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Showreel 1

Thu, 08/09/2007 - 14:02 — Alan

Here is a brief selection of some of the music that Award Sounds has created over the few years as well as some musical ideas that I'd created before that. As I move through the library, I'll upload the better material so you'll see an improvement in the quality of composition and production over time. This first crop of excerpts go back about 3 years.

I fully intend to include further examples of work and to separate the music into different styles. My aim is to have a showreel file each for orchestral, jazz, rock, acoustic and electronic. There will also be separate files for some that didn't make the grade for one reason or another and a discussion of why they didn't. And there will be some that I felt worth showing because they have some essence that works, either an energy, a style or captured the mood of the time.

All of these are copyright Award Sounds unless a different license is explicitly mentioned. For a license to distribute or to commission bespoke compositions, please contact Award Sounds.

The file is Award Sounds Website 01.mp3

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Award Sounds Website 01.mp34.09 MB

Comments

Thu, 08/09/2007 - 14:41 — Alan

caveats

Probably worth me bringing out the caveats about the first showreel:

The orchestral instruments are sampled. I know they're sampled. chances are you do as well. Especially if you've heard the brass section. The resulting sound would always be better with a real, live, well-recorded orchestra. I don't have access to one of those for demo purposes, so I use samples and I'm open about it.

The sound achieved by the samples could be better either with a more articulate sample set (read as "bigger and more expensive"), a sample set specific to the instruments involved or by spending more effort choosing the correct sample for each note. All 3 options are viable; I've gone someway towards the third, by making the overall timbre sound more orchestral than what comes out of the box. But I didn't go all the way and complete it. The musical idea is there to be refined for a client and I see little point spending a lot of time refining the use of sampled instruments when it would always sound better recording a real orchestra. I acknowledge that some clients cannot afford real orchestras and sample sets come into their own assuming that their license allows distribution in the way that the client wishes it.

Some of the guitar sounds were recorded through DI. That's not my preferred route, I much preferred sticking a microphone or two in front of a nice amplifier. As much as I prefer all-valve, if it's a solid-state amp that presents the tone I'm looking for, then I'll use that. Same goes as for the orchestral pieces, these will probably stay as DI'd recordings until I can see a reason to re-record or re-amp using a real amp.

I like dissonance, although I prefer harmony. I think of it like feedback between an electric guitar and the amplifier. When controlled it can be great. When uncontrolled, it's absolutely dire. I'm aware of the dissonance in the first piece. I like how the two guitars are in harmony at times and drift at others. It's like a dance of two dancers where they move closer and further away depending on the story they're portraying. I'm convinced that that particular piece is unsuitable for most clients, but for some, the "listen to me, I'm here" effect of the dissonance may be just the ticket.