The modern composer lives in the software world these days, especially if you use software-based instruments to produce your compositions. If you hang apple-shaped curtains, then today’s release of Apple’s Mac OS X Snow Leopard may pose a temptation for you: Should you upgrade, or should...

In April of this year (2009) the Christian Filmmakers site held a 36-hour short film contest. Participating filmmakers from all around the world were challenged to create a three minute short film within a 36-hour period. I was honored when Cory Taylor (http://www.coryalantaylor.com) asked me to create...

Learning from the professionals in any industry is of utmost value, that is, if you are serious about your craft. This is no different for film composers. While it may be relatively simple to add just any score to a film, the intricacies covered in Richard Davis’ presentation at the New Mexico...

Radio personality and video producer Ken Lawrence of Lawrence Multimedia and Norwood Christian Ranch recently interviewed composer John Doryk for the Christian Filmmakers forum. John has a long track record of producing music and sound design for film and video productions and he was generous to share...

As a composer, I find it extremely helpful to have a workflow in place that allows me to concentrate on the creative process and not on the technical aspect of writing. Mike Patti and Alex Pfeffer have created a set of video tutorials that are represented in the playlist below. If you are composing for...

Spectrasonics has long been a favorite sample library producer of mine. Atmoshpere was a ground-breaking virtual instrument when it was first released and Spectrasonics has followed up with another excellent VI in the form of Omnisphere. The latest incarnation of what they call a ‘Power Synth’...

When composing for film or commercials, time often is of essence. That’s where the use of templates comes in. No matter which sampling library you use and digital audio workstation or sequencer, having a template to start fresh with is an absolute must. The template contains all the basic tracks...

Writing successfully for Christian films involves constantly improving your skills. Inspiration is one aspect of what goes into a great composition. The other is the knowledge and expertise we gain when we study works by other successful composers. It is not enough to simply just come up with a nice...

There are a few great film music composition video tutorials out there. It’s great material, especially for those who want to break into writing dramatic music for film using sequencing software and orchestral sound libraries. Pictures are worth a thousand words. In this case, video tutorials are...