Avid Technology > Case Studies > Orchestral to Urban: Pro Tools' Versatility in Music Composition

Orchestral to Urban: Pro Tools' Versatility in Music Composition

Applicable Industries

Equipment & Machinery

About The Customer

Brian Tyler is a renowned composer who has a diverse musical history. He has performed in numerous orchestras, choirs, and ensembles, as well as in rock bands with famous musicians like Elton John and Slash. As a first-call film composer, he is comfortable writing for an orchestra or a hip-hop score. His work demands versatility and the ability to handle the fast-paced and demanding world of film scoring. He has been using Pro Tools as his main instrument for the past twelve years, relying on it for every aspect of the writing, recording, and creative process.

The Challenge

The challenge faced by renowned composer Brian Tyler was to compose music across a wide range of genres, from orchestral to rock to hip-hop scores. The music industry demanded a versatile solution that could keep up with his diverse musical history, which included stints in numerous orchestras, choirs, ensembles, and rock bands with the likes of Elton John and Slash. As a first-call film composer, he needed a tool that could handle the fast-paced and demanding world of film scoring, where he was required to write for an orchestra or a hip-hop score interchangeably. The challenge was to find a software that could handle all aspects of the writing, recording, and creative process, and be versatile enough to accommodate his diverse musical needs.

The Solution

The solution to Brian Tyler's challenge was Pro Tools, a software that he relied on for every aspect of the writing, recording, and creative process. Pro Tools was versatile enough to handle his diverse musical needs, from composing for an orchestra to a hip-hop score. It was his main instrument for the past twelve years, allowing him to combine different worlds of music. Pro Tools was used in every phase of his work, from pre-recording to recording an orchestra, to mixing the movie in 5.1 surround, and finally mastering the recordings. The new features in Pro Tools, such as the plugins and chart functions, made it a composer's tool, allowing him to do anything from composing lead lines and charts, to printing out multiple scores. The intuitiveness of the program made it easy to move quickly from the first idea to the final product.

Operational Impact

The use of Pro Tools has revolutionized Brian Tyler's music composition process. It has become the unifying force in every score he does, allowing him to seamlessly transition between different genres and phases of the music production process. The new features in Pro Tools have made it a composer's tool, enabling him to compose lead lines and charts, print out multiple scores, and manipulate sounds with the same ease as MIDI. The intuitiveness of the program allows him to move quickly from the first idea to the final product, making the process more efficient. The musicality of the program shines through, making him forget he's working with zeros and ones. Pro Tools has become an indispensable part of his rig, always there for him whether he's doing a piano piece, a hip-hop score, an orchestra recording, or a drum-and-bass track.

Quantitative Benefit

Pro Tools can handle upwards of 180 tracks at once during the pre-record phase.
Pro Tools allows for the recording of a whole litany of tracks when recording an orchestra.
Pro Tools is used to mix the movie in 5.1 surround.