If you are reading this website, then you have more than a passing interest in the art of filmmaking. I don't have to tell you how much of an impact music can have on a movie. It can enhance and support the dialog or action taking place on screen. It can be a minor supporting player or it can be the star. If you want a prime example, you need look no further than the 70's classic JAWS, an early generation "blockbuster" that helped to set the standard for thrillers. If you watch the special features available on the recent DVD releases of the film, you will hear vivid accounts, from the cast and crew alike, as to the unreliable nature of the very expensive mechanical shark built for the production. I'll not dare take anything away from Steven Speilberg's masterful directing skills in dealing with this issue, but without John Williams simple and haunting score, I'm not so sure Mr. Speilberg would have pulled it off so convincingly.
In future issues, I am going to be reviewing several products that will help you professionally produce music for your films. I am in the process of composing music for two independent films and I hope to share some of my experiences with you as well. One of the tools I am taking advantage of is the loop based music production product ACID Pro 6 from Sony.
As you can see, the ACID Pro 6 layout is very similar to Sony's VEGAS.
Ease of Use
If you have any familiarity with Sony's VEGAS video editing software, then you are going to be right at home in ACID Pro 6. They are almost identical in layout and operation. As far as getting started and creating something, I don't think it gets much easier. I'll spare you a history lesson on sampling and working with loops and cut to the chase. I think it is safe to assume that we all know what loops are. Sony takes the idea of music loops to the next level. Not surprisingly, ACID works with all major audio file formats, but if you want to have the most control over your music, you are going to want to use ACIDized loops.
ACIDized loops contain metadata with such information as tempo and key signature. If you have a session that is 110 beats per minute and is in the key of C, jut find an ACID loop, any ACID loop, that you like and drag it onto a session track. It automatically adjusts to the session tempo AND key, no matter what tempo and key the loop was produced at. I had a selection of ACID format loop libraries from Sony and Big Fish Audio. In addition to these Sony sent me a few more to sample. One of the films I am working on is a psychological thriller and the director gave me some ideas on the music. His musical tastes for the film included 80s, electronica, ambient, cinematic, acoustic and hip-hop, among others. This is where it gets fun. I have been able to create tracks using musical loops from all of these genres, sometimes all in the same song. This is all made possible due to the ability of ACID Pro 6 to mold the loops like clay into what you need them to be. You don't have to use ACIDized loops, but if you don't, you are going to be limited to tempo matching only.
If you are reading this website, then you have more than a passing interest in the art of filmmaking. I don't have to tell you how much of an impact music can have on a movie. It can enhance and support the dialog or action taking place on screen. It can be a minor supporting player or it can be the star. If you want a prime example, you need look no further than the 70's classic JAWS, an early generation "blockbuster" that helped to set the standard for thrillers. If you watch the special features available on the recent DVD releases of the film, you will hear vivid accounts, from the cast and crew alike, as to the unreliable nature of the very expensive mechanical shark built for the production. I'll not dare take anything away from Steven Speilberg's masterful directing skills in dealing with this issue, but without John Williams simple and haunting score, I'm not so sure Mr. Speilberg would have pulled it off so convincingly.
