Composer Success Series Television, VR, and Theme Parks Asbjoern Andersen


Want to make it as a successful composer? In these 3 interviews, you'll hear what it takes to get started and succeed in composing for three different industries.

For the TV industry, we have award-winning multi-instrumentalist Ariel Marx. Speaking about composing for virtual reality games and experiences is award-winning composer Matthew Carl Earl.
Interested in composing for theme parks? Award-winning composer Christopher Thomas has you covered.


By Jennifer Walden and Asbjoern Andersen, images courtesy of Emily Sandifer, Matthew Carl Earl, and Bradley Lanphear
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The Composer Success Series – and what it’s all about:

The Composer Success Series is dedicated to helping you succeed as a composer – offering inspiration, advice on getting started and advancing your career, creative tips and tricks, helpful resources and lessons learned, from some of the industry’s most successful composers for film, games and beyond.
 

Quick navigation – Jump straight to the interview for:

Ariel MarxMatthew Carl EarlChristopher Thomas

 

More interviews in the Composer Success Series:

Charlie Clouser • Sherri Chung • Cindy O’Connor • Inon Zur Pinar Toprak • Nainita DesaiJonathan SnipesGareth Coker Elyssa Samsel and Kate Anderson Daniel Kluger Jason Graves Peter McConnell Winifred PhillipsRonit KirchmanZach RobinsonAlec Puro

Be the first to get the free Composer Success Series e-book:
 
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Ariel Marx:

Ariel_Marx

A n eclectic composer and multi-instrumentalist, Ariel Marx draws from many genres and often combines orchestral and rare instruments with electronics to create unique worlds of sound. Her scores have premiered in films at Sundance, TIFF, SXSW, Tribeca, Woodstock, Criterion Channel, as well as Amazon, Netflix, HBO, and is a Sundance Film Music and Sound Design Lab fellow.

Her composing credits include the mini-series A Friend of the Family on Peacock, American Horror Stories on FX, Children of the Underground mini-series on FX, Hulu mini-series Candy, the Roku Original docu-series What Happens in Hollywood, and more.

Learn more about Ariel’s work and awards at www.arielmarx.com/


• How did you get started in the composing industry? What was your very first score-to-picture gig, and what was that experience like for you?

I’ve been a musician my entire life, so the composing process has been long in the making. After undergrad, I decided that I wanted to pursue composition for screen in a professional way, which led me to get my Master of Music degree at NYU. It was there that I met several filmmakers studying at Tisch and Columbia. I did a film with Columbia alumni Daniel Nickson and Reka Posta — which then led to working on The Tale (on which Reka is also a producer) that premiered at Sundance and was later bought by HBO.

I did a film with Columbia alumni Daniel Nickson and Reka Posta — which then led to working on ‘The Tale’

That same year I worked with NYU filmmaker Shawn Snyder on his first feature To Dust, which later premiered at Tribeca (winning the Audience and Best New Director awards), and was distributed by Good Deed Entertainment, and nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay.

 

• Any advice you’d share on how to land a composing job in the film and TV industries?

This industry thrives on interpersonal connections and word-of-mouth recommendations. I think the best thing young composers can do is meet as many young filmmakers as possible.

…meet as many young filmmakers as possible.

These early connections are vital and grow to become long-lasting collaborations, and these projects can be critical entry points into the industry.

 

• What were some essential lessons you’ve learned throughout your career?

You never know where the next gig will come from.

Put your all into every gig, and take creative risks.

I think the biggest and most successful lesson I’ve learned all revolves around actively forming relationships with colleagues in your industry, and proving yourself to be a hardworking, and generous collaborator. Put your all into every gig, and take creative risks.

 

• Any favorite tricks and workflow tips that help when composing for film or TV?

Being highly organized is key. If you are organized, your composing process can flow without challenge. You want to create a system where the majority of your energy goes into composing.

Also, if you are an instrumentalist, play on your own scores when appropriate. This is a wonderful way to incorporate and develop your individual voice.

 

• What are your favorite sites and resources for composers?

There are endless resources, but to name a few — sample library companies often put out great educational content, such as Spitfire, and their newsletters and magazines.

You can also join the Society of Composers and Lyricists, and the Alliance for Women Film Composers, and many other organizations that champion and support composers.

Your Performing Rights Organizations (BMI / ASCAP / SESAC) are also great resources.

 

• What’s one special thing you did to become a successful composer?

In the beginning of my career, I worked with many different early filmmakers and created strong collaborative relationships that have grown and flourished. Try to meet as many collaborators as possible.

 
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[tweet_box] Ariel Marx, Matthew Carl Earl, and Christopher Thomas on what it takes to get started & succeed in composing for TV, VR, and Theme Parks[/tweet_box]

 

Matthew Carl Earl:

Matthew_Carl_Earl

Matthew Carl Earl has scored Virtual Reality games/experiences such as Star Trek: Dark Remnant and Men in Black: Galactic Getaway VR simulation ride at Dave & Buster’s.

He is the Lead Composer at Hexany Audio in Los Angeles. The studio supplies music, sound, and dialogue for video games and other interactive experiences.

Matthew won a 2018 HMMA Award for ‘Best Original Score – Mobile Video Game’ on Arena of Valor: Flip the World, and earned a 2020 MPSE nomination for ‘Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Sound Effects, Foley, Music, Dialogue and ADR for Special Venue’ for Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run (2019).

Learn more about Matthew’s work and awards at matthewcarlearl.com


• How did you get started in the composing industry? What was your very first VR game score, and what was that experience like for you?

In the beginning, my composition work was all for my band at the time, Xanthochroid, but I always had the thought of becoming a media composer. So, I put together an online portfolio and created a lot of tracks that I thought sounded like video game music. I then offered to do some free work for a local art college (Laguna College of Art and Design) on a game their students were creating. That game and the whole team was invited to an award ceremony where I met some developers who came to the event looking for talent. These developers became my first clients.

I put together an online portfolio and created a lot of tracks that I thought sounded like video game music.

I continued to freelance for only about 6 months before I met Richard Ludlow and joined Hexany Audio, and I’ve just been with the company since!

My first VR game I think was a VR zombie shooter developed by VRstudios around 2015-ish. I thought it was pretty cool that VR was making a comeback at that time and wanted to put a lot of effort into those first scores. We continued to do many more super fun VR projects with them spanning a ton of cool IPs such as Men in Black and Star Trek.

 

• Any advice you’d share on how to land a composing job in the VR industry?

As for landing a job in the VR industry, I think it’s pretty similar to the traditional video game industry in that you should be attending as many conferences and events as possible, show face and have a killer portfolio if someone ever asks to see your work. But never be pushy and try to shove your business card into people’s hands, people remember this behavior and will turn them off to you.

…never be pushy and try to shove your business card into people’s hands

One of the differences with VR is the fact that many of these VR developers are looking for composers with a bit of technical knowledge of implementation and using various middleware programs to achieve an immersive musical effect. So knowing a bit about this side will go a long way.

 

• What were some essential lessons you’ve learned throughout your career?

One of the big lessons I’ve learned is that career growth takes a long time, and you never know where people are going to end up and who is going to end up being a potential client. So don’t be rude, mind your manners, and make sure all your work is killer.

don’t be rude, mind your manners, and make sure all your work is killer

Another thing I realized before I started working professionally is that nothing is going to happen unless you make it happen, and that was the realization that made me put my work together into a website in the beginning and start doing some free work to have some real video games with my work on it.
 

• Any favorite tricks and workflow tips that help when composing for VR?

My philosophy when it comes to VR music usually is to try to stay as out-of-the-way as possible. I try to create music that only adds to the experience and atmosphere that the game is trying to achieve without drawing attention to itself.

…create music that only adds to the experience and atmosphere that the game is trying to achieve

But on the other hand, many people have different ideas regarding this, and it (of course) depends on the style of the game. Some of the VR games I’ve worked on have very bombastic and in-your-face scores.

And actually, some games may even lend themselves to some more creative ideas like panning in the 3D space. For example, placing different instruments around the world in the game so you can focus on different parts of the music just by turning your head and looking at them.

 

• What are your favorite sites and resources for composers?

I’ve always loved Orchestration Online for studying orchestral music. It’s a really great forum on Facebook and the website is an awesome free resource with videos and articles about score study and orchestration knowledge.

Also, join groups with other professionals in the industry on Facebook, talk with them, share ideas, and most importantly look at what others are doing that seems to be working really well, and then ignore the things that aren’t working so well.

 

• What’s one special thing you did to become a successful composer?

A lot of my success came from just growing with my company, Hexany Audio, from the beginning. Though, doing free work in the beginning (just to put in a portfolio) definitely helped with getting noticed.

just keep pumping out amazing-sounding work and don’t give up!

In the end, everyone’s road to success is completely different and what worked for me may not work for others, so I really think the best way is to just keep pumping out amazing-sounding work and don’t give up!

 
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Christopher Thomas:

Chris-Thomas

Composer Christopher Thomas’s work can be heard in theme parks all over the world. He has written music for the Evermore Adventure Park, Knott’s Berry Farm, Queen Mary Chill, Dreamland (UK), Los Angeles Haunted Hayride, Dent Schoolhouse, and The Void 4D virtual reality games.

He recently collaborated with the Invertigo Dance Theatre on their quirky “Sugar Plum Jam” at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles (for the televised LA County Christmas Special).

His compositions have been performed and recorded by the Carnegie Hall Festival Orchestra, Hollywood Studio Orchestra, Pacific Symphony, Northwest Symphony Orchestra, Rose City Chamber Orchestra, University of Southern California Symphony, Angeles String Quartet, Central Oregon Symphony, Missouri All-State Orchestra, Los Angeles Doctors Symphony Orchestra, Fear No Music ensemble, Willamette University Chamber Choir, Oregon East Symphony, A-Sharp Youth Symphony, and various American festival ensembles.

He recently premiered a series of concert works in France, Belgium, and Germany. His Symphony #1 (the Malheur Symphony) was the subject of a TED Talk in 2019. His works are published with The FJH Music Company, Walton Choral, Wingert-Jones Publications, and Carl Fischer Music.

Christopher won a Hollywood Music in Media Award, Gold Medal Prize at the Park City Film Music Festival, Best Film & TV Music award at eWorld Music Awards, and has been nominated for a Film & TV Music Award. He has written music for several Emmy-nominated films, and for Woman Rebel, which was shortlisted for an Academy Award. In television, he works as a composer, orchestrator, and conductor for studios such as Sony, ABC, FOX, CBS, and HBO.

Learn more about Christopher’s work and awards at www.christhomasmusic.com. Or, at his theme park music site www.adventuresoundtracks.com


• How did you get started in the composing industry? What was your first theme park ride/attraction that you composed music for and what was that experience like for you?

I got into the composing business through film and television. My day job has always been writing and orchestrating film music. After several years in film, I stumbled into theme park music quite by accident.

To my surprise, the CEO of the LA Haunted Hayride (Melissa Carbone) called me back a few weeks later.

In 2010, I attended the LA Haunted Hayride (at Griffith Park) and loved the show. I left a complimentary message on their hotline, not expecting anything back. To my surprise, the CEO of the LA Haunted Hayride (Melissa Carbone) called me back a few weeks later. We got to chatting, then she asked me to hang up and meet her immediately at Bob’s Big Boy in Burbank. We got to talking music, and soon realized we were planning a score for the next year’s show.

After the 2011 LA Haunted Hayride season, with its first-ever original score, I was getting calls to work with theme parks everywhere.
 

• Any advice you’d share on how to land a composing job in the theme park industry?

First, know your craft. You must be prepared to handle jobs of all sizes and styles. It’s a lot like film music that way. You may be recording a metal band one day and then conducting an 80-piece symphony orchestra the next.

get to know…the good people in the Themed Entertainment Association.

Second, know the theme park industry. Learn more about how attractions are designed, how different kinds of show controls work, and deliver music that you would want to hear on a world-class ride or experience.

Finally, get to know the community – from creative teams at various attractions to the experience design teams, and the good people in the Themed Entertainment Association. The TEA has more events and conferences than you can imagine and many programs for emerging talent in the industry.

 

• What were some essential lessons you’ve learned throughout your career?

While I have much to say on this topic, there are a few standout categories that I think are worth sharing.

1) Don’t give up so easily! I constantly see people jump into the business and quit after six months or less. Our culture sees musicians as either overnight sensations, or you’re a nobody. This is completely wrong. You are starting a business, and it takes time to grow a business. You will eventually find your footing in the community, and develop trusted relationships. Do not run from failure, but embrace it warmly. The more rejection you risk, the more rewards you take away!

The more rejection you risk, the more rewards you take away!

2) Don’t follow trends. It is common “knowledge” that musicians must conform to the latest, hottest trends to fit in and survive. However, the truth is that you can’t afford to sound like everybody else. You become invisible and infinitely replaceable. Plus, high-end creatives in film and theme parks are always looking for something new and unique. If they wanted Hans Zimmer, they can afford to just hire Hans Zimmer. Lean into your music’s unique qualities and your life experiences to create a new way forward. Say something that only you can say. If you can do this, that will be the day your career really takes off!

3) Focus on craft, not facade. Remember, clients with major film or theme park projects aren’t impressed with your Instagram feed. They are only impressed when you deliver great work. They know what quality sounds like, and your image-crafting efforts won’t convince them otherwise. This means deeply understanding their vision, and becoming a humble servant of the project. I don’t mean for this to sound so harsh, but here it is: don’t get so obsessed with yourself. Instead, devote everything to the quality of your work! Remember, your success is contingent on the success of the projects you work on. So make the project rock!

…your success is contingent on the success of the projects you work on. So make the project rock!

4) Finally, don’t be afraid to live creatively. Let’s face it, this business is chaotic and it can be hard to survive. If you need a luxurious car and fancy house to be a happy person, then this business isn’t for you. The real question is what is meaningful to you? What does an authentic life look like for you? For me, it was unlimited time for creative exploration and writing as much music as possible. I really don’t want much more. Therefore, I inventively designed a life around my core values and interests. My daily life seems strange and confusing to most people, but it’s allowed me to survive and be very happy. The good news is that your business and resources will eventually grow. Don’t give up just because people around you elect for a mainstream life. Come rain or shine, you will be living a very unique life on your own terms.

 

• Any favorite tricks and workflows tips that help when composing for theme park rides/attractions?

For sure, there are several layers in which I look at themed attraction work.

1) Schedule in Reverse. Create a schedule by working backward from opening night. For example, here’s an overview of what a project in reverse would look like: 7. opening night, 6. music installation, 5. final mix delivery, 4. mix week, 3. recording week, 2. score and part preparation week, and finally, you’re left with 1. composing time in the present.

Take careful notes during the design process, and tailor your creativity to the flow of the experience.

2) Creative Delivery Methods. What I mean by this is how you design your music around the needs of a scene. With theme parks, we’re often not delivering a single, full-mix track. Often, you’re delivering music in many small bits or interchangeable layers. The music you write and deliver is completely dependent on the type of experience you are scoring. Take careful notes during the design process, and tailor your creativity to the flow of the experience.

3) Get close to the creative team. Speaking of taking careful notes, enjoy access to the creative team designing the experience. Because of the lengthy time-scales themed attractions require, you have the benefit of getting close to the experience designers. This gives you an intimate sense of their vision as it develops, and will push your creativity in the right direction. Get in at the ground level and develop the music alongside the experience itself.

There’s no room for thinking small in this business.

4) Dream big! If you ever attend a “blue sky” session with experience designers, you will truly know what it means to work with theme parks. Themed attraction designers don’t know the meaning of the word “limitation.” Yes, we all know limitations do exist. That said, what they don’t accept is a solution less than spectacular. It’s amazing how they can design a stellar experience out of any resources they have. For composers, the same rules apply. It doesn’t matter what your resources really are. There’s no room for thinking small in this business. We make magic in the themed attraction industry. Bring that spirit and energy to your work, and aim to be larger than life!

 

• What are your favorite sites and resources for composers?

I really don’t follow a lot of this kind of thing, and I wish I had more advice and links to share here. (I say this even as I’m launching an extensive masterclass series on scoring for film and starting a book on theme park scoring.)

Ultimately, there’s no singular location you will learn everything you will need to succeed. I’ve noticed, more often than not, when a resource springs up it will promise shortcuts and quick tips. This is not how greatness is achieved. You must dedicate years of study to great music, and really learn the craft. That doesn’t necessarily mean a university degree, but it does mean putting in a similar period of commitment.

…shortcuts and quick tips. This is not how greatness is achieved.

Seriously, learn to write a melody, use modulations, and how a real orchestrate works. Follow composers who put the craft first; their music will be your guiding light.

Trends come and go. Artists who have navigated decades of success are who you want to be learning from. (That said, I do invite any serious composer to visit my course to get a head start. I will not promise a quick and easy path forward, but I do promise to put you on the path to real results!)

 

• What’s one special thing you did to become a successful composer?

Easy, it’s two things. I’ve never cared what other composers think about me and spend all of my energy on creative growth.

The road to success is paved with excellent writing and top-notch collaboration.

Appearances to the outside world are an immense waste of time. If you’re not fully focused on bettering your musical expertise and your originality, then what good are you to your clients?

I know there’s immense pressure to spend time marketing and branding yourself. The truth is you get work from showing results. That means happy clients and stellar quality in your composing. What your friends, family, and other composers think about you gets you nothing. The road to success is paved with excellent writing and top-notch collaboration.

 
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    Unique features like Spectrum Grab, Full Screen mode and EQ Match will speed up your workflow even more. Try it yourself!

    FabFilter goodies
    Of course, you also get all the usual FabFilter goodies: perfectly tuned knobs, interactive MIDI Learn, undo/redo and A/B switch, Smart Parameter Interpolation for smooth parameter transitions, an extensive help file with interactive help hints, sample-accurate automation, advanced optimization and much more.

  • A crush on music

    Distortion and saturation play a very important role in music production. From subtle, clean and warm tube or tape saturation to the wildest multiband guitar amp effects: FabFilter Saturn 2 delivers.

    Saturn 2 introduces a host of new features such as a redesigned interface with modulation visualization, new subtle saturation and linear phase processing for mastering, many new distortion styles, and more.


    Warmth, harmonics, color and dynamics

    FabFilter Saturn 2 offers a range of different high quality distortion models, inspired by the vintage sound of tubes, tape, transformers and guitar amps. In addition, you get five creative FX distortion styles to mangle your sounds in weird and unexpected ways.

    With its multiband design and per-band feedback, dynamics, drive, tone and modulation options, Saturn 2 will bring a unique flavor to your music.

    Bring your sounds to life

    Add life and depth to your music using the extensive modulation section. By applying subtle modulation to crossover frequencies, dynamics, band levels or tone controls, great warmth and definition can be achieved.

    With all the XLFOs, EGs, XY controllers/sliders, envelope followers and MIDI sources you will ever need, you get practically unlimited modulation possibilities. Creating new modulation connections could not be easier: just drag and drop. And Saturn 2 visualizes all modulation in real-time to show exactly what’s going on.

    FabFilter goodies

    Finally, FabFilter Saturn 2 contains all the usual FabFilter goodies: perfectly tuned knobs, MIDI Learn, Smart Parameter Interpolation for smooth parameter transitions, interface resizing and full screen mode, support for Avid control surfaces, GPU-powered graphics acceleration, extensive help with interactive help hints, SSE optimization, and much more.

  • Animal Sound Effects Collections Animal Hyperrealism Vol I Play Track 290+ sounds included $136

    Animal Hyperrealism Vol I is a library containing sounds themed animal vocalisations, from real to designed creatures totaling more than 1300 individual sounds in 290 files.

    The sounds were partly recorded with animals trained for media production, partly recorded in zoos and wildlife centers. The asset list includes but is not limited to: african lions, bengal tigers, horses, donkeys, cows, exotic birds, owls, bobcats, pumas, dromedaries, wolves, dogs, geese, lemurs, gibbons and many more.

    All the content has been recorded at 192KHz with a Sanken CO100K plus a Sennheiser 8050 for center image and a couple of Sennheiser MKH8040 for stereo image. All files are delivered as stereo bounce of these four mics, though in some instances an additional couple of CO100K was added to the sides.

    The resulting ultrasonic spectrum is rich and allows for truly extreme manipulation of the content.

    Bonus: Two extra libraries included for free:
    This library also includes two additional releases from Mattia Cellotto - for free: Crunch Mode delivers 230 crunchy sounds made with a variety of vegetables, fresh bread, pizza crust and a selection of frozen goods. The Borax Experiment gets you 158 squishy, gory, slimy and gooey sounds.
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  • Cold Weapon Sound Effects Swordfighter Play Track 479 sounds included $25

    Swordfighter is a robust package with sharp sounding swords, heaps of variations and all the extras you need to make a fight come alive. Build unique sword swings with various hits, swooshes, schings, different fighter vocals and impacts on various surfaces. All up there are 137 sword sounds, 93 surface impact sounds, 15 knife throwing sounds, 48 swooshes and 180 fighter vocals.

    This version includes two sub-folders: one optimised for a film & TV workflow and the other optimised for video games workflow. Plus a few bonus sounds of a charging army.

  • Genres Vintage Anime SFX Play Track 350+ sounds included $55.20

    The Vintage Anime Sound Effects Library brings all of the excitement of your favorite Japanese animated series to your fingertips. Inspired by classic cartoons from the 80’s and 90’s, these recognizable and versatile sounds will instantly enhance any FX collection. Vintage synths were used to create the auras, beams, mecha blasters, atmospheres, magic spells, guns, sonic blasts and explosives that makeup this pack of over 350+ custom 24bit/96khz .WAV files. Perfect for film, video games, podcasts and any project that could benefit from a power up!

    Both designed sounds and source recordings:
    • Classic anime sfx from the 80’s and 90’s

    • Auras, mecha, beams, blasters, spells, explosives and more! 350+ sounds!

    • Tons of source material for experimentation

    • Expert crafted metadata

    • Vintage Anime PDF

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  • Creature Sound Effects WINGS Play Track 1444+ sounds included From: $99

    We are extremely proud to present our first library, WINGS – a one-of-a-kind sound library.

    From tiny insects to small birds, from fairies to dragons, WINGS offers a creative palette with a diverse range of sounds to choose from.

    With over 1400 files (more than 4 GB for the 192 kHz version ) we’re confident you will find the perfect sound.

    When purchasing WINGS you get 2 packs, our Design category that includes 180 files and the Source category that offers more than 1200 sounds. Featuring the very best of our foley sessions.

    All single flaps have been careful edited, allowing for unique speed or rate adjustments.

    Pick your preferred version at the introductory prices below:


Need specific sounds, instruments or plugins? Try a search below:

 

BONUS: Expand your skillset with the free Sound Success Guide:
Sound Success GuideWant to branch out beyond composing? Learning new sound skills can open up opportunities for additional revenue – and with the (entirely free) 60+ page Sound Success Guide, you get insights from 20 industry experts on how to get started and succeed in 18 different types of audio jobs:
 
Click to download (.zip)
Click to download(.PDF)


↑ Back to top

 

A big thanks to Ariel Marx, Matthew Carl Earl, and Christopher Thomas for sharing their valuable insights with us!

Want the free Composer Success Series e-book as soon as it’s released? Sign up to be the first to get it here

More interviews in the Composer Success Series:


Charlie Clouser – composer on the Saw franchise, Fox’s Wayward Pines, CBS’s Numb3rs, & NBC’s Las Vega
Sherri Chung – composer on The CW’s Batwoman and Riverdale, NBC’s Blindspot, and CBS’s The Red Line
Cindy O’Connor – composer on ABC’s Once Upon a Time
Inon Zur – composer on Fallout, Dragon Age, Prince Of Persia, Outriders, and The Elder Scrolls.
Pinar Toprak – composer on the Captain Marvel, The Wind Gods, and The Tides of Fate
Nainita Desai – composer on The Reason I Jump, American Murder, and For Sama
Jonathan Snipes – composer on A Glitch in the Matrix, The El Duce Tapes, and Murder Bury Win
Gareth Coker – composer on the Ori franchise, Studio Wildcard’s ARK: Survival Evolved, & the upcoming Halo Infinite.
Elyssa Samsel and Kate Anderson – composers on “The Book Thief,” “Between the Lines,” & Disney Animation’s Olaf’s Frozen Adventure
Daniel Kluger – composer on the play “The Sound Inside,” “Oaklahoma!” (2019), & “Judgement Day”
Jason Graves – composer on Dead Space, Tomb Raider , Moss , and more.
Peter McConnell – composer on Hearthstone: The Boomsday Project, Broken Age Act 2 (2013), and Psychonauts 2.
Winifred Phillips – composer on Lineage, Assassin’s Creed, Total War, God of War, The Sims, and LittleBigPlanet.
Ronit Kirchman – composer on Evil Eye, Limetown, and The Sinner.
Zach Robinson – composer on the Impractical Jokers movie, the documentary series Artbound, Quibi’s Die Hart, Norwegian comedy The Oilfund, Josie and Jack, and the video game Cobra Kai: The Karate Kid Saga Continues.
Alec Puro – composer on Wicked Tuna, Black Summer, The Crew, Running Wild with Bear Grylls, and more.
 



 
 
THE WORLD’S EASIEST WAY TO GET INDEPENDENT SOUND EFFECTS:
 
A Sound Effect gives you easy access to an absolutely huge sound effects catalog from a myriad of independent sound creators, all covered by one license agreement - a few highlights:

  • Magic & Fantasy Sound Effects Sorcery Play Track 2196 sounds included, 337 mins total $14.90

    Rock The Speakerbox presents Sorcery, the ultimate sound design toolkit for magic and enchantment.

    Harness the forces of light with white magic. Ignite the night with the unbridled power of fire and flame.Summon the darkest of evil with black magic and necromancy. Release the fury of a million volts by mastering the electron. Lay waste to your foes with the sheer might of water and acid. Conjure the frigid and unleash the frost with the power of ice.

    Recorded on stage and in the field, and designed by award winning sound designers, SORCERY contains 11.7 GB of HD quality content spread across 1992 construction kit sounds and 204 designed sounds. With spells, deflects, casts, blocks, beams and more, SORCERY provides sound designers and media content creators unrivaled wizardry at their fingertips.

    The extraordinary awaits within.

     

    KEYWORDS:

    Magic sounds, Spell sounds, Fantasy effects, Enchantment FX, Magical FX, Sorcery sounds, Fantasy spells, Enchanted sounds, Wizard SFX, Magic aura, Spell casting, Magical elements, Fantasy ambience, Potion sounds, Spellbook FX, Arcane magic, Enchanted FX, Magic toolkit, Fantasy creatures, Fantasy magic, Wizard effects, Magic spells, Sorcery toolkit, Magic swirls, Fantasy sound library, Mystical sounds, Sorcerer FX, Enchantment library, Magical toolkit, Fantasy sounds, Dark magic, Magic dust, Mystical ambience, Sorcery FX, Fantasy environment, Magical vibes, Fantasy aura, Spellbinding sounds, Magic whisper, Potion brewing, Magical world, Enchanted library, Magical creatures, Fantasy realms, Magic waves, Arcane library, Wizard spells, Magical FX library, Fantasy toolkit, Magical effects pack

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  • I’ve Decided to Make This Small Instrument Free—Enjoy!
    Enjoy :)

    Snow Foley Instrument, a collection of pristine snow footsteps samples recorded with the legendary Sony PCM-D100 in the remote mountains of southern France. To enhance your sound design workflow, the samples are accompanied by user-friendly Kontakt and DSsampler instruments.

    Whether you’re crafting linear sound designs, immersive interactive experiences, or dynamic game environments, this versatile library has you covered. 

    Key Features: 

    • 8 Different Walking types
    • More than 200 unique samples
    • Recorded in real snow, in different depths
    • Stereo 96Khz 24bit
    • Kontakt & DSsampler
    • Midi Controlled Knobs
    Snow Floey Footsteps Demo

     

    *Runs in Kontakt or Free Kontakt Player version 7.7.3 or higher, and in DecentSampler 1.9.13 or higher.

  • – Evolved WATER Sound Library


    This isn’t just another water library, this is a professional’s dream library, and we feel you are all going to love it. Not only from all the source recordings, but also from all the incredible designed sounds. It really is an all around workhorse that will have you covered for everything WATER. With over 1600 files and over 3,000 sounds, this library is absolutely massive. Everything from rain, lakes, waterfalls, rivers, and bubbles all the way up to KYMA designed cinematic impacts. We spent over a year recording and designing this collection and are so proud to offer it to you for your toolbox!

    Why make another Water library? Because here at SoundMorph we always want to push the limits and quality of what is out on the current marketplace. Elements like WATER present a huge challenge to make modern and exciting. This is what we aimed for with this collection. Watch the Behind The Scenes video by clicking on the “How’s Made Button” to find out just how much went into making this colossal release. A new standard for any working sound professional!

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Explore the full, unique collection here

Latest sound effects libraries:
 
  • Bicycle Sound Effects City Bicycles – Complete Bundle Play Track 633 sounds included, 330 mins total $120

    The complete package bundles all available City Bicycles-packages and is fully UCS compliant. The ‘Various Passbys + Bicycle Handling’ package is added as a free bonus!

    This is a unique bicycle library that captures four characteristic bikes in clean, quiet, nicely performed true exterior rides. Including multiple perspectives, speeds and actions. From fast passbys on asphalt to slow onboard recordings, smooth or skidding stops. This package contains everything you need to create convincing sound design for a City Bicycle.

    Contents:

    Four bikes with distinct characteristics:
    1. Good bike: a smooth sounding retro bike that doesn’t rattle or squeak, really nice tire noise.
    2. Bad bike: an old worn bike with severe rattles and cranking, tends to let the chain fly off.
    3. Ugly bike: this bike gets you from A to B… but it won’t win awards for it’s looks.
    4. Racer bike: a vintage racer that’s pre-owned but still super slick.
    'City Bicycles'  Sound Library by Frick & Traa
    Five perspectives:
    1. Onboard Front: captures the whirring tire and surface sound.
    2. Onboard Pedal: nice overall combination of pedaling, crank creaks, chain rattle, tire and surface sounds.
    3. Onboard Rear: close up sound of the rear axle, with chain, sprocket and switching of gear.
    4. Tracking shot: mono recording of the passby, keeping the bike in focus while passing by.
    5. Static XY shot: stereo recording of the passby that emphasizes speed.

    Five perspectives:



    Overview of perspectives and mic placement

    *Onboard recordings are 2-3 minutes long depending on speed. Higher speeds > shorter duration. All 3 onboard mics are edited in sync with one another to make layering easy. All Passbys, Arrivals and Departures move from Left to Right.

    Speeds and actions:
    Three speeds for every bike and every surface (see below). Departures from slow, medium to fast getaways. Arrivals from slow stops with gently squeaking handbrakes to heavy stuttering skids.

    Five surfaces:

    We’ve recorded all Bikes on asphalt from all perspectives (onboard and roadside). Additionally, our most quiet bicycle (the Good Bike) was used to record 4 other surfaces from onboard perspectives.


    Five Surfaces:
    1. Asphalt: nice and clean, with smooth singing sound.**
    2. Large Bricks: nicely textured surface that makes the tires purr like a cat.**
    3. Gravel: a fresh crackling surface sound that you might find in a city park.
    4. Grit: classic bicycle path surface sounds that layers perfectly with the other surfaces.**
    5. Icy road: frozen asphalt with sparkling textures of ice crystals snapping under the wheels.

    **these surfaces are also recorded from Roadside Perspectives (passby: static and tracking)

    BONUS files:
    There are some sweeteners and extras to give your bike that extra layer of grit:
    1. Exterior recordings of various actions in multiple takes from rattles, bounces, shakes to roll-bys. Enough to make your bike sound just a little different.
    2. We also recorded 21 additional single passbys of various bicycles, from severely rattling to smooth riding bikes on small brick streets and alleys. Enough to expand your options to create a distinguished sound design.

    Metadata & Markers:

    FREE UPDATE to City Bicycles: now conforms to UCS with new metadata to quickly find your sounds.

    Because we know how important metadata is for your sound libraries we have created a consistent and intuitive description method that adheres to the Universal Category System. This allows you to find the sound you need easily, whether you work in a database like Soundminer/Basehead/PT Workspace work, or a Exporer/Finder window. We made a video that helps you navigate the library ans find your best bicycle sounds faster and easier.

    CategoryFull
    A quick way to filter out sounds you don’t need: like handling sounds or vice versa bicycle onboards.
    UserCategory
    Fastest way to find the type of action you need for all bicycles. Passby needed, just click and voila.
    OpenTier
    Once you’ve selected the bike you can open up OpenTier and audition and select the perspective you want to use.
    Scene &  Performer
    This field contains the type of bicycle to quickly navgiate to the bike you like.
    iXMLTrackLayout
    This is a neat little identifier you will find in the Waveform displays and you can see in a glance what Listening position you are.
    MicPerspective
    We have another way to find perspectives but it is more limited to distance to the recorded subject.
    So passbys are MED – EXT and handling are CU – EXT. Exterior? Of course: we recorded everything outside!
    UserComments
    We used this field to create the UserData and give you the minimal set of information about the recording in the filename.

    Additionally, we added Markers making specific sonic events are easy to spot in Soundminer and other apps.

    If you have any questions about this, please contact us info@frickandtraa.com!


    Single Bicycle packages:
    We also sell single packages for all the bicycles in this library.
    Here’s a handy comparison table:

    Reviews:
    344 AUDIO: ‘City Bicycles has a plethora of content, for a great price. The perfect balance between a great concept, great presentation and outstanding execution, lands them an almost perfect score of 4.9.

    The Audio Spotlight: City Bicycles is worth getting if you are in need of great sounding and well edited bicycle sounds.

    Watch a video created by Zdravko Djordjevic.

    City Bicycles sound examples
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  • Animal Sound Effects Rural Ambiences and Textures vol.1 Play Track 130+ sounds included, 270 mins total $21

    Rural ambiences, farm animals, pastures, rural villages, forest, meadows, tractors, farm ambiences etc. Distant villages, daytime and nighttime recordings. Barnyard, henhouse, pigsty ambiences, lumberjack works etc. Check the sound list for full info.

    High quality recordings recorded in MS, XY, AB; NOS, etc., mostly with Sennheiser MKH microphones and Sound Devices recorder/mixer. Files are without any dynamic manipulation (compression) with max. peak around -5dBFS.

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  • All files are recorded 32bit, 192 kHz, with Shure KSM 137, Line Audio Omni1, FEL Clippy XLR EM272, Sonorous Objects SO.3 and JrF C-Series Pro+ microphones, Sound Devices MixPre-6 II & Zoom F3 recorders. Library contains wav files of driving, interior and exterior foley, mechanical and electrical sounds. It is also available in UCS.
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  • Ambisonic Sounds – Sea Waves Loops Vol.2 – these are 16 sounds of sea waves recorded on a pebble beach at close range, 2 sounds with seagull voices, 4 sounds recorded on the beach during the beginning of a thunderstorm and 6 sounds recorded near the seashore in the early morning, in which in addition to the sound of the sea, the sounds of crickets can be heard.

  • Electricity Sound Effects Massive Electric Magic Play Track 2587 sounds included, 154 mins total $34.99

    MASSIVE ELECTRIC MAGIC – is an extensive sound library containing 2587 unique files of various types of electric magic. From Zaps, Cracks and Buzzing to Lightning Energy chains. All of our libraries comply with the Universal Category System naming convention standard, allowing for accurate and easy granular searches.

    30 %
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