Online Graduate-Level Course
Synthesis, Sampling, and Sound Design in Film Scoring: Electronic and Textural Resources
Electronic sounds have been used in film scores for more than 60 years! As you can imagine, music technology has advanced significantly and with the advancement has come an incredibly rich palette of electronic sounds. From the very first films that incorporated a theremin in the soundtrack to the early electronic and tape delay-based score for the film Forbidden Planet, to the complex electronic scores of today, the sounds and techniques used to create them have evolved. More than ever, the sounds can be expressive and effective at portraying emotion and because of this, the role of electronic-based sounds in film scores has grown.
Current music technology helps us add entirely new realms of possibilities for sound. As composers working with synthesized sounds, sampling, and audio effects, you will take on the role of a score sound designer. Creating sounds that no one has heard before is a mission that will engage and excite listeners, and it will make your scores sound unique.
Throughout this course, you will look closely at purely electronic music scores as well as mixed scores that combine electronic-based sounds with traditional instruments. We’ll go through a brief history of electronic music and sound design as score to give us context and we’ll learn to recognize the most influential scores that have had an impact on composers in the field today. We’ll also look closely at current music technology and composition techniques used in film scoring today.
This course focuses on using sound as texture within the film score, working with raw and electronic sound material to create innovative and cutting-edge soundscapes. Following an overview of music synthesis concepts, students will use software synthesizers and samplers to develop their own unique sounds and create dramatic musical soundscapes. You will create your own electronic and sampled sounds, use effects to enhance the sounds, generate audio loops, and apply these sonic textures to a score.
Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:
- Use music synthesis to create a textural score
- Create original instruments for cinematic composition
- Manipulate existing sampled or synthesized instruments to customize a sound
- Apply audio effects for creative sound enhancement
Syllabus
Lesson 1: Intro to Sound
- What Is Sound?
- Propagation: The Creation of a Sound
- The Physical Properties of Sound
- Humans and Our Hearing Range
- Timbre as Tone Color
- The Frequencies of Complex Sounds
- Loudness
- Temporal Envelope: ADSR
- Direction and Distance
- Sonic Music and Sound Design in Film Scores
- Assignment 1: 30-Second Sound
Lesson 2: Subtractive Synthesis
- Types of Synthesis
- The Source of Sound: Oscillator
- Exploring Oscillators
- Filters
- Exploring Filters
- Practice Exercise: Filter Experimentation
- Amplitude Envelope
- Common Instrument Sounds
- Musicians and Technicians: Early Synth Pioneers
- Examples of Analog Synthesis in Film Scores
- Assignment 2: Subtractive Synthesis
Lesson 3: Subtractive Synthesis, Part 2: Modulation and Motion
- Synth Essentials
- Modulate It!
- LFOs
- Automate It!
- Motion with Filters
- More Motion with Filter Envelopes
- Even More Motion: Pitch Envelope
- The ARP 2500 and 2600
- Examples of Subtractive Synthesis in Film Scores
- Assignment 3: LFO, Filter, LFO Envelope, and Filter Envelopes
Lesson 4: Effects and Soundscapes
- Making Lush Ambient Pads
- Time-Based Effects Processors
- Reverb
- Types of Reverb
- Reverb Settings
- Reverb in Sound Design: Ambience
- Delay in Sound Design: Depth
- Modulation Effects
- Examples of Lush Soundscapes and Ambient Soundtracks in Film Scores
- Assignment 4: Short Film Clip
Lesson 5: FM Synthesis
- FM Synthesis Basics
- FM Synthesizers
- Getting Deeper with FM
- Techniques for Making FM Sounds
- Examples of Synthesis in Film Scores
- Assignment 5: Composing with FM Synthesis
Lesson 6: Drive and Rhythm in the Soundtrack: Step Sequencers and Arpeggiators
- What's a Sequencer?
- Focus: Step Sequencers
- The Arpeggiator: Drive and Rhythm in Film Scoring
- Using an Arpeggiator
- Arpeggiator Composition Techniques
- Examples of Arpeggiators in Film Music
- Modern Films Using Arpeggiation or Step Sequencing
- The Terminator Theme Analysis
- Assignment 6: Create a Short Score Using an Arpeggiator
Lesson 7: Creating Sample-Based Loops
- A Brief History of Sampling: Musique Concrète
- Samplers
- Digital Samplers Change the World of Music
- Samples Research
- Let’s Start Sampling!
- Audio Warping and Looping
- Processing the Sample
- Layering Samples
- Complex Multi-Sample Instrument
- Velocity Cross-Switching
- Excitation and Natural Instruments
- Tutorial Example: Creating a Velocity-Switched Instrument
- Examples of Composition Techniques in Film Scores
- Interview with Chris Lane, Sound Designer for Film Composers
- Assignment 7: Sample-Based Piece
Lesson 8: Drum Production
- A Brief History of Samping: Dub Reggae
- Digital Samplers
- Important Figures in Sample-Based Music
- Famous Samples
- Funky Drummer and the Fairlight CMI Orchestra Hit
- Is Sampling Legal?
- Virtual Drum Kit Sampler Features
- Drum Kit Sampler Example: Cubase Groove Agent SE
- Syncopated Hip-Hop/R&B Beat
- Creating Drum Kits from Sampled Music
- Designing Custom-Built Sample-Based Drum Kits
- Continuing with Your Custom-Built Sample Kit
- Examples of Custom-Built Kits in Film Scoring
- Assignment 8: Creating a Custom-Built Sample Kit
Lesson 9: Wavetable Synthesis and Distortion Effects
- Wavetable Synthesis
- A Brief Look at Wavetable History
- Notable Artists Using Wavetable Synthesis
- Common Software Wavetable Synths
- Wavetable Synthesizer Parameters
- Wavetable Synth Example: Logic Pro’s Retro Synth
- Examples of Wavetable Synthesis in Film Scoring
- Waveshaping and Distortion
- Distortion Trends: Lo-fi
- Waveshaping Distortion with Overdrive
- Clipping and Distortion
- Other Distortion Types: Fuzz, Downsampling, Bit Crushing
- Examples of Distortion in Film Scoring
- Assignment 9: Wavetable Synthesis Composition
Lesson 10: Vocal Synthesis, Sampling, and Sound Design
- Vocal Synthesis and Sound Design Primer
- Vocal Chopping
- Creative Modulation with Vocal Samples
- Voice Alteration with Harmonization
- Common Vocal Harmonizers
- Harmonizers Up-Close
- Pitch Shifting
- Pitch Correction
- Formant Shifting and Robotizing with Vocal Transformer
- Vocoders
- A Closer Look at Vocoders
- Vocoders in Sound Design: The Unvoiced Channel
- Overview of EVOC 20
- Example of Vocal Synthesis and Processing in Film Scoring
- Assignment 10: Vocal Synthesis Composition
Lesson 11: Granular Synthesis and Ring Modulation
- What Is Granular Synthesis?
- A Brief Look at Granular Synthesis History
- Instruments and Effects that Use Granular Synthesis
- You Are Already a Granular Synthesis User
- Common Granular Synthesis Parameters
- Granular Synthesis in Action: Logic Pro’s Flex Time
- Time Stretching Algorithms in Flex Time: Overview
- Granular Synthesis with Logic Pro’s Alchemy
- Overview of Ring Modulation
- Amplitude Modulation Synthesis and Ring Modulation
- Logic Pro’s Ringshifter
- Granular Synthesis and Ring Modulation in Action
- Assignment 11.1: Granular Synthesis and Ring Mod Composition
- Assignment 11: Final Project
Lesson 12: Pushing the Limits: The Future of Film Scoring
- Timbre and Texture: Sound Design in Film Scoring
- Skill Sets for Film Composers
- Fluid Deadlines up Until the Release
- New Music Genres
- Trends in Synthesis
- Expression Control: MPE
- Immersive Audio: Spatialized Multi-Channel Sound
- New Platforms: Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality
- Procedural Audio
- Artificial Intelligence Assistance
- Subscribe Is the New Buy
Requirements
Ready to submit an unofficial copy of your transcript?
Submit TranscriptPrerequisites and Course-Specific Requirements
Prerequisite Courses, Knowledge, and/or Skills
Completion of Orchestral Mockup in Film Scoring and Mixing the Film Score or equivalent knowledge and experience is required.
Students should have:
- Graduate level skills and understanding of film scoring
- Advanced facility in your DAW of choice
Textbook(s)
- Recommended: Music Technology and the Project Studio: Synthesis and Sampling 1st Edition, by Dan Hosken (Routledge, 2011)
Software
- Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), one of the following:
- Cubase Pro (recommended option)
- Logic Pro (recommended option)
- Reaper
- Digital Performer (limited support)
- Pro Tools 2018.12 or higher (First, Intro, and Artist editions are not sufficient)
- Note: While Pro Tools is required in certain Film Scoring Master's courses and can serve as your single primary DAW for the program, we recommend using Cubase or Logic for sequencing.
- Tal Noisemaker (free)
- Komplete Start (free)
Hardware
- MIDI keyboard controller with at least 49 keys, mod wheel, and additional MIDI CC knobs/faders, such as Novation Launchkey 49
- Audio interface
- Studio monitors (pair), such as JBL 305Ps or better, as well as necessary cables. Monitors with 8-inch woofers are recommended, such as JBL 308Ps or better.
- Professional over-ear studio headphones, such as Sennheiser HD 600, beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO, etc.
Student Deals
After enrolling, be sure to check out our Student Deals page for various offers on software, hardware, and more. Please contact support@online.berklee.edu with any questions.
General Course Requirements
Below are the minimum requirements to access the course environment and participate in Live Classes. Please make sure to also check the Prerequisites and Course-Specific Requirements section above, and ensure your computer meets or exceeds the minimum system requirements for all software needed for your course.
Mac Users
PC Users
All Users
- Latest version of Google Chrome
- Zoom meeting software
- Webcam
- Speakers or headphones
- External or internal microphone
- Broadband Internet connection
Instructors
Author
Michele Darling is the first-ever assistant chair of the Electronic Production and Design department at Berklee College of Music and an instructor for Berklee Online. An accomplished sound designer, composer, recording engineer, and educator, Darling worked for many years as part of an Emmy-winning production team at Sesame Workshop, where she composed music, worked on sound design, and recorded voice work for Muppets characters.
Her career highlights include sound work for several animated television shows such as Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh!, online media, games, and applications for clients such as 4Kids Entertainment, HBO Family, the Learning Channel, Moshi Monsters, and Toca Boca, among many others. Before coming to Berklee, Darling was the director of education at the electronic music and DJ school, Dubspot. Currently, she is a member of the Ableton sound design team, making Ableton Live sound presets for multi-genre music producers worldwide.
Darling holds a bachelor’s from Indiana University School of Music and a master’s in music technology from New York University. She is a founding member of Aerostatic, where she, along with Terry Golob, composes and designs audio environments for films, installations, and music performances featured in galleries and festivals around the world. She is also the founder of the New York-based performance collective Girls Like Bass, a house and funk-influenced band that collaborates with musicians, dancers, and visual artists. Read Less
Instructor
Collin Russell is a composer and sound designer, as well as an Assistant Professor of Electronic Production and Design at Berklee College of Music. A specialist in modular synthesis and through-composed electronic music, he enjoys composing pieces for film and modern dance.
Russell has worked in the electronic music instrument industry for nearly a decade and is currently a product consultant and manual author for Instruō Modular, a modular synthesizer manufacturer. Additionally, he is an editor and contributing writer for Bjooks, a music technology book publisher.
He also founded Grainbow Sound and works with the post-production company Audiobrew as a composer, sound designer, and voice actor.
What's Next?
When taken for credit, Synthesis, Sampling, and Sound Design in Film Scoring: Electronic and Textural Resources can be applied towards the completion of these related programs:
Related Certificate Programs
Related Degree Majors
Related Music Career Roles
Employers look for skills learned in this course, when hiring for the following music career roles:
Broadcast Engineer
Dialogue Editor (Film, TV, and Video Games)
Field Recordist
Foley Artist
Production Sound Mixer
Re-Recording Mixer (Film and TV)
Sound Effects Editor (Film and TV)
Utility Sound Technician (Film and TV)
Questions?
Contact our Academic Advisors by phone at 1-866-BERKLEE (U.S.), 1-617-747-2146 (INT'L), or by email at advisors@online.berklee.edu.
