Learn how to create an original score by exploring the process of recording, editing, and syncing your music to a film

Can you think of your favorite soundtrack? Music is the element that ties everything together in any great film. It helps relay the message the writers, actors, and directors are trying to convey. Musician and composer Jonah Schwartz creates original scores for feature and short films, as well as commercials and other productions.

In this course, he gives you a complete walkthrough of how to compose your own song, ready to be synced with a short film. Learn how to use Ableton Live to create original melodies that harmonize with the mood of a scene, and align seamlessly with the atmosphere and tone of a narrative.

Meet Jonah Schwartz, musician, composer, and your teacher for this course. Hear about his music career, which spans nearly three decades, and started in Philadelphia, USA but took him all the way to Buenos Aires, Argentina where he has worked for the last 17 years. He also shares the diverse musical influences that inspire him.

Dive into music-making by defining what makes a melody and exploring famous examples of melodies in the film industry. Learn how melodies work and how to compose a simple one in Ableton Live. Explore the building blocks of music by understanding concepts of rhythm, harmony, and melody.

Time to record your own music. The first step is creating a concept for a song. To conceptualize a piece of music that accompanies a film, Jonah walks you through the two focal points when composing: theme and structure. Once you’ve created your concept, learn how to record a melody and how to add layers before doing an initial sync with the film. Dig deeper into music composition by learning about vertical integration, effects, and the final sync.

Explore Ableton Live’s tools for mixing, plugins, and mastering to make your final piece sound more cohesive. Then learn how to correctly export your work. Jonah shares his tips and experience when dealing with feedback from directors and how to resolve issues accordingly. Wrap up the course by learning the importance of registering your work and how to do so.

What is this course's project?

Compose and record a song for a film from scratch with Ableton Live.

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