# How to emulate the 70s/80s film score sound?



## Lord Daknight (Thursday at 11:44 PM)

I've been trying to for a while unsuccessfully, they say to try Vinyl, or to EQ Lows out and highs up or use Tape Saturation or some $5000 hardware. I tried out the Emulator II V plugin and it has a Vintage DAC which kind of does do what I want. But I want my orchestra to sound like that too!


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## José Herring (Friday at 12:17 AM)

Lord Daknight said:


> I've been trying to for a while unsuccessfully, they say to try Vinyl, or to EQ Lows out and highs up or use Tape Saturation or some $5000 hardware. I tried out the Emulator II V plugin and it has a Vintage DAC which kind of does do what I want. But I want my orchestra to sound like that too!


There are many film scores during in the 70's and 80's. You need to be more specific. Post some examples. Also, the recording and mixing techniques were quite different between the 70's and 80's.


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## Niah2 (Friday at 7:02 AM)

José Herring said:


> There are many film scores during in the 70's and 80's. You need to be more specific. Post some examples. Also, the recording and mixing techniques were quite different between the 70's and 80's.


Yes !


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## mussnig (Friday at 7:08 AM)

Depends on what exactly you try to go for but - based on my very limited experience - I think the sound of that era depends a lot on the orchestration and also on the mic choices.


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## Ned Bouhalassa (Friday at 7:08 AM)

Don't use a computer.


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## TWY (Friday at 7:19 AM)

Try this plugin called RC20 Retro Colour by XLN Audio.


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## cloudbuster (Friday at 8:22 AM)

José Herring said:


> Post some examples.


Yes.

BTW, I'm somehow glad you didn't include the 60s and the myriad of exotic and/atonal articulations they've used throughout that era, especially when it comes to brass (J.Barry, L.Shifrin et al.).
Dunno how much money I wasted on sample libraries over the years but every single time I listen to a thriller score from the 60s/70s (my favorite era) I go &%$§ ... what else would I need to buy (or record myself) even for a half-ass mockup?


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## dcoscina (Friday at 8:26 AM)

Ned Bouhalassa said:


> Don't use a computer.


And... more counterpoint, more jazz influence, more harmonic expansiveness. And a good melodic hook.


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## Niah2 (Friday at 8:37 AM)

Ned Bouhalassa said:


> Don't use a computer.


Absolutely !

Even if you end using sample libraries try to use as much live instruments as possible, from percussion (shakers, household items) to solo musicians.

Also I've always preferred Sonitex to Izotope Vinyl when it comes to Vinly emulation.






Sonitex STX-1260 | Tone Projects | Unique Audio Plugins


Sonitex STX-1260 by Tone Projects. Sonic Texturing Plugin.




www.toneprojects.com


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## Lord Daknight (Friday at 7:01 PM)

José Herring said:


> There are many film scores during in the 70's and 80's. You need to be more specific. Post some examples. Also, the recording and mixing techniques were quite different between the 70's and 80's.



Something like these trumpets


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## José Herring (Friday at 9:46 PM)

Lord Daknight said:


> Something like these trumpets



First you have to learn to compose and orchestrate like that. No easy feat. But if you can then I'd start by trying to figure out a bit about how the score was produced. For example where was it recorded? What was the size of the room? How was it recorded? What reverb did they use?

Not easy to find that information but it can be found.
Lastly you also what to find the EQ curves of the common analog tapes from the day. Studder, Ampex, ect... There are some IR taken of that gear around also that could help.

I'm going to experiment and see what I can come up with. Could be fun.


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## MusicIstheBest (Friday at 11:10 PM)

Alex Ball did a great video emulating the orchestra and vintage quality of the 80s about 5 years ago:


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## storyteller (Friday at 11:14 PM)

The general mixing process has changed so much. I honestly quite prefer the tonal characteristics of the sound from the 80s/90s… but sound design is much better in this age. Gunshots/punches/SFX are so much better today.

But I would say, part of the “sound” of the score is shaped by the sound design… voice, SFX, etc since those will also affect how the mix has to be done. When the SFX are so dynamic and full spectrum, that means the mix has to be done in a way that compliments this modern sound design. The second part is the general balance/EQ of the mix. Part of that is the sound of tape and analog channel strips as mentioned above. Part of it is the choice of reverb. Part of it is in the limited (or non-existent) use of modern mixing techniques like multiband compression, multiple reverbs, digital EQ, modern delays, spectral processing, etc. You basically want a mid-range driven mix for that time period…. the very part of the spectrum that is de-emphasized in modern scores. And this keeps getting worse IMHO. From an engineers perspective, it is also a part of the spectrum that is de-emphasized in modern monitors. (Hence the absence of Auratones and NS-10s in studios these days). Arguably new monitors sound “better” and “more detailed”… but this new sonic familiarity breeds the modern sound.

And, as much as Waves plugins are divisive here, it is important to state just how much they are used on every single thing you hear professionally mixed today and can largely be credited with the tonal characteristics people expect to hear on a good mix. They have also been around since the beginning of digital mixing and carry a subtlety in their sound that is what you are familiar with during the rise of digital mixes. So the 90s and early 2000s largely were a hybrid of tracking on tape + digital mixing.


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