# So how much music are you guys cranking out?



## Studio E (May 12, 2013)

Just wondering what you guys that are doing this full time are pushing out of your hard drive on a daily basis. I'm not a full time professional but I still am striving toward it. I am currently working on a short film that I am trying to write in the style of Danny Elfman. Say what you will, he is probably my favorite and this film calls for it (the director specifically asked for it). So what I'm doing is writing and producing in Cubase completely with virtual instruments. It's all I have ever done and it is a mother if you are a bit disorganized and I am right now. Too much new stuff and not enough time to organize my template at the moment.

All that to say, How much music can you guys do, in a heavy orchestral style, with all virtual instruments? You know, I've heard guys like Elfman say that he writes a minute or two of music a day on projects. Well that's cool but he isn't having to tweak 10 million cc7, cc11, cc1, etc etc curves, toy with levels, eq, reverb, and all of that. 

What is realistic or expected for the rest of us? I just spent two days to squeeze out 3.5 minutes and it was a serious struggle and it's not all tweaked either. I'd need another 4-8 hours probably to feel good about the way it sounds. Comments?


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## autopilot (May 12, 2013)

Takes as long as it does. Partic short films

Some days you plough through. And then I'd guess there are days when all of us write 8 seconds of shite and then throw it out the next day. 

If you're still setting up your template for a larger project, and still working out your ideas rather than developing them it takes longer. 

Once template is up and themes and style are worked out you can rip through a lot faster but till then take the time to get it right. 

And don't fret - comparing yourself to others is one of the sure paths to hell - just do your best - speed comes as process and style develops


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## Sasje (May 12, 2013)

I'm not experienced, but I noticed that tweaking kills productivity. It's tempting, and I had to unlearn this conditioning of making everything sound perfect the second I write it. So now I don't tweak at all, I just blaze through something and I found out that it helps to keep track of inspiration as it is fleeting away from me. Sometimes I don't align/quantize notes, I don't really have to hear it, I only need to get it down. I'll only decorate the score with all those bells and whistles when I reach the end, not before. I find it a good workflow. I open up my DAW multiple times a day to write something quickly, but I have never spent hours on end, I just can't. That's my aim, then I close my DAW and do some -other- fun stuff. :D


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## MarkS_Comp (May 12, 2013)

autopilot @ Sun May 12 said:


> Takes as long as it does.



This.



Sasje @ Sun May 12 said:


> ...I noticed that tweaking kills productivity.



That's funny - I am just the opposite. When I tweak, it helps me to hear things as they should be (or close enough), which helps my creativity.

That said, I can crank out 6-8 min per day, if it's a style and genre I am familiar with. Less (maybe 3-4) if it's a style and genre I have not had much experience with. But those are long, full days, 12-14 hr.


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## Kejero (May 13, 2013)

I always feel I'm so slow. I can do at most 1 minute on an average day. That's one minute of fully orchestrated orchestral music, less if it's intense action music. And that's with the template fully set up already and the themes and textures figured out. And then it's not even properly mixed (although I do orchestrate as well as I can which I consider the most important part of "mixing" anyway -- so actual mixing doesn't take much work anymore, usually). Still, I always feel I'm just too slow. Way too slow :(
I'm sure experience and (ugh) routine will eventually make me faster, but six to eight minutes per day? That's insane... You're talking about pads and electronic beats and loops then... right? RIGHT? :o


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## nikolas (May 13, 2013)

I did a 43 DVD in less than 20 days so that's more than 2 minutes per day. Of course the music was simplistic and there was little to no syncing issues (it was just mussak basically), so that worked out fine...

In contemporary classical music I can even go faster, if need be, but the score preparation takes time, plus I turn into a freak, ghost like person who nobody wants to talk to...


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## Tatu (May 13, 2013)

sasje said:


> tweaking kills productivity



This is very much a personal thing; we're all different. Tweaking is not wrong - it's essential - _overdoing it_ is.


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## Madrigal (May 13, 2013)

Tweaking is certainly important, but I guess you have to imagine before hand which sonic colors will suit the project. If not, trying this sound and that sound might eat away a lot of your time, it's an easy trap to fall in. 

Working in the box and having so many possibilities in terms of instrumentation and synthesis is a great advantage nowadays but it must not take to focus away from composition. 

Visualizing the necessary sonic palette before you start writing, and then directly composing with those instruments without tweaking them, could help you be much more productive in terms of composition. Worry about the sound and mixing later. 

Well, it's worth a try, but indeed, to each his own. Sound can definitely inspire composition.


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## Daryl (May 13, 2013)

I think that this is always a difficult question to answer, because there is a difference between writing music, and pissing around with samples to realise the composition. If I don't have to program a demo, writing is fairly quick and painless, but it's the programming of the demo which takes the time.

However, if I ever feel as if I'm just "cranking out" music, then chances are I'm not actually writing music; I'm just producing sonic wallpaper. :wink: 

D


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## windshore (May 13, 2013)

I'll tell you from my experience and others that I know. It's certainly common to have to, at times, gear up to be able to do around 10 minutes a day. That doesn't mean you want to or that it'll be your best work, but somewhere along the line, there will be a deadline and you've got to figure out ways of dealing with it. 

A good work flow strategy is to decide in advance, what elements of ALL the cues are the most important element. (percussion, theme, etc) make sure to get that basic element up on all cues so that all are in the same place. (foundation) then move to the next element, get all cues to the same place, etc. Then if you get caught short, you can still deliver when your time is up and everything will be finished as much as it can be finished.


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## Patrick de Caumette (May 13, 2013)

This is an all important issue.
Like Daryl says, there is no straight answer either.
It all depends on what kind of stuff you're producing.
Anyone can do 10 minutes of crap: 3 loops, 3 SFX, and a little melody on top.
Production quality is another factor: what are the expectations there?
Are you a one man band, or are you sending the tracks to an engineer for mixing?
If I am doing it all myself, and I have to come up with themes, virtual orchestration and production, and I hold myself to quality standards, which include finding the perfect fit for the picture I am working on, i'm thrilled if I can deliver one minute of mixed orchestral material per day.
The norm used to be 2 minutes of written music per day.
What do you expect?
To suddenly have to do 2 minutes per day of fully mixed material?!
In which case, something has to give, and it will be quality...

If it's anything pop, I can certainly do a lot more, but again, who are we kidding?
Rock bands would get in a studio and work for a year with the best engineers to deliver a 30 minutes album.
There are no shortcuts.
Quality takes time.
The insane deadlines that we are subjected to are the #1 reason for the lack of creativity we are currently witnessing in music for media.
Unless of course, you have a whole team working for you, in which case anything is possible...

ps: great keyboard chops really help...


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## Patrick de Caumette (May 13, 2013)

Another point: when you are cranking out this standard/average music because you have no time to polish things up or come up with something original, how do you expect to stand out in the crowd of people that do the same thing you do and all sound the same 'cause they use the same loops and VIs?
Not a great long term career plan...


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## Studio E (May 13, 2013)

Thanks guys for all the replies. I was just wondering for myself. I plan on ,asking the move someday and really trying to make a go of it. I've been racking my brain on this short and I would say that I wrote, tweaked, orchestrated about 3 minutes in two days. Am I thrilled with the results? Some yes, some no. I just fear that even if I know that I can do this job, will I ever be able to do it to the degree that would be profitable and sustainable? I'm just listening to the bad voices again I guess.

I have a really decent job with nice middle class income and benefits. I could sit here for 25 more years and retire nicely.......or I could get up and follow my dream somewhere. Just trying to feel out the expectations.


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## Patrick de Caumette (May 13, 2013)

Do you have a family, kids?

If so, think carefully about the switch, and at least, try to pursue the music work on the top of your regular job for a while, to try to develop connections and get a feel for what you're getting into.

If you're single, the decision is a much easier one to make...

But these days, a good job with benefits is hard to come by.
Some of the best music I've written was while I had a full time job doing something else.
No one to please but yourself.
Depending on music to make a living = having to do things/work for people that you may not always like...


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## Studio E (May 13, 2013)

Thanks Patrick. I've been doing music work for other people for about 7 years now part time, ostly in advertising but also in government, educational, and corporate films. Now, I'm stretching my wings a bit with some indie film makers where we are all doing it for fun. It is so much more inspiring to write for actual story telling films than all of the other stuff. I'm developing a plan that will take a year or a little more. At the end of it, I will probably move to where the action is. I have some contacts there and I will be sure to have my ducks in a row before I go. In fact, I may very well continue my non-musical career there and then just see what blossoms musically. Thanks again


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## Patrick de Caumette (May 13, 2013)

Sounds like you have a sound plan!
Good luck!


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## reddognoyz (May 13, 2013)

I have been doing 22 minutes a week since October, sometimes a bit less depending on the amount of notes I get. The most I've done is 44 minutes a week, but that is unsustainable beyond a couple of weeks, and really only works for lighter scores. The show I'm working on now has a lot of action/adventure stuff which takes time, it's not complicated, it's just a lot of notes. I find (bad) comedy the hardest to write for.


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## doctornine (May 13, 2013)

How much am I cranking out ?

I do library. I do a lot.

:wink:


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## windshore (May 13, 2013)

Patrick raises all the right points about quality etc., but I have heard composer's work cranked out at that 10 minutes in a day pace and have been astonished by the quality. (well orchestrated and beautiful produced) Sometimes the stupid deadlines make your thinking clearer. One of the tricks of course is to have your templates REALLY well thought-out and organized. 

I would also agree that 44 minutes of music in a week is unsustainable. So something like 10 minutes in a day would be the exception. Of course I have a friend who very comfortably cranks out 5 minutes a day of library, but the productions range from complex to very simple.


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## doctornine (May 13, 2013)

There seems to be a perception library is easy work.

It isn't. 
I'm turning in 10 to 12 hour days, on average 7 days a week. 
I wish I could crank out 5 mins worth day, plus edits and underscores.

~o)


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## windshore (May 13, 2013)

doctornine @ 5/13/2013 said:


> There seems to be a perception library is easy work.
> 
> It isn't.
> I'm turning in 10 to 12 hour days, on average 7 days a week.
> ...



I agree.. depending on the project of course. 

I feel I'm much faster scoring to picture. It's more firmly defined.


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## Patrick de Caumette (May 13, 2013)

I too am very impressed with people that can deliver strong material really fast...
TJ, Mike Verta...etc
Again, good keyboard or mouse or MIDI controller chops are essential, beyond the ability to orchestrate fluently, and on the top of that, engineering skills to boot.

Library music is not music for media, where one of the main challenges is to conceptualize appropriately to story telling and visuals.
This is an additional creative task that requires attention and that sometimes presents hard challenges.
I got stuck two weeks ago, trying to find the theme for a public figure of Italian American descent. Could not quote Italian music, couldn't say that that man was a thug, didn't want to make him a saint either...
I tried a bit of both, to see how far I could go with it, rejected it.
Then decided to go with his time period (70's) and since he was a former cop, went for a Lalo Schifrin type-thing. 
I am ashamed to say that it took me 6 days to figure all of this out... :oops: 
but once I found it, I caught up to my schedule because everything relating to this character was figured out.
Goldsmith was saying that he'd take 7 to 10 days sometimes to come up with all of his motivic material and tone for the film.
Orchestrating afterwards was a breathe.

We have to produce (those of us that do virtual a lot) on the top of that!

Again, we're all different and some can do all of it... but having the luxury of having enough time to plan and conceptualize allows our creativity to go deeper.

I propose a revolution where we get enough respect to be given the same time than editors get (relatively) :twisted: :mrgreen: 
Being the last step in the process before mix, the expendables of some sort, we are given the bad deal (well, maybe not financially...)
Health wise, you can go so long on 4 hours of sleep a night.

Of course i'm dreaming, but we're worth it!


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## Sasje (May 13, 2013)

Tatu @ Mon May 13 said:


> sasje said:
> 
> 
> > tweaking kills productivity
> ...



Sure. But as in all arts, productivity-wise it's best to start with a foundation and built a structure on it. The decoration comes last. From the bottom up, not from the top down. That technique works in painting. I can't see how I could tweak a painting, setting highlights, glazing parts without having the structure first. It can be done, but it isn't productive at all. The same goes for music in my opinion. To say that I never tweak anything until I got the basics down. There's no need to add meter/speed changes, reverb, convolutions, limiters, compressors, browse through a million presets, FX's when I only have 1 minute down. It doesn't seem productive at all. For me it's just a distraction, especially when I have some inspiration that doesn't last very long. 

Could be me though... I had to unlearn this very behavior, and as it turned out, I got more productive since I didn't have to worry about tweaks until I was done. Whereas that old behavior got me procrastinating forever, getting stuck on instrument positions, note velocities, reverbs, levels, mixing and all that Jazz.

But I'm an amateur, what do I know.


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## Tatu (May 13, 2013)

Sasje @ Mon May 13 said:


> Tatu @ Mon May 13 said:
> 
> 
> > sasje said:
> ...



yes, convolutions, "the most analogue-like tape saturation plugin", detailed FX etc... not always as important as MIDI (which is essential - IMO), though they might be just what the guy needs to get his sounds right.. Hence, tweaking is essential and often, when working with samples from multiple sources, it's easy to get lost if things just won't co-operate and sit well together. That's why it's also good to have at least some sort of balanced basic template, even if it's just strings and brass. That can truly help simply by speeding up the process and give you confidence in terms of production.

If you - Studio E - have your themes and you know what to sound like (Elfman, that's your orchestration handbook for the project, use it shamelessly) (but don't forget the template), then just sit your ass down and start hammering, that's how deadlines are met and minutes produced, not buy going 'oooh' and 'aaah' around the picture, creating deeper metaphors for each and every note until you realize that someone else ended up doing the job :D 

Perhaps Mr. Zimmer chimes in at some point.. I've heard a nasty little rumor that he can be quite neurotic when it comes to tweaking them sounds.


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## Studio E (May 13, 2013)

Yeah, I'd say the biggest thing is the midi tweaking and as I said, I KNOW that I could be way more organized than I am right now with my template. I literally did a brand new build and re-installation with four new major libraries just days before I started this 7 minute film and as I had said, I have a day job. So the weekend brought about 3 minutes which actually equals about 4.5 minutes of the film total so far. I'm really liking the discussion though guys, thanks,

Eric


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## Kejero (May 13, 2013)

Sasje @ Mon May 13 said:


> [...]I got more productive since I didn't have to worry about tweaks until I was done. Whereas that old behavior got me procrastinating forever [...]



That actually sounds like something I might wanna try. I usually work four to eight bars at a time, fleshing them out pretty thoroughly, before I move on to the next so many bars. Then again... the moment that I start putting down notes it usually means that I've written the entire damn thing already in my head... it's just that damn chore of having to notate, orchestrate and produce the whole shebang that's so time-consuming  I guess the question is, how do you define 'tweaking', where do you draw the line?


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## handz (May 13, 2013)

Earlier I was able to write 7-15 minutes a day if I had good day, nowdays around 1-2 minutes. 

Tweaking really kills my mood for composing, I hate this, this is why I always prefer out of the box libs which needs less tweaks. 

And as others said - it obviously depends on style, I believe that Zimmer style cues could be done quite faster that some more complex heavily thematic / melodic, fully orchestrated stuff.


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## Per Lichtman (May 13, 2013)

It really depends, but the key is to find an approach that works for you and give yourself the confidence and space to consistently apply it.

I talked to Thomas Newman once (who is one of the composers that that has most inspired me in film) and one of the thing he mentioned in an SCL seminar was that before each score, he set aside a certain number of days to just noodle. During those days he did not allow himself to worry about syncing to picture, editing or refining - he just let things flow freely. Then after that he had something he had could draw upon when he got "on task".

I've talked to many other people that apply a similar process.

As for myself, it varies greatly depending on what sort of material and where I'm at.

In 2002-2003 (where I was working almost entirely on my own projects and not scoring to picture) I ended up with over 100 cues that added up to over 10 hours for my personal work on top of a full-academic load. I would sometimes compose 10 hours a day on top of my studies.

As a working professional it has varied widely. Piano music comes the quickest of course (13 character themes in one day is currently my record) and section that use only short articulations are quicker than ones that require sustains. Because anytime you have real instruments doing sustains, they are always moving - they don't stay static or sound identical time after time... so that means extra work to make it inspiring. 

I think that the key is to find what it is that inspires you and go with that. If you need a particular type of sound to be inspired, make sure your template has that. If you need to have good dynamics in your strings, make sure you get some semblance of that as you go or quickly thereafter. But stop at "inspired" and don't go for "perfect', that's pretty key.

Because as my dad says "Every time you remember, it's a reinterpretation" and the only way you can really be objective about what works and what doesn't is to get it out of you so you can listen to it and see. Just my two cents.


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## Tatu (May 14, 2013)

Studio E @ Mon May 13 said:


> Yeah, I'd say the biggest thing is the midi tweaking and as I said, I KNOW that I could be way more organized than I am right now with my template. I literally did a brand new build and re-installation with four new major libraries just days before I started this 7 minute film and as I had said, I have a day job. So the weekend brought about 3 minutes which actually equals about 4.5 minutes of the film total so far. I'm really liking the discussion though guys, thanks,
> 
> Eric



If tweaking is a killer, then separate the processes: Write on piano or on Notion/Sibelius/Finale with the built in sounds (they're so far from perfect, that you won't even bother to tweak). Once done, export the MIDI to Cubase and begin the tweaking-phase.


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## Per Lichtman (May 14, 2013)

@Tatu I know at least one score composer that takes a similar approach. He uses a simple sine/triangle/square sound (think rather old video game system) to write out the melody and arrangement before he starts orchestrating. He told me that it's so he's forced to make it sound great without great sounds - which of course reminded me of what you were saying, too. 

As another fun anecdote, did you know that the piano that Stravinsky composed at in his house in California was always kept horribly out of tune?


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## Tatu (May 14, 2013)

Per Lichtman @ Tue May 14 said:


> @Tatu I know at least one score composer that takes a similar approach. He uses a simple sine/triangle/square sound (think rather old video game system) to write out the melody and arrangement before he starts orchestrating. He told me that it's so he's forced to make it sound great without great sounds - which of course reminded me of what you were saying, too.
> 
> As another fun anecdote, did you know that the piano that Stravinsky composed at in his house in California was always kept horribly out of tune?



I've got a feeling that simplifying the writing phase is more common than people think and it often pops up when people talk about their difficulties in writing straight to their templates. It forces one to step in to the abstract challenge of music, which keeps you on your toes and is - in the end, even if the mock-up sounds horrible - more satisfying.

I did not know that thing about Stravinsky's piano  But it's easy to believe that it forced him to pay attention to detail even more and question his choices on each and every note he wrote. And damn it worked well!


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## JohnG (May 15, 2013)

One's pace of composition is affected by so many things that it's hard to be specific, beyond the obvious, "you write as much as you have to in order to meet the deadline."

The complexity of the music, whether it's an unfamiliar genre or you've set unfamiliar rules for yourself, whether you are sincerely trying to break away from the tried and true into something more creative, the number of different instruments, and, if one is working to picture, how many machine guns, explosions, and other mayhem is taking place -- all these (and many more) affect speed.


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## dcoscina (May 15, 2013)

Since I'm not a career composer, my output is in fits and starts. I try chipping away every day whether its on my iPad using Notion or at my Mac Pro in DP with all the plug ins. My biggest problem is not sticking with a piece long enough. I have read biographies or famous composers and I know Prokofiev always had a few pieces on the go at any given time so perhaps its partly endemic to the restless creative mind... Sometimes I don't think I'm composing enough but I'd rather spend 1 hour and come up with something really good than 8 hrs and coming up with garbage.


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## germancomponist (May 15, 2013)

Patrick de Caumette @ Mon May 13 said:


> This is an all important issue.
> Like Daryl says, there is no straight answer either.
> It all depends on what kind of stuff you're producing.
> Anyone can do 10 minutes of crap: 3 loops, 3 SFX, and a little melody on top.
> ...



+1

A good post, Patrick!


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## Jimbo 88 (May 15, 2013)

right now....not nearly enough!


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## Sasje (May 16, 2013)

It depends on what you feel should be true. If you can crank out 10 minutes a day, please do. If you crank out 1 minute, please do. No one should adhere to any standards imho unless you are on a tight deadline or feel the need to do so. Personally my ears get saturated pretty quickly... I try to avoid that at all times, so that means writing less. Inspiration lasts briefly with me, and the more I try to force it the quicker is disappears. 

I guess it's also due to the Einstellung effect. The effect basically describes a mechanized way of doing things, i.e. the more conditioned (=repetitive) the more one will lack creativity and approach new ways of doing things. Sometimes the novice sees new ways that the expert cannot see because the expert is blinded by his knowledge.

For example: a novice chess player can see certain moves that a expert in chess cannot see, because the expert has too much knowledge and discards the most obvious moves. But, the grandmaster in chess can also see the most obvious moves just like the novice chess player. It's a peculiar side-effect of having too much knowledge. So, the novice and the grandmaster are sometimes on the same level of creativity, whereas the seasoned expert usually gets stuck in the middle way of how he or she works. So skilful chess players can fall victim to the Einstellung effect and lose a game from a novice. Quite funny actually.


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## Kejero (May 16, 2013)

That's something I've always been afraid of. I used to have these moments when listening to certain pieces, where the music did something that I couldn't grasp, but sounded so amazing. But having learned quite some music theory -- a never-ending endeavor -- I've noticed that these moments become more rare. Learning these tools and devices and how they work, and why they work, takes some of the magic out of the music. And approaching the process of writing with these tools at hand, makes for a different way of figuring out how and what to write. Usually it's for the better, but that magic feeling of "discovery" is something I regret to see going as my knowledge and skill grow slowly. Such a pity


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## Tanuj Tiku (May 16, 2013)

To create something of good value, it does usually take time. Its a funny thing. Sometimes, its really fast, sometimes not so fast at all.

I like to write something new every time but this is usually a problem on certain jobs where time is really tight.

I think on the long run, when you know your strengths and gear really well, yes you can turn out something very quickly but usually this is not as good as stuff that you had time to think about.

I feel this problem on commercials. The turn around time is too quick. On movies, this is much more relaxed as everyone is trying to create something different that works with the film. 

I like doing films over everything else. I have not yet met a film maker or producer who will negotiate time over quality if that is what is required. Its ironic then later they try to cut corners on the production sometimes. But, in the 25 films that I have worked on, only two had to be done in an insane deadline.

I worked on a massive 3 hour film that had to be done in 10 days - composed and produced (including recordings). Of course, there were 10 additional composers working set up in one of the largest recording studios in India!

And I just finished once again a big film that needed to be done in 10 days once again (they got 5 additional composers). I finished my bits day before but I think they still have two additional composers working on it. But still, they did think about getting more people involved because its just crazy to think that two guys will crank out 10 mins a day. This was actually also a case of only ghost writing - the main composer did nothing except creating only a love theme. 

I was given part of the climax and an important middle part of the movie both were around 6 mins each and then two other 3 min cues. The director just wanted me to focus on these two cues mostly and make it as good as possible. So even though we had less time, they got more people to help finish the movie. 

But for example, I am also working a big superhero film. We spent over 45 days and counting - I think we will still do another 10 day schedule later. This is just the writing and mock-up part. Of course, we make it sound the best we can.

Then it will go into the recording phase after the changes are made by the main composer and other post production stuff. 

The film is releasing in November so the director is giving good time for everyone to finish their work. You cannot do this kind of a movie in 2 weeks. Its just not going to happen and sound horrible - no matter who the composer is!

The recent film where we had to work with a crazy deadline was also because the film had met with a lot of bad luck. Its a lot about helping each other out as well. Producers are not out there to just mess with you. They are also our friends and are sensitive to our art as well.

A lot of things went wrong on this movie but its a good one. So, we were all in high spirits(there was a bottle or two of Laphroaig!) trying to complete it to a good standard. Its releasing end of this month and I think they are still doing strings in London at the moment. 

I do not work with people who do not want to make anything of value and only just want to put anything to the film and get it done with. 

Luckily, I have never had to get a job to make money. I am only making a living through music for which I am grateful!


Tanuj.


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## Madrigal (May 16, 2013)

Kejero @ Thu May 16 said:


> That's something I've always been afraid of. I used to have these moments when listening to certain pieces, where the music did something that I couldn't grasp, but sounded so amazing.



I feel your pain. It's a lot harder now for me to enjoy music like I use to. Every time I listen to a piece, I'm always "analyzing" it and it's harder to get the chills when your listening to something in that technical sense. 

However, when I attend a concert, it's a completely different game. A local ensemble recently interpreted "Remembrances" from Schindler's List and I couldn't stop the tears flowing.


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## Per Lichtman (May 16, 2013)

@Madrigal It's wonderful when music overcomes you like that. For live performances of orchestral music, I had that at the Disney Concert Hall with L.A. Phil when Gustavo Dudamel conducted Brahms' 4th Symphony, when Susanna Mälkki conducted Stravinksy's Violin Concerto in D during
Leila Josefowicz performance and when Arnie Roth conducted Aerith's theme during the San Francisco Final Fantasy concerts (both Dear Friends and Distant Worlds). They were those moments of total engagement with the live music.

But I also feel it sometimes during recordings, too. Gorecki's Symphony of Sorrowful Songs is such an emotionally powerful work that it is difficult for me to listen to it without being moved, even as a recording. And while I can often figure pieces/recordings out on a technical level, that rarely keeps me from first engaging with them more viscerally (unless there are some sort of massive technical issues).

It sometimes feels like there are fewer pieces that inspire wonder than when I knew a little less, but as long as I keep finding them (whatever their number) I find it difficult to complain.


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## Madrigal (May 16, 2013)

I agree Per and I'll definitely have to listen to Gorecki's Symphony of Sorrowful Songs now. I'll wait till I'm in the studio with a nice set of speakers though!


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## Per Lichtman (May 16, 2013)

@Madrigal Make sure you have a block of time undisturbed, too. It's like Bartok's Music for Strings, Percussion and Celsesta in the sense that if you don't get the full build, then the climax in the middle doesn't have the same impact.

Hmmm... *Thinks about scheduling another listening session myself*


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