What's new

McCreary's Foundation

It's not bad (good even) but I must say I'm a little underwhelmed. I love McCreary's work but I really think he did not step out of his comfort zone with this one.

Edit: My opinion is only about the main theme.
 
I only listened to a few tracks on my way to work today. It sounds fantastic so far.
The duduk in "Gaal Leaves Synnax" -> goosebumps. :)
 
I love the harmonic dissonance in the brass parts at 0:36-0:43 and 0:47-0:57. It reminds me of John Barry's James Bond music.

Does anyone recognise the iPad app that Bear McCreary is using? You can see it at 0:14. Perhaps it's custom made for him?
 
Last edited:
I love the harmonic dissonance in the brass parts at 0:36-0:43 and 0:47-0:57. It reminds me of John Barry's James Bond music.

Does anyone recognise the iPad app that Bear McCreary is using? You can see it at 0:14. Perhaps it's custom made for him?
It is custom made. From above link:
“Inspired by the ‘psychohistory’ of the source material, I wanted to incorporate mathematics into the score. Using custom computer software, I crafted an ‘orchestra’ of sampled instruments playing dazzling patterns of algorithmically generated musical notes that would be virtually impossible for human beings to play.”
 
Last edited:
Maybe this is just touch OSC or a similar app ? I'm intrigued about the parameters it's controlling... Jitter, probability... ? It's for synth I guess.
I just found he said this on twitter : "The score is performed by a live orchestra, combined with an “algorithm orchestra” playing virtually impossible fragmented phrases."
That could be the "thing" he's controlling.
 
Just a quick headsup for those who are interested in the algorithmic side of the soundtrack:

 
Has anyone else been listening to the full album? It is honestly some of my favorite music in a television series in years. I have been listening to some of the tracks on repeat. "Gaal Leaves Synnax" has a beautiful melody and lush harmony, "Journey to Trantor" has a fantastic build, and "The Dream of Cleon the First" is very melancholy. I'm a real sucker for sad scifi, and this has really been hitting the spot for me.
 
The opening theme really grew on me over time. At first it didn't have much of an impact, but I also didn't yet know what the show was really going to be about. It seems that the music doesn't only give the show more value, it also works the other way around.
 
The opening theme really grew on me over time. At first it didn't have much of an impact, but I also didn't yet know what the show was really going to be about. It seems that the music doesn't only give the show more value, it also works the other way around.
The music has grown a lot on me with repeated listens, and I have begun to notice connections that were not obvious the first time around. Frank Lehman, the author of Hollywood Harmony, recently posted on Twitter about the harmonic connections between Gaal's Theme and the Main Theme. I love this sort of thing.
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot_20211108-224749.png
    Screenshot_20211108-224749.png
    102 KB · Views: 23
  • Screenshot_20211108-224812.png
    Screenshot_20211108-224812.png
    99.2 KB · Views: 23
The music has grown a lot on me with repeated listens, and I have begun to notice connections that were not obvious the first time around. Frank Lehman, the author of Hollywood Harmony, recently posted on Twitter about the harmonic connections between Gaal's Theme and the Main Theme. I love this sort of thing.
I love it when they bother to make connections like that. I just wish they found a way for the majority of the audience to pick up on it too, so I have more people to nerd out over it with! :emoji_sweat_smile:
 
Top Bottom