Q1- I want to be a composer. What should I do?
A1 - Study music composition in college, come to Los Angeles, study film/tv scoring at USC or UCLA, have a large supply of money and patience, have a good ability to market yourself, have a good understanding of the function and power of music in film. After all your schooling you will probably need to be a composer's assistant to start with. Then you may get to do some writing for the jobs your composer is taking. This will be ghost writing, and you probably won't get credit for it, although you may get a share of the writers' royalties. Eventually, you may get a gig of your own that will start reimbursing you for the large investment you made in your home studio.
Q2 - You sound a bit cynical, are you?
A2 - Not really. I just know how many people are trying to become composers in the film and television industry, and I know how hard it is for them -- even those who are very good at it and already have some credits to their name. However, if it's your dream, follow it! People get into the business in a variety of ways. Some don't have formal music education at all, some don't live in Los Angeles. Best of luck to you, and when you do make it, please call me to mix your scores! :-)
Q3 - I heard this song in a movie you worked on. Who sang/wrote/produced that song?
What album is it on?
A3 - You might think that I would know the answers to these questions. However, I almost always do not. I record and mix the original music that the composer writes for the film. "Songs" in movies are generally not written or recorded specifically for the film, and even if they are, they are generally produced by different people than those who work on the score. These songs, often referred to as "source music," are chosen by either the director, producer, music supervisor, or music editor. The music editor would certainly know and have a record of the name and writer/artist of a source cue. So, if you've got to know, try the music editor or music supervisor. But please don't ask me to put you in touch with them!
Q4 - How do your mixes sound before CD Mastering?
A4 - Mastering plays a rather small role in the sound, but some 'pre-mastering' that I do on most albums has a bigger impact. My process is to do the best sounding mix I can for the film in 5.1 surround. In fact, we actually mix down to 32-48 channels of stems, all of which are at least L-C-R, most 5.0 or 5.1. Then in the 'pre-mastering' process I take those mixed stems and fold them down to stereo. Also in that process I do some additional EQ-ing, leveling, editing, and some changes the composer has probably requested for the CD version of the score. Those stereo mixes get sent to mastering. From there, Dave Collins usually just touches up a bit more EQ, does more leveling track to track, and hits it with some L2 peak limiting. Most of what he does with my mixes is pretty subtle.
-more to come-
