JamesRichardson

Thanks for sharing this! I really like some of the ideas you've come up with in that piece - you've done well to create a good baseline and added some interesting layers and percussion section. Well done! In terms of material, I found that studying a bit of music theory helped me a lot for composing. There's a book called 'Music Composition for Dummies' which helped me (and still helps me) to composed. Also, learning an instrument and learning to play other music has helped me understand how music is created and comes together. So if you can do this (or continue to do this), I'm sure that will help. It sounds like you've already got a creative process that is working for you, which is important. As well as focusing on baselines and harmony, I would also focus on what chords work with the melody. Structure and form are also worth considering, and these are things you can learn through music theory. But the main thing is that you're enjoying it, and as long as you continue to enjoy and learn then I'm sure your music will continue to improve. It's easy to be self-critical and compare your music to others, but everyone is at a different stage so this won't help. Keep up the good work, I look forward to hearing more music from you! 🙂

Thanks! Some great comments here. I'll have to double check the voices. And yes, I could have definitely gone for some more chromatics in this piece. Will have to try and put myself out of my key comfort zone in the future! Cheers for the comment, that's much appreciated

The track 'Emrys' is available here. I'd appreciate any thoughts or comments as usual. Thank you!

Wow this comes together very nicely. I really like how delicate it can sound at certain parts (with the woodwind and violin). The mood you set would be great for a fantasy game. Well done, and thanks for sharing!

Thanks for your comments, I appreciate your thoughts. It does change time signature, key signature (twice) and is predominately in 5/4 time, but I've definitely gone for minimalism overall. I can appreciate it if that's not for you.

Have a listen here - Let me know of any feedback, I really appreciate your comments 🙂 (I've posted this again, as my original post got a spam comment from a bot. When I reported it the whole post was removed which is a bit of a shame. It's sad that there are people trying to spam this community).

Really nice soundscape you've created here. Very pleasing to listen to, I especially like the piano which has a lot of space and impact. The final section that it goes into is really excellent. Certainly nothing wrong with this piece. I'd perhaps suggest adding some more reverb to your cello section - at around 00:21 it doesn't sound as spacious as the other sounds. Also, at the end, it sounds like the cymbals are distorting a little. You may have gone for this effect, but if not, I'd add some compression (or a limiter) to your percussion section to avoid this. Really well done though, I enjoyed this a lot. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks! Yeah, I agree with this. I was a bit limited with the samples I have, so stuck with the piano as this sounded more natural (even if it is less authentic to the genre). Thanks for sharing that soundtrack, I'm enjoying it.

The sound library I'm using for all the world instruments is 'RA' by EWQL. EWQL are a good library to start out with as they are reasonably priced (compared to similar products) and you can get a universal monthly subscription to all of their products. This is actually the first time I've tried to write something that is heavily inspired by world music. Yeah, the Spitfire Labs are a really good resource. You can also get quite a good free orchestra (BBC Symphony Discover) if you complete a questionnaire on their website.

Thanks! I really appreciate you're feedback. Yes, it's a koto and that flute you hear is a Shakuhachi. It was really fun to research the different types of instruments for traditional Japanese pieces. The drums are Taiko drums, and a Sanshin is also in there (but this is a bit more subtle).

Ah yes, I meant to say 'sample libraries' but VSTs would have been clearer. Gattaca is one of my favourite scores and the film is also really good too.

Here's the link I would really appreciate it if you could have a listen and let me know your thoughts. Thank you 🙂

Thanks for sharing this, it's really nice! I enjoyed how it transports you away so easily - I can definitely see how it represents the ocean. I can imagine this working well as a film score. It gives off the same kind of vibe (in my opinion) as the score to Gattaca, by Michael Nyman. You've done a good job of using those samples too, they sound realistic.

This is really lovely. I was also wondering the same as Guilem82, are you recording this on a real trumpet? The recording sounds very good, thanks for sharing! 🙂

Thanks for your feedback! I suppose what I was going for was the sense of seriousness and danger associated with manned spaceflight at that time (1966). There was a huge amount of risk involved (other astronauts had been tragically killed earlier that year), so I wanted to capture this feeling. For a more modern launch, I'd definitely go down the more positive, uplifting route as you say. And yes, I use Reaper. Thanks for listening and replying - I really appreciate that!