Intrada Soundtrack Forum

Hi all!

This is my first post

I'm really into film soundtracks and produce music in my spare time.

I have several Intrada releases: Fright Night, Rocky 4, Remo Williams, The Last Star Fighter. My next purchases will be Alien, Back To The Future, Buck Rogers and Logan's Run.

Other soundtracks in my collection include: Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, The Hitcher, The Fog, Escape From New York, The Shinning, Ghostbusters, The Goonies, Big Trouble In Little China, They Live, The Thing, The 'Burbs, Breakin' 1 & 2, The Lost Boys, Planes Trains and Automobiles, Armed and Dangerous, Let The Right One In, Labyrinth, Near Dark, The Running Man, Raw Deal, The Warriors, The Living Daylights, Bladerunner, Dune + many others. They're all factory sealed LP's....but I have most of them on CD.

I thought I'd mention this...in case any others like this sort of music. I definitely lean towards more synthy/electronic soundtracks....I just find them more atmospheric. I was wondering what you guys/gals like? Do you like a mix of both styles? I've included a poll...

What's your favourite soundtrack right now?

Cheers, Jago

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Music, synths and photography >> http://www.youtube.com/user/DIGITALSCREAMS

eBay >> http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/digitalscreams

Good question. I couldn't say that I prefer one method of scoring over the other. I just go for the rhythm and the melody. There are some synth-only (or heavy) scores from the likes of Faltermeyer, Moroder, DiCola and early Silvestri that I simply cannot get enough of. There are many fully orchestral scores that make me feel the same way. Goldsmith and Barry both did amazing work in integrating synths with orchestra.

I'll wimp out and say they can all sound great to me.

Goldsmith is the reason I love both.

Prefer orchestral scores.

Though I cna enjoy a good synth score, when it's actually good. I won't say whom, but there is an FSM member, for example, who makes lists of synth scores that reads like a list of what to skip.

Some mainly or heavy synth scores that I have personally enjoyed:

"Sheena" (Richard Hartley)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9F4D7yUfU3U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-0JEIhxOvM
(I wouldn't adise seeing the film)

"Jake Speed" (Mark Snow)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vi1lNOxCqcE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAMLNH5__dU
(again, I wouldn't advise seeing the film, unless you want eye diabetes)

"Guinevere" (Christophe Beck)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORTlb1RsPFI

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THE PRISONER

I would say that my favourites are when they incorporate both ala ROCKY IV.


There are bad orchestral scores and theres good orchestral scores.

There are bad synth scores and theres good synth scores.

But when it's done right, both are great film scoring.

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Most Wanted Unreleased scores:
Howard Shore's AN INNOCENT MAN (1989) Touchstone/Buena Vista
Richard Halligan's THE OCTAGON (1980) American Cinema
Sante Maria Romitelli's GOD'S GUN (1976) MGM/Cannon
Trevor Jones' FREEJACK (1992) Morgan Creek

I like both because the real proof of a great score is the quality of the writing not the means by which it is realized. When I began collecting this music in the late 80s, there was a solid stigmatism against any scores that were not fully orchestral and/or composed by Hans Zimmer.

I love excellent use of electronics and full blooded orchestral pyrotechnics together or separately, but the current wall of sound approach, ironically created by Mr. Zimmer, is a low point only because it swallows any composer's unique compositional voice into a sea of audio ambiguity. Even so, I do enjoy many of Zimmer's scores prior to, and after, the formation of Media Ventures.

i also like both !

If you have a score like Conan the Barbarian, synth doesn´t fit at all and would not mix too well, IMHO.
If you have a score like Rocky IV, the well known mix of both is pretty much perfect, IMHO.
There are also very good examples for great synth scores.

What is most important to me is that the score transports/creates some emotions and also has some quiet and some loud parts, it also has to be a bit melodic or include some epic pieces. And epic stuff is usually orchestral, because it has that raw power (like Conan the Barbarian).

Rocky IV has a lot going for it, IMHO one of the most well-rounded scores of all time.

As long as the music is good/well written then why care if it is just synths, or a small ensemble or a big symphonic orchestra?

With that said then I must confess that most of my soundtracks in my collection is scores performed by symphonic orchestra. Even though before I got into this thing called film music I listened to a variety of music styles/genres but I had one favourite kind of music and that was music (either pop or whatever it was) it had to contain percussion or drum solos. The score that made me a film music fan is Graeme Revell`s Dead Calm.

Orchestral, but I don't mind a bit of a synth sweetener in there.

I think that Alan describe my situation too - orchestral score with little bit synth = GOOD!
So I vote both.

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My wish-list at this moment: any Barry score, PSYСHO, SPY HARD.
Not much, really?

Thanks for voting guys....nice to see that people appreciate the use of synths with orchestral instruments. I think they go very well together...especially on tracks like The Living Daylights!

Jago

_________________
Music, synths and photography >> http://www.youtube.com/user/DIGITALSCREAMS

eBay >> http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/digitalscreams

Orchestral is always much better (IMO).

Take as an example Goldsmith that experimented with both, none of his pure synth scores does much for me and I think he was much better on his purely orchestral scores (comparing for example Poltergeist vs. Poltergeist II - love the themes in II but if the same music had more orchestra and less synths I think it would be even better - the experimenting with real acoustic sounds in Poltergeist is much more effective or First Knight vs. Lionheart - also a case in which less synths would be better for the score IMO).

Is not that I do not like at all synths. I do like some of then and think they are "right" for some movies like Halloween, Tron, and others but I think they always pale in comparisson to the power, timeless quality and effectiveness of a real orchestra.

I think that almost any film composer would prefer to have the option to use a real orchestra (synth scores seems to be in most cases the result of lower music budgets than an option)