Orchestration is a fundamental tool for all types of composers. Great orchestration books are few and far between so we’ve roundup the 5 best to get you on your way.
- By Editorial Team
- In Roundups
- By Ryan Leach
- In Composition
How to Write in the Golden Age of Hollywood Style
Ah, The Golden Age. Some of the greatest film music of all time came out of Hollywood during the period from the 1920s to 1950s. Titans of film scoring like Max Steiner, Franz Waxman, and Erich Wolfgang Korngold defined what it meant for music to be cinematic.
In this tutorial series we are going to learn how to write a main title cue in the style of that great era. We will begin by analyzing two cues that are representative of the style, and then work from a blank sheet of paper to a final orchestral mock-up.
The Sound and Music of The Dark Knight Rises
Visionary Director Christopher Nolan returns for the final chapter of the Batman saga. In this exclusive SoundWorks Collection video we profile the sound and music team including Composer Hans Zimmer and Supervising Sound Editor and Sound Designer Richard King.
Berlin Woodwinds On The Horizon
Hendrik Schwarzer from Orchestral Tools has announced details of their new Berlin Woodwind library,
After 3 weeks of recordings, 6 months of editing, mapping and scripting, we´re proud to announce our upcoming library “Berlin Woodwinds”, which will be released soon! Berlin Woodwinds is the biggest sample-collection in the Orchestral Tools family. We put much love and ideas into the recordings. Produced in a city which is famous for its history, tradition and the best orchestras in the world.
- By Chris Hadley
Era Medieval Legends Review
Era Medieval Legends is the latest library to come from Eduardo Tarilonte featuring a wide collection of deep sampled historical instruments covering keyed, stringed, percussion and wind instruments.
This is a library that doesn’t come round very often. Never before have we had a collection of sampled European historical instruments all in one package and by someone as reputable as Tarilonte.
- By Ryan Leach
- In Composition, Music Theory
What James Horner’s Score to Braveheart Teaches Us About Modulation
Modulation is one the most important dramatic devices we film composers have in our toolbox. We can use modulation to increase the intensity of a scene, to propel the audience into a new frame of mind, and to get a lot of mileage out of a single theme.
In this article we’re going to take an in-depth look at how an James Horner uses modulation to bring out the significant shifts in a story.
- By Editorial Team
- In Interview
Trevor Morris – Interview
How did a composer go from writing jingles for TV and radio to working with some of the most respected composers in the industry. Trevor Morris is the composer of the popular TV series The Tudors and The Borgias and his debut blockbuster score for The Immortals was released last year. I talk with Trevor about his career so far and get an insight into his work approach.
Cinematic Strings 2 Review
Even in the fast-paced world of music software development, where variety reigns supreme and innovation is king, we can pick out trends that say something about the perceived gaps in the market. In 2010, sample library developers from around the world seemed to converge on the idea that what digital musicians needed most was a better solution for sampled strings.
We saw the release of Andrew Keresztes’ LA Scoring Strings library, featuring industry-leading deep sampled divisi sections; we saw EWQL Hollywood Strings, offering …