What this course is about

In this course you will learn how to compose, produce, mix, and master high-quality cinematic music in your DAW, as quickly and efficiently as possible. My name is Robert Lanting, a media composer from the Netherlands, and I will be your instructor for this course. I will show you my process of creating cinematic music, as if you were sitting next to me in my studio, looking over my shoulder. 

Outline

In Module 2 I will analyze a couple of my favorite cinematic themes to set the foundation for this course. From this, we will dissect the basic building blocks of cinematic music, such as motives, themes, structure, sound design, and instrument choice. I will also analyze a theme I wrote for a video game. Next, you will analyze one of your favorite cinematic themes. 

Module 3 is about preparation. I show you the basics you need, and we’ll create a template in our DAWs for an optimal workflow. 

In Module 4, we are getting into the basic building blocks of writing cinematic music, how to orchestrate these building blocks, and how to work fast. I will write a short piece of music, to test the template, and show you these building blocks. Then it’s your turn to put your new template and knowledge to the test and write a 30 to 60-second piece of music.

In Module 5 I will go through my process of writing two full cinematic themes from scratch. For the first theme, I use the template I created in the videos, to show you that it is possible to write great music with a small and simple template. I will mix and master it with stock plugins from my DAW. After that, I move to my full template and write a more specific theme as if I got a brief from a filmmaker or music publisher. I use more sample libraries and third-party plugins to mix and master it. Then it’s your turn to write a cinematic theme, using one of the briefs I give you, or just writing a theme from scratch.