I went boldly where I had not gone before...

This piece of music sits proudly in my memory. I have wanted for many years to cover it and understand it's intricacies. It is a fantastic piece memorable from the off.

I gave myself the challenge of transcribing this and found my skills to be lacking, so much YouTube scouring was had to do this as well - I learned a lot from this experience.

Finally, it gave me a chance to test some more instruments and set ups, including working VE Pro into my workflow, adding Impact Soundworks' Bravura Scoring Brass and getting my articulations just right.

Star Trek: The Next Generation Theme - Cover

Time to kick back at the casino... wait is that a slick pinball game?

Music requested for a level of a good friend's game. This was a fun challenge as the style called for is not something I normally write. Regardless I tried to turn up the fun(k) and put this bit of silly together. Bonus round in the last 30 seconds for Mario Kart style pitch shift.

Instruments used:
Berlin Woodwinds (Clarinets)
Vienna Symphonic Library (Saxophones)
EastWest Hollywood Brass (Trombones and Trumpets)
Bravura Scoring Brass (Trumpets, French Horns, Trombones and Tuba)
Rhapsody Orchestral Percussion (Bongos)
Native Instruments Abbey Road Modern (Drums)
Native Instruments Kontakt (Mark II Keys)
Scarbee Pre-Bass Amped (Bass)

Pinball Bounce

Insert coin, hit start and replay those arcade memories...

The soundtrack to the first level of a game for a friend. This is the full length version. The brief was to go chiptune, but I also wanted something to evoke the sound of the time too. I got really caught up with the sound of the Roland Juno 60 for this reason. Togu Audio Line make a wonderful VST synth in the same spirit, and it formed the basis for this track and sounds for subsequent tracks for the game too.

For me the original GameBoy is most nostalgic, so Super Audio Boy features heavily in this piece.

Instruments used:
Native Instruments Battery 4 (707 and 808) (Drums)
Impact Soundworks Super Audio Boy (Synths)
Togu Audio Line TAL-U-NO-LX (Synths)

Effects:
QL Spaces
Softube Solid EQ
Softube VC-2A
Softube VC76
Steinberg Magneto II
Steinberg StudioEQ

Neon Bounce

In the vastness of space, can you hear your heart beating? Can you keep up?

This track is for the final level of the game being worked on. The desired style was to capture the breadth of the cosmos behind the gameplay. The reference was some tracks from the game Shatter, which really captures this feeling well. I tried to focus on the pulse and the builds of that style and what resulted was probably my favourite track for the game.

The track needed to be longer and darker than the other level themes, since this is the final moment to win. With that, I pushed elements of the previous tracks to the relative minor and slowed down the harmonic tempo. It needed to be epic, but by slow building development.

Instruments used:
Togu Audio Line TAL-U-NO-LX
Native Instruments Battery 4

Space Bounce

After the gruelling volley, the battle is over! As the dust settles, who came out on top?

A quick but punchy track that plays over the results screen of the match. Because this track could play from any of the three levels and would display the win or loss of both players, I wanted to make sure it used familiar elements and instruments from all three levels. Not a complicated track, but a fun one.

Instruments used:
Berlin Woodwinds (Clarinets)
Vienna Symphonic Library (Saxophones)
EastWest Hollywood Brass (Trombones and Trumpets)
Bravura Scoring Brass (Trumpets, French Horns, Trombones and Tuba)
Native Instruments Abbey Road Modern (Drums)
Native Instruments Kontakt (Mark II Keys)
Scarbee Pre-Bass Amped (Bass)
Togu Audio Line TAL-U-NO-LX (Synths)

Bounce Results

Step into the arena, ready your fingers and prepare to volley! Become a hero and dominate your opponent.

I had initially intended to go for a more blues band style opening for the title screen, but we wanted to explore a classical setting as well. This one took a few attempts but came out really well.

I tried to create a fanfare to open the game that would sit over the offbeat theme I had developed elsewhere. I wanted drums too since they had been used so prevalently in the rest of the game. Strings are a new component to the soundtrack, but I think work perfectly for this context.

Instruments used:
Cinematic Studio Strings (Strings)
Spitfire Audio Symphonic Brass (Brass)
Bravura Scoring Brass (Brass)
Berlin Woodwinds (Woodwinds)
Rhapsody Orchestral Percussion (Timpani and Piatti)
Native Instruments Abbey Road Modern (Drums)

Bounce Heroes

Delicate and fleeting - the soundtrack to a bubble freezing in winter.

Video version on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/nIoBQyoILTk

Listen to the original on SoundCloud:
soundcloud.com/alexjevincent/intimate-bubble

This was a challenge set by a fellow musician to create a piece for a video of a bubble freezing. The subject was certainly interesting - there's no human emotion to this so the music had to evoke the environment and motions of the bubble itself. There are times where it seems the bubble will break before it freezes over and I tried to capture this fragility too.

This track as also a good opportunity to test out some more changes to my template. Of particular note was the Embertone Herring Clarinet I recently obtained. I like the clarinet for this kind of piece and the tone is wonderful. I was especially impressed with the range of the instrument and wanted to show this off in the piece too.

Instruments and effects used:
Spitfire Audio Symphonic Brass
Cinematic Studio Strings
Embertone Herring Clarinet
Orchestral Tools Berlin Woodwinds
VSL Orchestral Strings
QL Spaces and RC48 reverb
Sonimus Briston and Burnley EQ

If you would like to try the challenge yourself, you can find the original here:
https://pixabay.com/en/videos/soap-bubble-freezer-winter-cold-7141/

Intimate Bubble

The silence of the night is broken. Wait for the right moment to get away.

The second track of the three piece “Snow and Magic”, written to picture.

Instruments and Effects:
Cinematic Studio Strings
Berlin Woodwinds
Embertone Herring Clarinet
Berlin Brass (Mutes)
Hollywood Brass
Spitfire Symphonic Brass
Vienna Symphonic Library Orchestral Strings
Rhapsody Orchestral Percussion
Vienna Symphonic Library Percussion
Waves Kramer Tape and PYE Compressor
Sonimus Britson and Burnley ‘73
Samplicity Bricasti M7 IR
Cubase EQ and Reverb

Snow and Magic

A Bump in the Night

Take a breath now - what do you do when all the lights go out?

The third track of the three piece “Snow and Magic”, written to picture.

Instruments and Effects:
Cinematic Studio Strings
Berlin Woodwinds
Embertone Herring Clarinet
Berlin Brass (Mutes)
Hollywood Brass
Spitfire Symphonic Brass
Vienna Symphonic Library Orchestral Strings
Rhapsody Orchestral Percussion
Vienna Symphonic Library Percussion
Waves Kramer Tape and PYE Compressor
Sonimus Britson and Burnley ‘73
Samplicity Bricasti M7 IR
Cubase EQ and Reverb

Alex Vincent

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