I Finally Completed the Intro for my Film/Video Game Soundtrack! It's Awesome!

I want to be a film and/or video game composer. I am now composing sort of an album, and I've just completed the Introduction for it. It's a short (2:05) orchestral piece. It's virtual, now don't run away, it doesn't sound like crap, I've got good software and some decent hardware, and most important, good music education. You probably wouldn't even be able to distinguish this track from a real orchestra.

It has an ABC form. A is like a march, reminds me of sci-fi movies such as Star Wars, with huge spaceships and the like. It's played mostly by brass and string instruments, melody is in horns. B is mostly a bridge between A and C, it's calm, played mostly by string instruments, melody in violas, and both violin sections. And C is probably the most beautiful (although cliched) one, played by string and woodwind instruments, melody is in both string sections, then it repeats in celli and violas. It ends with three flutes playing a part of the main theme along with a glock (glockenspiel, the musical instrument, not Glock the pistol), accompanied by double basses, oh and a triangle.

Download Maxx - Intro (128Kb).mp3

You sound very confident. Wipe that smile of your face. If you are here just to get praise to boost your confidence, please leave. Another thing, quit being arrogant it serves no greater purpose in life.

It sounds good, although I would like to have a score to look at. I do not know how it concurs with the movie/game, but I find that for presenting 3 parts 2 minutes is rather short. You have nice ideas but please re-use them!

Of course, you might do that in another piece, as many film and game composers do.

[Edit] Oh almost forgot, if you have such a good software, why on earth do you have to explain which instrument is holding the melody and so on and so forth...

It's pretty good. What software do you use, what kind of music education, and for long have you been composing?

1) The beginning needs a little work. Something about it (either the dynamics, instrumentation or the software) makes it unclear.

2) I could easily tell that it wasn't a real orchestra.

3) Good transition from A to B, but I think they both may need to be longer.

4) In the background of the flute part at 1:45, there is one instrument (I think it is either a harp or a vibraphone) could use a little work. Like, maybe arpeggiations or something? I dunno, just something like that. Also, maybe it could arpeggiat up to the triangle hit at the end


Those are just my suggestions. I maybe wrong about some things, but I think that those would make it a little better. Just try them out and see how they sound.

Very pretty, but the string articulations need to be cleaned up a bit near the beginning: where the notes are shorter, the attack needs to be sharper because it sounds a bit washy right now.

Also, the reverb that you've got going for your snare at the beginning makes it sound awful. Either use a bigger snare or do something with the mixing so that it doesn't sound like it's being played inside a giant soup can.

Thematically, it sounds very much like Silvestri. Remarkably so, in fact. I'm hearing a lot of The Mummy Returns in here, just to name one.

Good production overall though, I really enjoyed listening to it. Lose the attitude though, you're going to rub people the wrong way and then you'll have shot yourself in the foot. Confidence is nice, but there's this wonderful word called "moderation" that you may want to look up when you get the chance.

Good luck with your album!

Originally Posted by Saiming

You sound very confident. Wipe that smile of your face. If you are here just to get praise to boost your confidence, please leave. Another thing, quit being arrogant it serves not greater purpose in life.

It sounds good, although I would like to have a score to look at. I do not know how it concurs with the movie/game but I find that for presenting 3 parts 2 minutes is rather short. You have nice ideas but please re-use them!

Of course, you might do that in another piece, as many film and game composers do.

[Edit] Oh almost forgot, if you have such a good software, why on earth do you have to explain which instrument is holding the melody and so on and so forth...

Sorry, I copy pasted that from a thread I made on another forum which doesn't have to do anything with composition, so I thought I had to explain some things. Made this thread in a hurry.

Originally Posted by XxCransworthxX

4) In the background of the flute part at 1:45, there is one instrument (I think it is either a harp or a vibraphone) could use a little work. Like, maybe arpeggiations or something? I dunno, just something like that. Also, maybe it could arpeggiat up to the triangle hit at the end

There is a harp and a glock, you probably mean the harp. It just plucks some notes. It plays arpeggios in part C. I figured I should use something simpler in the ending, because, well, it's an ending, and a diminuendo, so I wanted to make everything simpler towards the end. The arpeggiato up to the triangle hit sounds like a nice idea, I might want to try that.

Also sorry if I was arrogant or something. I didn't mean it. I was just in a hurry. Wanted to make some threads for people to listen to it before I had to leave for a short time.

Sorry again, please keep the feedback coming!

Originally Posted by Maxx

There is a harp and a glock, you probably mean the harp. It just plucks some notes. It plays arpeggios in part C. I figured I should use something simpler in the ending, because, well, it's an ending, and a diminuendo, so I wanted to make everything simpler towards the end. The arpeggiato up to the triangle hit sounds like a nice idea, I might want to try that.

Yeah, I see what you're saying. There's just something about it that doesn't really seem to fit in my opinion. Along with the arpeggiation up to the triangle hit, you may also wanna just change up the harp a little bit.

Originally Posted by Maxx

Also sorry if I was arrogant or something. I didn't mean it. I was just in a hurry. Wanted to make some threads for people to listen to it before I had to leave for a short time.

Don't worry. I so that sometimes, too.

So..for how long have you been composing?

Well, theoretically, since I was in kindergarten, always improvising in my head. I started learning some composition only in the second half of 7th grade though, quit in 9th because it took too much time, and continued in 10th. I'm in 12th now. Writing modernist stuff. I don't really like most of it, and I disagree with many of the teacher's methods of composing. They seem unnatural to me.

Also do you think the beginning sounds corny?

I can't tell very well. The snare isn't good, and it is not very clear. I think that movie stuff is often corny, so that's okay for now.

You're a pretty good composer. I would say that we're at about the same skill level, but you kinda have more experience. I started almost the same time as you (The beginning of 8th grade). I'm in my 9th grade year right now. I've been around other people who try to compose, and I've kinda gotten a feel for people who are really good composers and people who aren't. I think you're really good. I agree with most people's methods being "unnatural." When you use too much theory and not enough of just composing, it just doesn't seem as music.

Thanks. My composition teacher only makes me write music by using tons of schemes and plans which seems unnatural to me.

I'll probably remake the first part today. Do you think it's a good idea to remake it, or to just get rid of it, and make the other two parts a bit longer?

Keep all parts, remake the first part AND lengthen all of them a bit. Of course, it has to fit with the presented visual.