# Thomas Newman's decorative electronicy sound effects



## om30tools (May 11, 2009)

Hi everyone, whenever I listen to Thomas Newman's scores, he's always got some intereresting stuff going on, but he often decorates them with a brief intermittent note, usually in a high register.
You know the stuff I'm talking about right? For instance, 

Mr Smarty Man in American Beauty, sounds like a low flute that resolves from 2 to 1 (00.37-00.39).
At first I thought an electric guitar, but that note sounds too well-sustained? 

Return To Chicago in Road to Perdition, midway between the pure piano part and the violin introduction, sounds like some big reverberated hammer hitting a diatonic tuning fork in a factory lol (00.20).

Also, whats that fiddle-like bluegrass sounding instrument he uses in Six Feet Under (around 01.17), and on the American Beauty Score - Dead Already (01.08, again at 02.38, but an 8ve lower aswell), Bloodless Freak (00.18 ) ??

It sounds like uses standard instruments like electric guitars but makes them sound like something new and sometimes unreally better lol, anyone know how he does that?


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## lux (May 11, 2009)

Absolutely, no specific method, but this applies to most of "designed" sounds you hear in today's music. Most of times is the result of experimenting in processing. And most of times tools used are pretty basic, like reverb, pitch shifter, delay, filters. 

A good start could be getting one of the multiprocessing engines out there like Effectrix, Camelspace, Kore 2 and many others. Then start experimenting using different sound sources with a very wet approach (try applying at least 60% effect on your source).


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## germancomponist (May 11, 2009)

lux @ Mon May 11 said:


> Absolutely, no specific method, but this applies to most of "designed" sounds you hear in today's music. Most of times is the result of experimenting in processing. And most of times tools used are pretty basic, like reverb, pitch shifter, delay, filters.
> 
> A good start could be getting one of the multiprocessing engines out there like Effectrix, Camelspace, Kore 2 and many others. Then start experimenting using different sound sources with a very wet approach (try applying at least 60% effect on your source).



+1 o/~ 

Harvestthesouls,

listen to this piece: http://www.box.net/shared/k2qeduv4qi

It sounds unspectular, but all the sounds you can listen to I did with only some soprano-sax samples and many editing in Kontakt 3. :mrgreen: 

Experiment and experiment! o/~ 

Gunther


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## om30tools (May 11, 2009)

You used sax samples to make the guitar and bass sounds aswell?


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## germancomponist (May 11, 2009)

harvestthesouls @ Mon May 11 said:


> You used sax samples to make the guitar and bass sounds aswell?



Yes, I did. :mrgreen: 

I think I am not allowed to share this instruments because I have used these some Chris Hein Sax samples. Perhaps he will allow me, so you can listen and hear exactly what I did, if you use Kontakt 3 too? o/~


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## om30tools (May 11, 2009)

Wow, seriously impressed!!!!!
and yeah sure if Chris Hein's okay, I'd really appreciate it germancomponist, if you're offering, it would help my recent ear transformation tremendously!!
I use K3 too!


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## germancomponist (May 11, 2009)

harvestthesouls @ Mon May 11 said:


> Wow, seriously impressed!!!!!
> and yeah sure if Chris Hein's okay, I'd really appreciate it germancomponist, if you're offering, it would help my recent ear transformation tremendously!!
> I use K3 too!



I will ask him today. o/~


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## poseur (May 12, 2009)

lux @ Mon May 11 said:


> Absolutely, no specific method


i disagree, on a fine point.
sound as musical leitmotif can be very specific,
to each composer.
use of processing real performances is key to
much of what i do & have done in film (& otherwise)
for many yrs,
and intentional, integrated patterns of usage have developed that are very specific.
in the case of george doering & steve tavaglione's contributions
to TN's wonderful scores,
they follow much along the lines of usage
established by certain folks in hollywood in the late 1980's.
i say this to note one broad but actual point on the continuum;
otherwise, these kinds of "decorative electronicy elements"
may appear to some as scoring/compositional "experiments",
when their effective application is, in some way,
already proven.

d


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## germancomponist (May 12, 2009)

harvestthesouls,

I am not allowed to share the samples, but I can send my instruments to you if you first buy the CH-Soprano-Sax, costs only $ 29,- . 

Gunther


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## om30tools (May 12, 2009)

I'll tell you what, since I do have a good idea of what a general soprano sax sample should sound like, 

I'm more interested in the method of transforming it into somethingelse, for e.g. the guitar and bass sound you had on the recording, is there not some way of either describing the methods/fx chain used, or sending screenshots just to demonstrate the kinds of sound processing that might usually take place?

Would that be okay?


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## germancomponist (May 12, 2009)

In the past, more than 20 years ago, I worked as a sound-programmer. So I have learned many important things to built sounds and how important only, for example, the attack phase from any sound is.

I will exchange the samples from the CH Soprano with others what I have sampled by myself and make it downloadable for you. (give me some days...)

The best way to learn is experimenting. Kontakt 3 is very great fo this.

What I first do is detuning the samples in the hardest way to listen what other "specific sounds/frquencies" are sampled together with the main "sound". For this it is good to experiment with eq`s. 

Then I experiment with the "samplestart" in the sample-editor, then experiment with ADSRs for the amp envelope and for the pitch envelope. Particularly with this two envelopes you can do a lot! You can define how the sound-attack will sound and so how it will run into the heads of the listener and there assigned. :-D

There are so many more things what you can do in/with Kontakt 3, but I would first experiment in the way I described. (sure you can also change the order...)

Hope this helps a little bit. 

Gunther


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## bryla (May 12, 2009)

germancomponist @ Tue May 12 said:


> harvestthesouls,
> 
> I am not allowed to share the samples, but I can send my instruments to you if you first buy the CH-Soprano-Sax, costs only $ 29,- .
> 
> Gunther


Hey Gunther- 
I own this library, and would be greatly interested to see how you came up with those sounds!


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## germancomponist (May 12, 2009)

bryla @ Tue May 12 said:


> germancomponist @ Tue May 12 said:
> 
> 
> > harvestthesouls,
> ...



Cool,

when I am in my studio tomorrow I will send you the nki`s. Have fun! o-[][]-o


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## om30tools (May 12, 2009)

aaah i see, detuning it gets you to hear the freq's but also lengthens the notes, hence the shiney guitars are possible, interesting!
So, did you use just standard effects, e.g. eq, rev/delay/gates to fine tune it's timbre into your bass and guitar sòý3    Žâý3    Žãý3    Žäý3    Žåý4    Žèý4    Žéý4    Žêý4    Žëý4    Žìý4    Žíý4    Žîý4    Žïý4    Žðý4    Žñý4    Žòý4    Žóý4    Žôý4    Žõý4    Žöý4    Ž÷ý4    Žøý4    Žùý4    Žúý4    Žûý4    Žüý4    Žýý4    Žþý4    Žÿý4     ý4    ý4    ý4    ý4    ý4    ý5    Žæý5    Žçý


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## germancomponist (May 12, 2009)

Bryla, you have got an e-mail


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## bryla (May 12, 2009)

Yes, thank you! I'll try it out tonight!


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## lux (May 13, 2009)

poseur @ Tue May 12 said:


> lux @ Mon May 11 said:
> 
> 
> > Absolutely, no specific method
> ...



Yup, I see what you mean. I have no idea about Doering and Tavaglione's processing methods of course and its interesting to know it. 
I also agree that most composers with a certain pratice in sound design have often an own "method". But in general, I could be wrong, i believe you cannot tell in a few words what happens on a whole Thomas Newman score or on some Bryan Transeau record, because while there's is method and guidelines the efforts are probably of a various nature and perhaps mixed with a bit of experimentation (at least thats what i hope it to be ).

Its more or less like asking which one scale Allan Holdsworth used on the metal fatigue entire album, if you see what i mean.


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## om30tools (May 13, 2009)

okay, so in other words, when it comes to TN's sound team, there is a method, but its not skeletal enough to decipher?


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## Adelmo (May 13, 2009)

a great guy that does those things and work on many ost mostly with Mark Isham is David Thorn, his method is using electric guitar with lots of effects process to achieve a pad like sustained sound, he even got his own sample CD ages ago. Another person to use heavy effects to create sustained background is pianist Harold Budd, funny part is TN is still using Opcode vision!!


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## om30tools (May 13, 2009)

Ah right, thanks for that must look him up, been meaning to find out how that mauve antarctica sound was made

lol, I had to look up what Opcode vision actually is, sounds like the floppy disk age damn lol, how'd you know he uses that? friend of a friend?


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## germancomponist (May 14, 2009)

bryla @ Wed May 13 said:


> Yes, thank you! I'll try it out tonight!



And...? o/~ :mrgreen:


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## bdr (May 14, 2009)

Adelmo @ Wed May 13 said:


> a great guy that does those things and work on many ost mostly with Mark Isham is David Thorn, his method is using electric guitar with lots of effects process to achieve a pad like sustained sound, he even got his own sample CD ages ago. Another person to use heavy effects to create sustained background is pianist Harold Budd, funny part is TN is still using Opcode vision!!



i think you mean David Torn.


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## germancomponist (May 16, 2009)

bryla @ Wed May 13 said:


> Yes, thank you! I'll try it out tonight!



I send to you my examples.

Have you listend and watched?


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## bryla (May 16, 2009)

Hey Gunther!

Yes I did! They are quite fun to play with. Reminds me of the old romplers like D50, but it's just fun to think they were made from soprano sax samples! Haven't made anything with them yet, since my audio interface is broken.

It inspires me to do this stuff to other samples! I'm checking out how you have manipulated them.
Thanks a bunch


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