How to write ACTION MUSIC in 60 minutes
Вставка
- Опубліковано 2 жов 2024
- Get access to the full-length video and download the Cubase project file, a MIDI file and the final music here: thinkspaceeduc...
Learn how to write action music! It's one of the most intense styles of composition and makes big demands on the composer. In this tutorial, composer Guy Michelmore shows you how it's done. So follow him through every step of the way from scratch to finished cue.
Composer Guy Michelmore brings you another real-time scoring demonstration so you can watch a piece of music take shape before your eyes. The UA-cam version is edited but the real-time version is available on the link above. If you're already on our mailing list then you will be receiving the link automatically. Enjoy!
I love this Tyrolean harp and use it all the time. Check it out.
www.weyrerton....
Guy is not paid or sponsored to make videos or use products. He only uses stuff he likes. Sample library developers often send him free software, but he only uses it on the channel if he would recommend it to a friend.
Get access to the full-length video and download the Cubase project file, a MIDI file and the final music here: thinkspaceeducation.com/signup/action-in-60-minutes/
Hey! I was just watching your BBC Orchestra Discover video for like the tenth time and this notification popped up. Thank you SO MUCH for the content you produce. I'm a hobbyist and I would never have been able connect the dots to get to get into symphonic composition without your work. A ton of UA-cam is the blind leading the blind, or just DAW tech tutorials. Having a real composer teach every aspect of music creation has helped me a ton. It helps you're a bit off your rocker too. LOVE the energy you bring to your work and teaching. Thanks Guy!
You are very welcome - Discover is cool isnt it?
@@ThinkSpaceEducation It's been great for me, and I have a project saved out similar to yours with the separate articulations. Enough voicings to get my ideas across. Not enough to confuse or distract me during composition. I'm trying to find a good reverb to use with it. There are some convolution reverbs I tried out but haven't found one I like yet.
@@evanlane1690 I use Valhalla Vintage with that Discover library. Works great IMHO.
Omg, you remind of me! Lol! "50 micro-thingies", "Jason, did you hear a noise behind the shed?"...the internal dialogue. So upbeat and playful. Super educational and informative. Love it! I want to create with the wonderful tools you have shown! I love film scoring...and more! Great job! Thank you for the giggles here and there!
Lovely work as usual, Guy! Just wanted to encourage you to keep it up, you're doing amazing things!
will do
you're welcome
Second that!
@ 20:52 - "You get the money, the drugs ...the fluffy toys...." You almost had me rolling on the floor!!!! Oh, Guy... Thank you, thank you, thank you for being you and making videos so we can learn and laugh at the same time!!!
0:29 Get the full version of this video
0:44 Start
1:04 Template
1:35 The tempo
2:37 Time signature
3:29 Couple of instances of Kontakt
4:10 Percussion
4:57 Action prep
5:30 Track delay
6:10 Adding low moving stuff
6:53 Tyrolean Harp
8:37 A little extra something. Col legno
9:21 Something really low and dull
10:28 Building on percussion
11:05 Diddley-Ump
12:16 Add reverb
13:45 Picking up the action. Changing time signature
15:00 Add low strings
16:00 Velocity
16:57 Adding brass
18:10 Low cello
19:00 Word from sponsor
19:43 Brass
20:36 Violins
21:00 Adding piano
22:48 More percussion
23:58 Section 2, step time
25:35 Keep the pulse up
27:44 Up a minor 3rd
29:10 Bring brass back in
30:20 Timpani
30:35 Violins / Harp
31:43 Back to 4/4
32:00 Muted brass
32:35 Basses
33:00 Performance
35:23 Points to take away
Thnks!!
@@thedirectorcompany As a learner, I like breaking long videos down
@@striverfor7628 Good tip!
You are one bad man!!! You wake up that creative part of my brain every time I watch your videos. Thanks for the content!
36 mins of joy on a dull windy afternoon in Brum 😃
Yeah dull and windy west sussex too
Good tune result but a question comes up. Is it done at this point for you? Also, what are your next steps for doing things like track mixing, adjusting bits of fx sends and mastering to specific loudness, etc? I have to suspect you don’t just export audio from this point and ship it to the producer. Would be nice to see a video of the final prep stages.
Of course it's not done yet, that's a rough draft... a huge amount of work still has to go in there to make it suitable. Unless of course you'll be having it played by an IRL orchestra, in which case, I guess you would be done here and "just" have to work on the sheet music you'll be giving to the players...
These videos are so helpful and funny. When I say hello to my mixer he eventually answers "drop out";-). But very useful hints of making the workflow getting better and better.
Awesome !
Please make a video about your Kontakt libraries
OMG!!!!! After watching this video, I'm happy to be stuck in the 80's, cuz, MAN!!!! That's AWESOME!
Just to say.... You are an INSPIRATION to continue on in this new, for me anyway, journey!!! 😁
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!
K
Aaaahhh so that's how the Bourne saga soundtrack was written xD
Great vid!
Hey my friend love your work Iam a music producer making hip hop trap music with orchestra. I love orchestra music so your work inspires me to further my production into making videos now thank you
27:22 - this is such a great tip that I never even thought of. I often find that the deeper into writing a track, the balance of each section can become very confusing and messy and simply rendering but to audio and increasing my volume or compression rate is such a simple way of allowing an instrument to stand out in certain parts of the cue!
Better writing is the real answer. Weirdly when you play with a real orchestra all those inner voices stand out clear as day
"Get the bag, get the money, get the drugs, get the ... ah fluffy toys - im gonna see you in the Aston" 😂😂
Thank you for this video and giving us the midi/cubase project to study. Very much appreciated.
It would be great if you could talk a bit about the harmony. I noticed that the chords are quite unusual, and there is also quite a bit of chromaticism in the piece. It would be good to explain how that adds tension to the music.
I love making filmmusic and TOTALLY LOVE your videos!!
Thank you, Guy. very fun and some new ideas. I really loved the Action unit in the Composer's Blueprint Course. Reversing the piano is still a surprize for me, even though I've seen you do it before. Thanks again!
God, I really love this man.
I have a suggestion guy,
It’s be cool if you could do a small video on counting irregular time signatures like 7/8 etc
Thank you so much for the content you produce. I’ve wanted to dabble for so long but never had the confidence. My 12 year old son has written a mini script he wants to film with his friends and he’s asked me to write a score for it 😰 with the teachings of Guy I may just stand a chance!!
Hey Guy! Could you please make a video that is all about the different quantization options in Cubase and how you use them? I notice you rarely quantize what you record even though you did in this video a few times but I'd love to know what your Cubase settings are set to when you begin. I don't see Auto-Quantize selected in the bottom.
I'm new to this and I run into timing issues a lot when I try to improvise record tracks on the fly like you do.
Thank you Guy
You make it look so easy & expensive
Love it! Feels almost Murry Gold esque.
Interested in what you said about the way it looks. Long, long (long) before computer-based composition, I was an advocate of drawing a big picture of an arrangement (even a 3 minute pop song) in order to see what was right and wrong with it. Much easier now, of course - just zoom out, scratch your chin for a bit and then cut and paste. BTW - I think you need some bongos played with beaters 😙
thanks you father 💚
Hello Guy, can you do more film scoring stuff. Really appreciate what you do. I’ve jump from Ableton to Cubase because of you. Thank you again
Mike from Texas
I'm truly hooked on all your videos. You instruct/compose in such a way the is super easy is to follow and emulate. Thank you for what you do! :D
Wonderful video, definitely some great lessons in this. I was curious if you were planning a review of Musio? I would love a comparison to Composer Cloud!
sounds very professional like arrow from the cw
Genuinely want to know what’s behind the shed. I’m invested
These tutorials are amazing, thank you so much! As a self-taught hobbyist composer I get into writing slumps very often. Your tutorials are so helpful and inspiring.
I like the term you used "Density of the piece" very interesting way of putting it..always a pleasure to wach and listen to you Guy Thank you.
I'm really thankful for these tutorials sir. You are sharing top industry level musical knowledge. Watching people like you motivates me and pushes me to learn and create more music sir. THANK YOU SIR :)
Thank you for once again creating great content.
You and Christian at spitfire audio are the ones who opened my eyes for realistic and fun orchestral programing. So inspirational!
I'm just a hobbyist who program music for the fun of it, but your videos are a huge inspiration for me. Thanks!
Superbbbbb !!!
Thanks !!!!!!!!
Thank you for letting me share your ideas again, your perspective, your way of understanding music, how you motivate people. And all that, in an extremely likeable way. More, please. Thanks Guy.
Great content, as always! Thanks, Guy 🌿
thank you!
Love it--thank you
Those thumbnails :)!! Great great video Guy!
How long does it take to go? God knows
@@ThinkSpaceEducation Keep it up! We enjoy everything you do!
11:16 Ah, qui ça!
11:31 Oui, je vois que tu veux dire.
C'est très _nice_ .
And thanks to that my French is refreshed now. Merci? :D
Love 5:10 and 13:52
Guy, I was listening to your score for Planet Hulk and I wondered if that was only produced in the box, or if a real orchestra was used (I suspect it was)?
Another absolutely awesome master class in film music composition, thank you! Cheers Dave
Think about to make more Rhytmns for Reports and Documentation…. Not all is Action and Drama… By the way I still patch Soundscapes 2.0 and 1.2 with Unify for Davinci Resolve… at the moment 1400 patches. Still a lot of questions…
@Guy Michelmore Here's a little challenge for you: write a piece of action music using only MAJOR chords 😇
33:31 It all depends where it's for. If it is specific for a film that harkens back to the old films somehow, it's good to know how to make this. And it's the basis of a hybrid score as well.
LIKE YOU RE EFFORT FOR GIVING US THIS LESSONS AND MORE INSPIRATION LIKE YOU RE VIDEOS FROM MOROCCO
Great video Guy... as always, informative and inspirational to watch.! You changed time signatures for effect. Could you do a video explaining how and why sometime in the future?
Hey guy. I might’ve missed this in the video but how do you choose a key for a piece? Or I guess, do you even consciously choose a specific key to use before making music?
I was copying files to my server as this was running. I just happened to glance across as you where laying down timpany and saw it say "4 minutes 22 seconds remaining" - Oh the irony!
Good job .
Sometimes learning this stuff can be tedious, if not boring at times. I struggle to get in the mood to learn more often then not. But with your personality and the way you approach music, the utter chaos it turns into, the hilarious remarks, the fact you have conversations with your virtual instruments... It makes it all so easily digestable and fun. I've been binging your channel as much as possible. Learning a lot and having a blast. Thank you for the vids!
You do a phenomenal job teaching music, its workings and composition, thank you very much!
27:30 reminds me of the series LOST
Hi Guy, thank you for these types of tutorials. I just took your advice and moved to Cubase from Logic. You said in a previous video, Cubase would take about 3 months to get up to speed. Do you have any tutorial suggestions to facilitate the learning curve?
Guy, thank you so much for all the amazing content. I've started producing music as a hobby for a short while, but recently came across your channel!
I'm already learning so much and having ridiculous fun! I can't wait to start building knowledge and more sample libraries with time ☺️
keep writing!
It's funny I'm about to do a fictional action movie 🎥🍿 right on time 👌ty
You’re Amazing really
Hello Guy. Thank you so much for sharing your time and knowledge with us. I am following along and absolutely loving the presentation. I realize that the SF template that you are using was in all likelihood tailored to suit the project. Would you mind telling us exactly which template that you started with. Much appreciated. Peter
I really needed that , trying to compose for one action movie scene and this gave me some tips I could use ! Thanks Guy
24:17 ....how do you activate this function in cubase? You can record and advance without pressing record button?
Great video, how to reach you uncle?
I got these instruments but i don’t know why the software doesn’t good like your do I need to buy and install some better software
Its Beltrami and Powell and Davis all rolled into one. Very cool.
Am I the only one that heard a little of the metal gear solid theme? 😆
hey Guy, pssssssssst, please please please can you solve this thing with focus - auto focus with your videos, it really hurts the eyes, maybe you mentioned something about that before, but it gives me a headache.
Brilliant. I followed along, without the files, and made a version. Can I upload it?
Guy, this is so educational and more exciting and thrilling than any action movie starring Jason and what's his name!
Mto bom seus vídeos meu amigo. Ganhou um fã, aprendendo mto com você. Obrigado.
For some reason, instead of 3 bassoons in the template, a contrabass clarinet sounds)))
Why are you using auto focus? Looks like you are on one place all the time. Now are you out of focus sometimes. So turn of auto focus :)
Because with MF I do move around way too much and its even worse. I used to do it that way. The AF on the EV10 works pretty well most of the time but sometimes stuggles in lower light.
27:49 I agreee… Indeed, if you want to last a bit longer, it’s preffered for it to go up 😂
Does Logic Pro has something like Steptime??
You’re a talented Guy! 👏🏻
Another brilliant “generic” composing tutorial! 😂
more to come
I can totally hear the James Bond theme dropped into this!😂
Terrific as usual Guy. Gives me inspiration.
Playing some Competitive Overwatch games while listening to this video... much action... and I must say... my team won both games during the length of this video lol very inspiring
Micro -thingees… I’m gonna use that!
Nice but a lot of expensive plug ins are used.
120 bpm is marching tempo.
7:20 I....was that the Dune motif?
Great work thank you for those insights ❤
You must actually study the kgf movie.. bgm ..it's really something new with epic percussion and bad ass.you may find some techniques...it's actually world class becuz 400 musicians and 20 sound producer and Berlin orchestra worked with the sound scoring in movie... although the mind behind bgm is Ravi basrur.
I am now hyped up for my action packed day lol
i just love him
So far, for orchestra I 've got Kontakt stock (...), Presonus Presence XT (already better), Project SAM Symphobia 1 & 2 and to an extend Output Analog Strings & Analog Brass & Winds. Sooner or later I'll flesh out what I need. If anyone has an idea for something relatively affordable, preferably for Kontakt and NKI - feel free to reply. (For this I guess Action Strings & Action Strikes in More Komplete / Actually Komplete are also great. Yeah, I don't like to call 'em Ultimate & Collector). Nevertheless, I still learn from these videos and thanks a lot for this since I was interested in this particular type of music writing.
Wow, somehow you are to take a lifetime of work and discipline that composers go through and squash it down to a half hour of “fast food” mediocrity. PLEASE stop doing this. At best you’re misleading people as to what composers do, at worst you’re insulting us.
I’m struck by, after a century of jazz, rock, and heavy metal, that we still have to go back to strings to get certain feelings of power, drama, and violence.
This piece reminds me of Paul Haslinger from the motion picture 'Vacancy', for some reason. Enjoyed the tutorial!
Hi Guy, I see that you are using a different reverb for every section, could you make a video on his to set this up in Cubase? I wasn't able to use this on my old iMac with 8 GB, but now I'm the proud owner of a Mac Studio with 64 GB (!), I want to go the full length of a good template setup!
If you work with stems you need separate reverb for each one.
@@ThinkSpaceEducation so not when I only do full mix audio exports?
fantastic, thank you Guy
This video would make a perfect drinking game: Drink each time something happened behind the scens like new tracks have a pervious recording on them or Guy enters a signature change at bar 15 and seconds later its magically shiftet to bar 16 ... :D
Guy, at about 16:50 you mention the predictability of action cues, which is absolutely true. But why do directors, music editors - and indeed - composers rely on Hollywood cliché's? Laziness? Afraid of sounding 'too arty'?
I think its also to do with what we the public expect - the action cue only sounds like an action cue because it sounds similar to the others. Tom Holkenbergs Deadpool 1 was a fantastic example of breaking the mould
I mean a part of it is just cliches work, that's why they're cliches
Hello again, Guy. Do you plan to do a video about the use of time signature changes. And also a video about tempo changes.
Hello Guy,
I love your videos. They help me to progress in music and to work on the English language.
I would love to see you do a collaboration with UA-camr guitarist Ola Englund. Adding Swedish metal guitars to this production would be wonderful.
And that might make meeting two audiences a little different.
Thanks for sharing all your knowledge. It makes the world a better place.
Best regards
This gentleman is like a juiced up version of Mick Fleetwood ...
Really enjoyed that. Need to get back into recording and get educated on the new toys out there. That software sounds incredible! Anybody have a list of what Guy's using?