This is the part where I stereotypically say that this was a very hard competition to judge. There were so many great submissions, so many different styles and genres; when I host this again, I will make the competition requirements less broad. This was a great way to test the waters and see what kind of response I got if I hosted a competition.

The response was certainly overwhelming. Again, thank you all who participated. Now, on to the winners.

(click for video) Audio Excerpts

These top 5 winners were selected based on originality, quality of sequence/orchestration, overall structure of the piece (if it sounded like a complete work with solid musical ideas, regardless of length), and “fun factor” (i.e. would I want to listen to this again).

5th- “Epicenter”, by Stevie Liu from China

This piece was just plain fun. Stevie clearly put a lot of thought and effort into sequencing this piece and he did so very well. Throughout the entire piece, the same musical ideas are used and developed well.

4th- “Strach Oli”, by Piotr Broda from Poland

As my friend (and guest judge) so eloquently put it, “Well, this is very weird stuff”. Yes INDEED. And that’s why I loved it so much. Very original in flavor and well mixed. The use of his daughter’s voice as an element of substantive musical material was a smart move, landing him in the top 5.

3rd- “Head Clouds”, Danny McCook from California, USA

A quick visit to the “Painted Pianos” soundcloud page (https://soundcloud.com/hesaveslostsouls) makes it evidently clear that this guy is a strong studio musician. His music is as enjoyable as it is catchy. We greatly enjoyed all of his submissions, but this piece stood out in our minds.

2nd- “At the Mountain of Madness”, Graham Plowman from Dublin, Ireland

The title says it all. From start to finish, I was taken by how clearly Graham communicated this concept. His youtube page is mostly dedicated to film score type music (http://www.youtube.com/user/Plowking2?feature=guide). He really knows how to use his sequencer and sample libraries well. High quality for sure.

1st- “MMXII (2012)”, Ruben Naeff (currently in NY, originally Amsterdam)

This piece is subtitled “Stay Happy When the World Collapses”, and with the recent to-do about the Mayans, I thought this was a great piece to round out the year. On top of that, Ruben’s colorful orchestration as well as his wide and wild use of creative harmony made this piece an instant top 5, and upon some deliberation, Ruben was named the winner of this competition. CONGRATULATIONS! (check out his other works here: www.rubennaeff.nl)

Again, many thanks to all that submitted music. I personally hate having my music “evaluated” and judged (especially when I don’t win!). I greatly appreciate you putting yourself in the cross hairs. For all those who weren’t recognized, your pieces were all a joy to hear. I will be doing this competition again some time. I hope to hear from you again then!

Best,

Andrew

I hope for this to be the first of many such competitions. The goal for all of this is to bring together artists from around the world. Ultimately, healthy competition can inspire and motivate us to get better. When we listen to others, we learn new and exciting things.

This is your chance to have your voice heard by many other likeminded composers and get feedback on your work.

What we’re looking for: originality, realism, overall quality, and general musicianship.

INFO:

When? Starts November 7th, ends December 1st 2012. Any submissions received after the end date will not be entered into the competition.

What? Submit up to 3 works in any style or genre in mp3 format to andrewgerlichermusic@gmail.com (no remixes of music you did not originally compose). You may submit any work regardless of when it was written or what it was written for. Any style or genre will be eligible. I happen to write soundtrack music, but that won’t be a factor when it comes time to select a winner. In the subject box, please write “AGYCC- [your name]“. In the email body, please include your name, your age, where you are from, your favorite composer, as well as any web pages (such as YouTube or SoundCloud) that you use to share your music (if any).

Judges: WILL BE ANNOUNCED SOON (hint, I’m one of them)

Who: This competition is open to anyone, worldwide.

WINNERS: The winner will receive an iTunes gift card for $200, for the purpose of purchasing Logic Pro from the App Store. If you already own Logic, you can keep the $200 and spend as you wish, or we can talk privately about comparable prizes. The top 5 submission will receive recognition as “best of show”, but only one top submission will receive the “grand prize”.

I’m VERY excited about this and can’t wait to hear what you all come up with.

Best,
Andrew

http://scorescene.bandcamp.com

Available now are the Advanced and the Basic pack. When you purchase either of these, you also purchase the rights to use the music commercially.

The Basic Pack includes the tracks already “put together” for you. This would be like downloading an album off of iTunes. What you pay for is what you get.

The Advanced Pack gives you the tracks as well as the individual elements that make up the tracks. Multiple tempos, varying lengths, and other elements allow you to edit the track further to fit whatever media you happen to want scored. There is also a short demo video that will give you an idea of how to edit your music. I will making some other more advanced tutorials soon (on YouTube).

Let me know how you like the product. All feedback is welcome!

Andrew

Sorry about the delay. ScoreScene is now finished. I’m just getting final issues figured out. I just need some splash art/design etc.

As of now, ScoreScene will be released via Bandcamp. As things progress, I may move it to it’s own server and website, but that depends on how sales goes, to be honest.

There will be a Basic Pack that includes only the tracks, and an Advanced Pack that includes the track elements.

I hope to have a tutorial up soon on my YouTube. Stay tuned!

Andrew

The goal of ScoreScene is to give film makers access to and control over a large database of music specifically composed with film/media in mind.

I am working alongside other talented composers to get this out to you all as soon as possible.

After initial release, there will continue to be a flood of new scores that will be available for download to add to your current collection.  As the database increases, so do your options.  The system relies on quality AND quantity, ultimately aimed at providing you with a new and inspiring way to score your films/trailers/promos/etc.

Again, I’m VERY excited to make this available to you.  More updates to come.

Andrew

Now, nearly 5 years later, sample libraries are getting cheaper, better, and more accessible.  So where do you start looking?  Here are a few places to start.

I’m going to focus on orchestral libraries right now because this is what I use most.  If you have  questions about other types of libraries, just leave a comment below or email me at andrewgerlichermusic@gmail.com

There are two libraries that stand out as the most cost effective.  You pay less but you get great quality.

In first place has to be SpitFire’s Albion library.  Coming in just over $500 USD, you get just about everything you need and more to make a realistic sounding orchestral score.  It quickly became my go-to library for color and textures.  Listen to some of the tech demos on the website and you’ll hear how beautiful it sounds.  Downside: it uses Kontakt, which itself is quite a purchase.  But never fear!  Kontakt releases a free player that can run the library quite nicely (albeit 15 minutes at a time).

An easy second place, in my book, is East West’s Symphonic Orchestra, namely the Gold Edition.  Just under $500 USD, it gives you all the instruments of a traditional orchestra to use.  Even though I own Hollywood String/Brass by East West, I frequently find myself still returning to this library looking for my favorite samples.  Downside: EW products typically use quite a bit of ram and processor, but since I bought it a while back, computers in general are getting better and better and are much cheaper.

Other places that I find great libraries, though not full orchestral libraries are cinesamples.com and 8dio.com.  Check them out.  I own many individual libraries from both and use them a lot.

-Andrew

I have a little treat for you today.  If you don’t have Logic Pro 9, I’m sorry.  :(  However, those of you who do, this free download is for you.

I spent an hour or so today putting together a template of sorts that illustrates how Logic can be utilized to create awesome orchestral soundtracks.  Go ahead and download it and mess around with it. Feel free to email what you’ve made at andrewgerlichermusic@gmail.com.

Download the save file here.

Don’t forget to browse around and take a look things like automation, busses, etc.

Nothing fancy.  Just a little something I threw together.

Finally, if things like this interest you, let me know.  Post a comment below.  I love the feedback.  Perhaps I’ll make more?  :D

-Andrew

PS: If for some reason it doesn’t open, it could be because I made the file in 64-bit.  To open your version of Logic in 64-bit mode, simply right click the Logic icon in Finder, click “Get Info”, then check the box marked “open in 64-bit mode”.  Then relaunch Logic!

This is an exclusive look at the music I wrote for FinalCutKing’s latest vid (8.15) “Fish Olympics” (watch it here).

He wanted music that was similar to the Olympic theme music, but then turned into something different and comical.

Listen, watch, learn, and ENJOY!

Andrew

This site is designed to keep you up to date with the latest projects and products from the team and me here at ForgeTrack Audio.

Check back frequently for free music and tutorials as well as exciting new content available only for purchase and download HERE at AndrewGerlicher.com!

Thanks for all your support,

Andrew Gerlicher