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Composing for Strings (Part 1) - Studio Time: S2E1
In this episode, I discuss how I wrote a key theme for the film "Brimstone". I'll explore the melody, how I transcribed it for strings, some notes on harmony, and finally show you the final result with the recorded orchestra. I'll also discuss the various plug-ins I use.
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C O N N E C T
www.junkiexl.com
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In case you missed it, you can revisit Season 1 here:
• STUDIO TIME: SEASON 1
Пікірлер: 1 000
We living in good times man. Could you have imagined like 10 years ago, an actual successful working composer bringing out free tutorials like this. Should never take this stuff for granted. Thank you Junkie XL!!
@Ex0rz
6 жыл бұрын
Wtf is your problem Stones Jones? He was thanking Junkie XL for giving such a insightful tutorial out for free. The Hans Zimmer masterclass costs like 100$/€. So yes Junkie XL could ask money for these tutorials, but he doesnt.
@MJamesIII
6 жыл бұрын
Troy Picasso amen to that
@MJamesIII
6 жыл бұрын
If the FCC gets what they want, this will not be free too much longer. I do not take this for granted.
@puvididdle
6 жыл бұрын
Troy Picasso amen
@barryballer
6 жыл бұрын
Fuckin A man. Junkie XL is truly an inspiration. I very much believe that these tutorials will fuel the next generation of film composers that never would have had these kind of resources... I watched Hans' masterclass, it wasn't bad. but it pales in comparison to the depth that Junkie brings in his youtube library. What a time to be alive.
So while watching this, around 16:40, I sneezed, Mr Junkie XL said “bless you”, I then freaked out and paused the video and literally went crazy. I played it again and found out that his assistant sneezed at the same time I did 😂😂
@MRGI0RGI0
3 жыл бұрын
and then you realized that ....You were actually is assistant ! *Inception horns.mp3 plays*
@VAIBHAVSINGHMUSIC
3 жыл бұрын
@@MRGI0RGI0 .mp3 was intentional? :p
@MRGI0RGI0
3 жыл бұрын
@@VAIBHAVSINGHMUSIC absolutely!
@jasonmacomber4020
3 жыл бұрын
We live in the matrix!!!
@reginaldd.paperstacks194
4 ай бұрын
Oh the spaghetti
He's a very busy man. So giving us these lengthy videos in order to share his knowledge and experience to us is really generous of him. Thank you, Mr. Tom.
Wonderful. The words "...when you write for strings you should write melody lines, don't write chord patches..." should be written above every orchestration tutorial on KZread.
@HaharuRecords
3 жыл бұрын
Noted🤗
@Medievil7
3 жыл бұрын
Could you be a little more detailed here? I've seen people writing multiple voices on individual string sections quite often. Do you guys mean, that the section cannot play more than one voice at a time, or is it just unrealistic sounding mock-up?
@smiley122688
3 жыл бұрын
@@Medievil7 if you want your arrangement to be played by a real orchestra or ensemble, you can either write one voice for each individual section, or you can do what is called « divisi » which is traditionally done on the violin section but can be done on any section. It just splits the players between several melodic lines within the same section. But if you are writing on software you can do whatever you like. But i think the debate here was more on the individual melody lines that come together to form the harmony: they should all sound like some kind of melody on their own opposed to just being chord tones that come together as a block.
@Medievil7
3 жыл бұрын
@@smiley122688 Okey! But when writing on software, on a section, you can't really divide the players. I was wondering how many composers do write more voices on individual sections, when trying to achieve the most realistic orchestral mock-up...
@smiley122688
3 жыл бұрын
@@Medievil7 i use a library called BBC symphony orchestra from spitfire audio where the violins are split into Violins 1 and 2 so i can write 5 parts harmony for strings which is more than enough i think. Another thing i’ve seen composers do is to write everything on one patch and then manually arrange each voice on every section. If you want the most accurate and realistic sound i guess you should write one voice on each section as otherwise it would sound like you have twice more players in that section when you add a second voice!
I am truly curious who dislikes a video like this. This guy is taking time out of his day, and FOR FREE putting up a video online to help us out. Haha. There are some interesting people out there.
@julko28
7 жыл бұрын
I second that. You give them fist they take your whole arm if you dig me... cccc some people
@rogeriosobreira2597
7 жыл бұрын
True that! I truly think this would TOTALLY worth a masterclass series like Hans Zimmer did.
@fabiandeka4221
7 жыл бұрын
Dislike everything & everyone is the new century job
@nirvanafan21191
7 жыл бұрын
Batman v Superman haters probably. Was thinking the same thing in all seriousness. Let's just agree they're not worth anyone's time.
@Wazatsc
7 жыл бұрын
they dislike because of jealousy
I still visit these videos. I've composed a lot since 2017 and each time I come back the information means something different. The content is so motivating.
This is what the Hans Zimmer Masterclass course should've been like
@teedouble
7 жыл бұрын
YES! Hanz did more talking than actually showing techniques and such.
@jimphillips6379
7 жыл бұрын
I've actually loved Hans' Masterclass. For me his class been about inspiration, approach, logic, collaborative relationships and creativity (to name a few elements). I love Tom's videos as well! Together, they represent a true Masterclass indeed.
@TheShaunedney
7 жыл бұрын
No one wants people like you here.
@95TurboSol
7 жыл бұрын
I enjoyed Has' class but I too was a little disappointed it wasn't more in depth
@CompositeNation
7 жыл бұрын
I know how you feel man but everything is relative, are different kind of teachings, i do learned a lot from Hanz course tho, but this Toms tutorial is priceless!
Really wish I had discovered this before paying USD $90 for Hans Zimmer's 8-hour long interview on Materclass...
@skyzenskyluke5880
7 жыл бұрын
Pat Tremblay how it was ? was Masterclass worth it ??
@PatFlanigan
7 жыл бұрын
In my opinion, it's not worth it. While it was very interesting to get inside Hans' world and get to know him better, there wasn't anything in there that resembles what Tom is doing in this series. I signed up for that Masterclass looking for straight forward how-to's, tutorials, etc. and Hans' course is much broader, more ideological, borderline philosophical. It's very inspiring, but I would much rather have paid $90 USD for a course like Tom's.
@AndreyRubtsovRU
7 жыл бұрын
no
@Ex0rz
6 жыл бұрын
Yeah I almost shat my pants when I saw theres gonna be a Zimmer masterclass. Glad I never actually bought it... I have also heard that its not really Hans doing the tunes, its people like Junkie XL who do the techincal stuff and Hans is just the mastermind behind the compositions. Like giving the ideas to other people...
@Ex0rz
6 жыл бұрын
Pat Flanigan Yeah Im with you on that one. I really dont need help in finding inspiration and ideas etc. What I really need is someone teaching me how to orchestrate etc.
Absolutely wonderful and generous of you to share your valuable time, knowledge, enthusiasm and to tell the detailed story of how you work. And all for Free. Legendary. Thanks so very much Tom.
This is gold. Thanks so much for sharing your creative process for us young composers!
Total humility and honesty - mistakes included - no breast beating just pure talent sharing and caring..... playing it forward! Thank you very much for your time and enthusiasm.
The most comprehensive tutorial I've seen. Great teaching style for all abilities. More of these please.
Wow wow, how the live orchestra at the end just made that 10x more emotional, incredible and powerful. What a transformation. May we always continue to have live musicians and players, and hope the day of fully digital never comes.
When I first starting watching this channel my first reaction was cynical and snarky. Who is this.. the Elvis remix guy? What's he going to teach me about film scoring? But because Tom is not classically trained and probably self taught, he's kind of one of us. Or me at least. That's why his videos are good. He doesn't patronize. And as mentioned by others, his enthusiasm and generosity just make this gold.
Dear Tom, you’re obviously VERY experienced technologically as many of the new generation techies are BUT what is nice and heart warming is that you are a TRUE MUSICIAN! Thank you for your time and dedication!
Thank you Tom! This is how I am about my craft with others - sharing, showing, discussing, relating. It's a rarity in this world and I thank you for taking the time to share your craft with us!
@junkiexlmusic
7 жыл бұрын
Thank you!
21:24! AWESOME point, so often overlooked, it seems. (Instead of just "chord tone" movement between sections.) Much indebted to your awesome lesson action maestro!
@mupicap7927
5 жыл бұрын
Never tho bout that one.
Really love Tom's videos. Anyone else hear the opening phrase sounds very similar to a phrase in Furiosa's theme?
Incredible video. My god. I was just going through some old projects and stumbled across one that was string oriented but done real rushed and sloppy, with amateur mixing. I produce hip hop and trap, so I stepped away from music scoring but I always loved my string sections. So I remastered this old track with my new repertoire of skills and redeemed this old track. I went all in, spent about 3.5 hours or more just meddling with the volume, expression, velocity and it came out just so beautiful. I felt something was missing, so I went on KZread, found this video and discovered I had 99% nailed it. Self taught over many years, but then I discovered one simple thing in this video, that second volume parameter you utilize. It clicked, and I applied this to the track I mentioned and I fell in love with string sections again ;) Thank you. I was getting sick of trap.
I took classical composition and orchestration courses 30 years ago while doing my bachelor degree in music. This is right up there with the best orchestrators of classical and romantic periods and explained in simple and clear language. Thank you sir for sharing your knowledge and experience like that. If I may suggest, a similar tutorial on writng for brass would also be absolutely wonderful.
Like a magician revealing the secrets of his magic tricks! "Beauty Never Fades" is always with me on my little player, and Mad Max music too, yet from the moment i saw your studio i just can't wait for golden ticket lottery to your "Chocolate Factory". Probably only people like Armin van Buuren have a chance to win one, but even watching him to be amazed and see his reaction was delightful. From dance music, to movie scores, to teaching. Can't give more than that. Thank you Master :)
This was the first video of Tom's studio time that I've watched a year ago or so. Now I'm coming back to it and it's incredible. How much my perception has changed since then. Even when you feel like time is stale, in fact it never is. Even inside your mind you're constantly learning (especially if you have interests besides just being idle). Back then Kontakt libraries sounded amazing to me, and the orchestra felt kind of like just a cleaner sound. Today libs sound like MIDI compared to the real orchestra. But the latter still sounds cleaner and simpler, all that genious is also simple :) Although there's new depth to that sound to me. As for the harmony - main thing that bought my attention year ago - I wish Tom or someone else would've explained the modal change in the second half of the last part, where we have D# and F# right after we were in D minor. Also the size of the notes and the rythm is also of interest. Overall, amazing journey with Tom. P.S.: I'm thinking we're coming from D harmonic minor to A lydian, correct me if I'm wrong.
wild you look like my old choir teacher who taught me a lot about choir building. I was bass singer in the choir and learned a lot about harmonies i was in the choir for 8 years. that only took 20 years to and my own music studio and now I've forgotten it all,but watching your videos and it all comes back again, love the way you compose it goes right into my heart.
I've observed countless conversations about which string library blah blah blah but in Tom's hands one of the older, cheaper libraries ( Cinematic strings - probably CS2)sounds incredible and full of expression all down to his brilliant writing. A true master here..
I just wanted to say that I really apprechiate these kind of videos and seeing a good composer explaining his thoughts is really inspiring and helpful. Thank you :3
@TheRoundHound
4 жыл бұрын
a GOOD ? composer. How underwhelming your characterization of this MASTER composer! Check out his London Suite in C Major - that is a work of genius. Period. Thanks Tom for generously sharing your process with us. We are very fortunate that you are taking the time to do this.
As someone who learns visually, this is fantastique!
I truly appreciate it when a very talented musician with lots of useful and insightful information takes his time to post stuff like this on KZread... good stuff
As an aspiring part time musician, this is one of the best things I've ever come across online. Its a treasure trove of knowledge and inspiration. Thank you Tom and greetings from Belgium.
Awesome material here.. very well done for the walk-through too.. so great to hear it from the first seeds right through to live recording. The fact you invest so much time into these videos, and with such transparency on your process and methods is inspiring Tom. Very grateful, and now itching to see the next one!
Amazing studio/synthesiser heaven, Must be an absolute joy to work in.
@vaid.
6 жыл бұрын
15:22
I'm starting my piano studies today, thanks to your videos and amazing songs. And I intend to compose soundtracks, thank you for sharing your knowledge with us. My great inspiration is your music. Thank you for giving us your beautiful songs. I hope soon to be able to compose my tracks. the video is already old, but its music and art is timeless Thank you so much junkie!
Before i hit play i just want to say thank you for taking the time out to provide us with such knowledge and information. Im a music producer bridging into film scoring and to see you do something so helpful just shows how you truly have a great spirit.
Thank you for sharing your experience. it's priceless
I found this quite helpful and very enjoyable to watch! Junkie XL is the man!!
It was a new thing to me, that one shouldn't write chord patches for strings. I've fallen into that mistake many times, but luckily I bumped into this video! So much valuable information here
I hope I can be as cool as you - from a trance producer to Hans Zimmer's best wingman to film score industry's biggest star. You are my idol, pure inspiration.
This is one of the best youtube videos I have ever seen. On top of being incredibly talented, obviously, you're also genuine & passionated. It is so easy to see that you have a million things to say about this piece, and that you just want to give. But you know when to stop, you know you can't explain everything so you let the music talk, and that's just beautiful. I don't know anything about creating music, and having a chance to see a glimpse of the process, a glimpse of your mind really, was exilarating. Being from Belgium, the part where you talk about the terrorist attack hit pretty hard, especially with a soundtrack like that. Thank you, subscribed, 10/10, will come again.
Love from India ... Sir thanks fr be so kind towards learners
Looking back at this just open my eyes 👀 and I understand much better.
hi i m from india, it is really a mesmerising moment to see you working on writing strings. and at last whole impact was superb. thanks .
Its amazing that this is FREE...got no money for knowledge. But this....i love it. Keep up the great videos. Schöne Grüße aus Deutschland ;)
Like Vangelis, Tom knows the key to getting emotional instrument performances using a keyboard is in the volume fluctuations. Vangelis used pedals and Tom here is using faders.
@orbitalchiller
7 жыл бұрын
That's why i miss my DX7, one of the best emotional synth ever... Not only the sound but the semi-weighted keys and awesome velocity range really is on your side to input sensibility.
@alexanderdelacruz9249
7 жыл бұрын
Scott Wozniak I prefer faders, pedals are hard to control for me.
@ScottWozniak
7 жыл бұрын
Faders are cool, but pedals keep both hands free to play the keyboard.
@petrus7977
7 жыл бұрын
Guess it depends on what your are most familiar with as well as if your live or in the studio. Live you´ll probably need both hands free, in the studio you may be more accurate with your hand on a fader.
@YoungSlim51
6 жыл бұрын
I use faders to control velocity and volume as well for compositions. makes a huge difference.
Came back up say this soundtrack is your best I’ve heard from you for me, it just speaks…
I have no words!!! Just keep in doing these tutorials. Are truly helping!!
Cubase is absolutely the BEST DAW for Scoring, Film and Composing! Thank you Junkie for this wonderful Vid! :)
@gapaification
6 жыл бұрын
try reaper and logic
@eman0828
5 жыл бұрын
Don't forget about Cakewalk Sonar and Neuendo. Studio One is much better though as it was originally written by the same programmers that wrote Cubase and Neuendo.
@icekurimu1688
5 жыл бұрын
FLstudio
@thankyoumisterspell
5 жыл бұрын
nah audacity
@romaric9874
5 жыл бұрын
Garageband is the best 😛
I love the hard work you guys put into this, Thank you JXL and the team! I have two feedbacks to give to the production team. Please, level out all the JXL speech audio, some clips louder than others. Then please get the Workstation audio higher. I have to dial up the volume when he plays or show notes playing, then quickly dial down when he speaks. I have balanced monitors :) I remember when JXL showed us Mad Max percussion the drums would blast into my walls, and speech was same level. I understand this is strings only too. Hope this was constructive and will be considered for the next uploads! :D Other then that brilliant work can't wait for the next stuff. Nice story to the score too gives it a dimension Cheers from Bruseels - Belgium, Reda
Still one of the best insights and records of how J works and how this lovely piece of music where built, from the ground up. I think this is the fifth time I see it, and it still gets me going - into the studio and into some rabbit hole of melodies and arrangements. Great work J!
I feel like I just found a gold mine. thank you so much!
Great video. Really appreciate the improved production quality. Cheers!
I hope you will teach us aggressive spicatto like what you used in Mad Max.
Can't thank you enough for taking the time to explain how you composed for strings, very helpful and omg i would love to blink myself in your studio and play for a day what fun that would be!
I love the fact that you paused everything to say bless you.
Amazing! Looking forward to the rest of the video's :) Btw, the audio of the computer was a bit low compared to your voice, i had to turn up my volume whenever you let us hear something, maybe something to look after.
13:15 how i react when i hear good music.
@bareunpark
4 жыл бұрын
yep that made chuckle pretty hard lol. thank you for that
Tom thank you so much for taking the time and choosing to share such great stuff with it. You'll probably never read this but we really appreciate it!
Thank you Junkie XL! Your videos are really helping all aspiring musicians to increase their knowledge on composing and I really appreciate the fact that you're sharing these tips and techniques for free. Thank you!
Music needs to be louder relative to voice in the videos mix
@manolonger
7 жыл бұрын
His music is very dynamic, rise the volume when needed, it shoudn´t be a problem with a decent set of monitors.
@mvh2275
7 жыл бұрын
天照 I felt the music level was perfect. (?)
@johnespy585
6 жыл бұрын
Manuel Tomas this is exactly what I kept doing lol everytime he stopped the Music I would lower the volume when he spoke 😅
Is it in any way important what all these harmonies are (d minor, g etc...)? i dont know anything about harmonies, i cant read or play notes, but i create similar emotional melodies out of my brain that sound great in my ears, i play on keyboard chords and melodies automatically that has no mistakes / i hear when there is a note that does not fit. Would i improve my skill of composing by learning all the harmony-theorie? What do you think? or should i just continue creating own melodies without theorie? One more question, is it little bit indirect talent of me or is everyone who only listens to music able to catch every bad note? i think everyone would hear bad / not fititng notes or melodies isnt it? Thanks for the great video anyway, nice to see how you compose step by step.
@Koenteboent
5 жыл бұрын
Is it important to know music theory? Not if your current workflow suits you. If you want to improve your workflow, you should look into music theory. It doesn't make you a "better" musician, but it helps you understand how music works, and with that knowledge you can improve your scores. Making music is all about the feeling of it. It doesn't matter how it's made.
@romaric9874
5 жыл бұрын
Theorybis good to experiment new things ( or old thing wrote by the others )
Thank you so much. Just realized how lucky we are to get that knowledge that easily. Thanks for your time sir.
Thank you so much Tom! Very informative and a detailed walk-through on how to score for strings. Look forward to more such tutorials! You're a fantastic teacher. Cheers!
well THATS more like it. Gear is boring, composing is super exciting.
@positronalpha
7 жыл бұрын
kimseniorb Check out Rick Beato's videos.
@kimseniorb
7 жыл бұрын
checked him, but they're not DAW handson kinda vids.
@positronalpha
7 жыл бұрын
kimseniorb Fair enough. Beato is awesome for the theory, though. But his vids are very dense, especially for people like me who have no theoretical background :).
@amnesiasounds
7 жыл бұрын
Clearly you haven't used enough gear to fall in love yet
@kimseniorb
7 жыл бұрын
these are just tools, nothing more. inspiring, exciting, but tools. everybody can buy a synth, very few can make a touching piece of music with it. I'm not against gear, but everybody's talking about it, thats why I'm more interested in the process and reasons behind making decisions in music, its just a lot more interesting to me, personally.
Thanks Tom, this is an excellent example of the subtle requirements of composing for film. Can't wait for part two.
Today you make me happy. In some passages I cry for the vibration of the arrangement. Thanks man 🙏
just discovered you studio time series via some sponsored link on facebook. i have to tell you that like many others, im impressed that at your level, you take the time to show all this. it's priceless. I've been myself among the 90's pioneers of electronic music but my heart belongs to classical music and movies score since my childhood. i can't thank you enough for the time you spend on sharing your work with us. 👍 Guillaume - Lunatic Asylum.
Hi Tom, Your series is incredible and I've learned so much from your video conversations. From me to you - thank you so much for your kindness and generosity. You are truly appreciated.
Thank you for all your sharing, I am a cinematographer but write music on my off time and just so great to learn from someone in a similar field who understand story telling through music.
Awesome insight into your process, thank you for sharing!
Amazing how close the CS strings sounded to the final live strings. The stereo image however, was much more pronounced with the live strings, but I think playing with the mic options might also solve that too. But I know now what my next library will be :)
You sir are too generous! Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge and passion with us.
This piece and the Furiousa one are very beautiful. Famous or not his compositions are awesome and he gets paid to do what he does and is demonstrating his process for free so yes I'm all ears.
How can ANYONE click DISLIKE on a video like this. The guy is putting his heart and soul into teaching people techniques and people are disliking this??? WTF.
Just discovering this serie !! so amazed so happy !! THANKS
One of the most important workshops I ever seen.God bless Your job and passion.Thank You for sharing Your knowledge
This man is a god send! Very helpful seeing how a composer brings things to life
Thank you so much @junkiexofficial for doing these videos. It means so much for us fans and aspiring artists.
I'm so grateful to you for taking the time to share your process with us. This is so helpful. Thanks Tom
This is gold to us composers!!! Your composition is beautiful and the fact that you take the time to go through its conception speaks volumes about your generosity (and talent!!!). Thank you very much for sharing. Greetings from Argentina.
As a musician into film scoring...this is great stuff....u tha man!!!!
I'm so impressed not only by your talent and skills, but also by your gear! What a great studio to work in! Thanks for sharing your knowledge and talent, Tom!
I like what you said about string players enjoying playing melodies. When I write parts I always try to think if the player would be actually interested in playing this.
Thanks for giving up your time to do this. Really interesting to see how you work.
going through a rough time in my life and the music hit me pretty hard. Thank you
Oh my Gosh, I'm out of words. What a class! Thank you for showing your tecniques...I am a composer starting to use virtual instruments now, so this class was VERY helpful.
sooo gorgeous music... start to finish
Wow!... As a movie lover, it would be so weird watching a movie without the score. Much respect!
This is one of the best tutorials I've seen on KZread. Love this composition. Thank you so much for taking the time do this. Cheers from Italy 🇮🇹
This guy is offering GOLD!!!
Thanks for showing the behind the scene and how you do things! Really loved this composition, reminds me of some of my favorite British pastoral music that I love so much... Cheers, Max T.
I loved this. Thanks for showing us the technique and subtlety you use to create your music. Loved hearing the real orchestra at the end. Live musicians still are winning!
Great video, everyone that watches this def needs to have the fundamentals music theory as a requisite. He talks about questions and resolution in phrases and key modulating and chord inversion. It’s not for beginners, but a good read through a level 1 theory book can help make more sense of the video. Thank you JunkieXL!
These videos are so so valuable thank you so much!
Love junkie xl's taste in music.
thank you very very much for this, it's more than a tutorial, so helpful, very rare to find a real classical composer taking his time to share his knowledge and sensitivity, your piece is beautiful
Zoveel geweldige musici waar ik dankbaar tips van zie en hoor, zoals Guy Michelmore en Christian Henson. Maar het is wel fijn om even een Nederlander aan het woord te laten. Thanx Junkie XL :)
The 2nd part of the melody is reminiscent of John Barry's score for "Out Of Africa" loved this video. Turned on so many lights for me. Can't wait to apply some of these in my next work! Thank you!!
Really helpful that you explained a little bit about your use for the expression, modulation and the volume.
Thank you for taking the time to show how you work... Love the sound of the session strings but when i heard the live sound, man oh man... I just felt even more of the emotion... Lovely arrangement and keep up the good work..
I remember being if front with my then gf (shes my wife now), in Nighttown Rotterdam when Tom was out with Rudeboy. I still own the cd Saturday Teenage Kick. His career took such a cool flight, doing all these scores! Tom is what I would call Dutch Glory.
This is the best half an hour I have ever spent KZread! Thanks for this great tutorial, Tom.
Wonderful! You are absolutely right, the violas really give life to the piece.