Composing

This was from a Film Composer group I'm in on Facebook. Started using it today on a couple of projects I am writing music for. Composers here should find this useful.

Navid

Hi everyone!

I'd like to share a free application I've been developing over the past few months called Timeline Calculator².

As a composer myself, I originally built it to solve timecode calculations, but gradually evolved into a complete scoring workflow application.

It includes:

• Professional SMPTE & timecode calculations

• Tempo, bars/beats & musical duration calculations

• Perfect Fit™ for finding musically meaningful tempo solutions

• Cue Optimiser™ for more complex single and multi-tempo solutions

• Cue planning & project management

• Visual scheduling calendar

• Project Reports, Cue Lists & Cue Sheets

• MIDI tempo map, meter changes and marker exports direct to DAWs

It's completely free for both Windows and macOS (Intel & Apple Silicon).

If you decide to give it a try, I'd genuinely love to hear any feedback or ideas for future updates.

https://truestageaudio.com/free-tools.html

Thanks very much, and I hope it can be useful!

— Patrick

True Stage Audio

Hi everyone, I tried my hand at blending electronic and orchestral elements in this gorgeous sci-fi animated short by Blender Foundation. If you could give me any notes that would be awesome.

Hi guys, what do you think of this little score I did for this beautiful animated short by Blender Foundation.

This is a short Lego film by D00f Animation used for this year's Indie Film Music Contest.

The music heard here is my entry.

Just over a week on YouTube and it already has just over 2000 views.

Proud of this one.

Hope everyone enjoys the music

https://youtu.be/QG7Gjtwtohc?si=HYyWQuIkCAgPuhpz

Whats the best way to find short films or something of that sort to score for free?

As a kid, "Speed Racer" was among the cartoons I'd watch when I got home from school with the "Mammoth Car" episode being my favorite. It had a theme that stuck with me ever since: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHExprbw198

It features a jazzy 7/4 time signature. At the outset, the trombones state the theme, which is then picked up by the trumpets backed by the timpani, and then there are the modulations to create the suspense and menace. The composer is Nobuyoshi Koshibe.

If you take issue with any use of AI, you may not want to read further.  While I have scored 35 films with absolutely no use of AI, I have used AI solely to add musicians and singers to totally human written melody and chords and lyrics.

When I score cues for filmmakers/directors, etc, I send them back not just audio files of the cues but also a video file/mp4 of the audio file mixed with the video/scene it was intended for.  My intent is not to replace the video editing and mixing process but merely to give them the idea of what it could look and sound like.  It provides an avenue for discussion - what they like, what they don't like, what if anything needs to be added, deleted, or changed.  I view the video file purely as a collaborative tool - to show them 'what could be'.

So last year I started co-writing music/songs with a wonderful lyricist, Adryan Russ.  So far we have written five songs together.  Last week we started working on a theatrical song.  When I write a song, I start by creating a lead sheet (with Sibelius) of the melody, chords, and lyrics.  Then I send the created PDF (of the lead sheet) to the lyricist normally with just the first verse to see if she likes where I am taking it.  I want to get the go ahead from her before I continue working on the song.   Now one can say that the lead sheet is sufficient.  However, what I have discovered is that our collaboration has been enhanced by going one step further of 'what could be' and creating an audio arrangement with vocalists and musicians assisted by AI.  Now there is no intention to market it and in fact, in this scenario it hasn't even been finished yet.

Now when the song is done and the lead sheet is completed, the question becomes what to do next.  One path is to use it (or a chord sheet with just lyrics) to get it performed by a musician/singer or band.  This might be all they need.  But in many cases, the promotion/marketing of the song could enhanced by creating an arrangement of 'what it could be'.  Again, the tools especially if AI is used is not used with the intent of commercialization, but as an envisioning process.

So our 5th song was a Gospel piece.  The question became after the initial lead sheet, what to do next.  Orchestral arrangements can be quite time consuming. So too are Gospel SATB vocal scores along with a piano/rhythm section arrangement.  And some church/choirs want to do their own arrangements while others want to get completed arrangements with parts to hand out.  So consideration must be given on how much human time be given towards moving ahead with a specific arrangement.

So I decided to stop after the lead sheet creation and promote the music with an example of 'what could be'.  Along with the lead sheet or as I went one step further with a piano only arrangement, I created an audio file arranged and played by AI created musicians and vocalists.   All of these items were part of a pitch and specifically intended for that purpose.   If I went any further such as an SATB arrangement, it would have to be done similar to the cue process above - I would create part of a specific SATB arrangement tailored specifically for those particular singers.  It would take their singing ranges and abilities into account.  For example, it might have to transpose various sections, decide where and when to modulate and even in the case of the pitch I made on Wed leave out a section making it SAT.

In the aforementioned scenario, I probably would not write the whole customization at once any more than I don't deliver a whole score at once (though others I know do).  At each major step or milestone, I would create a audio file to enable my stakeholders to envision approximately what a live performance would sound like.

So here is  my current 'take'.  Since last summer I have been creating audio/music 'visions' of what could be.  There is no current 'intent' to commercialize those audio files.  Their main purpose is to aid in the promotion of the core melodies, chords, and lyrics.

So what do I call them.  This is where things get 'sticky'.  I want to stay on the non-political end if at all possible.  I used to call them 'demos'.  But when people hear that word, they envision human vocalists, musicians, studios, record companies/publishers, etc.   Not AI assisted music.

I have decided to refer to them the same way I refer to the musical scores under development that I deliver to my filmmakers/stakeholders - I will call them a "Mockup".

And if you want an example of my Gospel 'mockup', checkout https://soundcloud.com/joelirwin/together-we-will-rise

In my life, I have had many songs that felt like accidents. That practically wrote itself. I didn’t plan it, wasn’t looking for it; it simply arrived. And I couldn’t ignore it.

Has that ever happened to you?

I wonder how many unfinished songs the world will never hear simply because their composer thought they weren't good enough.

Just imagine if Hallelujah had never been written.

I recently released my own cover of this incredible song (You can watch it here: https://youtu.be/yofUbP0n8SU), and it reminded me how grateful I am that some writers choose to keep going, even when they don't know where their work might lead.

Have you ever put a song aside because you lost confidence in it?

Did you ever come back to it... or is it still waiting?

Maybe the song someone needs to hear is the one you're tempted to give up on.

Are We Listening… or Just Hearing Production?

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how we evaluate music—especially in today’s world of highly polished production.

When I listen to a track, I tend to focus first on the song itself:

• The melody—does it stay with me?

• The lyrics/message—does it move me or tell a story?

• The emotional connection—does it feel real?

Production matters, of course. But I sometimes wonder if we’ve reached a point where a track can be dismissed too quickly if it’s not “perfect” sonically—even when the core songwriting is strong.

Some of the most powerful songs in history, if stripped down, would still resonate because the foundation is there.

Lately, I’ve been receiving feedback on my own work where the focus leans heavily on production quality, while the songwriting elements seem secondary. It made me step back and ask:

I am interested in having my music featured in films, documentaries, etc.

Below I am posting a song of mine as a sample of my work

Thank you

''Out of the dance''

Polyphonic song with Greek traditional and ethnic elements

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Qd9jZ468BU

One of my favorite ways to grow as a film composer is by rescoring scenes from great films.

This is my latest score-to-picture exercise based on a scene from The Revenant. The original music has been completely removed, allowing me to build a new musical narrative from the ground up.

Rather than trying to imitate the original score, my goal was to explore a different emotional perspective while remaining faithful to the pacing, tension, and storytelling on screen. Every cue was written to support the performances and the cinematic language of the scene.

Exercises like these are invaluable—they challenge timing, orchestration, dramatic instincts, and the ability to let the music serve the picture rather than compete with it.

I'd genuinely love to hear your thoughts. Feedback from fellow filmmakers and composers is always appreciated.

Original film footage belongs to the respective copyright holders and is used solely for portfolio and educational purposes.