# Music for an Action Scene



## brkootnekoff (Mar 2, 2022)

I'm writing the music for an action scene (150ish bpm). I want to put in a string ostinato, but it would be way too fast for me to play it in on the keyboard (probably would ruin my keyboard anyway if I was ever successful).

What do you guys do in this case? There must be some tricks that I'm unaware of.


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## Mr Greg G (Mar 2, 2022)

Maybe draw it with the mouse or input with computer keyboard?


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## liquidlino (Mar 2, 2022)

Step entry on the midi editor is amazing for this. You can "play" the notes through the midi controller, and whilst each step will be perfectly quantized, it allows for the velocity to be more natural.

Alternatively, just slow it to 70bpm or something and record in that way, and then speed it back up, if you want a really super-natural sounding performance rather than quantized.


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## brkootnekoff (Mar 2, 2022)

liquidlino said:


> Alternatively, just slow it to 70bpm or something and record in that way, and then speed it back up, if you want a really super-natural sounding performance rather than quantized.


i tried recording it at a slower speed and then I sped it back up. It sounded good at the slower speed, but very robotic at the much faster tempo. Perhaps, I need to edit the velocities and slightly nudge the notes before I speed it back up?


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## liquidlino (Mar 2, 2022)




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## chillbot (Mar 2, 2022)

brkootnekoff said:


> i tried recording it at a slower speed and then I sped it back up. It sounded good at the slower speed, but very robotic at the much faster tempo. Perhaps, I need to edit the velocities and slightly nudge the notes before I speed it back up?


Don't slow it down too much.. I would definitely never go half speed as suggested. Fast ostinatos should be fast. If you're at 150 slow it down to 130-135 so you can still give it feel. Slower if you have to but be aware that if you can't even play it at 120 (for example) it's not going to sound realistic that strings are playing it at 150.

The other trick I use is break it up into beats and play every OTHER beat. So if you have sixteen 16th notes in a measure... play the first four, rest a beat, then play the third four. Then take a second pass where you fill in and play the second four and fourth four. I find this can give more realistic results. You can still slow it down a bit but you won't have to slow it down as much as if you were playing nonstop.


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## brkootnekoff (Mar 2, 2022)

chillbot said:


> Don't slow it down too much.. I would definitely never go half speed as suggested. Fast ostinatos should be fast. If you're at 150 slow it down to 130-135 so you can still give it feel. Slower if you have to but be aware that if you can't even play it at 120 (for example) it's not going to sound realistic that strings are playing it at 150.
> 
> The other trick I use is break it up into beats and play every OTHER beat. So if you have sixteen 16th notes in a measure... play the first four, rest a beat, then play the third four. Then take a second pass where you fill in and play the second four and fourth four. I find this can give more realistic results. You can still slow it down a bit but you won't have to slow it down as much as if you were playing nonstop.


Ok. I'll give that a try. Thanks for the tip!


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## brkootnekoff (Mar 2, 2022)

I also don't know what to do in terms of percussion. I got some tips from another person. They gave me very specific instructions. I'll list them here:

1) Two shakers, one panned hard left (playing 1/8th notes) and the other panned hard right (playing 1/16th notes)

2) orchestral snare drum with a delay on it. (I think he said to use a dynamic delay. I tried it with a dynamic delay and normal delay and it didn't work either way)

3) kick with a four on the floor beat

4) orchestral bass drum (hit every 2 measures)

5) timpani- (hit every two to 4 bars)

When I put all of this in, it sounded like a dance/club beat or something that would almost fit in a jungle chase scene. I'm doing a car chase scene with gun fire and an explosion in the middle.

What do you guys do in terms of percussion for a chase scene? What rhythmic patterns and which drums, etc do you use?


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## jeffrona (Mar 2, 2022)

brkootnekoff said:


> I also don't know what to do in terms of percussion. I got some tips from another person. They gave me very specific instructions. I'll list them here:
> 
> 1) Two shakers, one panned hard left (playing 1/8th notes) and the other panned hard right (playing 1/16th notes)
> 
> ...


You are right. That's very pop production suggestions. Some people think action cues have to be really fast and rhythmic, but many of the best action music leaves space for all the sound effects and dialog (if there is any). Listen to the Bourne Identity scores as a great example. You can get blood pumping without fast rhythms, especially at a higher tempo. You may be able to solve this problem more easily than you thought!


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## brkootnekoff (Mar 2, 2022)

liquidlino said:


> The best tip I've had recently (again it's zimmer), is to draft the composition without percussion, and get it sounding good without any percussion etc first. Then add percussion as the final element, rather than what sometimes happens which is using percussion as a crutch to prop up an otherwise unexciting piece.


That's usually what I do; put in percussion last. Only because I don't know much about it.

But when I do eventually put it in, does it usually follow the rhythm of the melodic instruments in the intense parts? Or is it just a matter of trial and error? 

Are there are some rhythmic patterns that work for most action sequences?


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## milford59 (Mar 3, 2022)

brkootnekoff said:


> That's usually what I do; put in percussion last. Only because I don't know much about it.
> 
> But when I do eventually put it in, does it usually follow the rhythm of the melodic instruments in the intense parts? Or is it just a matter of trial and error?
> 
> Are there are some rhythmic patterns that work for most action sequences?


I don't know what VST's you have or whether you have budget for any more, but something like Heavyocity DAMAGE or DAMAGE2.... or SE-Drums by U-Jam are pretty good for giving you some percussion choices that would suit an action scene.


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## Jeremy Spencer (Mar 3, 2022)

For that type of cue I usually pull out tempo-sync’d libraries like Action Strings or Sonokinetic stuff.


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