Pulsing SciFi (Me too, me too!)

BradGray · Post by **BradGray** » Mon Apr 13, 2020 7:21 am

Seeing all of the great posts for pulsing Sci-Fi cues, I thought I would give it a go as well.

Any comments, feedback suggestions would be appreciated! I'm not sure I'm close enough to the reference tracks, but I believe I'm capturing the mood...well a mood anyway.

Question - Am I close to the posting or references, or have I strayed too far away? Worthy of submission, or more work to be done?

Thanks Passengers!
Brad

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Track Details

PULSING, SCI-FI-Style INSTRUMENTAL CUES are needed by a very successful NON-Exclusive Music Licensing Company that’s feeding music directly to a specific TV Series.
They need a bunch of Cues in a variety of tempos. Please listen to the references they gave us below to get an idea of the style they’re looking for:

"The Birds Are Doing That" by Cliff Martinez
"100 Doses" by Cliff Martinez
"There's Nothing In There" by Cliff Martinez

Please submit well-composed Instrumental Cues that could work well in the context of Sci-Fi-related content. Your submissions should be arpeggiator-driven and can cover a range of moods from Tense and Anticipatory to Haunting and Sinister. Build your Cues around a simple, central melody that will sit easily behind a scene’s dialogue, while adding new elements as they progress to create a sense of propelling movement and development.
TAXI Tip: Gentle pulses, clock-like ticks, chimes, arpeggiated leads, and droning synth pads are all potentially great elements to build these kinds of Cues around. Please make sure the instrumentation you use doesn't sound like it's stock music or sound cheesy

AlanHall · Post by **AlanHall** » Mon Apr 13, 2020 8:27 am

Great stuff! To me it sounds more like Pink Floyd than Cliff Martinez, but I don't think that's a bad thing...

BradGray · Post by **BradGray** » Mon Apr 13, 2020 9:01 am

Thanks Alan!

Do you think I should submit, or have I strayed too far from the references? I was trying to get close to them....honest I was. =)

mwb2 · Post by **mwb2** » Mon Apr 13, 2020 9:58 am

Hi Brad,

I think if you alter the pad around :40 a bit it could go a long way. It sounds a bit "vintage" (the really strong "WAH" on the attack). If you LPF'ed it a little and slowed the attack a good bit so it sounded dreamier I think it would help it sound more cinematic. (Well, modern cinema, John Carpenter certainly has that synth sound!)

Cheers,
Mike

BradGray · Post by **BradGray** » Mon Apr 13, 2020 11:18 am

Thanks for the feedback. I see what you mean. Crazy how one instrument can do that.

Here's a slightly different version; with your suggestion and an additional modern instrument. Is it still too 80s? I

Am I getting closer or further? In the end if I created an 80s cue, I will save it for such a posting in the future. =)

Thanks,
Brad

AlanHall · Post by **AlanHall** » Mon Apr 13, 2020 12:21 pm

I'm not sure that an identifiable 'retro' sound is a bad thing, especially with sci-fi sound tracks and that ilk. After all, composers today are still paying homage 60 years later to the score of Forbidden Planet with its theremin and other, now vintage 50s, sounds. Outrageous at the time, the general population was not familiar at all with the tools of electronic music.

BradGray · Post by **BradGray** » Mon Apr 13, 2020 2:30 pm

Thanks Alan.

I think I will submit the first one. I'm making it worse, not better, I think with adding more and tweaking and retweaking it.

I think I'm capturing the mood and feel of what they're looking for, but I'm not as close as I'd like to be in comparison to the references.

AH well. Fingers crossed. The worst they could do is forward it. =)
Brad

ilikered · Post by **ilikered** » Mon Apr 13, 2020 3:38 pm

Hi Brad, I personally think the second version is better. It's still a little retro but like folks have been saying, that seems ok for a sci-fi request and this second version is much more modern sounding than the first version.

BradGray · Post by **BradGray** » Mon Apr 13, 2020 5:33 pm

Thanks ilikered,

I forwarded the second version with a couple of minor adjustments to the bass.

I'm not feeling 100% on the track, but I guess we'll see if it works. The creator of the other ones, Cliff Martinez, has a unique sound and style so it was hard to get close without trying to copy the other one.

Ah well. It's in the screeners hands now. =)
Bee

mwb2 · Post by **mwb2** » Tue Apr 14, 2020 5:38 am

Personally I like the second one - a lot of shows are going for a somewhat "vintage" sound now, true, but they're also often explicitly doing a nostalgia thing IMO... Stranger Things being the arch example. The Cliff Martinez refs to my ear don't reference midcentury sci-fi nor 80's John Carpenter scores much, but I'm not an expert

Cheers,
Mike

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