This week has been seriously insane, work-wise. I took on a bunch of stuff, partly because I like “makin’ dat cheddar”, but also to prove to myself I could handle it.
The downside is it’s left me with precious little time to blog for you folks. So, here comes another quick update!
Update One: New Song!
That’s right – To Arms! has been officially released, and is now available on SoundCloud! This is my second release in the fantasy orchestral genre, and I’m super happy with how it turned out.
I decided to go with something shorter and more compact this time, partly because it’s stressful filling out 7 minutes of space, and partly because halfway through I got a suggestion I was excited to try.
Which brings me to my next project…
Update Two: Scoring For A Trailer!
Don’t get too excited – I’m not being paid to do this. But one of the studios I’m working with suggested I try this out, to see if it’s something that strikes my fancy.
So I grabbed a trailer off YouTube and removed the audio so I wouldn’t be biased towards making a certain kind of sound. Then I started making my own trailer music overtop the video.
Scoring for video has forced me to think about composition in different ways from how I’m used to, but I gotta say, I’ve been loving it.
For one thing, I love how music has the power to communicate a story or an idea. And what better way to musically communicate a story than through film?
This doesn’t I won’t be making songs anymore – in fact, I’m hoping what I learn through this project will ultimately help me create more interesting music for y’all.
Update Three: MORE Stagehand Work!
While I’ve been working with Rockbound Productions for the past month, I recently started taking shifts with IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees) as well.
When most people think of stagehand work, they typically picture setting up lights, configuring audio equipment, moving props around etc., when really at least 50% of the job is this:
Still, the part that isn’t just manual labour has a lot of potential: I’ve been learning a lot about how audio and lighting is setup and used in various events and concerts, while actually making some money along the way.
The best part is how willing everyone is to teach you what they know, so you just naturally get involved with more and more projects as you add new skills to the resume.
On that note, you can expect more thoughts/tips on being a stage hand over the next few months.
Update Four: The Golden Ears Patch
For those of you wanting to improve your ear for music and sound, I’ve saved the best for last.
A month or two ago, I was lent several CDs from the Golden Ears training program. They used to cost a LOT of money, and they’ve been great for helping me hear subtle changes in music.
Problem is, all the answers are pre-recorded, and some of the content is, shall we say… Dated.
So, I did some research, sweated and swore at my DAW a bit, and ended up producing a patch that tests your hearing by boosting or attenuating random frequency ranges.
The best part is the answers are random each time, AND you can just drop in any song or sound you want to practice with!
I’m most of the way through producing an instructional video on how to do it, so you can expect that to come out sometime next week. Later, musicophiles!