As promised, although quite delayed, I’m taking a bit of time to share my thoughts on the individual EWQL sample libraries that I recently purchased. First up is EWQLSO Gold…

As mentioned in my previous post I prefer the EWQLSO UI to the other products’ – both the browser and the player windows. Although all of the products have the same controls (same function, different appearance) on their player window, I find the SO layout easier to navigate and much more legible.

Each articulation of each instrument is superbly recorded, and the key-switched articulations that make up a multi-articulation instrument blend nicely together for an impressive realism. I definitely get the impression that each articulation was played by the same player(s) in the same space.

Although there are more impressive demos available on the EWQL website, here is a happy little number that I put together for flute, harp, piano and cello. The flute track uses only two key-switched articulations (staccato and legato), the harp uses two sample files (pluck and glissando), the piano is the Bösendorfer 290 from the Goliath library, and the cello uses only two key-switched articulations (a marcato and a legato):

Incidentally, if you’re using SONAR as your DAW, there is a two-octave variance in note names between the two (what EWQL calls ‘C0′ is named ‘C2′ in SONAR, etc.). That bit of trivia had me tugging on my hair when I was first trying to sequence the key switches.

Even though some of the instruments can take up a bit of RAM, you can easily deactivate articulations that you aren’t going to use in a composition, and choose to keep the others in RAM or stream them from disk. I imagine that with only 2 GB of RAM on a 32-bit system it might be difficult to perform a large symphony piece in real-time, but when composing and having the ability to ‘freeze’ softsynth tracks in SONAR (and other DAWS, I suspect), I don’t expect either RAM or CPU hardships.

All-in-all, I am very pleased with EWQLSO Gold. I’ve seen other symphonic sample libraries that sell for a lot more (as in thousands of dollars), but I really can’t imagine another library sounding that much better. If I want to spend that kind of money, I’ll just compose with EWQLSO, and then go record with a live orchestra.

2009. I can hardly believe it. How the time does fly. Busy, busy, busy. Well, after taking advantage of the 2-for-1 sale, I’ve now installed EastWest/QuantumLeap Goliath, SD2, and Symphonic Orchestra Gold. Since it took a few hours to install these three (the DVD reading part), I haven’t been in a hurry to install the 230 GB Pianos collection. All-in-all I’m very impressed with the quality of these samples, and the pre-configured, key-switched instruments that they comprise.

The browser UI for Goliath can be a bit hard to read, but the responsive support staff at EWQL assures me that that will be addressed as well as a few unloadable samples (in 40 GB) in an imminent update. Fortunately, although each of the PLAY-powered products have their own UI, they all play the same EWI file format. Additionally, when using the PLAY engine as a VST plug-in, you can choose the UI for any one from the products to play the EWQL samples - for me that’s the Symphonic Orchestra (EWQLSO) UI.

So far, I’ve been browsing the sample collections, playing a bit of this, a bit of that - still having not explored even the half of Goliath’s offerings (let alone each of the articulations in EWQLSO). That said, I have managed to compose a short piece using the three aforementioned products. I’ll post that piece later, as well as a bit more about each of the products in separate posts.

Yesterday, I had the privilege of seeing The Ultimate Gift. This film definitely held my interest. In fact, I thoroughly enjoyed it (Sorry, all of you nit-picking critics. I’m a composer, not a director).

After a long list of orchestrator credits, this film garners another composer credit for Mark McKenzie, doctor of Music Composition from USC. I confess that I was so taken with the storyline, that I didn’t consciously pay attention to the score – however, to me that’s sufficient evidence that the music really complemented the picture, since I’m usually keenly aware of scores that don’t work.

On my way home from the film, I got to thinking (as I have often done) that each driver on the freeway has a life story. More specifically, they each have dreams and struggles. Perhaps that life of anyone could make a good screenplay. I think what most of us enjoy most about the human dramas is that we see things in the characters that we can identify with. I would venture to guess that one of the greatest needs that we all have is to know that we are not alone.

One of the many things I came away from the film with is thinking that I’m probably too often preoccupied with my own dreams and struggles to appreciate and encourage others in their own dreams and struggles. May G-d help me to invest myself in others a bit more often.

Okay, a bit late on this, but I thought I should post a review of the score of the recent big screen rendition of Charlotte’s Web. As a media publicist and reviewer, my wife often gets invited to pre-release screenings, and, some weeks ago, I tagged along for this one, also.

Listening to Danny Elfman’s score to Charlotte’s Web, you’d never guess that this was the same guy of Oingo Boingo fame, years ago. Indeed, Elfman has made quite a scoring career for himself with music credits for superhero movies Batman, Spiderman, and the hulk, as well a long list of other movie and TV dramas and comedies.

While Charlotte’s Web (the 2006 film) itself received mixed reviews and lackluster box office success, I thought that the score was worked quite well. For me, the apex of film and music in this production was during Charlotte’s long good-bye at the fair (if that was a spoiler for you, then I greive for your literature-free childhood).

A little late on this post (like, what else is new?), but last weekend I had the pleasure of seeing the Sony-distributed film Facing the Giants. Okay, so maybe the actors may not be nominated for an Oscar (you’d expect else from a volunteer cast?), but for an indie film with a $100K budget, the movie rocks! Whether or not you are inclined to Christianity, it’s a feel-good, inspirational film that speaks to the values of hard work and determination.

The feel-good quality is amply aided by the score, courtesy of Mark Willard (who gets the screen credit, but IMDB also lists writer/director/producer/star for music credits). Now, I’ve been able to ascertain (not that I’ve tried very hard) whether or not the score composition was also gratis, but I think that it was as good as many other films with a 7-figure budget. Maybe I can get my publicist/podcasting wife to arrange an interview with Mr. Willard to get the low-down on his tools of choice, etc.

If you haven’t seen or heard the film yet, go out and do so while it’s still in theaters.

Just to let you know that I did go to the inaugural concert of the Hollywood Symphony Orchestra on my birthday (night).

Hats off to a talented collection of musicians and entertaining conductor, John Scott (composer for Antony and Cleopatra, Greystoke: The Legend of Tarazn, etc.).

Thumbs down to a parking attendants who directed my wife and I to an ATM, and then disappeared less than 5 minutes after showtime. With no one to take our money for parking, I had to lift the parking gate, while my wife drove the car underneath. Well, at least parking was free that night.

Royce Hall at UCLA is a nice-enough venue for symphonic performances, though I recommend opting for the less-expensive balcony seats. Toward the end of the concert - after noticing how few people there were in the balcony seats – we moved from our more expensive seats on the seats on the floor to the balcony where we had plenty of breathing room and a better view of the orchestra.

Well, eyes are healing. They are still pretty tired by the end of the day, but steadily improving. LASIK is surgery, after all. There is a period of healing. I am receiving my healing! I see the light! Anyway, my eyes were well enough last Wednesday (11 January) to go a (then) advanced screening of Glory Road. It was a really good film.

While the score was effective, I don’t think that it was Trevor Rabin’s (National Treasure, Enemy of the State, The 6th Day) best work. While Rabin has demonstrated excellent use of recurring motifs and themes in previous films, Glory Road seemed to lack some musical continuity to me; perhpas the fair amount of source music in the film tended to cut into the continuity that I was wanting to hear. All that said, it was still a good score and a wonderful film.

As with previous reviews, I have to highlight the scene that I thought exhibited the most effective blend of visuals and score. For me, that moment in Glory Road is when Coach Haskins steps out on to the basketball court in an empty arena that is to become the battleground of several conflicts in the approaching tournament game. As he steps on to the polished wooden floor, with the US flag hanging in the background, the swell of strings and the voice of Alicia Keys build into a moment that feels simultaneously breathtaking, sobering, and exhilarating.

No, I’m not announcing a Johnny Cash Broadway musical. However, having just returned from an advance showing of Walk the Line (starring Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash and Reese Witherspoon as June Carter), I’m offering this short review of the musical score. Being a biography of legendary recording artist Johnny Cash, I expected mostly Cash’s music and very little score. Although it was just as I expected in that respect, I was still favorably impressed with the score, composed by music producer and recording artist T-Bone Burnett.

While I doubt that people will be lining up to purchase the score that so moved them during the film, I will tip my hat to Mr. Burnett who had the challenge of providing music in a supporting role in the big, fat shadow of Cash’s songs. With a blend of acoustic and electric guitars, and occasional piano, Burnett provides a score that feels at home with the Cash genre, without sounding like just “more of the same” of the hit songs that surround it.

With most films that I see, there is a defining moment for the score, where it really bonds with the film in effective teamwork. In my opinion, that moment in Walk the Line is a turning point in the story taking place at the Old Hickory Lake home of Cash in Hendersonville, TN. The point in the story serves as a bridge between a “before” and “after” Johnny Cash, and the score supports that role well.

At 136 minutes, Walk the Line is slightly longer than the average movie fare, but an enjoyable film for the eyes, the heart, and the ears. Even if you’re not a Cash aficionado, I think that you’ll enjoy the show.