# The Calling - Warner Bros + Hollywood Scoring + Dennis Sands



## IvanP

Hey! Long time since I posted some music here! Thought I could share this one. 

I recently had some time in between projects and decided to record a piece at Warner Bros with the Hollywood Scoring guys and a 65 piece orchestra engineered by Dennis Sands. Needless to say, I had quite some fun  

Hope you'll like it too!



Music composed, orchestrated and conducted by me (Ivan Palomares)
Recording Engineer: Dennis Sands
Mixer: Mikel Krutzaga
Music Prep: JAKane Music Services
Orchestra Contractor: Hollywood Scoring
Recorded at Warner Bros, CA


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## d.healey

A really nice piece! I think the first minute and a half is my favourite part but the whole thing is great, good development which always appeals to me. Would you be able to make the conductor's score available? I think combined with the video it would be a good study aid.


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## gjelul

Very nice!
Curious, was this performance one take or is the audio a combination of takes?


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## cadenzajon

This is indeed excellent.

I'm mulling over your introduction, "I recently had some time in between projects and decided to record a piece at Warner Bros with the Hollywood Scoring guys and a 65 piece orchestra engineered by Dennis Sands."

So... this wasn't paid work for a client as one of your regular projects, it was something on the side for yourself? (A la Mike Verta's "The Race"?) If so... well, you rock. 

I'd be really curious about the logistics of a project like this (expense, how much studio time and how many takes, etc.)


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## IvanP

cadenzajon said:


> This is indeed excellent.
> 
> I'm mulling over your introduction, "I recently had some time in between projects and decided to record a piece at Warner Bros with the Hollywood Scoring guys and a 65 piece orchestra engineered by Dennis Sands."
> 
> So... this wasn't paid work for a client as one of your regular projects, it was something on the side for yourself? (A la Mike Verta's "The Race"?) If so... well, you rock.
> 
> I'd be really curious about the logistics of a project like this (expense, how much studio time and how many takes, etc.)



Thank you guys!! I appreciate your kind words!

Thks! Yes, this was a side thing...I have done a lot of delicate, European film music and I didn't had in my reel something in this vein...given that I had the chance of showcasing some of my music for a pitch, I thought it wouldn't hurt to have something more "blockbusty", would it?  

I booked a 25 minutes slot, this was done on 3 full passes and 1 pickup, if I remember correctly. 1st read was almost good (I was writing specifically for some of these players, some of which I had already worked before (Jon Lewis, Armen Ksajikian, etc...) and I knew what they are able to deliver on a short session like this...they are outstanding players!). So it was just a matter of editing/chosing the takes where I decided to do some minor changes, or where I conducted the phrasing differently, for a specific brassy high end effect, etc. 

Noah Gladstone is around this forum, you can ask him about costs and expenses, as they vary upon each open session they offer.


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## Steve Martin

Great score here Ivan. Sounds amazing! 

thanks for sharing the video and the music with us.

Steve


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## Jetzer

Nice work! Thanks for sharing.


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## dog1978

Great music.


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## BenG

This is fantastic music, Ivan!
Thanks for sharing!


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## IvanP

Thank you guys! I really appreciate it!!


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## KEnK

Beautiful work there!

Forgive my ignorance (never having been involved in actual orchestral recording)
but why the headphones if there's no film?
was a click necessary for splicing?
also seems that the horns aren't using cans (maybe in the ear I can't see?)
Was there a preference for players for headphone style, or?
Nice camera work and editing btw.

I'm sure you're feeling pretty good about it
and you should. 

k


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## Desire Inspires

Nice music and all, but I think they should have dressed a bit more professionally. Was this a practice run?


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## mikehamm123

Love it. You must have had a blast!


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## IvanP

Desire Inspires said:


> Nice music and all, but I think they should have dressed a bit more professionally. Was this a practice run?



LOL!!! this comment made my day


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## IvanP

KEnK said:


> Beautiful work there!
> 
> Forgive my ignorance (never having been involved in actual orchestral recording)
> but why the headphones if there's no film?
> was a click necessary for splicing?
> also seems that the horns aren't using cans (maybe in the ear I can't see?)
> Was there a preference for players for headphone style, or?
> Nice camera work and editing btw.
> 
> I'm sure you're feeling pretty good about it
> and you should.
> 
> k


 
Very nice question!

Headphones make it easier and faster to communicate with the booth. If any non musical detail (chair noise etc) should be addressed quickly without the need to lose time in telling the conductor 1st, they can tell that to the musicians. 
But you're right, we recorded it to a click as well. With less than 25 minutes I wanted to make sure we could focus on performance. I'm a seasoned conductor and could have done it without click, but for editing sake and achieving the tightest bits, I thought I didn't want to risk a take or two until they felt comfortable with my conducting gesture. In a normal recording session (as in film) this type of piece would have taken longer to record. 
In fact I told the musicians that I would be doing a last take without click, if time allowed (gotta love a performance without click!). But we couldn't make it!


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## KEnK

IvanP said:


> Headphones make it easier and faster to communicate with the booth...


Thanks for the answer.
I appreciate it

k


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## Steve Martin

IvanP said:


> Very nice question!
> 
> Headphones make it easier and faster to communicate with the booth. If any non musical detail (chair noise etc) should be addressed quickly without the need to lose time in telling the conductor 1st, they can tell that to the musicians.
> But you're right, we recorded it to a click as well. With less than 25 minutes I wanted to make sure we could focus on performance. I'm a seasoned conductor and could have done it without click, but for editing sake and achieving the tightest bits, I thought I didn't want to risk a take or two until they felt comfortable with my conducting gesture. In a normal recording session (as in film) this type of piece would have taken longer to record.
> In fact I told the musicians that I would be doing a last take without click, if time allowed (gotta love a performance without click!). But we couldn't make it!


Hi Ivan,

Just listened again to the music, and its wonderful. Ivan, may I ask in regard to the click you would have performed it to, if you recorded it with a click, and as there was a faster section at the end, so there would have been a tempo change in speed for that section in comparison with the first, so, for each different section, even though there would have been a tempo change, was this click in strict time all the way through each different section, like a metronome? or ,just like in your DAW, when you record with a click?
thanks if you can tell me.
Steve


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## byzantium

Wow. Amazing sound on this.


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## IvanP

Steve Martin said:


> Hi Ivan,
> 
> Just listened again to the music, and its wonderful. Ivan, may I ask in regard to the click you would have performed it to, if you recorded it with a click, and as there was a faster section at the end, so there would have been a tempo change in speed for that section in comparison with the first, so, for each different section, even though there would have been a tempo change, was this click in strict time all the way through each different section, like a metronome? or ,just like in your DAW, when you record with a click?
> thanks if you can tell me.
> Steve



Thank you, Steve, yes there were tempo changes indeed. The Click was indeed following the tempo changes. I didn't use a DAW for this, as it was directly written on Sibelius. All the tempi changes were indicated in Sibelius and the click track was created after the Sibelius file. 

Hope that makes some sense


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## handz

Amazing stuff Ivan, you rock. 

How much would this cost to record for a regular mortal?


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## Steve Martin

IvanP said:


> Thank you, Steve, yes there were tempo changes indeed. The Click was indeed following the tempo changes. I didn't use a DAW for this, as it was directly written on Sibelius. All the tempi changes were indicated in Sibelius and the click track was created after the Sibelius file.
> 
> Hope that makes some sense


Hi Ivan,
thank you for your answer - much appreciated  . 

What I was meaning, was the click for the performance [even though there were different speeds for each section], a steady beat that did not deviate from the tempo set for that section - ie. no slight rubatos, just a straight click for each section with a different tempo with each section, no deviations from a strict tempo such as no accellerando, or ritardandos etc programmed into the beat track?

thanks,

Steve


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## TGV

Super, especially the first two minutes. Some of those brass chords are really nice.


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## IvanP

Steve Martin said:


> Hi Ivan,
> thank you for your answer - much appreciated  .
> 
> What I was meaning, was the click for the performance [even though there were different speeds for each section], a steady beat that did not deviate from the tempo set for that section - ie. no slight rubatos, just a straight click for each section with a different tempo with each section, no deviations from a strict tempo such as no accellerando, or ritardandos etc programmed into the beat track?
> 
> thanks,
> 
> Steve



Oh I see what you mean now. I had written some slight variations in tempo between parts of the sections (+2, +3 bpm, etc) but the rubato parts (rit and coming back to previous tempo) was a decision done by me while conducting. 
As I said, these are amazing musicians with whom I've worked before (some of them). I knew it wouldn't be an issue if I decided to hold some of the beats for musicality!


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## germancomponist

Ha, what an enjoyment. Well done, Ivan!


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## Steve Martin

IvanP said:


> Oh I see what you mean now. I had written some slight variations in tempo between parts of the sections (+2, +3 bpm, etc) but the rubato parts (rit and coming back to previous tempo) was a decision done by me while conducting.
> As I said, these are amazing musicians with whom I've worked before (some of them). I knew it wouldn't be an issue if I decided to hold some of the beats for musicality!


Thanks Ivan for that info. Yes, that is what I meant. Thanks kindly for answering 

best,

Steve


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## Steve Martin

Hi again Ivan, being listening again. This score is one that has really taken my thinking and attention. Besides all of the lovely counterpoint and beautiful harmony in this music, there is something that pulled on my already attentive listening in a different way. In the harmony and melodic line at 1.49 to 1.5. While listening and moving along with all the beauty of your harmony and melody - this sudden change of modality made me think "Hey, what is that? Wow!" Whatever you've done there, it's very skillful addition to a wonderful and expressive score. Steve


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## IvanP

Steve Martin said:


> Hi again Ivan, being listening again. This score is one that has really taken my thinking and attention. Besides all of the lovely counterpoint and beautiful harmony in this music, there is something that pulled on my already attentive listening in a different way. In the harmony and melodic line at 1.49 to 1.5. While listening and moving along with all the beauty of your harmony and melody - this sudden change of modality made me think "Hey, what is that? Wow!" Whatever you've done there, it's very skillful addition to a wonderful and expressive score. Steve



Thks! It's nothing groundbreaking, really, but effective, I guess! 

It's simply a G Pedal under which I'm adding some very slight bitonal stuff (Bmajor arpeggiated chord and then Eb-E-C# the second time). It's a simple progression that informs of a change in character and tone and that I'm using at the end, again, to end the piece.

Here's a screen capture:




imagenes grandes gratis


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## Steve Martin

Hi Ivan, thanks for those details. Even though you say it was simple, it is very effective. It's been an inspiring piece of music to listen to. I'm really glad that you you shared your music with us here on the forum.

thanks,

Steve


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## IvanP

Steve Martin said:


> Hi Ivan, thanks for those details. Even though you say it was simple, it is very effective. It's been an inspiring piece of music to listen to. I'm really glad that you you shared your music with us here on the forum.
> 
> thanks,
> 
> Steve



Thanks to you, Steve, really appreciate that you took the time to listen thoroughly! My pleasure!


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## Steve Martin

no problem Ivan. All the best with what you will do with it  It's very good that professional composers like your self share your work with us on this forum.


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