Doctor Who: Fool's Gold - Page 7

Danny Stewart · #**121** February 15, 2008, 8:47 AM

Originally Posted by Ronnie Rowlands

I felt it all sounded a bit messy, like 2 different versions being played over the top of eachother, sorry.

You guys really suck.

Listening to it yet again, I still think it sounds excellent, and I'm proud of my four-hour time investment. I honestly don't know what you're talking about.

Ronnie Rowlands · #**122** February 15, 2008, 9:02 AM

Yeah well, if it makes you feel better, your Dad can beat up my Dad

I take it I am not being unblocked now?

Superkid11 · #**123** February 15, 2008, 10:58 AM

While I can sort of see where they would get that idea, I enjoyed it immensely. It doesn't sound jarbled up like their comments let on, and believe me, I've heard stuff like that on whomix. Nothing sounded like it clashed to me.
Great job!

Josef Kenny · #**124** February 15, 2008, 11:05 AM

Well I thought it was really great. I didn't comment directly because you had already showed it to me over gtalk, but I'll take the time to say now, it was really excellent. Keep up the good work.

Danny Stewart · #**125** February 15, 2008, 11:19 AM

Originally Posted by Superkid11

While I can sort of see where they would get that idea, I enjoyed it immensely. It doesn't sound jarbled up like their comments let on, and believe me, I've heard stuff like that on whomix.
Great job!

Many thanks, Superkid. I really think it sounds quite coherent and integrated. I don't know what these fools are talking about. I think maybe they're Murray Gold in disguise. Or maybe his IT guy. Gotta defend the Muzzmeister's work, I guess.

Originally Posted by Rat Souffle

Well I thought it was really great. I didn't comment directly because you had already showed it to me over gtalk, but I'll take the time to say now, it was really excellent. Keep up the good work.

Thanks very much, although most of this was finished after you signed off last night.

Ronnie Rowlands · #**126** February 15, 2008, 11:56 AM

*puts away notepad* Good... good.

Danny Stewart · #**127** April 11, 2008, 10:37 PM

Fool's Gold 2008 has been updated to version 2.0 (or, strictly speaking, version 2.0g). A very significant amount of work has gone into this, and a large portion of the mix has been redone from scratch. I felt like the previous version sounded much too compressed, almost to the point of distortion (taking a page from Murray's book there). For this version, I completely reset the volume of every single layer in the mix and redid them all from scratch to what they should be (a significant undertaking). The mix is sounding much cleaner now, and much more professional (I feel). There is also a lot less compression on everything, which makes me much happier. I also reworked a few of the instruments, including replacing my staccato cello and viola layers with different sounds as well as supplementing them with oboe and some quiet electric guitar (taking a cue from the new theme). All in all, the mix should be sounding quite good now. Comments are welcome.

Click here to download Fool's Gold 2008 v2.0g!

Danny Stewart · #**128** April 12, 2008, 12:32 AM

And here is an added gift for those of you who are interested: Fool's Gold 2008 (Orchestral Elements).

I feel like the orchestra side of this mix stands well enough on its own to be released independently, at least as a little extra on the side.

Danny Stewart · #**129** April 12, 2008, 3:02 AM

For anyone who may be interested in the history of Fool's Gold, I have just found something in my archive that may be of some historical significance. It is the earliest known version of Fool's Gold I have, dating all the way back to November of 2006. The version I have today is a derivative of that original project file from late 2006, and I have just dug up a file showing what the mix sounded like at its earliest point.

Bear in mind, it's not very good -- but we all start somewhere! The snares are incorrect (and the sound I used for them is not very good), I still hadn't worked out the horn countermelodies at this point, and it makes use of my much older set of Derbyshire samples (meaning they sound much muddier than they should). The whole thing is not mixed very well at all, but I was just getting started with music at that point.

This mix has really evolved quite substantially over the years. It was originally made in FL Studio 6 using this really crap synth/sample library called Sonik Synth 2, if I remember rightly. Soon I moved up to EastWest Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra Silver Edition, but at this point the whole project got to be a bit unwieldy in poor FL Studio (not to mention having to have the Derbyshire elements mixed in ACID because I couldn't figure out a reliable way of having complex sample tracks like the bassline run throughout the whole mix in FL). Finally I decided to move the entire project into ACID and work from there. It was in ACID (several months later) that the "final" version of the original Fool's Gold line was made, version 2.6.7f. At this point, I stopped working on Fool's Gold for a long time, because I was happy with how the mix had progressed and thought it had finally reached a point where it was good enough. But then, a few months later, I began to transition from making music on Windows to making music on the Mac. As time went on, I got more and more proficient with making music in Logic on the Mac. I wanted to do a new version of Fool's Gold in Logic, and I did -- what is now known as my Fool's Gold Closing Theme. Eventually, however, I decided that I wanted to be able to continue working on my original mix, so I elected to go through the rather colossal undertaking of porting over my entire massive Fool's Gold project from ACID into Logic. It took many hours to finally complete, but I have now re-established the entire mix in Logic, and that's where I am working from today. Phew!

Click here to listen to the November 2006 version of Fool's Gold.

And for anyone interested, click here to see what my massive Fool's Gold project looks like in Logic.

Superkid11 · #**130** April 12, 2008, 11:32 AM

*dances around his room as he listens to FG 2008* ... seriously, I am. XD

Once more, I enjoyed it immensely. Much as I would want Dom to come back to DW once the production team changes I would really like to see you take that job.

(country distance aside) This is just the kind of music the modern Doctor Who should have.

Josef Kenny · #**131** April 12, 2008, 12:42 PM

Why not have Dom, Danny and Peter Howell doing the music? Oh, and Pete and Steve Titford and Mutagene and Martin and Paddy Kingsland...

Danny Stewart · #**132** April 12, 2008, 3:57 PM

Originally Posted by Superkid11

*dances around his room as he listens to FG 2008* ... seriously, I am. XD

Once more, I enjoyed it immensely. Much as I would want Dom to come back to DW once the production team changes I would really like to see you take that job.

(country distance aside) This is just the kind of music the modern Doctor Who should have.

Thanks very much. Although I doubt I'd get the job based on doing an "improved" version of Murray's original ideas.

Originally Posted by Rat Souffle

Why not have Dom, Danny and Peter Howell doing the music? Oh, and Pete and Steve Titford and Mutagene and Martin and Paddy Kingsland...

Now this sounds like a plan. (And yourself, of course, too!)

Danny Stewart · #**133** August 27, 2008, 7:58 AM

Doctor Who - Fool's Gold 2008 v3e

Changes include:

Overall

Significant remixing of all tracks
Less overall compression
Multipressor plugin applied to achieve wider frequency range and fuller sound

Derbyshire Elements

Intro hiss added to opening scream to reflect Gold's 2008 theme
Increased emphasis on Derbyshire bassline and melody (louder in volume and more heavily compressed)
Derbyshire spangles and intro hiss added
Derbyshire pulsing hiss added
End wind bubble replaced with drone (as in Gold's 2008 theme)

Instrumentation

Orchestral instrumentation changes based on Gold's 2008 theme (most notably the drums, piano, and brass)
Addition of second bassline layer and synth chords (done on the CS-80V, the mix's first synth elements not done on my Juno-6)
Various older synth layers from the original Fool's Gold have been removed (generally ones that were too quiet to hear anyway)
Howell bassline removed (no longer needed as I've added my own second layer now, which is what it was there for)

Arrangement

Middle section heavily modified (no more instrumental melody, instead closer to the original Derbyshire theme, including bassline solo)
Ending shortened and significantly reworked (now much closer to Gold's 2008 theme)

Click here to download Fool's Gold 2008 v3e.

Click here to download Fool's Gold 2008 v3e (Orchestral Elements).
Click here to download Fool's Gold 2008 v3e (Electronic Elements).
Click here to download Fool's Gold 2008 v3e (Electronic Elements Sans Derbyshire).

Superkid11 · #**134** August 27, 2008, 9:43 AM

SPANGLES!!! Oh I've always wanted to hear those in FG.

It sounds great, not just because of the spangles but... yeah. I'm afraid I can't think of much else to say but "I like how it sounds" should be enough right?

Danny Stewart · #**135** August 27, 2008, 1:21 PM

Originally Posted by Superkid11

SPANGLES!!! Oh I've always wanted to hear those in FG.

Glad I've made your day.

Originally Posted by Superkid11

It sounds great, not just because of the spangles but... yeah. I'm afraid I can't think of much else to say but "I like how it sounds" should be enough right?

Certainly. Thanks.

Mister_Wilbur · #**136** August 27, 2008, 6:33 PM

IT'S ABSOLUTELY FREAKING AWESOME!!!!!

*Ahem* ...Anyway, I believe that 2008.3g completely outdoes Murray Gold's arrangement. It places emphasis on the electronic instrumentation, and relegates the traditional instruments to backing, which I agree is what should have been done with the new series theme in the first place.

The bonus versions are also quite interesting in of themselves, I really like the one that has the orchestral backing subtracted. In my opinion, it could stand on it's own as a sort of upgraded version of the Derbyshire arrangement.

The hybrid of Howell and Derbyshire elements in this new version succeed where Murray Gold's arrangement failed.

Danny Stewart · #**137** August 28, 2008, 2:24 AM

Thanks for your thoughts, Wilbur. I'm so glad to hear you think I've surpassed Gold's arrangement! That's very encouraging to hear.

Jamie Minty · #**138** August 30, 2008, 10:15 AM

Wow Danny great stuff. Love to hear a proper orchestra do that . . . it would destroy Murray's!

Danny Stewart · #**139** August 30, 2008, 2:06 PM

Originally Posted by Jamie Minty

Wow Danny great stuff. Love to hear a proper orchestra do that . . . it would destroy Murray's!

I'm wounded. I much prefer when it's all done on the computer, especially when it comes to the Doctor Who theme. It allows the composer direct control over all aspects of the music. That's lost when there's a hundred people in an orchestra that come between the music and its creator. (And of course it helps to have a talented orchestra as well -- something the BBC National Orchestra of Wales most certainly is not.)

Jamie Minty · #**140** August 30, 2008, 3:28 PM

Originally Posted by Danny Stewart

I'm wounded. I much prefer when it's all done on the computer, especially when it comes to the Doctor Who theme. It allows the composer direct control over all aspects of the music. That's lost when there's a hundred people in an orchestra that come between the music and its creator. (And of course it helps to have a talented orchestra as well -- something the BBC National Orchestra of Wales most certainly is not.)

Sorry, I guess music is safest in the hands of the person who is creating it. Its still great and the best one yet I think!