# Are you a working composer?



## easyrider (Mar 26, 2021)

Are you a working composer ?

If you are did you register with your real name?

Thanks


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## Jimmy Hellfire (Mar 26, 2021)

Of course it's my real name. What kind of question is that?


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## easyrider (Mar 26, 2021)

Jimmy Hellfire said:


> Of course it's my real name. What kind of question is that?


I was wondering who is a working composer and chose to register anonymously on the forum.


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## Nekrokefali (Mar 26, 2021)

easyrider said:


> Are you a working composer ?
> 
> If you are did you register with your real name?
> 
> Thanks


Obviously not my real name


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## easyrider (Mar 26, 2021)

Nekrokefali said:


> Obviously not my real name


Why not ?


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## asherpope (Mar 26, 2021)

Yes


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## Nekrokefali (Mar 26, 2021)

Not a particular reason, I guess I like to stay anonymous for the most part.


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## Yellow Studio (Mar 26, 2021)

1 yes 
2. No but it's the color of my studio 🙂


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## chillbot (Mar 26, 2021)

Yes, yes, and in before drama zone.


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## dgburns (Mar 26, 2021)

Totally not my real name, lol.


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## Gerhard Westphalen (Mar 26, 2021)

Used to be? Technically I have 2 composition degrees but have no interest in ever writing any music again. Mostly live in the scoring mixer side of things but am getting more and more into mastering. Really my goal is to work as a mastering engineer focusing on soundtrack albums and surround projects (currently designing what is probably the only proper Atmos mastering studio in Canada).

Yes, I only use my real name. On here, as Gerhard Westphalen Mastering, and on the products I sell (speakers I recently released are the GW Model 4).


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## Trash Panda (Mar 26, 2021)

Just a hobbyist, but this is my legal name.


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## GNP (Mar 27, 2021)

I wish I was, to a fuller extent.


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## Henu (Mar 27, 2021)

My parents were so poor they only afforded four letters for my whole name.


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## Illico (Mar 27, 2021)

I'm working to be a composer, but I consider to be a hobbyist composer.


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## Tatu (Mar 27, 2021)

Henu said:


> My parents were so poor they only afforded four letters for my whole name.


I understand your pain.


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## Emmanuel Rousseau (Mar 27, 2021)

I registered on Vi-Control first (with an anonymous name) and became a "working composer" after. I've been thinking about changing my username for quite some time now and finally did it yesterday  I never especially cared about being anonymous anyway, just didn't think about it when I registered here. 

That being said, I do not stand for the argument than someone with his real name has a more valuable opinion because you can verify "who he is" and "What music he makes".


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## Nekrokefali (Mar 27, 2021)

Yellow Studio said:


> 1 yes
> 2. No but it's the color of my studio 🙂


Hey, I used to have a yellow studio in N. Cal


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## ed buller (Mar 27, 2021)

Yup I earn some sort of living from My music...and yes this is me

best

ed


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## Loïc D (Mar 27, 2021)

I am not a working composer.
Only a non functional harmonic hobbyist alas.


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## Mr Greg G (Mar 27, 2021)

Come on son, you know that's right


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## Jimmy Hellfire (Mar 27, 2021)

People who want to promote themselves & their business use real names. The others use stupid nicknames. That's how that works.


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## JEPA (Mar 27, 2021)

Yes, I became a working composer but I am a live performer also (piano and keys) and @JEPA are my name’s initials.

Best,
Jorge


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## angeruroth (Mar 27, 2021)

Jimmy Hellfire said:


> People who want to promote themselves & their business use real names. The others use stupid nicknames. That's how that works.


'cmon, my nickname is not stupid  (and everyone can see my real name in the soundcloud link) but you may be right about the use of real names.


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## method1 (Mar 27, 2021)

I joined wanting to be anonymous, but after being accused of being a know-nothing anonymous internet coward for having some criticism of somebody's favourite developer, I added info to my signature.

Now-days I prefer to be accused of being a know-nothing internet coward with an updated signature.


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## fourier (Mar 27, 2021)

Jimmy Hellfire said:


> People who want to promote themselves & their business use real names. The others use stupid nicknames. That's how that works.


And here I've been working on teaching my daughter to be economical with the use of words with negative connotations.

Some simply just stick with the few nicknames they've had through 3 decades of internet relay chats, music and gaming - my guess would be that there's a bunch of composers leaning on using nicknames and a sliver of anonymity, when surfing across the net. 

I'm not sure if your business endeavours would be thwarted by using a nickname and limited promotion in forums, but perhaps I'm underestimating the power of VIC.


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## Ned Bouhalassa (Mar 27, 2021)

Times are tough, but royalties still help me to stay afloat.
My real name is John Smith Jr.


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## InLight-Tone (Mar 27, 2021)

I'm a hard working composer I just don't make much money at it. When I do I'll use my real name which no one can pronounce...


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## CT (Mar 27, 2021)

Occasionally, not so much anymore. My name is Mike T.


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## Daryl (Mar 27, 2021)

Yes, and yes.


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## SupremeFist (Mar 27, 2021)

Used to be paid for composing on and off, might be again, we'll see. This is my real name of course. (I come from a long lineage of martial artists.)


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## Dear Villain (Mar 27, 2021)

Yes, my real name is Dear Villain. Just translated from Italian


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## SamC (Mar 27, 2021)

My full-time living, but for how long in this unpredictable biz? Who knows. Yep, that’s my name.


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## NekujaK (Mar 27, 2021)

When I have a project, I'm a working composer. I'm grateful to be working on a substantial film right now. But after this one is finished... 🤷‍♂️

I compose under a pseudonym, so my forum name isn't my real name, but it is my artist name.

Hey, doesn't Hans Z post on this forum under a false name?


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## CT (Mar 27, 2021)

NekujaK said:


> Hey, doesn't Hans Z post on this forum under a false name?


Yes, Hans X!


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## Akarin (Mar 27, 2021)

Yes and no.


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## chocobitz825 (Mar 27, 2021)

Jimmy Hellfire said:


> People who want to promote themselves & their business use real names. The others use stupid nicknames. That's how that works.


Some people want to promote their business.

some people just want to take their frustration with the business out by starting fights on forums as anonymous handle names.

some men just want to see the world burn.


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## molemac (Mar 27, 2021)

I have been a working composer for 30 + years ( a few Hollywood films etc) but I dont use my real name in case I say something stupid here which is more than likely.


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## chrisr (Mar 28, 2021)

There was a composer on here using an alias several years back who really bad-mouthed his client in a post about composer frustrations - quite fairly I expect - but it was really obvious to other people working on the show (including myself at the time) what the show in question was and who he was. I made a mental note not to do the same - or at least not so explicitly, despite having a semi/vague anonimity here. Nobody here would care who I am professionally - I'm nobody of any note - but these pages are searchable to the whole world via google etc. It feels like a slightly uncomfortable amount of exposure.


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## Ndee (Mar 28, 2021)

Even when i'm credited as a sound designer, 90% of the time this includes composing original music for the project, as it's my go-to tool, plus often the reason I get hired.

But then I don't do big films or the like, but stuff where extending the idea of sound design as far as possible (all the way to being credited as a co-director) is part of the fun. 

I receive royalties and get paid for making music so I guess that makes me a...composer???

Name: I'd never use my real name here or elsewhere in the 'net. I don't do brand-building of any kind online, but rely 100% on talking with people and letting my work do the evangelism. This has worked so far. Maybe I'll budge and whip up a Myspace site soon.


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## jononotbono (Mar 28, 2021)

NekujaK said:


> doesn't Hans Z post on this forum under a false name?


No. Hans Zimmer is a pseudonym. A made up name. Nobody could ever possibly have a name so fantastical. His birth name is Rctec.


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## chillbot (Mar 28, 2021)

molemac said:


> I dont use my real name in case I say something stupid here which is more than likely.


This is exactly me, I posted pretty much the same thing in the other thread about this (drama zone).


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## munician (Mar 28, 2021)

Yes and no, although you can tell by my nick name which city I'm from...

and yes, I do say stupid - although never offensive - things every once in a while. That's why I like the rumpelstiltskin approach...


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## Rubric (Apr 3, 2021)

Working composer here. Been gabbing away on VI Control for years under my real name. Recently ditched it for a moniker, mostly so I can better contribute to the beloved drama threads.

It's part of this endeavour of mine to take life less seriously. Inspired by @chillbot !


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## Henning (Apr 3, 2021)

Yes and yes (well, first name anyway).


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## dcoscina (Apr 3, 2021)

If I was enmeshed in the Hollywood food chain I’d also elect to go with an alias here. But I’m not and have no motivation to be at my age so I just stick with my actually moniker. In some cases it’s actually opened up opportunities for me because of some of my perspectives on sample libraries and such. Who would have thought eh? But truthfully it also keeps me honest- I try maintain measured responses if at all possible. Occasionally when there is something that warrants a little more, I will play that card but I never wish to cross any lines. I respect that some others wish to maintain anonymity however. The world is definitely not “one size fits all”


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## charlieclouser (Apr 4, 2021)

I post under my real name to keep myself honest. I don't want to go through life with one set of opinions that I was comfortable with standing behind in public, and another set of opinions that reflected "what I really felt". So if I tell stories about how a gig went sideways, or what I like or don't like about a film / piece of music / sample library / etc., then I own it 100%.

Simpler that way.

Anonymity and lack of accountability in the online world in recent years has had all sorts of bad consequences for society in general and I wouldn't feel right if I was a part of that - even in such an inconsequential little backwater as the film music community.


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## Evans (Apr 4, 2021)

I do not consider myself a "working composer" in the same way that I don't consider myself a professional stock trader even though I do all right in the market when I dip my toe in. 

My career is in software, where I'm in the foreground of the company I work for on our social media channels, conference presentations, and the like. I am anonymous here because it could impact that far more important side of my life. I'm okay with that meaning I may not be taken seriously here.

I try to keep most of my posts here informational (helping others find answers to their questions that might already be posted deep on a developer's own web site) or inquisitive, because if I were you I wouldn't listen to my advice. 

I do take on paid projects, at most once per month, though they're always quite small. It's not anywhere near my primary income, and a full stop today would have minimal impact on my annual earnings. Usually, I record guitar. Quite infrequently (a few times per year), I make use of traditional, orchestral VIs. I love small releases like the Ben Osterhouse stuff.


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## robgb (Apr 4, 2021)

Yes, but my work is writing books.


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## jononotbono (Apr 4, 2021)

robgb said:


> Yes, but my work is writing books.


What books have you written?


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## Alex Fraser (Apr 5, 2021)

Yeah, I'm VIC's resident D-List composer.
Real name, though I've spared the community my ugly mug.

How does one change a username, btw? Is it a contact-the-mods thing?


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## Living Fossil (Apr 5, 2021)

1) Yes
2) obviously "Living Fossil" isn't my real name, which however can be evaluated via my signature.


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## Kony (Apr 5, 2021)

Alex Fraser said:


> How does one change a username, btw? Is it a contact-the-mods thing?


There's a thread where you can put in a request 






Please change my username


Hi I would like to change my username as it no longer resonates with me. I have done a lot of personal growth and it is time to drop this username once and for all. Please advise on how to change my username Thank you.




vi-control.net


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## Alex Fraser (Apr 5, 2021)

Kony said:


> There's a thread where you can put in a request
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks, Kony. 👍


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## Montisquirrel (Apr 8, 2021)

I never understood that "working composer" description, but I am no English native speaker, so maybe I get that wrong. I think that it means that you compose music and you make money with it, but still a stupid description when I translate it to my native language (German = arbeitender Komponist). It could also mean that you are a composer but you are not composing at the moment (maybe you sit on your couch all day), but than the next day you continue to work on a piece of music and you are back of beeing a working composer.

Yes, I am a composer, sometimes make money with my music, sometimes not, sometimes working on a piece of music, sometimes sitting on a couch and "do nothing", like right now.


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## Karl Feuerstake (Apr 9, 2021)

Montisquirrel said:


> I never understood that "working composer" description, but I am no English native speaker, so maybe I get that wrong. I think that it means that you compose music and you make money with it, but still a stupid description when I translate it to my native language (German = arbeitender Komponist). It could also mean that you are a composer but you are not composing at the moment (maybe you sit on your couch all day), but than the next day you continue to work on a piece of music and you are back of beeing a working composer.
> 
> Yes, I am a composer, sometimes make money with my music, sometimes not, sometimes working on a piece of music, sometimes sitting on a couch and "do nothing", like right now.


That's interesting, and maybe it is a matter of perspective. Someone recently illuminated to me that though I might have only a couple credits on relatively small projects, I'm far more of a "successful working composer" than the vast majority of folks working downtown from me.

So I guess you should just ask yourself, do you still intend to continue running the business?


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## Jaredf920 (Apr 30, 2021)

Yes, and yes I use my real name.


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