Composing / Arranging / Songwriting

The amazing success of the Barbie movie was powered by its music. Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt were the producers, songwriters and composers who helped to turn the world pink.

We explain how to create MIDI string arrangements that don’t sound like MIDI string arrangements!

These audio files accompany the Faking A String Section In Your DAW workshop in SOS July 2023 issue.

Adding a horn section to your productions can bring everything from mellow melancholy to verve and excitement.

Successful songwriters and producers explain how to adapt your skills to the massive Far Eastern market.

Dubai welcomed in 2019 with one of the biggest spectacles ever staged. Dom Jones created the epic soundtrack.

To mark its 50th anniversary, two bands have taken to the stage to pay homage to Wendy Carlos’s classic crossover album Switched-On Bach.

How does a platinum-selling producer make music on a mobile device? We sit down with MeLo‑X, who found commercial success co-writing tracks on Beyoncé’s Lemonade, as he talks about the real-world advantages of making music on a phone or tablet.

We conclude our in-depth guide to the world of library music with an essential cut-out-and-keep explanation of the key words and phrases you’ll hear.

Composers need publishers. But are they there to help us, or help themselves?

Like any way to make a living, library music has its pitfalls. We help you look out for some of the biggest!

There’s a lot of money to be made writing music for movie trailers — so you have to be good. Have you got what it takes?

A trailer can make or break a blockbuster movie, and the choice of music can make or break a trailer. Chances are that music will be library music...

Success in the library music world is partly about who you know — so get out there and get to know people!

How can you ensure that your library music hits the spot? What better way to find out than to ask the people who buy it!

Successful library music writers are efficient, productive and reliable as well as musical — all skills you can develop too.

Our major new series explains how to harness the power of today’s virtual orchestral instruments.

We saw last month that library music can provide composers with a good income. This month, we explain how that income is generated.

Production music is rarely glamorous, but it can be very lucrative. In the first of a major new series, we explain how to get your foot in the door.

Just what should you expect when engaging a professional arranger or orchestrator to work on your own production? We find out from some of the best in the business...

We conclude our series with an overview of arrangement techniques and a peep into the world of big-band brass.