{"id":14510,"date":"2021-01-22T13:16:42","date_gmt":"2021-01-22T18:16:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/?p=14510"},"modified":"2024-10-08T15:56:05","modified_gmt":"2024-10-08T19:56:05","slug":"music-composers-use-samples-score","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/splice.com\/blog\/music-composers-use-samples-score\/","title":{"rendered":"How music composers use samples when developing a score"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Illustration:<\/strong> Simone Noronha<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Composing for picture \u2014 film, TV, trailers, ads, video games \u2014 provides musicians with an opportunity for creative exploration that looks different from their typical workflow.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Tight turnarounds and imaginative creative briefs require innovative thinking and a toolbox you can trust (not to mention, excellent communication skills). We knew that using samples has become common practice in film scoring, and we wanted the details. So, we spoke with three composers about how they use samples in their creative process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cornel Wilczek<\/a> is based in Melbourne, Australia, where he founded and runs Electric Dreams Studio.<\/a> He\u2019s also a composer who often creates scores for TV and some films. He got his start creating sonic installations in art galleries, processing electronics, and creating his own sounds and patches. Composing for moving picture was a natural evolution for his career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jamie Shield<\/a>, who works under the name MNKN<\/a> in the UK, is a composer and music producer. He has connected with artists like Timbaland and made tracks for Kevin Gates, Thouxanbanfauni, K Koke, and others. He also composes scores for ads, as well as some film and TV. He\u2019s worked with brands like Adidas, IAMS, Braun, and Sage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lastly, based in New York, NY, Dani DiCiaccio<\/a> produces and performs music under the name KYOSi, and has composed scores for short films, trailers, podcasts, and ads. She\u2019s also the Head of Merchandising here at Splice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below, each artist walks us through how they use samples in their compositions. Then, we zoom out to learn about how they collaborate with their clients, the overall process of composing a score, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Samples are a composer\u2019s Swiss Army knife<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are so many ways for a composer to use samples in their creative process \u2013 as inspiration, song-starters, placeholders, instruments, and beyond. The artists we spoke to touch on all of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finding the centerpiece and building around it<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dani has a full-time job leading a team at Splice; this restriction on available time creates limitations for her to be creative within. She\u2019s all about using the tools at her disposal that allow her to maximize the time she does have. For her, that means using samples early in the creative process along with her analog instruments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEarly on, I\u2019ll review the footage and think, \u2018Oh my gosh, that needs to have this sound.\u2019 I can either go out and record that sound myself or I can find an existing sample. I\u2019m pretty busy and not a purist when it comes to recording my own sounds. If I know a piece needs a deep breath, I\u2019ll go out and find one and build the rest of the composition around that,\u201d she told us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Working within a budget and making samples your own<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cornel was initially resistant to using other people\u2019s samples. He said, \u201cIn the past, I spent a lot of time with hardware and samplers, recording all of my own stuff and making elaborate patches. I did the same thing with software. At the time, I was so concerned about sounding like someone else or using sounds other people used that I spent my spare time making samples.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As budgets changed, so did Cornel\u2019s approach. Today, directors may want a woodwind or string section, but may not have the budget for it. So, he came around to using samples. He was surprised by the high quality and felt ignorant for being resistant to using them, he shared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, his concern of sounding like everyone else remained. \u201cSo, I\u2019d perform samples and then start processing and changing them. Even if producers wanted a traditional-sounding string section or orchestra, I still apply some level of processing that shifts it a bit, making it my own. Samples became an important part of my job because that’s what everyone was after. I\u2019ve been using samples a lot for this TV show I’m working on [Clickbait<\/em> on Netflix<\/a>], but I’ll be replacing them all with recordings next week.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He continued, \u201cAfter I’ve effected and resampled the samples to create strained, wobbly articulations that bring the sound into more of an electronic realm, I end up liking the combination of the original and the effected samples together. That’s becoming a big part of my process, where the two can coexist very well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to processing his samples, Cornell\u2019s tools vary from project to project. He might use Max MSP or outboard processing with pedals and analog effects, or hardware patching. Sometimes he\u2019ll use plugins. Or, he\u2019ll use plugins, and then put those through outboard equipment or pedals. \u201cI’ll have a sound in my head and sometimes it can require a bit of everything, but it’s never one thing. I love that aspect of it \u2013 that it’s always really different,\u201d he reflected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jamie also resamples often. He shared, \u201cIf you have the opportunity, make something your own.<\/a> Take a sample and chop it, move it, and reorganize it to create a new part. I might halftime it or chop it up to play across pads on an MPC or Push. By that time, you sort of know where you’re at with something. You can do all sorts of stuff like apply a little reverb, pitch it differently, change the speed of it a bit, and then resample it. All of a sudden, the sonics change and it becomes a more lo-fi, quiet, and pleasant digital sort of thing. There are certain textures that would have been seen as bad quality before that are now almost part of an audible aesthetic, I guess.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using samples to create a smooth and speedy workflow<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jamie uses samples in a variety of ways. He says, \u201cDrum loops and one-shots are a pretty standard foundation, but I\u2019ll manipulate them to make them my own. I might use a tambourine sample or something because it\u2019s so much more efficient than micing it up, making sure the levels are right, etc. Recording 20 seconds of a live instrument can break your workflow and stunt your creativity. All these micro-moments add up. It’s like grabbing for spices while cooking.<\/a> You can go a bit too far with it, and sometimes you don’t do enough. It\u2019s all about experimenting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finding inspiration when you\u2019re stuck<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jamie has a unique approach to finding inspiration on Splice.<\/a> He said, \u201cSometimes in my search bar, I\u2019ll type two letters that correspond \u2014 like G and R \u2014 because that can be green or gray or grow or all different words. That’ll throw me a whole list of random things to have in my library. So then, I’ll get little pieces from different packs I wasn’t looking for \u2013 I was just looking for something<\/em>. That’s a good way to randomize.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Setting your collaboration up for success<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The world of briefs is a funny one, no matter which category you\u2019re working in. So often, directors have something in mind for audio but don\u2019t know how to articulate it yet. It\u2019s a composer\u2019s job (or your music supervisor or producer) to help them paint that picture in words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When beginning to work with someone or being considered for a project, there are certain questions you can ask to better understand what they want and determine if the project is a good fit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dani asks questions like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n