Zombie T.V. Scoring 101

What’s good everyone… Just wanted to drop in real quick and put you on to a great article by Bear McCreary.  Bear is a composer who has worked on various movies, TV and video game scores.  In this article he breaks down how he scored the premier episode of AMC’s Walking Dead.  It’s a very informative look into scoring.   I just discovered Bear’s blog, so I’d imagine there are some other goodies on scoring in there as well…  Check out the article here…

Zombie T.V. Scoring 101

Don’t forget to check out Walking Dead on AMC, Sunday nights at 10PM EST!

The Philly Sound And The Birth Of Disco: “Get Down With The Philly Sound”

Here is a great video about the The Philadelphia sound which eventually led to the birth of Disco… Do the knowledge youngsters!  Included in the video are Sigma Sound Studios founder Joe Tarsia, Drummer Earl Young, Producer Weldon Arthur McDougal III, Arranger & Vibraphonist Vincent Montana, Guitarist & Producer Bobby Eli, Bassist Jimmy Williams and Mixer & Producer Tom Moulton.

Dimitri from Paris presents “Get Down With The Philly Sound” from BBE Music.

Legendary Engineer/Producer Andy Johns drops some knowledge…

This is a must watch video.  Any time a legendary Engineer/Producer sits down and gives you mixing/recording tips, you listen!

“Before his nineteenth birthday, Andy Johns was working as Eddie Kramer‘s second engineer on classic recordings by Jimi Hendrix and many others.  In a career spanning more than thirty years, he has engineered or produced records by artists ranging from Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones to Van Halen and Rod Stewart, whose sales total in excess of 160 millions copies.”

I’ve watched this a million times.  There are a whole bunch of good tips in there for you to improve your drum sounds.  He even tells you how be got the drum sound for the Led Zeppelin drum break classic “When The Levee Breaks”.

This video was included with the Platinum Samples Andy Johns Classic Drums expansion for the BFD software sampler, which I highly recommend.

Track Anatomy “What’s Going On”: Happy Birthday to Marvin Gaye, R.I.P.!!!!!!

If he were still physically alive, Marvin Gaye would have turned 70 years old today… R.I.P. Marvin…  Here is some info on the creation of one of his many classic tracks “What’s Going On”…

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“The rhythm section in the Snakepit was a departure: the atmosphere was loose; there was whiskey for the musicians and marijuana for Marvin (Listen to the loud toke into the microphone at 3:12). Marvin played piano and percussion.  Bassist James Jamerson by all accounts came in hung over and had to play his part laying down (on his back) on the floor. Yet Jamerson’s wife, who normally heard little about his sessions, remembered James the next day telling her he had just cut a classic…

For the Lead vocal Marvin overdubbed several parts.  When he couldn’t decide which one to use, he asked Hitsville engineer Ken Sands to put one on the left  channel and one on the right.  When the reference mix was played back in mono, Marvin heard both leads in harmony-a happy accident he embraced…

Marvin delivered a mix to a quality control meeting.  Berry Gordy refused to release it (:/), and needing a new Marvin Gaye record,  instead released a greatest hits compilation.  “My attitude had to be firm,” Marvin said.  “Basically I [told Motown], ‘Put it out or I’ll never record for you again.’  That was my ace in the hole, and I had to play it.”  The record was eventually released.  The move angered Gordy until he heard the sales orders: 100,000 pieces in one day. “

& here is a ridiculously great live performance of “What’s Going On”…

Track Anatomy – The O’Jays “Ship Ahoy” (Strings & Horns)

Track Anatomy takes a look inside the make up of classic tracks.  Study the past and define the future.

Today we will take a quick look at the make up of the horn and string sections in The O’Jays classic & EPIC soul track “Ship Ahoy.” Here is a snippet…

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“Ship Ahoy” Arranger, Bobby Martin…

“Some arrangements are more challenging than others, like ‘Ship Ahoy.’ My job was to get the music across to people, so I had to do something special with those strings and horns. Sometimes I’d use as many as 17 strings – one cello, four violas, 12 violins. For the horns I could use up to five saxophones – baritone, two tenors and two altos – and four trumpets and four trombones. It can be a very delicate, very precise and very beautiful process, especially when you get a gold record out of it!”

I reached out to Philly producer/songwriter/musician Bobby Eli, who chimed in on the EPICNESS of the record…

“For the mix on that particular song, both of Sigma’s studios had to be used because all of the sounds and effects,whips and chains,and various sounds of disparity took up more channels than the twenty four on the board in studio 1 so studio 2′s board had to be used in addition with tie lines between the two studios. That was certainly groundbreaking for 1973! …and the board in stdio 1 only had ONE efx send so they had to have very creative ways with which to maneuver those or any extra efx… The downstairs board was more “advanced”in the efx send dept. Man.the engineers were communicating by intercom and running up and down the steps between the two rooms. Classic stuff.”

Purchase the full 9 minute version of “Ship Ahoy” here for .99 (MP3, 256 kbps)