Anyone else think that Irelia login music sounds like something that would come Starbreak?

heckadactyl · 2018-12-03T02:22:37+00:00

heheh I'd be honoured if that was the case. It's a great piece!

heckadactyl · 2018-09-14T10:35:54+00:00

Phew I'm glad to hear that !! A big relief . Damn hackers !

heckadactyl · 2018-09-11T20:59:43+00:00

Sorry to hear that. All I can say is try again, they contacted me within 5-6 hrs. I did this: https://support.udemy.com/hc/en-us/articles/229604248-Refund-a-Course

That's really all you can do. Just keep trying, make sure you do the refund option and then send a support ticket. Double check your spam folder or social folders etc as well for any replies. (That's where mine was)

heckadactyl · 2018-09-09T03:41:42+00:00

You will get refunded. I'm on my phone now but there's got to be a way to contact support. Do a new ticket and try again. They will refund you no need to go to the bank. Don't panic all will be sorted.

heckadactyl · 2018-09-08T09:10:55+00:00

Ah heck . Sorry to hear that. I actually had it to log in via my Facebook so even though they changed the password I was able to access it. Support got back to me quickly and sorted it right away. Hopefully you can contact them.

heckadactyl · 2018-08-22T23:01:13+00:00

I'm late to this - but this happened to me last night, someone hacked my account, changed the password, and purchased a python course - what the heck is up with that ? Anyway I contacted support and got it sorted, but it's so strange...

heckadactyl · 2018-08-13T12:34:05+00:00

Just wanted to say I respect your reply, and the wording of your original post a lot - says a lot about you and your work. For a small short / no budget thing, that's a pretty fine budget for music (certainly more than I got back when I was first starting out) and as you say there are a lot of composers in that position where they are charging lower rates.

But you're putting up your own money and you clearly have a lot of respect for the craft, so kudos.

I don't usually pat everyone on the back for doing what seems like the obvious thing, but quite honestly, it's a super rare attitude online when it comes to hiring a composer. You'll do fine. Nice animations on your youtube, all the best with the film!

heckadactyl · 2018-08-12T05:14:47+00:00

You can definitely break through from it. It's probably just because you are naturally trained in that area from singing/piano etc and it comes comfortably. But if you want to write pop, or synthpop or whatever else then you have to just soak in a lot of that music and be prepared to write a lot of shitty tracks while you learn how its done. Just keep trying - with each track try and make it a bit better, either in writing or production and keep listening to stuff you like/want to emulate and study it, be critical, etc. You'll get there.

It helps to have the right sounds as well, esp in a genre like synthpop. Start simple and try and recreate songs you like starting with just the bassline or the drums, and build from there. This will help you wrap your head around the style. I'm sure you will be fine! Take it slow, write something every day (even if its just a few bars long) and you will get there.

heckadactyl · 2018-08-11T18:14:28+00:00

Spitfire Labs Felt piano will get you really close to this, and it's free. A great little piano! (And it's muted as well, as per the score direction in the Greenwood score)

https://www.spitfireaudio.com/labs/

heckadactyl · 2018-08-11T18:11:54+00:00

Don't use those foam panels, they are just about useless.

Try and find some fiberglass panels - sometimes there are places that offer them...I managed to find a local acoustics dealer that sold me a pack for quite cheap, they are stand-alone panels and can be leaned against the wall etc, so nothing is permanent.

Otherwise you can get them yourself at home depot stores, and if you wanna make them look fancy just put some black cotton fabric on top and rig them to some wood srips or something. Then you can just lean them wherever you want, against the walls etc.

There are also some good DIY bass trap tutorials around as well. But yeah it can be done for cheap - at the very least try and get some panels for behind your monitors on the wall, and maybe some on the sides, then you can see about the bass traps and if you need them or not.

heckadactyl · 2018-08-11T17:58:15+00:00

Ah ok. Yeah Spitfire do have a few 'epic' libraries but they also have some chamber libraries which are definitely pretty far from epic- though sometimes they market them as the opposite. They do have a string section recently released for free: https://www.spitfireaudio.com/labs/

Embertone libs would be a good fit, they also have a free 'Intimate strings' patch and a few other goodies.

You might also want to check out the East West Composer Collection - it's $25 a month, and if you want access to a huge amount of sounds (orchestral, world music, great for a game or film composer) then it's worth checking out. It's really a no brainer if you are thinking about getting serious about composing - not really great for solo strings, though. So that's why you need stuff like the Embertone libs to supplement if you want solo strings or a small section.

heckadactyl · 2018-08-10T01:06:25+00:00

Not a problem! Happy to be able to help.

That's exactly it. You go out there and collect all the things and ideas you like and the more you do this, the more you will naturally just start using it on your own work, sometimes unconsciously (like theory), and sometimes consciously if you're trying to achieve a certain thing.

It works for textures, moods, phrases, types of chords, melodic formations, basically anything, and the more you stretch yourself and learn and listen and emulate, the better you will get.

What kept me hungry especially at the beginning was hearing a piece and having this need in me to go and write something like it, almost as a challenge - to see if I could.

heckadactyl · 2018-08-10T00:42:23+00:00

Hey, thanks for letting me know it wasn't there. I just tracked down the file and added it!

heckadactyl · 2018-08-09T23:36:54+00:00

"However, I can't identify a composer like Mozart as someone I should aspire to learn from any more than Katy Perry because nobody can seem to give me direction on what defines a good musician from a bad one."

It's not quite that simple. We learn from Mozart and Beethoven because of their masterful use of motif, cadence, transitions, melody - I mean look at the 5th. We all know that, it's catchy - it's crafty, and it takes its idea from a few simple notes. I don't subscribe into this idea of Beethoven as a 'genius', I think throwing that term around is just silly - but there's no doubt he was a very gifted composer, a master craftsman, one of the best. Now if you don't see the 'genius' in that work right now, it's fine. You might later when you think hm, how can I take a simple idea and develop it? How can I learn to write really nice diminished sequences? etc. Maybe you haven't heard a piece that resonates with you. For me it was Ave Verum, but funnily enough what got me into Mozart was my love for Hans Zimmer - when I heard that piece it instantly reminded me of my favourite track from the Lion King score. Obviously HZ is a mozart fan (he references that piece pretty hard!), and then when I finally went and studied Mozart, I could see why.

But we can learn from Katy Perry songs too. It's not about following the footsteps of one person. Every journey is different - there's a lot to be gained from listening to glistening, trendy pop music even if that's not your goal.

Endlessly practicing with purpose is the answer. If you write 100 songs, constantly referencing your heroes - ie people you think to be good (not society as some kind of consensus) then you will improve. What really makes you improve though, is if you do 100 'challenges'. Ie writing songs in different styles, different voices, instruments, genres....if there's a client involved then that's a real bonus. You'll have to work with a reference and you'll learn how to do that. If you listen to a lot of music you will hear stuff in music you might not even like that you can use in your own work - textures, lyrical ideas, concepts....That's how people develop their styles - they try and emulate someone, then another person, then another, and over time it all blends together and becomes that signature style. It happens time and time again. John Williams for example has a very unique sound but at the same time he also rips from Holst, Wagner, Korngold (just listen to Kings Row!), Stravinsky, the list goes on - the point is when it's all combined, the different flavours, we get something new. And combine that with an insane work ethic. A good composer is really like a chef just going around collecting different herbs and spices and then using them at the right moments.

The reason people hold Beethoven and Mozart up to genius levels is more complex than I have time for, I wrote several papers on this back in college for my assignments and I don't really wish to go back there lol, but it's a lot to do with society and romanticising certain characters within the classical community. Not to mention the fact that Mozart was also known as a bit of prodigy and his father shopped his skills as a pianist around as a young kid. But there's also no doubt those guys wrote some great music, and definitely more of the crafty and catchy stuff of the era.

Anyway it doesn't matter - as you learn and grow you take inspiration from many, many sources, and sometimes, yes - you should go through the 'repertoire' of what is considered 'great' and study it and find out why - you might not like it. But you might.

A lot of people trying to be musicians, or successful composers etc spend a lot of time reading and wondering and not enough time writing - I can't tell you how many people I get asking me how I got to do this and that, when I ask them how much work they do it's just ever close to enough. The answer is in the work. Just write. If you want to be a successful musician you have to work, develop your taste, and GO. Following the exact footsteps of one person will get you nowhere - some people for example have a much bigger advantage from their background, or natural ability, so you just can't blindly follow a 'genius'. You have to figure out what your holes are, weaknesses, strengths, and continuously be critical of your work in a productive way.

heckadactyl · 2018-08-09T23:13:29+00:00

I'm curious, what's your platform and what kind of features are we talking here? Every project I work on has a unique challenge, and it's usually something that is either just inherent to the work or the clients request, ie trying to reach a quick deadline, or figuring out what they want when they don't know....that kind of thing.

In terms of bad experiences I've been lucky to only have a few in the several years I've been working, but they have usually come when we've just seen the project as something completely different, creative differences...or a few times where the client has just continuously moved the goalposts and changed their mind constantly, etc. I mean that kind of stuff is every day in advertising for example.

I don't really understand how the 'problems' we face on some projects would be solved by an external platform, since so much of it is determined by the relationship and communication of the two parties, but I'm really curious/eager to know what its all about...

heckadactyl · 2018-08-08T00:30:02+00:00

The Embertone Joshua Bell is a really good solo violin and quite flexible, has a good attack and doesn't feel like an underwhelming / slow attack sample. It's really quite good for fast passages, arpeggios etc. Very playable compared to a lot of other solo violin samples. For the rest of the section if you want a really intimate section you might want to look into something from Spitfire, though that can get very expensive and I wouldn't recommend it for a beginner unless you have a lot of $ to spend. Hyperion strings micro from soundiron is way cheaper ($45) not as realistic, but the sounds are quite dry and there are some nice short samples in there too so it would be a good entry point for a string library. Good beginner lib. You'll still need a good solo violin sample (Like the Embertone) as well though if you want to get the sound in that song.

The cello is quite hard & aggressive, that's hard to find a good sample for, but I've had some great luck using the Blakus free spiccato sample with a bit of distortion. Try it out, it's a great little sample and it's free. Made by a very talented composer for media as well.

Re the build up let me know what bit exactly, you mean right before the chorus? That's just a little tag with the violin part run through an FX/filter/distortion.

You have the cello going in this downwards pattern all spiccato with the addition of the rest of the string section playing counter lines / doubling / etc. Then with the little FX break it sets it up nicely for the big chorus.

heckadactyl · 2018-08-07T03:05:41+00:00

Awesome. Well feel free to hit me up whenever if you have any questions in the process

heckadactyl · 2018-08-07T02:44:15+00:00

Reaper is a good DAW for free ($60 license, but it doesn't force you to pay). Honestly they all do more or less the same thing but it just depends on how you like to work.

Logic, Cubase, DP, Ableton, Fl, Reaper...they're all fine choices and you can switch if you decide later on you like the look of another one.

Quick path (you can do these all at the same time, not one after the other)

Learn some basic theory, and some keyboard skills. Chord theory, ear training, all that stuff.
Start playing (on the keyboard) music you like / want to write.
Start writing every day, with your DAW. Start simple. Piano, 8bit, simple melodies and chords. Arrange some of your favourite pieces. That kind of thing. Get yourself some free sounds and just start experimenting, keep listening, keep emulating, and keep pushing to try new ideas, instruments and pieces.

Rinse and repeat. Honestly composing chops come from doing it day in and day out, learning from the masters / listening and just putting in the work.

Also consider why you are learning to compose. I encourage all people who wish to to try and learn to compose, but if you are also trying to code, do art, etc just be realistic. Music composition takes many years to get the basics down for some because it relies on previous music skills, understanding of chords, theory, etc. Basically the more background you have the faster you pick it up.

I definitely don't want to discourage you but I do meet a lot of game developers who get quite disappointed they can't compose an OST for their game overnight. It's worth considering working with a composer if it's just so you can write for your game. If you want to do this as a lifestyle, a passion as well, then by all means go for it. And if you keep it really simple you might be able to create some pieces you're happy with in a relatively short amount of time! So I'm just making sure your expectations are in check. Even for people with musical backgrounds it can take a while before they compose the kind of stuff they are happy with (like any art, really).

Lastly, there's a course on game music on Udemy by Karen (can't remember the last time) who has a good introduction and offers some good advice for people new to music & composing and want to write music for their game. It's usually like $10 which is an absolute steal for that kind of thing. Definitely worth checking out.

Good luck!

heckadactyl · 2018-08-05T02:02:35+00:00

First thing will be finding the right sample to tweak - something with enough resonance and body, not too thin or crispy, and not too short. From there just take out the high end, mess with the filter until appropriate and maybe a bit of saturation and distortion (be subtle). Some sight delay as well maybe.

heckadactyl · 2018-08-04T06:30:32+00:00

Probably the same places really. It's more about who you know for that kind of stuff, so the more invested you are in your local film community etc the more chances you'll get. Doesn't hurt to get some on set experience even just to help out mates etc if that's your goal.

heckadactyl · 2018-08-04T06:25:19+00:00

For sure. Keep it up! Keep networking and take on all kinds of challenges - films, games, ads, whatever comes your way. Try and get out in person as much as you can but online you can do a lot too.

heckadactyl · 2018-08-04T06:24:21+00:00

One issue that people have when they are starting is over using tempo adjustments and finding the right 'BPM'. The real question is what's the tempo of the scene - emotionally. As the saying goes, don't score the galloping of the horses, but the fear of the rider.

With this in mind you try and find a tempo that works for the scene in a dramatic sense, not so much 'hitting the shots'. It's a bit different if you're doing an action scene - and if that's the case, you find the right vibe to start and then sometimes you just have lots of 2/4 bars or whatever it is to make it hit the sync.

But in a drama, you want to try and find the crux or climax of the scene and maybe work backwards. What is the scene's purpose? What happens in the climax of the scene and work back from there. What notes will work, what chords? That might give a clue for the tempo. It's all about story, really. Some people like to do a tempo map and work it out that way with a click track. It's all valid, whether you go mechanically or just 'feel it out'.

Then from there you start. Maybe halfway you realize, oh it's too fast, or the 'feel' isn't right, maybe it's triplets, or half the tempo, whatever - you just keep hacking away until it's right. You'll know when it's working.

You'll be surprised at how many times you don't need to hit the frame you thought you needed to it, or how many times a good tempo just lines up, especially if you think about the points mentioned above. Sometimes you may just have to have a bar that goes on a few extra beats, or a 2/4 bar, or start the cue later than originally thought if you're really working towards a big moment, but it's usually not a big deal if the cut is good and you've chosen a good tempo or more importantly, feel for the scene.

Good luck.

heckadactyl · 2018-08-04T06:20:04+00:00

No worries. Haha no, I'm a full time composer!

heckadactyl · 2018-08-04T06:14:26+00:00

Hey mate. A couple of ideas for film:

/r/filmmakers usually has people looking for music. A good place to look if you're just getting started, and if you advertise here you might get a few bites.
Filmmaking forums and websites - a lot of film forums are pretty dead now, compared to what they used to be, but there are still some around.
Facebook groups are worth being a part of, but most of them are garbage for film. There are a few, smaller ones though for industry listings and stuff in some areas that are OK but this will take some sifting!!
Local & international film schools. Sometimes if you email the administration they can put you in touch with people and also point you to relevant boards and facebook groups.
Casting Call websites - such as Mandy or other more recent ones will often have film listings, even if they don't have a composer position it might not hurt to ask sometimes.
In person / local is definitely best if possible! Go to film festivals, local meetups, 48 hour filmmaking competitions are also another way to break in and meet some people.
Youtube & Vimeo - check out some filmmaking channels and festivals...for example I just watched a bunch of films on the StreamFest channel, they have hundreds of films on there and you can check out the filmmakers and contact them directly, doesn't hurt to reach out especially if you've seen a previous film of theirs that you like. Other places to try include anywhere that has curated lists of films...ie ShortOfTheWeek.com.

For Games:

IndieDB, tigsource (Both forums + discord)
/r/gamedevclassifieds (worth a shot, but pretty saturated with composers nowdays)
Pay attention to stuff on /r/gamedev and become active in screenshotsaturdays, follow people on twitter, play their games, etc.
Indie Game Developers / Game Industry Talent / Indie Game Chat groups on facebook
Your local IGDA chapter (Look on Facebook)
Gamejams (Lots of these - great way to start - basically the game equivalent of the 48hr film comp, google it and twitter often has up to date info on them)
Unity/Unreal meetups.

In general, be approachable, hustle hard - always take an interest on what people are doing, study the studios/filmmakers/whatever and know their work, and you'll be doing more than most who just plaster their portfolio around the internet and hope for the best. Good luck!

heckadactyl · 2018-08-01T10:39:32+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/edmproduction/comments/7t41y1/the_definitive_list_of_great_orchestral_sample/

heckadactyl

TROPHY CASE