# Blade Runner 2049 - How did they make this sound so stupidly big?



## DS_Joost (Aug 17, 2018)

So I was wondering, after hearing (and absolutely loving) the soundtrack to Blade Runner 2049, how did they manage to cram so much energy into the soundscape and still managed to make it sound superlarge, wide, and especially big?



It's that song specifically when the main synth starts opening up. That and the cracks, the hovering sound, the bass. How on earth would you mix this? I'm not just talking about the mix, by the way, but also the synths themselves.

Edit: just be Alan Meyerson isn't a satisfactory answer, by the way...


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## Greg (Aug 17, 2018)

Black hole reverb by Eventide will do the trick. Audiodamage EOS is a good one too. As for synths, U-he Diva might get you somewhat in the realm but you really need a phat analog poly synth like the jupiter 8, andromeda, or CS-80


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## VinRice (Aug 18, 2018)

Sidechain compression...


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## jcrosby (Aug 19, 2018)

VinRice said:


> Sidechain compression...


Yeah, DS_j, you should check out this interview with Alan Meyerson. He goes into detail about how he uses multiband sidechaining to make things fit into a dense mix... check 29:00


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## Dietz (Aug 19, 2018)

Having seen and heard Alan himself at work, and some of his colleagues like Dennis Sands too, I can assure you that it is not about a single technique or the combination of clever tricks. It's about comparing what they actually hear with an envisioned final sonic image, and a myriad of tiny steps in that direction, based on experience and the ability to focus on seemingly ephemeral details for a surprisingly long time.


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## sluggo (Aug 19, 2018)

I think if one heard the mixes delivered to Alan and then heard the final product, there could be true appreciation for what Alan does. Not sure we'll get that opportunity though.


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## kavinsky (Aug 19, 2018)

I don't hear anything too crazy. Just a very detailed work on the expression of those cs80 sounds and a clever use of space in the mix (stereo imaging/reverb). The sounds rarely step onto each other, hence the sense of open wide space.
import it into your DAW and take it apart sound by sound and you'll get the idea.
Its not a dence mix at all. just a few layers of leads, high strings, bass and brassy synth that covers the chords.

Active listening is the main tool to get better, and its free. Can't recommend enough


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## Scoremixer (Aug 19, 2018)

Dietz said:


> Having seen and heard Alan himself at work, and some of his colleagues like Dennis Sands too, I can assure you that it is not about a single technique or the combination of clever tricks. It's about comparing what they actually hear with an envisioned final sonic image, and a myriad of tiny steps in that direction, based on experience and the ability to focus on seemingly ephemeral details for a surprisingly long time.



Whoa that's way too sensible an answer. What's the real secret?

In all honesty though, and with all due respect to Alan (which is a huge amount) there's so much space in the music that making things huge isn't exactly a problem. I don't even know in what context one would use multiband sidechaining here... there's clearly delineated bass pedal, chordal layer and melody line occupying the spectrum and not interfering with each other, even though I'm sure each of those layers will be a composite of many sounds.

The synth programming is 95% of the equation here. After that, long reverbs (Valhalla Vintage has a particularly good Blade Runner preset...), filtered delays, pitch modulation courtesy of something like Soundtoys Micropitchshift, and a bit of harmonic distortion, either full band or multi band like Fabfilter Saturn to accentuate all those natural CS harmonics. Make sure nothing is ever in mono.


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## NoamL (Aug 19, 2018)

jcrosby said:


> Yeah, DS_j, you should check out this interview with Alan Meyerson. He goes into detail about how he uses multiband sidechaining to make things fit into a dense mix... check 29:00




Inviting Alan Meyerson on a podcast and asking him to explain sidechain compression .... kudos to him for taking such an elementary question with good grace. Very good tip about mixing "around" the subwoofer just in case it's missing/not working...

The synth programming is 90% of the effect in the BR2049 score... I think HZ said something on this forum once about a score isn't 50 mediocre sounds it's 5 brilliant ones. I might be mangling that quote


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## jcrosby (Aug 19, 2018)

Dietz said:


> Having seen and heard Alan himself at work, and some of his colleagues like Dennis Sands too, I can assure you that it is not about a single technique or the combination of clever tricks. It's about comparing what they actually hear with an envisioned final sonic image, and a myriad of tiny steps in that direction, based on experience and the ability to focus on seemingly ephemeral details for a surprisingly long time.


Sure, but the initial question asked is about why this short clip appears larger than life. I read it as them basically asking the impression that you have a wall of sound in a piece that isn't screaming for your attention the way a bombastic trailer does. Not Meyerson's philosophy and approach to mixing an entire score end to end...

I hear what sounds like the high line pushing a little of the low pad out of the way so your ear latches onto the lead. Multiband sidechaining lets instruments step out of the way so others can speak through... It's not a "clever trick" it's just a common sense mixing technique that engineers use across virtually every genre these days. It's also a technique that wasn't possible 20 years ago since we didn't have the tools or capacity then... (not to mention him saying "sidechain compression and multiband compression have become two of the biggest tools that I use in film score"...)


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## DS_Joost (Aug 20, 2018)

Very good responses here. To be clear, I am not looking for a shortcut to achieving such a sound. I guess it was more an appreciation of the fact that this sounds freaking huge whilst not being obnoxious, like most trailer music. It has a certain finesse that gets to me. I've heard Alan talk about multiband compression and sidechain compression. I recently bought the Waves F6 and that thing is a huge help! I'm in love with it!

I like that many people are helpful here, even if there isn't a certain trick to achieving this. I agree philosophy is important herein. Every little bit helps!


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