve the issue was going into the End Credits 5.1 mix and pulling everything but the center channel when Double Trouble plays cleanly. This way I am essentially replacing the clean center channel with the toady center channel. A little bit of a gate on the last toad croak to filter out the applause and wallah! Sorry, my inner music editor nerd is coming out.

Jay you have some great tastes

Mine as well! I love hearing everyone’s edits so keep on! I was having a lot of trouble getting everything to match while removing the Fx, then I had a rather odd idea that worked out!

Hey gang! I decided to perform a little magic. It's the film version of Double Trouble WITH TOADS (and no sound effects):

Dude same! The family theme is really standing out to me this time around. Really miss it in the later scores.

Same. They were re-recording why not do something different with it. That was another question I meant to ask @Jay. I really did not take great mental notes. Lol

Jay said it’s probably library music. It just happened to be included in the archive provided.

I know me too. Da-DaDa-Daaaaa. My favorite cue

Great insight @Jay. Very cool. I'm so thrilled you got to be a part of the sets creation and discovering all these awesome extra gems and alternates sounds like an awesome experience. Thanks for answering all those broad questions! Thanks also for clarifying some of my thoughts and questions about the score as well. Well Mike did an awesome job. So many of these combos blend together wonderfully. That's really cool. I think for this, what I had meant to imply was that Williams clearly wrote this "Clock bell" sound into the cue. I was merely curious if you knew whether the clock bells you hear throughout the rest of film was something Williams had recorded that the sound guys used throughout the film or if the other clock tower chimes were purely just the sound guys and Williams almost emulates that sound in the Executioner. I assume they were the work of the sound guys since we don't hear the Clock Bells in "Sirius Says Goodbye / Turning Time Back" for example. Ah. I see. That makes sense now. Great to have the original intention! Just didn't know what the film was doing there. Makes perfect sense now. Thanks again for taking the time!

This is always sort of my inner dialog with certain OSTs. Specifically on HP3. I honestly don’t mind the OST for HP1 at all. I think it’s such a smart and clever musical experience. It wasn’t really until Chamber of Secrets that I started really feeling like I was missing things and frustrated by the way the OST was done. POA was even worse. Now, that being said. The OSTs just accomplish something very different. They’re albums, and are more about the experience like other albums are. I do appreciate having them though. They’ll definitely stick around in my library.

After getting some sleep, I’m back. Now onto my questions. Prepare yourself @Jay Some more general ones: Firstly. Do you have a favorite or fondest moment, anecdote, story, etc. from working on the set that you haven’t mentioned and would like to share with us? When these little hidden gems are found like “Car Drives Off (Alternate Segment)” or the alternates for “Aunt Marge’s Waltz” and “The Firebolt”. How are these found? Just listening in on the tapes and suddenly they just pop up? Or is there more to it (seeing it in sheet music, etc. first and tracking it down) Are you able to share with us more details about the making of the set from your perspective? How you were approached, when you got to hear things (and what you got to hear), the interactions between you and Mike, etc.? Some more specific ones, just PoA related, Starting with some more random curious questions. This is based on the cue list and not really anything to do with the set (nor is it a complaint about something not being included), just thought I’d ask while you’re here. What is the cue “Ad-Lib Hum”? I’m assuming that’s Hagrid’s hum thing he does when he reveals Buckbeak? This is an utterly random question. The opening of “The Executioner” includes what I had always assumed to be the Clock Tower in the film. Looking back, it does appear to be a different pitch than the Clock Tower heard throughout the rest of the film. It does raise the question though. Did Williams write the clock chime? Or is that sound guys again? Are there any stories that you know of behind “Trailer” from PoA? Specifically when it was recorded in relation to the score, etc. I ask because it all is so very different from the tone and style established in “Teaser” and the rest of the score. Was all the additional material (that was not present in the film) in “Befriending the Hippogriff” intended for that scene or is there other stuff in there? There’s so much music after the point where the cue stops in the film and not enough time for it all to appear in the scene. I’m sure Williams may have written to an earlier cut, but thought I’d ask if any of it is actually for something else. This is my only problem with deviation from the chronology of things / combining cues. It makes a tad harder to know what everything is. The presentation is still lovely however, I love a lot of the combos you guys came up with. I assume that the very cool opening of “More Grim and Boggarts” is meant to be an alternate of “You Have The Grim”, correct? I am a bit perplexed by the “The Three Broomsticks” track. So, am I right in assuming that the opening 40 seconds is “Up The Stairs”? I assume Pettigrew’s motif was again tracked in to appear multiple times vs the one time it appears here. I ask for confirmation on what the opening was, because this track is very well blended to create a nice cohesive combo of these cues. I was having some difficulty figuring out where there was a split, if there even was a split, or if it was recorded altogether and moved around in the film. Bravo to you guys for this one. Great mixture. Another question on “The Three Broomsticks” cue. The film has a much more reserved / somber ending. 3:07 and onward don’t seem to appear in the film at all (with the exception of 3:30-End appearing with the choir only). Is this more somber ending hiding somewhere on the set / Tracked from elsewhere? Or is that another case of the sound guys coming up with something / remixing the cue? Oh! Is this cool little extension from 2:36-End in “Buckbeak’s Fate and the Marauder’s Map” the Reveal Your Secret cue from the sheets that wasn’t used in the film? I really dig it! Thats all I have for now. I’m sure there will be more to come. Again, what a wonderful piece of art.

Very very well said.

Oh yeah that's great as well. I just kind of connected the two scenes I mentioned musically when I heard it again and thought that was a cool moment worth mentioning as well. What are some of your other standouts?

Ah yeah. Definitely. Damnit. I knew I'd miss something. There are so many good ones. That one is definitely fantastic. Love the choral work. Some of it (the section from 1:12-1:20) sort of reappears during "The Dementors Converge (Film Version)" at 2:28-2:34. Great little bit of connective tissue.

As promised. Here are some of my favorite cues / moments throughout listening to the set. There’s a lot here, but I’m sure I missed some. There’s SO much music. Hoping maybe some of these will spawn some great discussion from everyone. Favorite “old” cues I “rediscovered”: Diagon Alley and The Gringotts Vault (Disc 1, Track 7) The Journey to Hogwarts (Disc 1, Track 12) Through the Doors (Disc 1, Track 13) Fighting the Troll (Disc 1, Track 22) The brass, the energy, everything about it had my heart pumping. I don’t think I have experienced that with this cue before. Filch’s Fond Remembrance (Disc 2, Track 7) I’m hearing some hints of what’s to come from PoA. In The Devil’s Snare (Disc 2, Track 13) The Flying Keys (Disc 2, Track 14) The Chess Game (Disc 2, Track 15) Gryffindor Wins The House Cup (Disc 2, Track 18) 1:46-End is just pure gold. Especially the statement at 2:09. Goosebumps Nimbus 2000 (Disc 3, Track 4) I swear I had never heard this, but I most certainly have. The Escape From The Dursleys (Disc 4, Track 4) I have always loved this cue, but I really felt it again. The Train Station and The Flying Car (Disc 4, Track 9) Always love me some flying car theme. Again, I feel like it’s come alive again. I feel like I’m hearing so much more detail than I previously remember. Instruments I don’t remember being able to pick up before. Quidditch, Second Year (Disc 4, Track 20) The Spiders Attack (Disc 5, Track 6) Similar to when listening to Fighting the Troll. Heart pounding. Don’t know why I have not listened to this cue more. Forget William Ross you guys, this score is pure John Williams! Dueling The Basilisk (Disc 5, Track 11) Reunion Of Friends (Disc 5, Track 15) Just gorgeous. Easily my favorite finale cue of the first three films. Again, pure Williams The Chamber of Secrets (Disc 5, Track 18) The Knight Bus (Disc 6, Track 4) Not sure why, but I don’t think I have ever appreciated this cue as much as I have listening to it again during the wait and even more so in it’s complete form here. It’s stuck in my head. I love it. (More in the new cues section) Favorite new cues / Things to note: New Diagon Alley Material (Disc 1, Track 7) Love this new little section from 0:17-0:27. Really made the whole track feel new and fresh honestly. Teaser & Trailer (Disc 3, Tracks 13 & 18) To have these early / first recordings of Hedwig’s Theme is so damn cool. It’s really interesting to hear how this theme has evolved across the three and to hear it’s very beginning is really special! Christmas Break (Disc 4, Track 27) Great find! Always thought the extension was tracked from somewhere, but I’m glad I was wrong. The reprise of the Christmas music at the end is interesting to hear as well! Prologue: Book II Alt (Disc 5, Track 20) What a cool variation! And what a badass performance on the celeste! Car Drives Off Alt Segment (Disc 5, Track 27) This is gorgeous! Looking at the film I can see that it’s not necessarily appropriate, but wow. So glad this was recorded and included. Television Commercial No. 3 (Disc 5, Track 31) Wonderful arrangement that includes one of my favorite Williams themes. Fawkes! Lumos! (Hedwig’s Theme) [Film Version] (Disc 6, Track 1) Somehow never noticed the film had a different performance / tempo Squeeze Play Waltz (from “The Knight Bus” (Disc 6, Track 4) Again, whole new appreciation for this track. I can’t tell you what it is, but I love the film / intended version of Squeeze Play Waltz from 3:13-3:39. And even the little variation of the Knight Bus stopping right before that as well, emphasizing the Sax and/or Clarinets. Befriending the Hippogriff (Disc 6, Track 12) So many unused goodies in here! The material dialed out of the film is lovely here. And there’s so much of it! About Pettigrew / The Crystal Ball (Disc 6, Track 25) Williams doing creepy ambience. Even getting reminiscent of old horror films at around 1:14-1:41. I don’t recall ever hearing this in the film. Just a super cool track to finally hear. So eerie and beautiful with the flutes and recorders. You don’t hear this kind of stuff now. Confrontation In The Shrieking Shack (Disc 6, Track 31) All this wonderful tension building is of course under dialog in the film and chopped up, etc. What a great tension building, revelatory cue! Time Past / Saving Buckbeak (Disc 7, Track 2) Someone mentioned this earlier, but this track is utterly riveting as it’s presented! I think I had this on while cleaning earlier and just straight up stopped multiple times to take it in. Really excellent. The Firebolt And End Credits Suite (Disc 7, Track 😎 This is probably the most badass track on this set. I mean damn. You’ve got fantastic renditions of great themes and closing it out is this phenomenal brand new rendition of Hedwig’s Theme. WOW. What a raw and wild performance. The only downside here is nothing to do with the set...I just wish they had recorded the whole piece! Aunt Marge’s Waltz Alt (Disc 7, Track 13) Breezing past the utterly essential “That’s A Lie” and “Aunt Marge Points The Finger” cues. This is a super intriguing alternate opening. I can’t wait to put this to picture and see how it jives with it! The Dementors Circle and The Patronus Power (Disc 7, Tracks 22 & 24) What awesome choral pieces! I haven’t quite finished all the linear notes yet, but my assumption is that these were overlays of some kind and Mike was kind enough to include them singled out. If so, what a great idea. These are beautiful! The Firebolt Alt (Disc 7, Track 26) This is quite fun! I found it quite jarring at first, but I actually grabbed it and set it to the scene with dialog and all and it really does work quite well (see later on in this post). Very cool to have! I also enjoy that the full statement of Hedwig’s Theme is here. I’m totally satisfied now. Teaser (Disc 7, Track 27) We all know why this is cool. I mean all I’ve had for the longest time is the really horrid version from the PoA website way way back. Hearing this in stunning clarity is so amazing. Definitely one of my favorites. Another thing of interest is that it was always assumed the opening chords for this were merely a stock track from Brand X Music called “Anticipation” and turns out, it’s all Williams! Some overall thoughts before some questions in yet another post: HP 1 (avoiding the whole SS vs PS debate. lol) is still utterly brilliant. And it has been a whole new experience, but I don’t think there was as much change as I had for the other two. Not saying that I like it less, but I feel like it’s just always been such a masterpiece that I’ve always held it in such a high regard. I guess the better way to put it is that there was less surprise with it. I knew I was going to love it and I did. I really think I have found some more appreciation for Chamber of Secrets. It feels so big, expansive, and raw. It almost feels like the Orchestra is playing looser. I really love the sound of it. I think it’s got what I loved about HP1 and more with all the new themes and ideas. It’s quite phenomenal and what a way to experience it! Likewise, I have even more appreciation for PoA as well. I always knew it was brilliant and diverse, but I’ve never gotten to hear just HOW diverse. It really is all over the place in the best way possible and it all works so well. Some of my favorite examples I scratched the surface on above, but it’s from the source music (except you Shawm, bugger off 😂) to great little cues like “The Walk to Buckbeak”. So great. Plus, we now have so many more great renditions of Window to the Past, Sirius’s Theme, and Pettigrew’s Theme (which had SO much more tracking than I expected) As I mentioned earlier. I loved seeing the alternate for "The Firebolt" to picture. Check it out (unless you don't want to be spoiled for the set)!