Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread
Print Thread
Go To
#641725 02/12/21 06:30 AM
User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,520
Expert
OP Offline
Expert
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,520
I've been a big fan of 1970's Private-Eye TV shows, like Mannix, Cannon, Barnaby Jones, etc. and have always wanted to try my hand at writing thematic music for a fictional PI show. Since I recently read a book revolving around PI "Cash Register", written by Tai Baker (our own Al-David!), I combined these two and developed this track.

"Cash on the Case"

It contains 4 short themes, each 45-60 seconds, that might be used in key phases of the PI show:

1. Main Title Theme
2. The Girl (who is she? what does she really want?)
3. The Stalk (careful now--who might be lurking in that dark warehouse?)
4. The Chase (speeding cars or running down a back-alley)
5. Reprise, same as #1, just a bit fast tempo, over the closing credits.

I used some RT's, esp for jazz bass and drums, but most of it is midi content, and I used SampleTank3 principally.

For anyone who is interested in my methodology and approach, following are more notes.
--------------------------------
Seems to me, listening to soundtracks for these shows, esp those by Lalo Schifrin, 45-60 seconds is about all you have to state your case, musically. And you need to use styles and harmonics that evoke/compliment what is being shown visually. Here's a breakdown of each theme and the thought behind it.

Main Theme
The first few notes have to be a catchy phrase that the listener will always associate with the show and character. Plus, that small phrase is going to be used in other contexts (minor key, slower/faster) throughout the drama to tie it all in. I chose a simple 7th riff as my main hook, stated it right up front, then tried to repeat it in some of the other themes. I used RT's for drums and bass here, but did the rest in midi. I kept the instrument in the vein of a jazz combo (horns/vibes). It runs just about 60 seconds.

Girl Theme
FIRST, let me state that I'm a complete mysogonist when it comes to detective characters and authors--completely a male realm--sorry about that! So there's always a girl, some mysterious, sexy beauty who enters the story early, invariably introduced by some sultry, solitary sax riff--and so I have that here. And it seems to be based on a minor scale, maybe m9th. Then, as the action warms up a little, it seems like it always morphs into a gentle bossa, and I've done the same. I found the sax phrases in my SampleTank library, and used RT's for bossa drums and bass, otherwise all midi. Runs about 40 seconds.

Stalk Theme
These kinds of scenes are accompanied by a collection of random rhythm elements (a snare drum, a shake of a shaker) and isolated musical elements, like the piano low notes I used here. And, of course, diminished chord phrases to suggest mystery. I tried to place those main theme notes in there as a tie-in to the overall motif. No RT's, just midi sounds. Length = about 40 sec.

Chase Theme
RT's for jazz brushes and bass, tempo = 300bpm. Entire sequence chord harmony is Cm7. In order to get the fast solo's for vibes, I used the "Generate Midi Solo" feature and found "Long Phrases, Fast Tempos"..then tweeked some of the notes to get the flavor i wanted. There's also a cool "gliss down" sound that I got out of ST3. Time is about 40 sec. And--to end the 'chase' there's a familiar Cm-maj7th chord.

Reprise Theme
I just cut out 8 bars of the original track and sped it up a bit..seemed like, at the conclusion of the "show", you'd state the theme with a little more energy and speed.

User Showcase
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 3,357
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 3,357
I`m going with the Stalk followed by Chase as being the most instantly recognizable in my memories of such shows ( mostly from British 60`s tv).All are thoughtfully composed, well orchestrated and fun.
I admire your dedication in learning and interpreting the genre.
The detailed breakdown will be useful for MIDI buffs.

Robert

User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,520
Expert
OP Offline
Expert
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,520
Thanks Robert.
My MIDI toolkit consists of the built-in Coyote sounds--I usually use this when I'm building my track, for convenience sake...later I switch out most of them to either SampleTank3 or a keyboard vst that I like called 4FrontRhode. I have ST4 but have never been able to install it properly. When working with MIDI, I either enter via my MIDI keyboard, but lots of times I'll key-enter into the piano roll tool in RealBand. For this particular project, I really needed brass sounds, and I found several that seemed "acceptable", but there are probably better samples available, but I'm not inclined to spend $$ on them.

In this project, I had a lot of unison notes with multiple brass tracks, and I like to use the "Randomize" feature in RB to avoid making the tracks all completely identical. Sometimes I'll render the midi track to a wav file so that I can add reverb or something, but SampleTank has good functionality to add effects to the midi sounds.

User Showcase
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 7,114
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 7,114
Hi, Tom.

Thanks for setting the stage for this on. If definitely catches the classic cliche detective sound you were aiming for.

I had fun listening! The use of MIDI reminded me a bit of the Sam and Max Hit The Road game soundtrack. (They're freelance police, so it has the same vibe as the spec you're writing to).

Nice MIDI noir! laugh


-- David Cuny
My virtual singer development blog

Vocal control, you say. Never heard of it. Is that some kind of ProTools thing?
User Showcase
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 5,370
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 5,370
Impressive!

You captured the mood of that type of show perfectly I think, very well done.

User Showcase
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 2,135
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 2,135
Loved this tune. True Detective cinema music.

Mike B.


Music should be part of your life
http://www.soundclick.com/blackcatjazzcafeband
User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 6,992
G
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
G
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 6,992
Fun song!! I've also read some "Cash Register" stuff.....fun!! Nice job with everything in this tune.......would work really well for that genre!! Take care. Greg

User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 7,843
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 7,843
Hi Tano ...

Finally got over to hear this. I was out of town all night and just woke up from a very long nap!

I think you captured the several nuances so perfectly. You have a good ear and the ability to create what you hear in your head to a wonderful soundscape for everyone else. I think Cash would be very happy with this. I know I am!!!

You nailed it my friend. And it's a real feather in my cap that my novel was part of the vehicle you used to put this wonderful piece together. Much enjoyed! Great job!

Wishing you the very best ...

Alan


BIAB 2024 Ultra Plus-all StylePaks*Win11*32GB DDR5*Rhyzen 9745x*AT 2035 Mic*Peavey Nashville 112 Amp*Ibanez ART120* Acoustic/Electric/Washburn D200S Acoustic*Stromberg Monterey Jazz Guitar

Loops: https://aldavidmusic.wixsite.com/bestmusicloops

User Showcase
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 1,362
W
Expert
Offline
Expert
W
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 1,362
Hi Tano Music,

This is just amazingly well done... The music send me back to the 70's and brought so many memories back... wonderful piece of work. I am so impressed by your imagination and the skill you showcase here!

Thanks for sharing your gift with us,
Will

User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 14,707
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 14,707

Wow. Reading your post and the response to Robert reminds us again that
other than MST's we know zip about midi. I can't conjure up the imagination
and knowledge required to put a production like this together. So
we have very little to offer regarding what you used and how you
accomplished it but what an amazing outcome.

We've listened several times and man is it ever nuanced. Great mix.
It's fun listening and reading the theme descriptions as they play.

70's detective show vibe? Nailed.

Great production indeed!

J&B


You can listen to our catalog on Apple Music or Spotify by searching on Janice Merritt
Our Videos are here on our website
User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 5,602
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 5,602
Clever and really engaging.

Loved it!

Peter

User Showcase
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 9,830
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 9,830
Man.... That's good. And so cool. I think you did a great job with each of the themes.

Using midi actually worked well.

I have a nit that I want to run by you. In the signature lick, which is epic BTW, the first 5 notes have very minor timing issues.
It's the 3,4,5 notes. They seem to be slightly rushed rather than being perfectly timed and swinging. Maybe it's just me and my persnickety ears.

Regardless of that, this is an amazing example of what can be done with imagination and BB.

Last edited by Guitarhacker; 02/14/21 01:47 PM.

You can find my music at:
www.herbhartley.com
Add nothing that adds nothing to the music.
You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.

The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
User Showcase
Joined: May 2015
Posts: 2,873
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: May 2015
Posts: 2,873
Tom,

Amazing!
This is exactly Lalo Schifrin.
Many TV dramas for which Lalo Schifrin is in charge of music are also very familiar in Japan, so this work is really fun.
I also wanted to listen to a long version of The Girl part that was developed separately from this work.
Enjoyed my listen a lot.

Best regards.

Shigeki Adachi

User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,520
Expert
OP Offline
Expert
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,520
Thanks, everyone, for listening in and commenting. This was a lot of fun (also challenging at points), and I'm glad to hear that I captured the feel I was looking for. There are elements of it that I can surely tighten up, and I appreciate those suggestions.

User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2019
Posts: 138
J
Apprentice
Offline
Apprentice
J
Joined: Dec 2019
Posts: 138
Definitely captured the genre and showcased your arranging skills.

Thanks for sharing.

James

User Showcase
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,520
Expert
OP Offline
Expert
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,520
Thanks James

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Go To

Link Copied to Clipboard
ChatPG

Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.

ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.

PG Music News
Generate Lyrics for your Band-in-a-Box songs with LyricLab!

Need some lyrics to complete your Band-in-a-Box song? LyricLab is here to help!

LyricLab (by Joanne Cooper) is an AI-powered tool designed to quickly create lyrics and chords to fit your music. Just enter a rough idea of your lyrics, and let the AI bring them to life. Once you're happy with the results, simply import the LyricLab file into Band-in-a-Box® 2024 or newer. From there, you can pick your style and generate melodies to match your song’s chords!

Learn more about LyricLab here!

Watch the video.


Band-in-a-Box 2024 Italian for Mac is Here!

Ci siamo dati da fare e abbiamo aggiunto oltre 50 nuove funzionalità e una straordinaria raccolta di nuovi contenuti, tra cui 222 RealTracks, nuovi RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, "Songs with Vocals" Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 3, Playable RealDrums Set 2, due nuovi set di "RealDrums Stems", XPro Styles PAK 6, Xtra Styles PAK 17 e altro ancora!

Tutti Pacchetti | Nuove Caratteristiche

Band-in-a-Box® 2024 German for Mac is Here!

Band-in-a-Box® 2024 für Mac Deutsch ist verfügbar!

Wir waren fleißig und haben über 50 neue Funktionen und eine erstaunliche Sammlung neuer Inhalte hinzugefügt, darunter 222 RealTracks, neue RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, "Songs with Vocals" Artist Performance Sets, abspielbare RealTracks Set 3, abspielbare RealDrums Set 2, zwei neue Sets von "RealDrums Stems", XPro Styles PAK & 7, Xtra Styles PAK 17 & 18, und mehr!

Paket | Was ist Neu

Band-in-a-Box® 2024 French for Mac® is Here!

Band-in-a-Box® 2024 apporte plus de 50 fonctions nouvelles ainsi qu'une importante de contenus nouveaux à savoir : 222 RealTracks, des RealStyles nouveaux, des SuperTracks MIDI, des Etudes d'Instruments, des Prestations d'Artistes, des "Morceaux avec Choeurs", un Set 3 de Tracks Jouables, un Set 2 de RealDrums Jouables, deux nouveaux Sets de "RealDrums Stems", des Styles XPro PAK 6 & 7, des Xtra Styles PAK 17 & 18, et bien plus encore!

New! XPro Styles PAK 7 for Band-in-a-Box 2024 for Mac!

We've just released XPro Styles PAK 7 with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 50 RealTracks and RealDrums that are sure to delight!

With XPro Styles PAK 7 you can expect 25 rock & pop, 25 jazz, and 25 country styles, as well as 25 of this year's wildcard genre: Celtic!

Here's a small sampling of what XPro Styles PAK 7 has to offer: energetic rock jigs, New Orleans funk, lilting jazz waltzes, fast Celtic punk, uptempo train beats, gritty grunge, intense jazz rock, groovy EDM, soulful R&B, soft singer-songwriter pop, country blues rock, and many more!

Special Pricing! Until September 30, 2024, all the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 7 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea)! Supercharge your Band-in-a-Box 2024® with XPro Styles PAK 7! Order now!

Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.

Watch the XPro Styles PAK 7 Overview & Styles Demos video.

XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2024 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.

New! Xtra Styles PAK 18 for Band-in-a-Box 2024 for Mac!

Xtra Styles PAK 18 for Band-in-a-Box version 2024 is here with 200 brand new styles to take for a spin!

Along with 50 new styles each for the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, we’ve put together a collection of styles using sounds from the SynthMaster plugin!

In this PAK you'll find: dubby reggae grooves, rootsy Americana, LA jazz pop, driving pop rock, mellow electronica, modern jazz fusion, spacey country ballads, Motown shuffles, energetic EDM, and plenty of synth heavy grooves! Xtra Style PAK 18 features these styles and many, many more!

Special Pricing! Until September 30, 2024, all the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 18 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea)! Expand your Band-in-a-Box 2024® library with Xtra Styles PAK 18! Order now!

Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 18 here.

Watch the Xtra Styles PAK 18 Overview & Styles Demos video.

Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 18 requires the 2024 UltraPAK/UltraPAK+/Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.

New! Xtra Styles PAK 18 for Band-in-a-Box 2024 for Windows!

Xtra Styles PAK 18 for Band-in-a-Box version 2024 is here with 200 brand new styles to take for a spin!

Along with 50 new styles each for the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, we’ve put together a collection of styles using sounds from the SynthMaster plugin!

In this PAK you'll find: dubby reggae grooves, rootsy Americana, LA jazz pop, driving pop rock, mellow electronica, modern jazz fusion, spacey country ballads, Motown shuffles, energetic EDM, and plenty of synth heavy grooves! Xtra Style PAK 18 features these styles and many, many more!

Special Pricing! Until September 30, 2024, all the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 18 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea)! Expand your Band-in-a-Box 2024® library with Xtra Styles PAK 18! Order now!

Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 18 here.

Watch the Xtra Styles PAK 18 Overview & Styles Demos video.

Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 18 requires the 2024 UltraPAK/UltraPAK+/Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.

Forum Statistics
Forums65
Topics82,874
Posts752,858
Members39,021
Most Online3,932
Nov 19th, 2024
Newest Members
Uke Berlin, Rodion Shynharov, davesbass, million, momo25
39,021 Registered Users
Top Posters(30 Days)
MarioD 155
DC Ron 104
rsdean 86
dcuny 83
jpettit 68
Today's Birthdays
Fred Marzin, kindofblue, philncookie
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5