# Bbc kids series - series 3 [music now online]



## noiseboyuk (Feb 3, 2011)

For UK folks, the latest series of The Legend of Dick and Dom has started airing on CBBC, which I scored. This week's episode I think is particularly good, The Magic Oblong:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0 ... ic_Oblong/

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## noiseboyuk (Feb 4, 2011)

Thanks very much, Danny! It was fun doing some Harry Potteresque stuff in that one.

This is such a good series for variety. There's a musical in 2 weeks time - I didn't do the songs (which are fantastic) but the score elements were so much fun to do.... it's got a horror vibe, kind of Shaun Of The Dead: The Musical. Then this other episode in March has some amazing challenges that have to be seen to be believed really... slow motion psychotic teddy bear attacks, chases across huge violins that play sad notes as they crawl along it.... Super-tight budget, but great fun to do!


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## DynamicK (Feb 4, 2011)

*Re: BBC kids series - series 3*

Very enjoyable and appropriate. I'm just curious Guy, how you mange to write that much music in a day. As I recall from one of your other posts, you said you weren't a keyboard player. If you don't mind me asking, is this all entered into your DAW by hand?


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## Barrie B (Feb 4, 2011)

*Re: BBC kids series - series 3*

Hi Guy, nice work....just interested, how much is you and how much the credited composers?

...and if it's mostly you, how annoying is their credit? :( 

best

Barrie


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## noiseboyuk (Feb 4, 2011)

*Re: BBC kids series - series 3*



Barrie B @ Fri Feb 04 said:


> Hi Guy, nice work....just interested, how much is you and how much the credited composers?
> 
> ...and if it's mostly you, how annoying is their credit? :(
> 
> ...



Yes, that credit is, um, less than ideal!

The deal is that the main titles theme is the (extremely talented) credited composers. All the score is mine - occasionally I use their "quest" theme (which of course they get sole copyright for).


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## Barrie B (Feb 4, 2011)

*Re: BBC kids series - series 3*

...Ah, that is a bit of as bummer isn't it?

Well done though!

B


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## Guy Bacos (Feb 4, 2011)

*Re: BBC kids series - series 3*

Hi Guy, I was hoping to listen to this but it's not available in my area. Too bad.

Other Guy,


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## noiseboyuk (Feb 4, 2011)

Thanks Barrie! Yes Other Guy I think iPlayer is UK-only, sorry about that (actually by rights I think I should be Other Guy, not you!). A few bits are up on my website, but I'll get some of the newer cues up in the next couple of weeks, I think.


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## williamrice (Feb 4, 2011)

*Re: BBC kids series - series 3*

Hi Guy,

I thought your score was extremely effective, great use of these libraries, esp. at the rate you were writing! The dub seemed decent too - good amount of music in the mix :D

Bit of a cheeky question, but could I ask where the chime glissandos and sleigh bells came from (e.g. around 2:20). They sound great, and I've never been happy with my options for chimes.

Another question: were you composing a cue at a time, or straight onto a timeline for each episode?

Best,
Will


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## noiseboyuk (Feb 4, 2011)

*Re: BBC kids series - series 3*



williamrice @ Fri Feb 04 said:


> Hi Guy,
> 
> I thought your score was extremely effective, great use of these libraries, esp. at the rate you were writing! The dub seemed decent too - good amount of music in the mix :D
> 
> ...



Hey there William - all those chimes / bells are good old Symphonic Orchestra. Love it for percussion - cymbals, gongs, orch chimes, bell trees, timps, wagner bass drum, bells, triangles, xylo, glock, marimba... all SO.

I usually just work through on the timeline. I have kind of a rare luxury, most of the episodes have no temp (no time to create one!) and no guidance on where the score is and isn't - occasionally I ask, otherwise just get on with it (and of course adjust based on producer notes after a first version). So I just work through on the timeline, spotting and composing as I go. On natural pauses / gaps I usually call it a cue, and save that project. If I need to go back, that cue is always right and unaffected by any changes that might happen downstream (Sonar is rubbish for management of this kind of thing, but this system is crude and effective).


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## Hannes_F (Feb 4, 2011)

Not available in your area ...


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## Daniel James (Feb 4, 2011)

Hey Guy,

Great work mate, My nieces love that show, great to know someone here worked on it.

Doesnt sound like speedy composition at all, sounds like you took your time so congrats :D

Dan


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## tumeninote (Feb 4, 2011)

*Re: BBC kids series - series 3*

Bummer can't watch here also.


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## ricother (Feb 5, 2011)

*Re: BBC kids series - series 3*

I really wanted to listen to your music, but... not available in my area :?


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## noiseboyuk (Feb 5, 2011)

Thanks Dan! Great to hear about your nieces. This series seems to have had zero publicity, most people don't even know it's on. Yet last year in the Appreciation Index thing (where they determine how much the audience actually likes a show, as opposed to hard ratings data), Legend came top of all children's programmes on all channels - that was awesome to hear.

I really appreciate everyone's comments... I know how uber-talented so many people are here, so it means a lot to someone so musically-challenged!

I don't think I'll ever have a solution for the video being available for users outside the UK, it's the BBC's iPlayer policy. However, there are some cues on my website (on the Legendary "album"), and a little later this month I'll put up some of the more recent stuff.


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## noiseboyuk (Mar 5, 2011)

More episodes are on iPlayer for brits. There are two I'm dead pleased with. This one

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0 ... the_Beast/

Is one where I had a little more time to score it and I think it shows. I still haven't put some of this on my website but I hopefully will this week. It's very, very bizarre, set mostly inside someone's brain, but great fun.

Oh, just seen that the other episode I love - a kind of musical horror movie - isn't on iPlayer for some reason. Must investigate that.


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## noiseboyuk (Mar 6, 2011)

Music now online for the whole world to hear (as opposed to the Brits) at my website in the sig below - cheers all.


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## DynamicK (Mar 6, 2011)

Really great job on this one Guy (The Numbskulls of the Beast) .


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## germancomponist (Mar 6, 2011)

Like it, Guy! Great work!


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## ChrisAxia (Mar 6, 2011)

Excellent work Guy. Very impressive you manage 8-9 minutes/day also!

~C


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## noiseboyuk (Mar 6, 2011)

Thanks folks, really appreciated!

Chris, this particular episode took longer, it was quite a bit more involved and more filmic generally and - crucially - there wasn't the same mad deadline because there was a wait on visual effects. It was more like 4-5 mins a day. Listening back I'm still aware of a lot of rough edges... little timing things that bug me. Also much of the first cue was an earlier version of my template... I was experimenting with a dryer sound. I like it, but ended up going back to something a little wetter, and it's inconsistent with the rest now of course. For some reason it doesn't bother me over-much, it has a certain charm, but strictly speaking I should redo that first section.

Overall though I'm more pleased with this than any of the other stuff across the 2 series. Damn, I'm getting used to the "luxury" of having a slightly less insane schedule.... that's worrying...


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## ChrisAxia (Mar 6, 2011)

Hi Guy,

Makes me feel better about my 2minutes/day knowing you spent 'only' 5 minutes/day on this episode, hehehe! Isn't it funny how we all focus on things in our own scores that no one else is likely to notice? The fact that some of your cues were 'drier' than others etc. For me, it all worked very well and I didn't even think about that. 

What I also find interesting is that I am constantly told that my recent work sounds like a real orchestra, but because I can clearly remember playing in all those notes on my keyboard, I find it very difficult to perceive my work as sounding 'real'. I'm sure you feel the same about your work, but for me, as someone listening to your music for the first time, there were many parts that sounded very 'real' which I'm sure you don't perceive that way. Just something we have to accept I guess!

~C


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## noiseboyuk (Mar 7, 2011)

Thanks Chris, and good to hear. The real / not real thing is interesting. I often hear music here (not least from yourself) that sounds wonderfully real to me. I think the biggest factor is when you're working-to-the-samples. If someone wrote a complete orchestral score then triœ ¹   Då’ ¹   F" ¹   FR ¹   HÆ ¹   HÇ ¹   MïÝ ¹   Mð ¹   N¢} ¹   N£ ¹   Oùó ¹   OúF ¹   P|É ¹   P}j ¹   P…T ¹   P…~ ¹   PÂW ¹   PÂÈ ¹   TOv ¹   TOÅ ¹   Tt8 ¹   Tu ¹   W‰Œ ¹   W‰¶ ¹   WŒì ¹   W ¹   W­o ¹   W®O ¹   Z´í ¹   ZµX ¹   Z»¤ ¹   Z¼  ¹   [) ¹   [)¾ ¹   [C~ ¹   [DV ¹   [× ¹   [Øœ ¹   fj ¹   fü ¹   f ¹   fª ¹   f…¢ ¹   f…æ ¹   m˜* ¹   m˜W ¹   n!j ¹   n!l ¹   o¼é ¹   o½S ¹   sw ¹   s³ ¹   s¬´ ¹   s¬à ¹   v5o ¹   v5… ¹   w*ü ¹   w+7 ¹   yt ¹   ytS ¹   yub ¹   yu¡ ¹   zB£ ¹   zB× ¹   €`Ä ¹   €a ¹   «# ¹   «Y ¹   ƒôK ¹   ƒôù ¹   …&K ¹   …&ë ¹   ˆY ¹   ˆYc ¹   ˆØ€                                                                                    postchment                                                    image/jpeg                                                                                                                                                                                                       ò ¹   2‘ ¹   2¼ 


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