SOUND ON SOUND
Dave Stewart is an English keyboardist, composer, producer and author who started his career as a band member in the early 1970s. Since 1981 he has made 'pop music for grown-ups' with singer Barbara Gaskin, releasing seven albums on the duo's own Broken Records label and performing live in Japan, USA and the UK. He has also written TV & film music and created string and choir arrangements for various artists.
Dave is the author of two music books: The Musician's Guide To Reading & Writing Music (Backbeat 1992) and Inside The Music (Backbeat 1999). He has written for Sound On Sound (while resting between engagements) longer than any of us care to remember.
With so much choice on offer, picking the right brass library for your music can be tricky. Our comprehensive product guide shines a spotlight on the current contenders.
Sonokinetic’s vigorous orchestral phrase library piles on the cinematic drama in 4/4 time.
Audio files to accompany the article.
We conclude our series with an overview of arrangement techniques and a peep into the world of big-band brass.
Spitfire Audio’s BML range packages a full orchestral library into 20 individual modules.
A simple, catchy tune with a funky rhythm may be all you need to create a highly commercial horn hook — but harmony is also an essential ingredient in brass arrangements.
The quality and variety of orchestral string libraries continues to grow. Which one best suits your needs?
The second in our four-part series deconstructs funk licks, discusses the implications of using live players and explains how to get more expression and feel into your sampled brass arrangements.
Using pencil and paper to write down music may seem outdated in this digital age, yet it retains a hands-on immediacy unrivalled by conventional notation software. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a system that combines the advantages of both? Enter StaffPad, an app which lets you write music with a pen directly on screen...
This new four-part series explains all you need to know about creating brass arrangements for a range of genres.