Composing / Arranging / Songwriting

As a songwriter, I write, record and master on my beloved Boss BR8 (I'm soon to updgrade, possibly to the Tascam DP32). Would...

Doctor Who's 2005 revival saw the TV programme and its incidental music triumphantly reinvented. Gone are the Radiophonic textures of old, replaced by a confident orchestral score that stands comparison with Hollywood's best. Composer Murray Gold talks technical at his home studio.

Harry Gregson-Williams's drive to explore original ideas and sounds has made him one of Hollywood's leading composers, scoring everything from romantic comedies to spy thrillers and historical dramas.

I've spent years dabbling with studio technology, but when get a few spare minutes to actually sit down and create music, I seem to be devoid of inspiration. Can you offer advice?

For his latest album, musician/producer Brian Eno has returned to the world of songwriting. But his ideas about music are as radical as ever...

I have a melody which I'm absolutely sure I made up when I was a kid and I want to use it in a composition I am working on. However, the things kids make up can be 'derivative', and I need to confirm that I hadn't heard it before. Do you know of any melody databases that could help me find out?

I know that the white keys on a keyboard form a diatonic scale, but what does diatonic really mean?...

BBC Bristol's natural history series 'The Life Of Mammals' was a high-profile production, with stunning visuals that demanded an equally impressive soundtrack.

One of Hollywood's most intelligent composers, Elliot Goldenthal is equally adept at writing for the big screen as the concert hall or theatre. We talk to him about his background and approach to composition, technology and orchestration.

Glen Ballard was already a first-call songwriter and producer in LA — and that was before a young, unknown singer called Alanis Morissette walked into his studio...

Composition runs in David Newman's family, and he's become one of Hollywood's most sought-after writers of music for film.

From Rain Man to The Lion King, and Gladiator to Mission Impossible 2, Hans Zimmer's music is known by audiences worldwide. With business partner Jay Rifkin, Zimmer is also responsible for Media Ventures, a music studio that offers a unique environment for media composers.

According to Oval's Markus Popp, traditional definitions and categories are inadequate when it comes to evaluating electronic music. Instead, his highly conceptual projects aim to make us understand music in terms of the software processes used to produce it.

Once Rob Davis was a pop star himself with Mud. Now his songs have taken Kylie Minogue and Sophie Ellis-Bextor to the top of the charts.

Gez Gourley specialises in creating sound for console games - whether it be orchestral music or crashing cars...

You don't need to have Top 40 hits to make a living from your music. Just ask Kent Brainerd, who has made a tidy sum by composing music for company training and presentation videos. Find out how...

Richard Buskin talks with two of Sweden's hottest writer-producers about their ongoing work as part of the Murlyn Music Group, including recent hit recordings by Jennifer Lopez, Samantha Mumba and Jessica Simpson.

Richard Buskin meets a successful American composer who's specialised in a unique kind of music for television...

Paul Farrer's name has been a fixture in SOS for several years, but these days he's best-known as the theme tune composer for top BBC TV quiz show The Weakest Link. Paul White asks the questions...

Whether your bag is pop, jazz, or classical music, or even if you just watch TV occasionally, you've almost certainly heard Richard Niles's work. Mike Senior talks to one of the most versatile men in modern music.

I'm thinking about hiring an arranger to do a half a dozen or so of my compositions so that I can get them recorded...