Has "Epic" Music Died?

Maybe it's just 'cause I don't watch movie trailers, but is the "epic" craze of the 2010s finally dead?

On forums and YouTube, I rarely see such compositions popping up anymore when they were still everywhere just a couple years ago.

Makes me wonder what the "in" thing will be this decade.

Probably. 

The examples I heard never really added up to much. There was usually a pedal drone and the forward driving force was a heavily reverberated drum beat, a bigged up simple melody in a minor key or equivalent mode, and a few trick effects.

Non-professionals who composed 'epic' chunks were rarely composers in the sense of understanding the structures and mechanics of music. Mostly they'd been conned by sample houses' superlatives and seductions into buying libraries of semi-orchestrated chunks, riffs, loops - stuff to be put together like Lego. Those houses would assure the buyer that they'd be the greatest composer since Beethoven or John Williams. Many never bothered to learn to read music.

So after putting together a few 3-4 minute epics they ran dry and faced with "learning music" gave up. 

Two points though - there are without doubt competent composers who have 'done epic'. That's how it started.

And, with the non-professional, dilettantes who won't entertain intelligent study, at least they've had a brush with music. 

On 12/11/2021 at 10:35 AM, Quinn said:

Probably. 

The examples I heard never really added up to much. There was usually a pedal drone and the forward driving force was a heavily reverberated drum beat, a bigged up simple melody in a minor key or equivalent mode, and a few trick effects.

Non-professionals who composed 'epic' chunks were rarely composers in the sense of understanding the structures and mechanics of music. Mostly they'd been conned by sample houses' superlatives and seductions into buying libraries of semi-orchestrated chunks, riffs, loops - stuff to be put together like Lego. Those houses would assure the buyer that they'd be the greatest composer since Beethoven or John Williams. Many never bothered to learn to read music.

So after putting together a few 3-4 minute epics they ran dry and faced with "learning music" gave up. 

Two points though - there are without doubt competent composers who have 'done epic'. That's how it started.

And, with the non-professional, dilettantes who won't entertain intelligent study, at least they've had a brush with music. 

 

My definition of "epic" was always different than the genre's title anyway.

One of the things with drums I notice is that a lot of composers these days can't create any sort of drive in the music without them.

I had to grin when looking up Eastwest's "Opus" bundle of orchestral/choir samples. It has a new "advanced" engine that includes an instant orchestrator so, it claims, the user can turn out scores like the great Hollywood composers in minutes". It pushed Epic a lot and apparently has three modes: classical, mood and epic, each throwing a different interface on the screen.

It's so biased toward epic and oven-ready scoring that I just clicked off. So there are still outfits peddling it.

I was looking for an alternative set of samples just for variety. EW isn't the one.

.

2 hours ago, Quinn said:

I had to grin when looking up Eastwest's "Opus" bundle of orchestral/choir samples. It has a new "advanced" engine that includes an instant orchestrator so, it claims, the user can turn out scores like the great Hollywood composers in minutes". It pushed Epic a lot and apparently has three modes: classical, mood and epic, each throwing a different interface on the screen.

It's so biased toward epic and oven-ready scoring that I just clicked off. So there are still outfits peddling it.

I was looking for an alternative set of samples just for variety. EW isn't the one.

yeah but it is super cheap for the bundle monthly and I get pretty good sounds out of it, at least I think. I dunno I don't use that stupid orchestrator just like I don't use grammarly. It's just going to write my music for me, so what's the point.. I may as well kneel before the machines right now. 

The samples sound good though in my opinion. The automation is very good as well.

7 hours ago, Quinn said:

I was looking for an alternative set of samples just for variety. EW isn't the one.

I wouldn't write EW off based on the Opus thing, tbh.

They really do have some great samples in the Symphonic and Hollywood Orchestras.

But yes, these "Orchestrator" package things are cringe.

EW, The initial offput was solo violin and cello only - no viola or basso. That's still how it is. This would mean 'borrowing' from elsewhere and probably losing the homogeneity in a quartet/quintet. The orchestral samples are fine and right now the "opus" is, yes, cheap for what's given. I think it comes with the choirs now. Some instruments are lacking but it would be unfair to expect everything.

I have several recordings of the MGM orchestra and no doubt a few musicians ended up in the session orchestras that UA used but I have an allergy against film soundtracks (for reasons I've said and no point in repeating) so rarely watch "action" films. Standard, corporatised, formula "epic" - nope.

But thanks for chatting about EW. I'll see what's on offer in the January sales.

Edit: It's things like "EastWest’s refined orchestral suite aims to deliver total cinematic wonder right out of the box." (musicradar) that gets my suspicions.