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Author	Topic: Best Synth Score?

Dalboz Standard Userer	A friend and I were discussing the use of synthesizers vs. orchestras in scores. To put it simply, what is the best all-synth score you can think of? or what are some good examples of synths sounding like orchestras (even if not for a whole score)? and/or examples of tv or video game scores that are all synth but still sound "decent"?
posted 07-06-2003 08:21 PM PT (US)

jonathan_little Standard Userer	NP: Best Shot (Theme From Hoosiers) OH YEAH, BABY. Who needs the orchestra when you have synths like these? Darn it, Jerry! Why did you have to mess up the rest of the score by using an orchestra in subsequent cues?
posted 07-06-2003 08:37 PM PT (US)

Shaun Rutherford Standard Userer	Forbidden Planet Fletch Hoosiers (sweet!) opening from Heartbeeps Shaun
posted 07-06-2003 09:57 PM PT (US)

Dylan Standard Userer	Here are some of my favorites: "Dolls" by Fuzzbee Morse, Victor Spiegel, and Richard Band "Puppet Master" by Richard Band I enjoy really anything by Band, which in the last 15 or so years has been mostly synth. Another teriffic score that is almost entirely synth (it also utilizes a small ensemble of 12 musicians in the mix) is John Morgan's 1995 score "Demon in the Bottle," though the film itself isn't commercially available. A few years after the film was completed, a suite of music from this film was recorded with a real orchestra for use on John Morgan's promo cd. It sounds most excellent with an orchestra, but the score as used in the film is teriffic as well. Another excellent, and recent, synth score, is Michael Andrews' waltz-laden "Donnie Darko," which I would highly recommend. And like many others, I love the use of synth in many orchestral scores, including Christopher Young's lovely "Haunted Summer." Techno-synth in some scores, I feel, can get intrusive, but I do enjoy it's utilizations in such scores as Elfman's "Planet of the Apes." Dylan [Message edited by Dylan on 07-06-2003]
posted 07-06-2003 10:16 PM PT (US)

rkeaveney Standard Userer	DIE ANOTHER DAY. Ryan
posted 07-06-2003 10:28 PM PT (US)

HadrianD Standard Userer	quote: Originally posted by Dalboz: A friend and I were discussing the use of synthesizers vs. orchestras in scores. To put it simply, what is the best all-synth score you can think of? or what are some good examples of synths sounding like orchestras (even if not for a whole score)? and/or examples of tv or video game scores that are all synth but still sound "decent"? Synth sounding like Orchestra: Crimson Tide, The Rock And if you're not convinced, just listen to the demo cue for the Gladiator score: "The Gladiator Waltz" and be amazed.
posted 07-06-2003 11:04 PM PT (US)

franz_conrad Standard Userer	Golsmith from the early 80s has some of the best sounding synth material - Under Fire comes to mind in particular. NP Meet Joe Black (Newman)
posted 07-06-2003 11:21 PM PT (US)

Lou Goldberg Standard Userer	Off the top of my head: The Mosquito Coast by Maurice Jarre, though his synth passages in The Year of Living Dangerously are also wonderful. That film used a cue from Vangelis's score to the TV series Opera Sauvage which is a great synth score as is Vangelis's score to Antarctica.
posted 07-07-2003 01:10 AM PT (US)

Marian Schedenig Standard Userer	Some of my favourite pure-synth scores are the old C64 and Amiga video game scores by Chris H�lsbeck.
posted 07-07-2003 03:47 AM PT (US)

moviescore Standard Userer	THE HITCHER by Mark Isham is awesome, very scary and moody electronic score! Christopher Young's original INVADERS FROM MARS score is intense. Listen to Jerry Fielding's DEMON SEED, recently released by Film Score Monthly, great experimental stuff! mikael
posted 07-07-2003 06:19 AM PT (US)

Rich Douglas Standard Userer	Anything by vangelis.. namely Bladerunner. Rich
posted 07-07-2003 07:48 AM PT (US)

juha Standard Userer	Beverly Hills Cop 2 and Fletch by Harold Faltermeyer. Juha
posted 07-07-2003 07:52 AM PT (US)

Dinko Standard Userer	Bev Hills Cop is good. Terminator (1 & 2) are nice. Miami Vice is not bad. Under the circumstances of almost all-synth banging, Edelman's Gettysburg is fairly decent.
posted 07-07-2003 07:57 AM PT (US)

sean Standard Userer	I just finished watching Terminator 2, and it had an excellent synth score by Brad Fidel... aside from the Terminator theme, the cue "John and Dyson Into The Vault" (albeit a short track) really stands out as the two remove the CPU and arm from the Cyberdyne vault. Also, someone mentioned The Rock and Crimson Tide, and there was also Die Another Day. Although they all have extensive synth playing and mixing, all of those scores use an ACTUAL orchestra (however small, like Crimson Tide), so I wouldn't put them in this category.
posted 07-07-2003 09:12 AM PT (US)

Widescreen Standard Userer	RUNAWAY - Jerry Goldsmith. For me, none more memorable, even if it's classified as a "Guilty Pleasure". I'd love to hear a professional musician-synthesist do a highlights album of Star Wars material over all the episodes. Sort of in the vein that Sylvester Levay took for the Superman theme as included on the Superman III album- though keyboards today can do better.
posted 07-07-2003 09:38 AM PT (US)

HadrianD Standard Userer	quote: Originally posted by sean: Also, someone mentioned The Rock and Crimson Tide, and there was also Die Another Day. Although they all have extensive synth playing and mixing, all of those scores use an ACTUAL orchestra (however small, like Crimson Tide), so I wouldn't put them in this category. Actually, the orchestras being recorded was used as live samples
posted 07-07-2003 01:44 PM PT (US)

HadrianD Standard Userer	How about Days of Thunder? That was an entire synth score with guitar solo...
posted 07-07-2003 01:46 PM PT (US)

Rich Douglas Standard Userer	I think days of thunder qualifies as a mainly orchestral score as the samples (including the guitar) were recorded live then played via a synth midi controller. What about any of wendy (or Walter, which ever you prefer to call him/her) carlos' scores, A Clockwork Orange mainly. Rich
posted 07-07-2003 04:17 PM PT (US)

HadrianD Standard Userer	<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=1 face=arial>quote:</font><HR size=1>Originally posted by Rich Douglas: I think days of thunder qualifies as a mainly orchestral score as the samples (including the guitar) were recorded live then played via a synth midi controller. What about any of wendy (or Walter, which ever you prefer to call him/her) carlos' scores, A Clockwork Orange mainly. Rich<HR size=1></BLOCKQUOTE> That's not true, for Days of Thunder because the entire score was electronic. For Crimson Tide and The Rock...perhaps. [Message edited by HadrianD on 07-07-2003]
posted 07-07-2003 06:45 PM PT (US)

Doug Adams Non-Standard Userer	The Player. Not fully electronic, but it qualifies, right?
posted 07-07-2003 10:38 PM PT (US)

SirT Standard Userer	Two good ones that worked very well within the movies: Inseminoid - John Scott Videodrome - Howard Shore
posted 07-08-2003 05:54 AM PT (US)

Quill Standard Userer	I love 1492 by Vangelis...but that might have a little too much in the way of actual instruments to count.
posted 07-08-2003 06:56 AM PT (US)

FalkirkBairn Standard Userer	I think that these are all synth-based scores and are some of my favs: THE TRIPODS (Ken Freeman) THE DIG (Michael Land) HALO (O'Donnell/Salvatori) ICEWIND DALE (Jeremy Soule) MICHAEL CRICHTON'S TIMELINE (game, Bill Brown)
posted 07-08-2003 07:15 AM PT (US)

Bob Bowd Standard Userer	WITNESS [Jarre]. Includes acoustic trumpet, but mainly synth. Also, DREAMSCAPE, DEAD POETS SOCIETY. THE COLLECTOR, also not completely electronic, has long been a personal favourite, especially the "Seduction" cue [very tender] which is completely electronic. 1492 [Vangelis] Combination of acoustic and electronic. Also, ANTARCTICA. Superb! (Re-listened to this one, in past 24 hours.) THUNDERHEART, CLASS ACTION [Horner] RUNAWAY [Goldsmith]. Generally I prefer symphonic scores, but the above mainly electronic scores have been keepers. Integrating an electronic ensemble, within the orchestral pallette, as in Goldsmith's LIONHEART, often is a brilliant decision. BB [Message edited by Bob Bowd on 07-08-2003] [Message edited by Bob Bowd on 07-08-2003]
posted 07-08-2003 07:48 AM PT (US)

Lancelot Standard Userer	quote: Integrating an electronic ensemble, within the orchestral pallette, as in Goldsmith's LIONHEART, often is a brilliant decision. Out of curiosity, how (if at all) is that unique or different than what occurs in Gladiator, or other such Media Ventures scores?
posted 07-08-2003 10:58 AM PT (US)

moviescore Standard Userer	quote: *Out of curiosity, how (if at all) is that unique or different than what occurs in Gladiator, or other such Media Ventures scores?* Just listen to these two scores and compare them and you will find that Jerry Goldsmith uses electronic sounds to add something unique to the orchestral colours, while Hans Zimmer often uses samples of orchestral sounds to spice up the acoustic performances. Goldsmith uses an electronic sound more as an orchestral instrument, actually writing a part for the DX7 in the orchestral score, making it a part of the orchestration. mikael [Message edited by moviescore on 07-08-2003] [Message edited by moviescore on 07-08-2003] [Message edited by moviescore on 07-08-2003]
posted 07-08-2003 12:15 PM PT (US)

TV's Frank Standard Userer	For my money, it's TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE, composed by Vince DiCola. Always melodic, lots of activity and complexity and just a whole barrel of fun. Get the full score release, not the original, 3 score tracks only album from Scotti Bros.
posted 07-08-2003 01:40 PM PT (US)

justin boggan Standard Userer	I am not sure how much of it is synth, but Mark Snow's score to Jake Speed is really good.
posted 07-08-2003 02:41 PM PT (US)

Lancelot Standard Userer	quote: For my money, it's TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE, composed by Vince DiCola. And if you can track it down, The Protoform Sessions, offers a fascinating in-depth commentary into the evolution of the Transformers score, featuring score outtakes, and commentary tracks by Vince DiCola--as he puts it, "a good reason composers should save everything they write. P.S.: The Scotti Brothers release does have those 3 tracks you won't get on the full score release, however....
posted 07-08-2003 03:29 PM PT (US)

workaluk Standard Userer	Well when it comes to synth scoring,no one beats Vangelis and his scores for: -Blade Runner -Chariots Of Fire -Conquest of Paradise -The Bounty Specially The Bounty,it's amazing...... NP-The Bounty (Vangelis) Nuno Cunha
posted 07-11-2003 11:40 AM PT (US)

BMikeJ Standard Userer	I will second Mikael's choice of THE HITCHER. Great electronic score from Isham... and I will also recommend his score to THE BEAST, which is a great electronic score. I also have a fondness for RUNAWAY. In particular, the main title, which is one of my favorite opening cues from Goldsmith. I will also mention his score to CRIMINAL LAW, which is a great, moody electronic score. I don't think anyone has mentioned Alan Howarth and John Carpenter's electronic scores. ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK kicks butt and I'm really fond of Howarth's work on HALLOWEEN III and THE LOST EMPIRE. Anyone that likes John Carpenter's music should seek out Howarth's score to THE LOST EMPIRE to hear just how much Alan Howarth contributed to the music of John Carpenter films.
posted 07-11-2003 04:17 PM PT (US)

HadrianD Standard Userer	quote: Originally posted by workaluk: Well when it comes to synth scoring,no one beats Vangelis and his scores for: -Blade Runner -Chariots Of Fire -Conquest of Paradise -The Bounty Specially The Bounty,it's amazing...... NP-The Bounty (Vangelis) Nuno Cunha No way in heck Conquest of Paradise is a synth score.
posted 07-12-2003 03:35 AM PT (US)

Graham Watt Standard Userer	Perhaps not the best synth score of all time, but I'll tell you something I was pleasantly surprised by - Christopher Franke's BABYLON 5 score "Sleeping In Light". I actually won three BAB 5s in a competition. The other CDs in the set have a lot of cheap sounding synth action music on them, but "Sleeping In Light" benefits from just being dreamy and ethereal from start to finish (which is only 25 mins).
posted 07-12-2003 01:43 PM PT (US)

workaluk Standard Userer	quote: Originally posted by HadrianD: <BLOCKQUOTE><font size=1 face=arial>quote:</font><HR size=1>Originally posted by workaluk: [b]Well when it comes to synth scoring,no one beats Vangelis and his scores for: -Blade Runner -Chariots Of Fire -Conquest of Paradise -The Bounty Specially The Bounty,it's amazing...... NP-The Bounty (Vangelis) Nuno Cunha<HR size=1></BLOCKQUOTE> No way in heck Conquest of Paradise is a synth score.[/B] Well,that's your opinion,but when we listen to tracks like: -Light and Shadow -Hispanola -Moxica and the Horse -Pinta,Nina,Santa Maria which are almost completely filled with synth notes,and the rest of them have a synth background,i tend to disagree.... The only one i think doesn't have a synth note,is the most knowned of them all: CONQUEST OF PARADISE But like they say in my country "Uma andorinha n�o faz a primavera",which means something like "A swallow doesn't make the spring" NP-Suites and Themes From James Horner Nuno Cunha
posted 07-13-2003 05:08 AM PT (US)

rachmaninov Standard Userer	Well, almost all my favourites have already been posted. (I didn�t know that The Rock was synth!) How have you guys forgotten Randy Edelman�s Gettysburg? I love it. Rach
posted 07-16-2003 08:36 AM PT (US)

John Zimmer Standard Userer	Crimebuster Theme from Heartbeeps! Fantastic stuff. The best aspect of the score. Jz NP: A.I. The Mecha World (Williams)
posted 07-16-2003 09:36 AM PT (US)

meegle Standard Userer	What about... MANHUNTER THE KEEP or SORCERER ???
posted 07-17-2003 12:02 AM PT (US)

BMikeJ Standard Userer	Tangerine Dream wrote some great electronic scores back in the day. Sorcerer, Thief, The Keep, The Park Is Mine, Wavelength, Firestarter, Flashpoint, The Soldier, all terrific electronic scores that created unique soundscapes for the films they were composed for.
posted 07-17-2003 12:55 AM PT (US)

Ted Standard Userer	...Don't forget Risky Business. And while we're musing over Jerry Goldsmith, lets go ahead and throw Tangerine Dream's version of Legend into the mix for good measure.
posted 07-19-2003 11:40 PM PT (US)

franz_conrad Standard Userer	For the obligatory martial arts epic, Patrick Tam's score for Wong Kar Wei's magnificent Ashes of Time - now there's a synth epic on a par with Conquest with Paradise.
posted 07-20-2003 12:04 AM PT (US)

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