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Epic action track using Symphonic Choirs & Wordbuilder

JoelS

JoelS

Active Member
I was so happy that Play 2.0 finally made Symphonic Choirs usable for me that I decided to put together a track with some wordbuilding action. It seems fairly relevant now to look at SC in the light of all the new choir releases that seem to be sprouting like weeds this spring. I rather hope I can convince myself I don't need any of the new ones, great sounding though they are. Is SC epic enough, now that it works?

Here's the track I composed (and revisions to it based on people's comments). Any thoughts or comments on the composition or the mix would be welcome!

[mp3]https://joelsteudler.com/downloads/demo/Joel_Steudler_Epic_-_Total_War_135s.mp3[/mp3]
Total War v1

[mp3]https://joelsteudler.com/downloads/demo/Joel_Steudler_Epic_-_Total_War_136s.mp3[/mp3]
Total War v2

[mp3]https://joelsteudler.com/downloads/demo/Joel_Steudler_Epic_-_Total_War_136s_v3.mp3[/mp3]
Total War v3 (newest)

The lyric chants are:
'bellum omnium en omnes' (a war of all against all)
and
'solvet saeclum in favilla' (the world will dissolve into ashes)
Click to read more...
 
Hi Joel,

it's all in all a nice track but it would become more epic by using the women and men choir, with a rythm, which goes more forward maybe, also a little bit quicker.

In my opinion Symphonic Choirs with Wordbuilder can still sound very epic, you just have to use it right.

Edit: Happy Birthday :)
 
I think the track sounds pretty epic as is, actually.

It has a lot of the elements one hears in many successful trailer tracks, and I think you could take the material and work it more that direction. As a well-known producer of this kind of music says, "you need to take it to 11."

If you're going that direction, I suggest that this track basically needs more...everything. More drums, more strings, more lines, and it needs to build to a stupendous climax.

If you want to listen for inspiration to some of the best, most widely used epic trailer music anywhere, look no further than the Apple web site's trailer section, and you can hear a lot of trailers. Many of them feature music that was composed by forum members.

Pirates of the Caribbean 3, for one, but there are pots full.
 
Nice track. My one complaint would be that I'm not a fan of the "power ballad" drumset, but that may just be my personal taste. If it were me, I'd swap it for more ethnic and "big" percussion. Some subtle 16th note percussion patterns (even something as simple as shaker loops) could really help drive it along.
 
Thanks, guys, for the compliments and comments. I've been reworking things a bit and have this new version of the track:

[mp3]https://joelsteudler.com/downloads/demo/Joel_Steudler_Epic_-_Total_War_136s.mp3[/mp3]
Total War v2

Changes include:
- Generally more 'taking it to 11'-ness
- sped up the beginning a bit
- A few more melodic horn phrases sprinkled in, and emphasized some of the backing melodies in various sections
- Totally changed the choral part at ~1:28
- New and hopefully more exciting drum patterns in the final sequence
- A rousing new ending

I'm trying to push this track to be pretty intense, I think these changes help that along.

@Mike- interesting point on the 'power ballad' drums. I think it's just a stylistic choice, opting for a more modern sound. An ethnic drum attack could sound pretty cool there too... but as is, my feeble computer system is barely able to hold together rendering the piece and toying with Play / Kontakt is causing headaches and crashes. I did add in a mridangam from SD2 to the end sequence, and some tambourines here and there, trying to give it a more driving feel.

@R.Cato- Thanks! I think you were right about making it a bit quicker.. I only sped up the beginning but it made a difference. Adding some male vocals in could be neat too, though as I've kind of busied up the orchestration overall, it may not be as necessary now.
 
My comments:

The drums are fine, but nothing else is matching up to it's energy.
Is there bass guitar in there? If there's drums, there probably should be bass, and it should be upfront and somewhat bassy.
What about some e-guitar powerchords?
The staccato should be much more chunky and harsh. They don't seem to hit high enough.
The SC velocity probably should be higher, and doubled with the male choir at some point.

A stylistic comment but I could hear a bass and e-guitar as well as drums following the staccato rhythm at some point.

The piece also sounds a bit un-mixed which is probably why things are hitting as hard as they should.
 
I only listened briefly but I'd say this is REALLY lacking one MAJOR factor: This track has absolutely no dynamics at all. I'd say you need to work on that.
 
[mp3]https://joelsteudler.com/downloads/demo/Joel_Steudler_Epic_-_Total_War_136s_v3.mp3[/mp3]
Total War v3

Once again, I really appreciate the comments and critique.

This new version has the following changes:

- Improved the dynamic range. The opening is a bit softer and builds up more than the previous versions. Also at ~:56 and ~1:45 the drum patterns are less intense, moving back to the more intense bits
- Added bass guitar to the opening segment as per Nathan's suggestion... just to see how it sounds.
- Worked in more intense staccato violins. This is most evident in the middle and end of the track.
- added in some booming drum hits in the climax / end

Thanks for listening!
 
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