I was a member of the choir that performed on the Tron soundtrack. I was a music student at UCLA at the time and performing in the UCLA Chorus and Men’s Glee Club. They ended up taking all the different UCLA choral groups and combined them into one giant choir. We were recorded inside Royce Hall at UCLA. In the center of the auditorium they put a giant piece of plywood across the audience seats and then put all their recording and mixing equipment on top of it. We were all up on stage. I remember thinking, “What the hell is this weird dissonant stuff we’re singing? There aren’t even any words.” It was both a weird and awesome experience at the same time. Seeing it all come together on the big screen was really cool, because we had no idea how any of it was going to be used. However, it was sad to see that we were never listed on the end credits.

Alex, you’re really special amongst the “synth KZreadr” crowd. These videos must take an immense amount of time and effort to put together. They’re always interesting and a true pleasure to watch. Thank you for making these for us.

@AlexBallMusic

8 ай бұрын

Thank you! Yes, these take a lot of effort which is why I haven't made that many. I'm hoping to make them part of the broad rotation of what I do, so wish me luck!

@joda4063

8 ай бұрын

Good luck then 😊

@davidharrison5873

8 ай бұрын

@@AlexBallMusic They're also really inspiring. The Escape from New York and Predator videos you did led to listening, practice and experimentation that have left residue on all music I've done since. They're my favourite of your videos (as well as the Prodigy one, but only because it gave me hope that I might manage to sell my U-220 one day).

@wingflanagan

8 ай бұрын

@@davidharrison5873 Hear, hear! What about Tangerine Dream's score for _Sorcerer?_ An extremely underrated film from William Friedkin. It did poorly at the boxoffice, but it's a terrific film with a brilliant score.

@AlexBallMusic

8 ай бұрын

​@@wingflanaganGreat minds. That is actually on the list. 😀

Wendy Carlos was a trailblazer in so many aspects of her life. Absolute legend and an inspiration to us all.

@AMOKIAN

8 ай бұрын

The Shining, might be the eeriest score ever….hahah. Just hearing it..brings chills.

@thereallightwarrior906

7 ай бұрын

A shame the entertainment industry patronizes mental illness, though. But when Satan gains control, and the greedy take over, you get indulgence, self indulgence, excessive excess, and balance and moderation go out the window. Which is probably how you get good art. And Tron’s score was definitely that.

@paulhunter6742

4 ай бұрын

Do you know if Wendy Carlos was transgender? I recall name Walter Carlos until about middle 1970s.

@milozimben

4 ай бұрын

Was? She's still around and doing great

@SarahMaywalt

4 ай бұрын

@@milozimben Not "was" like she passed. "Was" like I'd say Roger Federer was one of the greats.

"Not skilled enough", he says, just before playing an astounding rendition of the main theme. I absolutely love this soundtrack, so thank you for making this.

@AlexBallMusic

8 ай бұрын

Thanks! It's not quite right, but I enjoyed doing a version of it.

@wingflanagan

8 ай бұрын

You wanna hear "not skilled enough"? That would be me attempting _Chopsticks!_

The TRON soundtrack is truly one of the coolest and most nostalgic film themes. I love seeing anyone talk about it!

@AlexBallMusic

8 ай бұрын

Yeah, gorgeous writing. Love the unexpected chord changes that somehow work.

@Waldemar_la_Tendresse

7 ай бұрын

I love the sequel soundtrack as well. A sequel to this video maybe? 😉

I have studied Carlos's Tron scoring too, previously. Her sophisticated compositional style is both original and inspirational and really highlights just how restricted much of contemporary electronic music is. Its is extremely rare for today's synthesists to be fluent in the harmonies, modulation techniques and free form phrasing she employs. There is infinite untapped potential for those prepared to study and eventually master these challenging aspects of music making when combining them with the novel sounds of modern synthesizers.

@biltrex

8 ай бұрын

Yes, it flirts with dissonance, it has odd time signatures, it has very non-standard modulations.... it's so many things recent EDM is not. She makes it seem easy, but I don't think it is. There were a lot of big choices she made in this film, but she chose correctly each time. We accept this score. It becomes another character in the film. She was the perfect person at the perfect time with the perfect background and skills to bring what this film needed.

@Mattieval

Ай бұрын

A perfect encapsulation of this is the the jarring contrast of the Tron 2 score by comparison. It uses such cliché chord progression as the main theme and in general Daft Punk did a musically much more simplistic job.

This is FANTASTIC. Thang you so much !!!. She is such a giant . I was lucky enough to talk to her on the phone for over an hour in 83 whilst I was in NYC. Lovely lady.

@AlexBallMusic

8 ай бұрын

Hi Ed! That's fantastic, I'd love to hear that story. I got your message, I'll send you an email.

After hearing about the convoluted recording setup, I have a newfound appreciation for my DAW lol.

@AlexBallMusic

8 ай бұрын

My goodness, yes! I thought the same. The things these cats did back in the day were like using clubs and spears compared to what we have.

Already waiting for the "How the TRON: Legacy Music was made" video! Great job!

This music and movie were a massive part of my childhood, so much so that at 08:29 of the Tron theme I almost bust into tears with joy (sappy old me) 😂. When Wendy announced a CD of her original score was on the way (some years ago now) and that she had to COOK THE TAPES IN AN OVEN in order for them to be playable I was amazed. The CD was a revelation. I’d been stuck with the vinyl for years. Thank you for making this. END OF LINE.

@AlexBallMusic

8 ай бұрын

Not sappy at all, it's a stunning theme! 😢 Tape baking - I read this too! The things people had to do in the analogue world seem alien compared to what we do now.

@scottjohnson358

7 ай бұрын

The adhesive that held the iron oxide layer to the underlying plastic tape had degraded and glued the whole tape reel together.

@MikeSkateTV

6 ай бұрын

My goodness... what a beautiful rendition of the classic theme!

Phenomenal. Simply phenomenal. When you consider Carlos was writing code to help with music production as well as wrestling with composing, engineering and wrangling the other musicians and technologies of the time it’s a tribute to her astonishing talents. And Alex ye Gods man you’re a one person orchestra and sound track engineering studio too. Fascinating!

@AlexBallMusic

8 ай бұрын

Yes, there can't have been many people who could have pulled it off! Quite the multitalented individual.

Great job, Alex. Carlos' score for TRON is flat out one of the greatest synth soundtracks ever.

Popcorn out, looking forward to watch!

I’m such a big fan of Tron I’m surprised how much of this is info I’ve never heard before. People nerd out about the Clockwork Orange soundtrack, and they nerd out about the Tron visuals, but not so much about the Tron music.

@neveser

8 ай бұрын

I nerded out on the music. I bought the soundtrack after the movie was released in 82. I still have the vinyl.

@The-KP

8 ай бұрын

Great movie, great video breaking it down

@5roundsrapid263

7 ай бұрын

I enjoy the music and visuals equally. Both have inspired countless artists since!

Big thanks for content on Wendy Carlos

Wow! Wasn't expecting this episode, but much appreciated! Back in the 80's I used to read Wendy's stuff in Keyboard magazine, and she was definitely talking about cutting edge stuff not only in sound design but composition as well. So cool that you recreated some of her work and described how she did it, thank you!

@AlexBallMusic

8 ай бұрын

Yes, she's never stopped moving forwards. Very special musician and person.

OG Tron was the first film I ever saw in the cinema in Surround - We went to the Odeon Leicester Square and it was mesmerising. A real checkpoint childhood memory. Also, for anyone interested, the Hideaway GDS sample library is in Kontakt format. You've done a fab job here.

@AlexBallMusic

8 ай бұрын

The Odeon in Leicester Square! Doesn't get much more 80s than that. Marvelous.

@mikabreto

8 ай бұрын

_Hideaway_ GDS sample library? May I ask what are you referring to when you say “Hideaway”?

Wow the Crumar GDS looked awesome. The black box with it too is a bit like the black slab in 2001. Sounded gorgeous too.

Wendy is a genius 🎶 🎵 ❤️

Useless fact about me: The Tron Scherzo plays in my head at random. It's been stuck in there since I saw the movie in the theaters. That and playing the video game.

@AlexBallMusic

8 ай бұрын

7/8 inner musiclogue. Sounds fun.

I was a kid when this movie came out and it has such a profound impact on me. Seeing and hearing you re-create this as something I’ve been waiting for a long time. It didn’t just bring tears to my eyes. I am weeping. One thing I would like to see is how the sound effects were created for this film. I remember saying back then when I grow up, I want to have a synthesizer. Now I have several..😂 but I still don’t know how the sound of derezing, the sound of the light cycles, the tanks, recognizers were made and who made them

@AlexBallMusic

8 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it! There's some articles about the sound design, but I've not been into them deeply, it would be interesting to know!

@kaitlyn__L

8 ай бұрын

I’ve been (slowly) recreating some of the TNG sound effects on an FM synth. Tron predates those but it would be interesting to also try and recreate some Tron sounds on my analogue.

@djmips

8 ай бұрын

@@AlexBallMusicI also had an unexpected emotional response to this video. Great stuff.

I know several commenters have shared similar experiences, but I also had to express my gratitude for this video (and encouragement for your upcoming Daft Punk take!) I was the perfect age as a kid when TRON hit theatres to have my mind absolutely blown by the visuals, story, music, SFX... and the toys, arcade video games etc. to follow. ☺ To this day I still have--and play--my original LP of the soundtrack. I cannot overstate how much of an influence it all had on me. Cheers for this fantastic tribute!

I was basically crying happy tears as you described the score and went through some of the cues... I believe I saw the film at the cinema together with my father and I was absolutely mesmerised by both the visuals, music and sounds, an unforgettable experience

@adam872

8 ай бұрын

This was exactly my experience as a boy watching the movie with my own father. It's left an indelible mark on me.

@MusicalWizardryMarcoIannello

8 ай бұрын

@@adam872 indelible is the right word, truly

Great video, Alex! One connection I wanted to add was to the Tron arcade game, which had 8-bit versions of these themes. I spent a lot of quarters in the arcade playing Tron in the 1980s, and the game's versions of the music are still what I hear in my head. The Journey connection transferred to the arcade too. They had their own Journey video game. The Tron and Journey arcade games were both made by Bally Midway and released in 1982 and 1983 respectively.

See a new video notification, see the words Alex Ball and Tron… clicked so fast!

This is SPECTACULAR. I've never seen another music exploration channel re-create the music as much or as completely as you have. And it goes such a long way in helping to demonstrate and express just how clever and captivating Wendy's compositions were. Absolutely beautiful video.

Oh man, right into my freaking veins. I LOVE the soundtrack to TRON, and Wendy is one of my musical hero's, such a talent. Thanks for covering this Alex!

Alex, as always a fantastic video and BONUS points for starting your Tron section with my absolute favourite melody from the Sea of Simulation - so haunting, especially coupled with the movie footage of the solar sailor being crept up on by Sark's cruiser. Like many sci fi films at the time, I had a copy on betamax that I'd mispend my teenage years playing again and again and again. For every time I watched Tron, I'd play that single sequence ten more times and the tune has stayed in my head ever since. I still whistle it from time to time, like a distopian version of a jolly tune. Maybe that's why most people give me a bit of distance as I stroll through town.

@AlexBallMusic

8 ай бұрын

Ah, great to know. Yeah, that little piece caught my ear too.

Brilliant video, cheers for this! I was fortunate enough to have grown up with relatives who were big into Wendy Carlos (along with Tomita), and listened to the Switched On and Well Tempered Synthesizer albums almost religiously. But I simply adore the Secrets of Synthesis album. Not only was it a fantastic look at synthesis in general, and a great demonstration of additive synthesis, it was also just a good class on how to make electronic music move and have life. Wendy Carlos is a national treasure.

There is amazing synthesizer work also used throughout the film for effects and ambience. For instance, when Flynn's transportation into the game grid is finally complete and he is looking at his hands, you can hear drifting oscillators crashing into one another in lovely waves of pulse-width modulation. ...sounds like early minimal wave or industrial. They also used synth sounds to help cover errors in the footage, where there would be flashes of brightness which was not intended. I was born in 1977 and just a kid when Tron came out, but my family had it on Laserdisc afterwards and I loved watching it and fell in with the music. I named my music project after minor characters in the film - Data Pusher. Thanks for making this amazing video!

The Tron soundtrack is an absolute master-work. Pure and simple.

One of my favorite soundtracks from one of my favorite synthesizer players/composers. Just excellent. Thanks for making this video Alex, I've been waiting for this one

Fam this is so good. What a topic to start, then executed well. Plus it reminds me of the first videos of yours I can remember, about orchestra arranging in a daw. Great work man

@AlexBallMusic

8 ай бұрын

Hey Jorb! Yeah, putting some of the older style videos back in rotation as there's been a lot of requests. Hard work, but worth it!

That was such a brilliant video! I absolutely love Wendy Carlos, she is an absolute legend, and such an inspiration to me, as a woman who grew up loving synths and is now training to become a music teacher at 37, inspired by her!!

As a teenager when this came out, I played the Tron coin op video game whenever I had the chance. The Scherzo reduction was used if you completed a level, and the main them was used in one of the levels where you are shooting robotic spiders. Oh the memories!

Alex, thank you for this. The music in TRON is underappreciated, to be sure, and I'm not the least surprised at everything that actually went into it. This video goes on my permanent bookmark list.

Incredible work as ever. Wendy Carlos doesn’t get the recognition she deserves does she

Wow! After seeing almost endless uniformed commentary on both Carlos and her music, both online and off, this is a revelation. Sophisticated, intelligent, respectful, marvellous. Thank you.

@houdinididiit

8 ай бұрын

There is a rare recording of Wendy discussing her methods. I believe it's called "On Synthesis". I have a digital copy of it and cherish it. It's somewhat hard to find out there. If you can... get it. Her knowledge is DEEP.

@musicartgeek

8 ай бұрын

Thank you, as a Carlos completist, I have had that since it was released :) If you're interested in her work in non-octaval scales, I have done a few experiments in the area (but there are more sophisticated examples to be found online, as you may already be aware): kzread.info/dash/bejne/iniq0dKklNKdfrw.htmlsi=H1kOQfbIS33Me949 @@houdinididiit

@SarahRWilson

8 ай бұрын

​@@houdinididiitas I recall, the title was Secrets Of Synthesis. I had a copy years ago that was sadly lost in many moves.

@digital_sorceress

8 ай бұрын

@@houdinididiit pretty sure I ran across it on yoo toob at some point in the past - she's really a musician's musician and a nerd's nerd. She showed immeseley deep knowledge as you mentioned.. and of course she's an awesome cat mom - I seem to recall the wee beastie getting a bit of screen time in there.. :)

@houdinididiit

8 ай бұрын

@@digital_sorceress Yeah. She's a great cat mom no doubt. 🐈‍⬛

Your score breakdowns are something I eagerly anticipate, and Tron would have to be one of my top picks, thankyou!

@AlexBallMusic

8 ай бұрын

Cheers! I thought Tron needed some thorough coverage.

Thanks Alex. I am now searching for my old dvd of the movie Tron.

I love this! Very cool to see this movie highlighted. I had it as an audio story on casette tape when I was a kid and I have such fond memories of it, especially the sound effects.

I'm a simple musician, I see Wendy Carlos - I immediately click on the video 🤓 Great job Alex!!

Superb. Some of your finest playing I feel. Hats off. Really excellent stuff. Must have taken ages ! If it didn’t then hats off and I’ll eat that hat off the floor !

@AlexBallMusic

8 ай бұрын

Haha! Cheers Jamie!

excellent "episode"! I am transported back to 1982 or 1983 when I first watched the movie. Very accomplished rendition Alex.

My God man, this was great!!❤ and let me just say that YOU are among the great electronic composers of your/our generation. Never discount your skills. Coincidentally listened to Tableux fully last night. Your day will come my friend! 😉

@AlexBallMusic

8 ай бұрын

Thank you very much!

Oh Alex! I LOVE how you opened playing the stand-out part of her score ‘Sea of Simulation’….it’s such an awe inspiring piece. Bravo ⭐️

@AlexBallMusic

8 ай бұрын

Yeah, love that little section. So perfectly done.

love these film score breakdown videos

Thank you for all the time and effort these videos take. Fantastic and Fun history!

Your reproductions are beautiful! This is wonderful!

Thanks for years of fly videos and dope content. This one is stellar as well! 🔥🔥💜

As always, a completely brilliant presentation. Hats off to you, kind Sir.

You’re so immensely talented! Your videos are a true experience. 🎹 👌

@AlexBallMusic

8 ай бұрын

Thank you!

Thank you so much for making this - her music means a lot to so many people. ❤

I'm blown away! These reproductions are so great! Really enjoyed listening to this, thank you.

Absolutely really absolutely a great job Alex...you got all the right feelings present in this score music...thank you for all that! Cheers from Italy

Great effort @alexball! Thank you for your contributions to synth history! Your videos are not only informative… they compel us to get back on the keys. Cheers mate

really good stuff here, alex! thanks so much for doing it!

Another great short! I am so astounded by your talent, being able to hear and put together all of that score to make it sound, brilliant!

Awesome job Alex! I love your story telling abilities and how you keep everything interesting. Also excellent work on your recreations of this fantastic movie score!

This was terrific, thank you. Your covers are top notch. Well done. Tron is one of my all time faves.

Beautiful work again Alex! Wendy Carlos is another significant inspiration for me on many levels.

Thank you for your always inspiring videos !

I've had a few Wendy Carlos videos pop up in my feed recently. Yours tipped me over the edge, I *had* to buy the Tron Blu Ray to watch it again, just for the music and sound. Absolutely brilliant

Fantastic video. Wendy Carlos' Tron score was such a perfect fit for the visuals! It's been so cool to see how some of those iconic sound textures came to be. Thanks!

Love it! Had it on tape back in the 80’s. Listened a lot, every note is in my head until today. Congrats for the analysis.

This video is EPIC!! Tron is to this day one of my all-time favorite films, having seen it at a young age in the late 80s and viewed it countless times since. Carlos' score is incredible, and your recreations were spot on!! I'm very happy I can now own this soundtrack on vinyl. Brings back so many memories. Thank you so much for the video!!

I SOOOOO loved the films score, even the Tron2 sound track was great. A worthy successor.

@danikoenig

8 ай бұрын

Daft Punk's soundtrack clearly showed great respect for Wendy Carlos and her outstanding work at that time.

@AlexBallMusic

8 ай бұрын

Yes, always great when a sequel is actually good! Really enjoyed Tron legacy.

This was an amazing video. I have always enjoyed the music of Wendy Carlos, and the TRON movie series is an absolute favorite. Thank you for the time and effort put into this video.

outstanding work, as always. thank you, Alex

Much appreciated, sir! I love this soundtrack.❤

Magnificent video! Thank you, Alex. Especially, as Wendy recordings have accompanied and influenced me since the late 60's.

Oh you absolutely *must* do Daft Punks Tron Legacy soundtrack! A perfect follow-up to this. Both film scores are iconic and you've just done the original the justice it deserves.

You’re so good at blending the historical information with entertainment. Thank you for all your hard work.

This was...thoughtful and informative. Having seen the original in 1982 and lovingly embraced the world building and music, I was taken with the update in 2010 and wanted more. What you do is very special, keep on, keeping on.

Amazing work, thank you

As if i couldn't love your videos more, you make one about on of my FAVOURITE movies! Another great one !

I'm just blown away by the level of detail in both gathering info and recreating the music. You're the best Alex!

That was a fantastic video on the soundtrack for one of my most favorite movies. Thank you very much for that!

Thanks for this great video. One of my favorite movies and scores ever. I thought you did an excellent job of recreating the beautiful music. Wendy Carlos is a genius, and nothing but.

This is some of your best work mate. I love the movie and Wendy's score. This film made a massive impact on me as a young lad and effectively put me onto the path I followed in both technology and music. Thank you - your videos are a treat and every one of them seems better than the last!

The animations in this video are amazing! 😂😂 Seriously, this was a great video on one of my Top 5 movies…thanks for your time invested in ALL of this, start to finish!

Thank you Alex. I have loved the film 'Tron' since it came out and I watched it twice at my local cinema as a lad of 15 LOL I picked up the soundtrack album soon afterwards and played it endlessly! I am very familiar with the different movements and you do them justice in your short performances. I'd love to hear a complete album! Instant sub.

Still remember watching the Tron premiere back when I was 10 with my dad; it absolutely blew my mind, there had never been anything like it at that time, and the music was as futuristic as the visuals. Great documentary and break-down! ❤

Brilliant and informing as always, Alex. Well done mate.

Tron is one of my favorite movies ever. I was seven when it came out and the entire experience of the film had a great impact, especially the music. The combined effect of the sounds and music of this movie shaped the way I hear many things now. Excellent work here, as always. I really enjoy this channel and your soundtrack breakdowns are always great. Cool drawings, too! Cheers!

Your recreations are spot on. Fantastic video! Life long Tron fan here! 😎😀

What fun. Kudos. Really great likeness to the originals you've done here!

THANK YOU🙏, this video was loooog overdue.

Oh wow....what a great idea to do a Video on, loved Tron...Awesome :)

@AlexBallMusic

8 ай бұрын

Hey Jamie! Thought it was a good one to cover.

what a lovely surprise. thank you for doing what you do!!

@AlexBallMusic

8 ай бұрын

Thank you for tuning in.

Tron was a major, major film during my teenage years. It so affected my mind that I later programmed a light cycle game on the C64 (assembler, of course). I loved everything about the film. Wendy Carlos was a genius.

Thank you for making this excellent video! I’m not generally a fan of electronic music but Wendy’s Tron soundtrack is one of my favorites and I still often listen to it.

Quality documentary, that's a ton of work!!

THANKS!!! Thank you for this video!!!

Awesome. Love these breakdowns.

Simply brilliant!

One of my absolute favorites of yours here, Alex!! So wonderfully done! Such an important work. 🖤

@AlexBallMusic

8 ай бұрын

Hi Lisa! Yes, a classic score for sure!

THIS VIDEO IS AWESOME, A-W-E-S-O-M-E, to the point of being moving! When I saw the notation of TRON SCHERZO (and when I watched you actually PLAY those magical notes) I could not help to start crying, having been Wendy Carlos' music in my ears since 1982, when I watched the movie at the theater for the first time. I was 14 years old… So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you! Hugs from Florence (Italy).

Thank you for this!

Amazing--thank you thank you thank you. That certainly sent me straight to Patreon... nice to see I'm in good company with the many other commenters as to my deep feelings for this score and Wendy Carlos. Really straight to the core of my musical self.