1. Legal use of music supports musicians. Musicians need to eat too; simple. When you use music legally, musicians get paid for their hard work, they get credited for the world to know about it, and we have an industry that thrives to work another day.

2. Original music makes for a better final product. Music that has been moulded to the needs of a project can far surpass a a track that ‘kinda works’ from your iTunes library. The world is full of excitable composers and musicians who are dying to help filmmakers with their projects. Many of these composers and musicians are quite experienced, and can contribute more to a project than you will ever know.

3. You can sell & distribute your project. If you are lucky enough to have a project that is commercially viable, legally acquired music will allow you to commercially release and distribute your project.

4. The industry will respect you for it. Doing the right thing is what the big boys and girls do.

5. Legal use of music supports musicians. Am I repeating myself?

What constitutes ‘illegal’ use? In most cases, it is the use of music in a distributed project without the consent of the original copyright owner. With music being swapped, downloaded and ripped more and more these days, the temptation to just drop in something into your from your iTunes library can be strong - but unless you have permission, it’s illegal.

Many people think that to use music ‘legally’ means forking out thousands, or tens of thousands of dollars for licensing fees. Sure, if you want to use Massive Attack or AC/DC in your documentary about crab fishing, expect to pay for it. But there are plenty of ways to get music cheaply or for free.

For instance, there are plenty of composers distributing their music on the net, who would be willing to let you use their music (or compose original music) for free or cheaply, if you credit them in your project. Support them and they will support you. Else, there is plenty of music libraries out there where you can license some music quite cheaply. There is even software floating around which automatically score your film for you. Ahh, technology.

Whatever your pleasure, just say ‘no’ to illegal music use! I’m having T-shirts made too.

-s

Ask Questions…

When writing for film, it can sometimes come down to a few simple questions. So you gotta ask yourself… does your cue:

• create a suitable atmosphere and mood?
• support character development?
• evoke an appropriate feeling of time and place?

Creating Atmosphere & Mood

Don’t underestimate it; music is an incredibly powerful tool for creating an atmosphere for a scene. But sadly, music can also completely ruin an atmosphere if used incorrectly - which frankly is the one of the worst things a composer could ever do to a film.

Firstly, you should analyse the scene you are writing for, and identify the scene’s motivation - is it sad? Romantic? Sexy? Dark? Solemn? Be sure to get it right, because writing inappropriate music - say, romantic music for a frightening rape scene - can completely ruin a scene’s intention.

Instrumentation can also go a long way to setting a scene - for example; big action scenes, especially those leading to a dramatic climax, might require big instrumentation; full orchestra, choir, synths, the kitchen sink etc. This choice of instrumentation tends to tell the viewer that this is a BIG moment - pay attention; or at least enjoy the explosions.

Dramatic death scenes - especially those involving pivotal characters often require the exact opposite; very simple instrumentation, even solemn solo instruments (if any music at all!). If the movie has done it’s job right, these scenes are already emotionally charged - too much music will often make the scene soppy & melodramatic.

Film music should also follow any on-screen action appropriately - whether that means acknowledging every actor’s physical movements (called ‘mickey-mousing’, as it comes across cartoon-like), or completely ignoring them - sometimes called ‘Juxtaposition’.

One of my favourite uses of juxtaposition can be seen in the opening battle scene of ‘Gladiator’, scored by Hans Zimmer & Lisa Gerrard. The scene starts in typical epic style - big orchestra to match the big action on-screen. Then, towards the end of the scene, the burly music gives way to very beautiful, flowing vocal music. The new music completely changes the atmosphere from that of a gory movie bloodfest into a moving statement that war is far from glorious. Such is the power of music. [I scoured the web for a video of this scene, but sadly I came up with nuthin'. Sorry, you'll just have to hire or buy the film yourself!].

Supporting Character Development

The idea of supporting a character’s growth through a film can be very powerful, and quite subliminal when done right. A typical example is the use of ‘leitmotif’, which simply means a recurring theme used to represent a character or idea.

When developing a theme, it’s always good to leave a little something for the end - leaving the best ’til last so to speak. At a film’s beginning, we are still learning about characters and ideas, and at such a time a theme becomes a useful tool for helping the viewers understand our character (eg. good guy, bad guy) - but generally snippets of a theme might suffice. Leave the entire theme for the climactic moments - points in the film that are pivotal in their storytelling. A powerful full statement of a theme helps our audience understand that this is a big moment for our character.

An excellent example of this use of themes is the ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy, scored by Howard Shore. This film features amazing theme development from the opening scenes right through to the final scenes of ‘Return of the King’. There are a few websites out there that analyse the score in depth, but this website suitably comprehensive: http://www.woodzie.org/lotr/

Not every film needs extensive theme development, but it’s always something to keep in mind; it can even help the process along when you already have an idea on which to develop.

Evoking a feeling of Time & Place

So we all understand that film music can not only set the mood for a film, but can also help tell it’s story. Music can also play with an audience’s conception of time and place. How, you ask?

Music can help with portraying the time or place the film is set in - eg. Electro-pop music for a 1980’s romantic comedy, or arabic percussion & winds for a Middle-eastern action film.

Music can simply make time pass quickly. The classic example is from the film ‘Rocky’, with boxer Rocky Balboa managing to fit months of grueling training into a few minutes, all set to the song ‘Eye of the Tiger’ by Survivor. This idea is called a ‘montage’, and is prolifically used in filmmaking.

Music can also evoke images of a distant time or place in more of a storytelling capacity; for example, Big Band music as an old man talks about the ‘good ol’ days’.

In Conclusion…

It should be known that there are occasions when some of these rules can be completely flipped - especially the idea of writing appropriate music to set a mood or atmosphere. For example, comedy writing often requires ‘hamming up’ certain dramatic moods to make light of what’s happening on-screen - otherwise the actors will just look like they are terrible at their job!

There are lots of other things to do with film scoring that should be known, but frankly alot of it is learnt from just doing. But, I’ll be writing more tutorials in the future, focusing on the guts of scoring; the technicalities and logistics, which composers have to juggle alongside all the creative stuff. Fun fun.

-s

I remember the day vividly - I bought Morrowind from EB Games many many years ago, not knowing a thing about the game. I loaded it up, and immediately I am introduced to a theme that is epic, vast, but inspiring - it told me that my character and I come from humble beginnings, but are about to do great things.

This is reflected in the way we jump into the game - as a prisoner set loose on the isle of Vvardenfell, without any linear direction as to what to do next. The world is your oyster. If you have not heard Jeremy’s amazing Morrowind theme, you can listen to it here:

Morrowind Theme (by Jeremy Soule)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWuNf4gxwuM

Oblivion, the follow-up to Morrowind and the fourth game in the Elder Scrolls series, featured Jeremy Soule’s music once again. A familiar theme reappears here, but this time with more urgency - this time the emperor is dead, and you are swept up into an epic storyline that demands your attention. Here’s the theme…

Oblivion Theme (by Jeremy Soule)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3EOibiVzq4

I’ve always wanted to make a remix of this theme, simply because I loved it so much - it feels like such an integral part of me becoming a composer. My version of the theme is rather bold and urgent, similar to the Oblivion take, but more strident like the Morrowind theme - hopefully a happy medium that embraces both. I also introduce a new theme in the middle - my personal theme for the new emperor of Tamriel I guess.

The Elder Scrolls - Rise of an Emperor | DOWNLOAD >>
Download audio file (sb_riseofanemperor.mp3)

I hope you enjoy - let me know what you think!

As you may have seen my previous ‘Templates’ tutorial,  my projects can run to about 50 independent tracks, on a good day. There are lots of guys out there in composerland that use plenty more than that.With that many tracks on hand, it can get confusing when I’m trying to jump from one track to the next whilst sequencing my next masterpiece (*cough*).

So what’s an easy way I can organise my project so that I’m left without the headache of looking for ‘that damn Trumpet sFz track’?

Organising a Project with Track Folders

So, you have your unorganised smoosh of tracks of various types all set up and ready to go in your project. Before you jump in, think about how you should organise them. My projects are generally orchestral in nature, so I tend to group my MIDI tracks into instrument groups like those of an orchestra - Strings, Woodwinds, Brass, Percussion, and then any other categories that might be appropriate. You might want to group your project in a different way, and that’s fine - just make sure that it’s logical FOR YOU, because this is all about making your project useful, not just pretty.

Something to keep in mind though - our track folders only allow for one tier of organisation. We can’t put a track folder within a track folder like you might do in Windows Explorer - so no sub-groups. Sorry…

Once we have a structure in mind - grouping into a track folder is as simple as:

• Highlighting a track (left-click on it’s track header)
• Right-clicking on the track header to bring up a menu
• Navigate to and left-click on Move to Folder > New Track Folder.

Immediately, Sonar will group the track into a new folder, which can be titled whatever you wish. You can add more tracks to the folder by Right-clicking on other track headers, and navigating to Move to Folder > [Folder Name] (the name being the folder you just made and titled).

By the way, you can select multiple tracks in a row by left-clicking and dragging over the numbers on the track headers, or selectively highlight tracks by holding CTRL & Left-clicking on the tracks you want.

In Conclusion…

Track Folders are neato - they put things into order and allow you to find things quickly. You can even go a step further in logically ordering your tracks - for instance, inside my ‘Strings’ track folder, I’ve organised my string articulations so that they appear roughly in score order (Violins at the top, followed by Violas, Cellos then Basses). Yes, Track Folders are small thoughts in the grand scheme of things, but  I do recommend you use them; it’s definately a good habit to get into.

[NB. - I'll be adding YouTube video versions of these tutorials very soon. Stay tuned!]

In Development is not your usual Half-Life 2 Mod - it’s a dark journey into the mad mind of a game developer. Lucky for me, I only write the music…

In Development is a serious mod for sure, but it won’t be without it’s light points. Each level exposes the player to familiar game environments, like a WWII shooter - but adds it’s own twists and turns into the mix. But as the story develops, a darker truth emerges to explain the whys and hows.

“In Development is a journey through a developer’s thoughts. You will go through game concepts, both complete and barely started, while seeing the developer’s dreams and nightmares.  Game flow is like the stream of consciousness, if a developer gets off track with his thinking, you will see it and experience it.

I’ve had a lot of fun making the music - I’ve taken it in a ‘dark, but not too dark” route, which I hope you all enjoy.

In Development Main Theme | DOWNLOAD >>
Download audio file (sb_indevelopment.mp3)

You can check out more info on the mod over at ModDB.com,  where you can also check out what other users are saying about my theme…

Fury3 from Terminal Velocity was probably one of the most groundbreaking games of it’s kind - showing the world what Windows 95 could do for huge outdoor 3D Game environments. It’s essentially a big ol’ space fighter shoot’em up, as you fly over a few different planets killing those pesky Bions. Addictive gameplay… and it seemed that the intro to Fury3 always sucked me in.

I’ve tried my hardest to stay as close to Kyle Richards’ original arrangement, making it new by pure virture of new sampled instruments. I still think the original is better - just for the fact that it is the original…

Fury3 Re-Orchestration | DOWNLOAD>>
Download audio file (sb_fury3.mp3)

I’ve posted the original video intro and my re-orchestartion so you guys can hear the differences:

Fury3 Intro - Scott Buckley’s Re-orchestration

Fury3 Intro - ORIGINAL (Music by Kyle Richards)

Hope you guys enjoy this. Next one is a Morrowind re-orchestration!

Alot of us put off the practice of backing up our compositions - but the fact is it’s incredibly important. Drives fail, power surges happen - but thankfully Sonar has a few features that makes the hassle just a little bit simpler.

‘Backups are boring as shite’ I hear you say? Well, yes I agree, they are. But let me tell you - loosing some favourite projects to a hard drive crash is like loosing a pet - you will never get them back. Soo… let’s see what we can do about stopping that from happening, shall we?

Sonar has a few functions that make filing your project easier, making it dirt simple to back up…

Storing Audio under the Project Folder

This one is a no-brainer. Not only makes it easy to backup your project, but keeps things nice and tidy in the process. Basically, this function will force Sonar to store all audio data relating to the project in an Audio subdirectory in the project folder. It means no audio files strewn over the hard drive - everything you need is in one place. I say YAY to that.

To get Sonar to help you out in such a nice way - be sure to tick the ‘Store Project in its Own Folder’ when you start a project with File > New. You might note that when the box is ticked, the ‘Audio Path’ directory path is activated and is already ready to make an ‘Audio’ folder for you (check out the image left…).

If you have already started a project without organising your audio this way - there is a solution. Go to File > Save As. Navigate to your project directory (or make one). Before you go ahead and save your project, look down to the bottom of the window and tick the box that says ‘Copy all audio with project’. This will make a magic audio folder for you, and copy all the audio related to the project into it. Hit save, and congratulations - you are now organised. (see right).

With your project organised into it’s own folder, and with all it’s audio located in the same spot - you can easily burn a DVD by simply dragging the entire folder onto a blank DVD using whatever burning method you desire. See a few tips for successful backing up at the bottom…

Using Cakewalk Bundle files (.cwb)

The .cwb file format is another great solution for storing your projects in, and also ensures all your information is retained in one place - in this instance, a single file - which kinda functions like a .zip file.

If you File > Save As, and change the ‘Save as type’ to Cakewalk Bundle, Sonar will collate all information relating to your project, including audio and MIDI programming data into the one file - a [blah].cwb file. Later on, when you access a .cwb file, Sonar will ask to extract the project files (audio & MIDI data) to a project folder. Just give it the info it wants and Sonar will go ahead and put all your info into the appropriate folders.

Cakewalk Bundles are great because it means even less files to deal with when backing up. But… having one large file to deal with does become an issue when you are bundling up a BIG project with lots of audio files - meaning that your final .cwb file can be somewhat larger than what a single DVD can store. If you use alternative methods of backing up, like an external harddrive - this turns out to be not much of an issue at all really…

When and How to Back up?

When and how to back up your works is a matter for you to decide, as everyone sees the possible risk of unfortunate events happening differently. As for frequency, I could predict that most of you out there need to back up more than you do now.

There are a few methods of thought on backing up - and I won’t go into the semantics of schedules and risk management (my wife on the other hand… :P). A functional situation for most users would be to backup your entire project file collection at specific durations - daily/weekly/monthly - to an external harddrive. There are plenty of free backup programs out there that will even help facilitate this. Mac users are lucky to have access to Time Machine - a very robust app for backing up entire drives.

DVDs are another solution, although aren’t guaranteed to last forever (but neither are hard drives). Something I like to do is back up projects onto DVD as soon as they are finished - ensuring I have yet another copy in case of emergency - what is technically called ‘Redundancy’.

In Conclusion…

Please, please, please BACK UP. When the time comes for your hard drive to go to the big technology waste dump in the sky, you will be thankful you did. Don’t make me say ‘I told you so…’.

The idea of dystopia in storytelling really inspires me - the darkness and hatred is very compelling, but so is the hope that lives within it. The idea of scoring music to that juxtaposition makes me excited.

‘Dark Futures’ draws upon many influences - from films, digital art & literature - to inspire a sonic landscape that is both oppressive and uplifting. The arrangements feature a cinematic mix of orchestra & electronica - a blend which is always fun to play with, and allows for amazing palettes and opportunities.

My hope for this project is for it to become somewhat viral -  so I encourage independant film-makers, game developers and storytellers to use this music for their own projects - just as long as you credit me.

The project is a work-in-progress, as always. But… here’s the first track release from the album - free to download.

Parasite | DOWNLOAD >>

Download audio file (sb_parasite.mp3)

Parasite is a down-tempo, dark noir-ish track featuring guitars, synths & a mournful cello section. Inspired by this: http://artozi.deviantart.com/art/Parasite-156734531. Thanks to Mateusz Ozminski…

-s

NOTE: This tutorial works for all versions of Sonar, including Home Studio & Music Creator.

A template is a project file that can be recalled when you are beginning a new project. Within the template is stored all your favourite virtual instruments, effects, bus settings, MIDI tracks, track folders etc. - all set up ready to go. It’s a real time-saver because it saves you from having to do the same set-up every time you begin a new project, and it’s a life-saver because when you are on a project - time is a scarce commodity.

Templates are almost essential for those of us who compose orchestral mock-ups, with astronomical MIDI track counts that can take hours of work to set up. Ugh… nothing kills a creative mood more than technicalities.

There are two ways you can have a template ready to go. One way is saving a fully set-up project file in your own folder, which you can File > Open at any time and File > Save-As a new project. This is fine, but as I have found in the past, you run the chance of forgetting to File > Save-As at the beginning, working on it for a while and then saving - overwriting the template file you started with. That’s just silly, because now you will have a template file that changes constantly. Never a good idea.

The other, and better way, to deal with templates is to use Sonar’s own Template file format - .cwt. When saved in the appropriate folder, this template can be selected from a list of templates when you start a new project using File > New. This way you don’t run the risk of overwriting the template. Yay.

Step 1 - Set up your dream template

Start a new blank project. Think about what the ideal template would be to start with each time you begin a project. You probably have a core list of instruments and effects you use each time you work - so make sure you insert those instruments and effects (each with their corresponding MIDI tracks & bus settings) into your template.

Your needs (your choice of instruments & effects) may vary with each project, but atleast the template will give you a base to build from when starting.

Here’s a very simple orchestral template I set up (see image left). I’ve got my virtual instruments at the top (3 x Kontakt 3.5 instances), and then MIDI tracks mapped to each articulation loaded in Kontakt, sorted into their instrument groups using track folders. This leaves me with a nice neat template to start pluggin’ away at. I don’t have EVERY articulation at my disposal ready to go, but I have a good core selection which I can add to if need be.

Step 2 - Find out where Sonar’s default template folder is…

To access the template under Sonar’s New Project window, you will have to save the template to Sonar’s default template folder. To find out where that is, go to Options > Global. A new window will pop up, with a number of tabs at the top. Click on the Folders tab.

This tab shows all of Sonar’s default folders for various files it uses; we need to note the file-path to the Templates folder. If you can’t see the entire path, click on the … button to see a graphic folder view of where it is. (See image right). Make a note of the file path, because we will be saving our template to this folder.

Step 3 - Save your template

Go to File > Save As. To save as a template, we need to change the file type to a template; to do this, use the drop down menu at the bottom called Save as type,  and select Template. This will change the file extention to .cwt, Sonar’s extension for a template file.

Navigate to Sonar’s default template folder we noted earlier. Before saving, give your template a relevant name - it’s no use calling your template ‘Template 1′ and later having no idea what the template was about. Seeing as my template is a basic orchestral template, I shall call it ‘Orchestral - Basic’. Hit the magic Save button.

Step 4 - Beginning project with your shiny new template

Now that we have saved our template as a .cwt file in Sonar’s template folder, we can now access it under the New Project window when we start a new project. To make sure of this - go to File > New.

If you saved your template correctly, it should appear in the template list at the bottom of the New Project window (as my ‘Orchestral - Basic template does in the image left).

Select this template, and you’re new project will have all the same track, instrument & effect settings you set up in your template earlier. Sensational.

In Conclusion…

Templates are fantastic tools for allowing the creative juices to flow without the hitch of labouriously setting up the technicalities of virtual instruments & routing. Harness this power, and thou shalt have a much more enjoyable time creating, rather than connecting!

White Dawn | DOWNLOAD>>

Download audio file (sb_whitedawn.mp3)

I’ve also remastered a recent track of mine as well, Forever Sky - which is sounding just a bit more to my liking. I hope you enjoy…

Forever Sky | DOWNLOAD>>

Download audio file (sb_foreversky.mp3)

If you like what you here, leave a comment!

-s