Sound Design Portfolio: Music Samples

These audio samples provide a representation of my original music composition work as well as editing and manipulation of previously created works to suit the needs of a production. All these samples are taken from non-musical theatre productions. I would suggest listening to these samples on as high a quality audio reproduction system as you have access to. Many of these audio samples have been mixed down from their original multi- channel audio file format to allow for stereo playback. During their original production they likely would have multiple audio tracks played back simultaneously. This practice allows for more three-dimensional audio panning as well as the ability to match the timing of a performance more closely with cue-based changes to a musical score. Cock at Dobama Theatre (2013): Cock is a play about a gay man who falls in love with a woman and the complications that ensue with his current boyfriend and family. The director of this production chose to create a setting reminiscent of a boxing ring. In discussions with the director I came up with the idea of using the sounds of a boxing fight bell and punching bags as the basis of an original music score. I collected multiple samples for these sounds and then heavily processed them to give them a more musical quality. I have included three audio samples of original music for this production to highlight the variety created for each transition. The first selection is from the very top of the show and the second and third selections are short transitional pieces between scenes.

Act 1 Opening Music

Music - Transition into Scene 1-6

Music - Transition into Scene 2-6

Hamlet at Chagrin Falls Performing Arts Academy: This file is a mixdown of the audio for the appearances of King Hamlet’s Ghost in a recent production of Hamlet. There is a background wind file that played under the entire scene to denote the scene’s outdoor location. Prior to the Ghost’s appearance there is an original musical underscore that accompanies the entrance. This musical underscore is also utilized when Horatio informs Hamlet of what he witnessed. The third part of this cue is a droning whispering voice used only when the Ghost is on stage to heighten the tension of the scene.

Audio Sample - King Hamlet’s Ghost Scene

Julius Caesar at Chagrin Falls Performing Arts Academy: I have included two samples of original compositions created for a production of Julius Caesar. The first sample is an original piece used to underscore the scenes where Caesar’s ghost appears to Brutus. This underscore was composed of multiple audio tracks allowing for it to crescendo during the appearance with a tag at the end for the ghost to retreat. The second piece is music for the military battle. For this production the fighting of the battle was stylized almost to the point of slow motion. The purpose of this music cut was to augment the stylized blocking while also providing a clear rhythm for the actors to follow.

Audio Sample - Caesar’s ghost

Audio Sample - battle underscore

Marie Antoinette at Dobama Theatre (2013): This play is a mash-up of historical drama with modern pop culture. The opulence of Marie Antoinette and the French Royal family is presented with a mix of classical and modern pop music. For the early scenes of the show I created edits of classical and pop music with added musical flourishes or sounds to indicate the lavishness of her early married life. The director of the play wanted to establish a light-hearted mood at the top of the play that gradually grew darker as the piece progressed. The first selection here is a musical cut from the opening of the show, which included choreography that brought all the actors onto the stage and ended with the characters in the first scene taking their seats on the button of the music. The two sources used to create this piece are pre-recorded pieces of music, however they were heavily edited and augmented to help set the scene and the stutter effect which creates the tag of the music was original for the show. The musical selections for Transitions number 5, 6, 7 and 8 demonstrate the gradual downward progression of Marie’s life during the French revolution. These are all original music cuts with sound effects as part of the score. All these cues were timed with video projection within the show. The projections told the story of events throughout the French revolution through content that resembled modern day twitter feeds and news headlines. The final selection from this show, Transition number 12 is near the end of Marie’s life during her trial and execution. The purpose of this piece was to convey the chaos that her life had become following King Louis XVI’s execution. This musical cut was created by taking existing sheet music and creating original arrangements via synthesizers and detuning the music to create a sense of anarchy.

Music - Opening Act 1

Music - Transition 5

Music - Transition 6

Music - Transition 7

Music - Transition 8

Music - Transition 12