Many thanks to all for your nice comments. It is funny how film music REALLY is different than concert music. Our job is to support and heighten the emotional content of what pictures are before us.

The other point is that is never ceases to amaze me how much we do NOT include when scoring (less is more is usually better [:)] )

Having said that on this film (Heroism based) - the Epic Horns captured the emotional context so well (picking up the main theme melodic duties). Again thank you for this release as well as all the Pro Edition.

This music will not change the world - that's for sure, but here are some samples.



http://www.robelliottmusic.com/mp3s/Action%20-%20Epic/Opening%20Titles.mp3


http://www.robelliottmusic.com/mp3s/Action%20-%20Epic/Fight%20of%20your%20life.mp3

http://www.robelliottmusic.com/mp3s/Action%20-%20Epic/Closing%20Titles%20(A%20Hero%20Emerges).mp3


http://www.robelliottmusic.com/mp3s/Action%20-%20Epic/Kelly's%20Theme%20(I%20believe).mp3


http://www.robelliottmusic.com/mp3s/Action%20-%20Epic/Kelly's%20Theme%20(%20I%20believe%20)%20rolling%20credits.mp3


http://www.robelliottmusic.com/mp3s/Action%20-%20Epic/Lost.mp3



Rob

Excellent job. Wonderfully mixed. Kind of reminds me of "The Negotiator."

Clark

@clarkcontrol said:

Excellent job. Wonderfully mixed. Kind of reminds me of "The Negotiator."

Clark

Many thanks. Is that the fillm with Nicole Kidman? Who did the score?

Samuel Jackson and Kevin Spacey. Graeme Revell did the score. IMO, one of his better scores. It's a police drama and a fantastic movie. The soundtrack CD is mixed much differently (better=like yours=more subtle) than how it appears in the movie, though.

Clark

Fantastic Rob!!! Congratulations!!!

Martin

Martin and Clark - many thanks for your kind words.

Rob

Very very cool, Rob. I love you're soundfield. I can see why you fooled them into thinking it was live. Great job, keep up the good work.... This goes to show too that just because those of us have the "Lowly" Pro Edition, and not the VI....doesn't mean that we are dead in the water! You just have to work a little harder, thats all, eh?

-Ben

@dunk187 said:

Very very cool, Rob. I love you're soundfield. I can see why you fooled them into thinking it was live. Great job, keep up the good work.... This goes to show too that just because those of us have the "Lowly" Pro Edition, and not the VI....doesn't mean that we are dead in the water! You just have to work a little harder, thats all, eh?

-Ben

Yea - very true about PE. Really hoping and expecting VI to be a 'time saver' - now if Herb can just come up with the controller 'fixed crappy cue' - legato of course [:P]

Rob

Sounds great! Were you using all Horizon products or was this a Pro and Epic Horns combo?
Chris

@dragonwind said:

Sounds great! Were you using all Horizon products or was this a Pro and Epic Horns combo?
Chris

Hi Chris,

This was PE, Chamber Strings (particularily the short staccs), and Epic Ho.

Hope that helps.

Rob

Hi Rob,

Excellent stuff. Congratulations.

Any chance of sharing some of your secrets round i) the composition approach you took, ii) the time it took do complete and also iii) the mixing/mastering approach inc. the reverbs you used etc.

Cheers

Tim

@timkiel said:

Hi Rob,

Excellent stuff. Congratulations.

Any chance of sharing some of your secrets round i) the composition approach you took, ii) the time it took do complete and also iii) the mixing/mastering approach inc. the reverbs you used etc.

Cheers

Tim

Sure Time - I don't think they are 'secrets' - I am sure many here have their way to approach projects. This is one person's way

i) For me, I watch the entire project a few times. Then I'll very simply follow along improvising various themes - you know when you hit the 'right one' - for that scene (usually on the piano - but sometimes using one of the terrific VSL legato WW patches). I usually start with the 'most important scene - whatever that is. If I can capture the emotional content of that scene everything else seems to work out better.

On this project the Fight Scene (Fight of your Life) actually took me a couple of days to get right. The visuals were up and down - fighting and not fighting (ebb and flow) - it was at first difficult for me to get this 'interplay' right. The Director had some 'sacred' SOUND DESIGN stuff he wanted to be - at times - in the forefront [:'(] It's all good though - we both ended happy with the cue when it was done.

ii) On this project, I was given 2.5 weeks to write and mix (about 20 minutes of music). It was a little stressful at times (2 days the HOST PC decided to get cranky), plus I just don't write exceptionally fast. Having said that it was a good 'exercise' to test myself. Has given me some confidence to perhaps tackle othe projects that other board members here do day in and day out.

iii) Wish I had more time here - oh well. Really didn't mess around alot with EQ (some shelving of 2-4K on some of the strings - dug some mud out of the low brass (300 K). Used a couple of instances of Giga pulse (narrowed the stereo field to 35%). Had a limiter on the master buss to pick up some of the heavier percussive hits and that's about all.

Hope this helps.

Rob

Nice Stuff Rob!

Very clean, sounds like it worked great for the movie. Would love to see it sometime.

Thanks Rob

@Craig Sharmat said:

Nice Stuff Rob!

Very clean, sounds like it worked great for the movie. Would love to see it sometime.

Really wish I could have gone down to the LA area for the festival (could have stop by your place in the valley [:)] )

Sorry I missed you when you were up here (I was the 'final stretch' of this project).

Rob

Rob--

Congrats on your accomplishment. Recognition is not something to be taken for granted. Bravo!! Great score!!

Sounds really nice! [:)] Where are the other instruments from? Piano? Vocal pads? Synths? Thanks for sharing your methods with us.

Thanks for your nice comments - I appreciate it.


Janila - Aside from VSL... Piano is Kip's 24 bit Bosen, all synth stuff was Atmosphere, RMX, and a little of outboard Roland JV 1080 synth. Hope this helps.


Rob

Rob, your work is wonderfully done. You deserve the recognition. Kudos. I am inspired to try a little harder, dig a little deeper. Thank you for sharing your music, your work methods and your sucesses with us on the forum.

Just one question. Did you utilize Kai's articulation tool? How did you manage all the articulation changes? (Ok, that's two questions, but same topic.)

jim milne

@taatsiaq said:

Rob, your work is wonderfully done. You deserve the recognition. Kudos. I am inspired to try a little harder, dig a little deeper. Thank you for sharing your music, your work methods and your sucesses with us on the forum.

Just one question. Did you utilize Kai's articulation tool? How did you manage all the articulation changes? (Ok, that's two questions, but same topic.)

jim milne

Hi Jim,

Thanks for your nice comments. I am not familiar with "Kai's tool" - maybe I should know more about it [:D]

With VSL (before VI) - I just created numerous tracks per instrument to get the final set of articulations (really looking forward to the new VI).

Rob