# Calling the Authorities -- whomever they are?



## kid-surf (Jan 15, 2007)

http://home.earthlink.net/~jsmiley1506/Drops_Of_Light.mp3 (http://home.earthlink.net/~jsmiley1506/ ... _Light.mp3)

http://home.earthlink.net/~jsmiley1512/Fractured.mp3

Two random cues.


----------



## Hannes_F (Jan 15, 2007)

kid-surf,

I like your music very much. You are on the right track finding your own way and all I can say is keep it on.

Actually I was blown by your string work. Very sensible composition and interpretation.

Hannes


----------



## Blackster (Jan 15, 2007)

Hi kid-surf,

you are using all the sounds in a really smooth and gentle way. Nice overall-sound also. 
Are the celli in "fractured" really sampled or live-played. Sounds very natural! Good work.

Thanks for sharing.


Kind regards,

Blackster


----------



## Evan Gamble (Jan 15, 2007)

Great stuff Jayson, enjoyed them both! Fractured reminds me of shawshank redemption which I love. Guess it was the temp huh.


----------



## Dean (Jan 15, 2007)

Hi Kid-surf,
I think 'Drops of light' is brilliant ,original and very atmospheric,(criticism free)
or as you say 'a bitchen cue'.
Imo, 'Fractured' is very similar to T.Newmans 'Shawshank prison(Stoic theme) cue.

PS:
I also totally agree with you & Synthetic re 'composers reviews' thread and elitist attitudes.To me its all just 'Rock & Roll' ,whether I'm strumming a Strat or labouring over a brass section.

Dean.


----------



## Mike Greene (Jan 15, 2007)

I love both of these cues! Both would go into my "Demo Reel Cues" folder if they were mine.

I have no technical comments and personally would consider them done, so I'm no help there. Great work!


----------



## kid-surf (Jan 15, 2007)

Thanks for the spin guys! But now I need to check all of your credentials :mrgreen: (joke)

Hannes -- thanks much appreciated. Glad you liked it.

Blackster -- thanks glad you liked the over all sound. Fractured is live played.

Evan -- thanks. Reminds me of Shawshank too. But it wasn't the temp, my brain naturally went there so I didn't fight it. I could have scrapped it but figured, what the hell, maybe it's an ok piece of music. The good thing about music is there's always more where that came from... room to get better and better. So I don't worry if something sounds like someone else. I only worry if it's friggn lame. :D

Dean -- thanks man. I'll take "bitchen cue".  I like what I've heard of you as well. Same here, it's all just Rock & Roll for me too. I don't worry myself over the composer-y nonsense.

Mike -- thanks dude. If they are good enough for you they are good enough for me.


----------



## synthetic (Jan 15, 2007)

I like Drops of Light, but the tone seems to shift when the horns come in from tension to jazz. The combination of jazz and tension doesn't work as well for me for some reason. (I think the 6th chord is making it jazzy to me, if that's not what you intended.) Great mix and performance, as always, and the other piece is also very nice.


----------



## kid-surf (Jan 15, 2007)

Jazz...? _yuk!_. :razz: 

I don't like jazz all that much (unless it's my buddy Sharmy play'n it  ) so, no, not what I intended. But, i don't hear it as 'jazzy'. But don't mind that you do. We all perceive things our own way. :D

Thanks for the spin.


----------



## tobyond (Jan 15, 2007)

Very nice man, love them both for different reasons. Drops of light has a great atmosphere, really cool textures you've got there. Fractured works well on so many levels, it's deep and emotional and you've really got it to breathe. Your compositions and productions are very good man, it's refreshing to hear something original.


----------



## Scott Cairns (Jan 15, 2007)

I agree. I had a listen late last night. Jason has the twin strengths of having his own style and great production values.


----------



## joaz (Jan 15, 2007)

I couldnt get to the end of either of these cues, because they lacked any real motivic development.There is a lack of any deep development technique, and an incorrect application of complicated theoretical foundations, and what's more.....I am kidding.

Ok joking aside, I really enjoyed these cues, kid. They sounded fresh, and imaginative, and your music makes me feel something. The sound world you create is vivid, and original, and if you ever make it to the top of the greasy pole in Hollywood, I will be cheering enthusiastically from the sidelines.

I am probably more guilty than most of talking all that composerish talk.
But I am also aware, that when you talk about music, you can only talk about 50% of it. 
If you try to talk about the other 50% you sound like a right fucking hippy. This hidden 50% is where all the juice in music lives.
Some people are absolute masters at talking a good talk,and yet fail to engage with that more hidden realm.

What I like about your stuff, is that it speaks to the listener directly, and that must be a very useful technique in your business.

Thanks for sharing your cues. I really liked them.

regards Joe


----------



## Scott Cairns (Jan 15, 2007)

joaz @ Tue Jan 16 said:


> ...This hidden 50% is where all the juice in music lives.
> Some people are absolute masters at talking a good talk,and yet fail to engage with that more hidden realm.
> 
> What I like about your stuff, is that it speaks to the listener directly, and that must be a very useful technique in your business.



I couldnt agree more. Thats the stuff you cant teach. Speaking of teaching, I heard about a famous composer (my teacher told me this story) who was offered a position to teach composition at a university. He refused. Some time later, they offered him a job teaching theory and he took it.

When asked why he refused the composition job he replied; "Composition cant be taught, it can only be felt." Or something like that. Ive probably mashed the story up completely.


----------



## kid-surf (Jan 16, 2007)

Toby -- thanks man. Means a lot. (although, I can hear people under their breath say'n "What, original? Kid's music is tired and lame... plus there's not enough notes to give me a bonner." Or something like that.) :mrgreen:

Scott -- thanks for the props, dude.

Joaz -- My apologies. I meant to make them more ostentatious but it turns out I'm a simpleton. Glad you felt something in spite of all that. :D Thanks for the encouragement.

Composery talk -- I don't mind it so long as that's not the only thing coming out of one's mouth. To be fair, I know those types think I'm an idiot, and I'm ok with that. But yeah, the "juice"... it's an illusive quality. I agree, I don't believe it's so easy to pinpoint or discuss. It's just a feeling some get when listening to peoples music. How do you quantify it? Not sure it can be.

Scott -- "Composition cant be taught, it can only be felt." I agree with that thought. I believe we have that creative "thing" in us from the day we are born. Some people are keyed into something special and some people are not. That's what I believe. Not saying I _am_, but clearly some are. Yes, agreed, you can't teach someone how to "FEEL"... and to me music is just that, an outward expression of their insides. 

I take that composers comment to mean - you can't teach one how to 'feel' the world around them and express that individualized view of it through music in a way that others can appreciate.

Me personally, I want to get better at expressing that. Expressing what I feel it would "sound" like if I were to be cut open (metaphorically speaking).  The composers I don't relate to are the ones that "to me" feel like it's not a journey of self/life, but rather a journey of technique for techniques sake alone. (and they feel I'm Mr. Hack. I know)

True, i have no idea what people's motives are just by listening. I don't assume to know what they are. Only what all music makes me feel as I listen. 

I dunno, sometimes I wonder if midi based composers care too much about whether or not their strings 'sound' real and if they have enough notes. Although, I could be wrong about all of it.

Oh well, different strokes make the world go round.

(*disclaimer -- I do believe in training)


----------



## joaz (Jan 17, 2007)

I am like an agnostic priest.... in that I have taught composition.....but I am not really sure if it can be taught.
Or rather, I think it can be taught, but only to people who would be composers anyway, with or without the benefit of tuition.

If you dont have the inbuilt faculty to compose, then you end up with music, that is correct......but horrible.
If you have the inbuilt faculty to compose, then, *maybe* tuition can show you a few good shortcuts.

While at conservatoire, I studied with some pretty fancy, High Falutin' "Names". Very nice for the CV. :razz: 
What I actually learned about composition from these August Individuals is about 0.1% of what I now know about writing music. Being surrounded by lots of young super-talented musicians was very stimulating. But I know guys who grew up playing in great rock/jazz bands who had the same kind of stimulation.

Anyone who doesnt seek to improve at music-making is a fool.
Anyone who thinks a classical education is the only route to being a good composer is simply narrow-minded. 
Having said that, simple curiosity should be enough to make one enquire into what has been achieved by the Orchestral instrument ...thus far.

I think discussions about string writing in particular tend to have an anxious tone, because it is the section of the orchestra that is most difficult to realise from the midi/samples perspective.
So we all tend to resort to tricks....smoke and mirrors....gadgets and do-hickeys to even get close.

It is something of a conundrum, that the most expressive section of the live orchestra, is the least expressive in the midi/samples domain.
Perhaps this accounts for the samey-ness of the string writing in a lot of the mock-ups one hears. People seem to realise what samples can't do very well, and so tend to stick with what sounds passable.

Anyway.............dont mean to hijack the thread.......just some rambling ponderings. :smile: 

regards Joe


----------



## wonshu (Jan 17, 2007)

You think the strings are the least easy to program? I beg to differ... you can get away with a lot using todays string samples.

Getting a great flute or oboe line the way it's supposed to be is a whole different story.

Solo instruments are _very_ far from being where they should be. Sections sort of work.

My opinion.

Cheers
Hans


----------



## choc0thrax (Jan 17, 2007)

wonshu @ Wed Jan 17 said:


> You think the strings are the least easy to program? I beg to differ... you can get away with a lot using todays string samples./quote]
> 
> I think strings are the furthest away from where I want them to be.


----------



## kid-surf (Jan 17, 2007)

Joaz -- I like the way you think. Open minded! (no hijacking took place that I saw... just ideas traded) 


String debate? -- Well, for me, strings are by far the weakest part of the equation. They don't often play the way I'd rather they did... usually because those articulations don't exist. Even if they did, it'd be a ton of work and still wouldn't achieve what I'm hearing in my head.

If I've got the choice between a live string section -vs- a solo flute or oboe? Peace. I'll take strings no question.

But that's me.


----------



## wonshu (Jan 18, 2007)

Not exactly my point, the point was, the strings even though still being very very VERY flawed in the sample world are still lightyears ahead of what solo instruments like flutes, oboes or solo trumpets should do!

I would also always choose the strings to record as it's better to have a nice bed.

Anway...


----------



## kid-surf (Jan 18, 2007)

I guess it comes down to one's perspective. Since strings are the thing I used the most I see them as the weak link. I've only done one cue this year (well, 2006) with solo flute/oboe exposed and I thought it sounded fine. I didn't feel I was limited by the samples all that much. Then again, I mostly use them to layer when I do use them. 

I guess it depends on your style of writing as well.


----------



## wonshu (Jan 19, 2007)

True!


----------

