Unintentionally hilarious promo vid for (yet another) trailer library

[byzantium]

It's a roller-coaster ride of a show.
(video on previous page)

[tack]

It's a roller-coaster ride of a show.

Yet no roller coaster has made me want to throw up quite as much as that video.

[byzantium]

Ah the double-entendres.
It's stomach-churning stuff alright but really funny (I've just realised it's even better on full screen).
Never before has music reached so deeply inside me, affecting all my senses. Including balance. Very moving.
I only have a 27" - it must be a great experience on a 40" or larger. Some people might pay for a ride like that. It gets very favourable reviews on youtube.

[Guy Rowland]

HeadbobCam - gnarly.

Now I wanna see him do that on a BMX.

[Lawrence]

Kinda like those drums (Audio Imperia). Sorta Damage-y.

[wst3]

Honestly Jay, it's partly the tone. "Most of us are musicians and actually care about it as music"

With respect, and not like Jay needs a defense, but I didn't read that to be in the least bit snide, but rather, I read it as a POSSIBLE explanation about why trailer music gets a poor response here, and in many other music centric fora.

And I think there is a grain of truth to that - we all want to make a living, we all want to make art, and sometimes the conflict between the two can wear on you...

[byzantium]

I guess we analyse we every piece of music we hear, which is why we can usually get slowly better at it perhaps, but I guess that brings a bit of double-sided curse sometimes, as maybe we are attuned to and distinguish more differences, higher highs and lower lows maybe. In terms of styles, think it's mostly horses for courses really, in terms of what works for what purposes. For 'block-buster' video promos etc, the ostinatos and booms and whooshes and risers do all serve a purpose and do accentuate and dramatise and I think it all works in that sense. I think it just gets a little tedious when you hear so much of it and they all seem so similar (and when it gets applied to children's material as mentioned earlier!). Sorry if I earlier unwittingly contributed to opening a chink into a potential can of worms (newbie).

[Ashermusic]

Honestly Jay, it's partly the tone. "Most of us are musicians and actually care about it as music" is the kind of comment that will just end up hurtling the thread into a brick wall. If there was a thread about drum and bass, or hip hop, or ambient, or death metal... would you feel compelled to offer the same insights into those threads too? If not, what's the difference? Is trailer / hybrid / epic music fundamentally worse as music than every other genre in musical history? Is is uniquely incapable of being done well vs badly, all evenly an affront against all absolute musical integrity, or is there a list of other genres I missed beyond musical redemption?

Anyway, as I read it the spirit of the thread is about how stuff is presented and the absurdities therein, not really an open invite to rag on a genre. All these things are interesting for discussion in the right place, but occasionally a button is pushed with me where I see something going down such a well trodden divisive rut it'll just derail what the thread was originally about. It's a free world and a free forum so by all means carry on, but I'll be in the corner waving a flag to say "can't we do things just a bit better here?"

You know me. What you see is what you get. I am not being snide, but as Bill says in a later post, being a professional means delivering what is required, and were I to do trailer music I would do the same. But I like to think that by now I know when I am writing hopefully well executed crap and when I am creating something better. At least that is what i strive for.

And while I personally don't care for much of the other genres you mentioned I recognize that many of the creators of those genres are trying to be, well, creative at least. I don't hear much in trailer music that indicates that the creator is doing anything more than earning a paycheck. It is perhaps, in my view, the most glaring example of "me too"-ism in the music world.

And if someone else disagrees and likes it, fine. I don't think, however, you will find too many really good musicians who do.

[Jaap]

There is a lot of garbage in the field, I agree, but there are also really good composers at it. I am working on an album for a trailer company atm and cannot disclose it yet, but I am very pleasantly suprised by the amount of craftmanship that is going on. Of course you have the ones like the video from above which is just...well...not it but if you take the top tier composers in that genre, they know what they are doing and have great skill. It is of course not for everyones taste and that is logical and it actually just functional music which got picked up by a group of people who love the "epic" style.
I had the pleasure of being guided by Mark Petrie a while ago for a few months and I love how he is responsive, helpful and a true craftsman and it was a big pleasure working with him. Is his music suited for eternal history or can it hold up against Stravinsky, Messiaen and the likes? No, but it is good music within the limitations of the specific purpose that it has to be written in.
But there is a shift going on and the epic style is being let go more and more and you see more and more a little bit less frantic stuff going out there with a focus on more sound design and unique sounds. Not the ones from libraries as above, but from synths like Serum, Form and other stuff where you can input your own recordings and create a good custom palet.
There will be for the time being of course a demand for the brutal, sound design-ish and over the top stuff, but as with every genre/style it has its goods and bads and it runs with what is demanded from the trailer production houses. If the crowd is happy, they are happy

And for the record, I think a composer can do both. I have just finished a music theater piece (and I am classically trained by Louis Andriessen btw) that will have its premiere on the second of June and is very (modern-ish) classical and on the other hand I write trailer and production music and I love doing both

[Tatu]

Just a small off topic FYI, since Audio Imperia came up.

They have a vst buzz deal going:
http://vstbuzz.com/deals/60-off-audio-imperia-bundle/

(I have nothing to do with Audio Imperia)

[Erik]

2nd one is very funny indeed

[Mikeybabes]

I know a good firm of solicitors who could help that poor man with his whiplash claim......

[JJP]

These two videos reminded me of the tag line from the 1990s comedy "Wayne's World"

"You'll laugh.
You'll cry.
You'll hurl."

[ZeeCount]

I almost spat out my drink when I watched those videos. Thanks for the laugh guys

[KyleJudkins]

I second the notion that all genres have a place within them that integrity lies, while the rest is uninspired and mass produced...

That said, hybrid itself is a fine genre - even trailer pieces... I used to care what kind of music other people made(when I was in highschool) but now I could care less what people enjoy

I just hate the fact that traditional orchestral music is becoming less and less wanted, and it takes significantly more effort to make that happen vs. Software/synths

[-Lawson-]

Wow that video was fantastic. The head-cam one was even better! Legitimately made my night from sheer "lolwut" factor.