April Fool's Day is fast approaching and with it comes the existential dread of uncertainty and the unknown. Every year, for one 24 hour period, the entire universe hangs in a quantum superposition, where fact and fiction are not simply indistinguishable but interchangeable. Just as Schrödinger's cat is both alive and dead, so, too, is your friend from high school somehow both pregnant and not pregnant. That couple on facebook is both broken up and very much still together. Your favorite brand is both launching that absurd product or promotion and yet they are also very much not launching anything besides a hilarious video.
So before it becomes tainted by the cosmic instability and perversion of the fabric of spacetime this horrible day will undoubtedly cause, let's do SAS Composer Newsletter #38! At least for now it will be a reliable source of News, Recent Work, Trends/References and the good, old Q&A.
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You may have noticed that we've been experimenting with composer take-overs of the SAS Instagram account and we're thrilled to report the reactions have been amazing! Huge thanks to Josh Williams, Alex Collier, Tangelene Bolton and Roland Bingaman for providing our followers with fun, informative and engaging content, and helping to build on to our little creative community.
If you have any interest in doing a take-over, don't hesitate to reach out and let us know and if you have any other ideas for ways to collaborate and keep the feeds fun, we'd love to hear those as well!
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This trailer for the HBO Max documentary miniseries, Q: Into the Storm, features a driving and intense cue by SAS composer Erick Bolivar called, coincidentally, "Carnage Storm." This is actually one of two spots SAS did for this campaign, the other features a track by Chris Burrink. Both tracks are off of SAS Mixtapes! That's a lot of coincidences! It almost seems like... a conspiracy...
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The talented duo, EQVALS (a collaboration between two SAS composers, Steve Sopchak and Justin Spaulding), provided the score for this soothing and relaxing spot for Chobani Probiotic with a track off of their sophomore album, New Neon.
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The Lumineers - Ophelia - This warm, folky track features a push and pull that contrasts singer-songwriter piano chords with energetic kick drum and faster running passages. It has a clean folk sound with a raw emotion that’s mellow, but not depressing. You could easily hear this song in your favorite coffee shop or played by your talented friend by the fire pit.
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Submit ideas inspired by this ref HERE with playlist name "#38 Hamlet"
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JAY Z, Kanye West - Otis ft. Otis Redding - A true mashup of hip hop and its roots, the two blend seamlessly into each other as this track progresses. Modern subby bass and chopped sample rhythms nest nicely into an old school feel-good Otis Redding vibe, without ever overpowering it. This one’s more than just a modern beat and 808s over a sample, with a real emphasis on arrangement. (P.S. please make sure you have the rights to any sampled tracks!)
Submit ideas inspired by this ref HERE with playlist name "#38 Red West"
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Spoon - The Way We Get By - Whimsical and bouncy, this track sounds like the coolest guy you’ve ever seen in a leather jacket and sunglasses. There’s a simple but unfaltering piano line that’s grounding this track, supported by thick bass, big drums, and ear-worm repetitive melodies. Although this song is one big build, it leaves a lot of nice piano breaks as space to breathe.
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Submit ideas inspired by this ref HERE with playlist name "#38 Forks"
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The Cinematic Orchestra - To Build A Home - This is a classic in the ad world, evoking every somber but hopeful emotion possible. Uplifting piano lines, wandering melodies, lush string backing. Nothing about this track forces itself on you, instead drawing you in like a whisper. There’s a definite focus on the authentic character of the melody/strings over the production, and that really helps to push the emotional rawness.
Submit ideas inspired by this ref HERE with playlist name "#38 Building"
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"I just received your latest brief and there should be a few tracks in your catalog already that would fit great. Should I resubmit through DISCO?"
Since you likely know your own catalog a bit better than we do, we always appreciate it when you're able to point us toward a few tracks we already have on hand for consideration. That being said, there is no need to resubmit the track through DISCO, and, in fact, doing so could result in confusing doubles.
Best practice is to simply send us an email reply to the search with a list of your tracks to check out. If we run into a name on the list that we can't find, we'll reach out ASAP to have you submit. If you're not sure or can't remember if you submitted something already, feel free to ask us and we'll look into it for you.
"I have a question regarding final mix levels we should be aiming for in our instrumentals and songs. Should we be aiming for a specific LUFS (or RMS, True Peak or some other) level?"
We don’t have a specific level to shoot for, just make sure your tracks are relatively competitively mastered so they don't feel weak in the middle of a playlist of other tracks.
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don't read this it just needs to be here for spacing forget you saw it please. please!
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Before you call me out on the Schrödinger's Cat comment from earlier, I already know that it was a thought experiment largely designed to illustrate the apparent absurdity of the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics by pointing out the paradoxical nature of the superposition. So take it up with Einstein.
Also, just want to give a quick shout-out to the amazing staff of the SAS Composer Newsletter which has now ballooned into an enormous, mainstream media conglomerate. Max actually wrote the newsletter blurbs on this one, and Marisa helped immensely with research and graphics. And of course this would be a mess without my Editor-In-Chief, Caze.
Happy Scoring everybody!
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You received this newsletter because you have friends at Score a Score. Wish to unsubscribe? Click below. Do you like what you see and hear? Let us know at music@scoreascore.com !
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