Alan Silvestri Breaks Down the Composing Workflow Behind his Blockbuster Scores | Native Instruments
“When I see a piece of film, I have an idea. You internalize it. You see it, and it affects you in some way, and then something comes out. For me, it’s music that comes out. It’s conversational for me. The movie says something, it always goes first, and then I say something back.”
Watch the video for a cinematic retrospective full of tips, tricks, and personal anecdotes from the composer behind Back To The Future, Forrest Gump, and The Avengers.
Download the free KONTAKT 6 Player: www.native-instruments.com/pr...
#NativeInstruments #AlanSilvestri #Kontakt #Filmscoring
Subscribe to our KZhead channel
kzhead.info...
Follow us on:
Instagram: / nativeinstruments
Facebook: / nativeinstruments
Twitter: / ni_news
For more than 20 years, Native Instruments has been at the heart of musical innovation. We’ve created communities, pushed technological boundaries, and opened new creative horizons for amateurs and professionals alike. Today, driven by our mission to make music creation more inclusive and accessible, NI’s hardware, software, and services including MASCHINE, TRAKTOR, and KOMPLETE bundles, provide fully-integrated solutions for musicians, producers, and DJs of all genres and levels of experience.
For more info, visit our website: www.native-instruments.com
Alan was my 1st drummer in my 1st band. Even At a young age of 14 he was a genius... I'll never forget the syncopated drum beat he made for the high school band.. This man is a modest genius
What?
You being serious?
That’s awesome!
Alan was in the same kindergarden as i, and he actually played what we now know as the theme to Predator using pots and pans and empty coke bottles. I didn’t think nothing of it back then..
@@kildren9981 that’s some good detective work, thanks for doing that.
This man and his score for Back to the Future is easily the most influential person on me and what I did with my life. I obsessed over that soundtrack as a kid, learned a bunch of instruments, went to music school, and started scoring films. Thank you sir for your incredible and inspirational work, I'm convinced I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for your work. Now my 5 year-old looks at me with big eyes whenever he hears a lydian melody and says "Dad! Back to the Future!" Your creative work continues on to the next generation!
Thanks for your work too, good sir! That said, my 8 year old hears lydian and he's like, "Dad, John Williams!" Solid dad work on both our parts, I'd say.
@@jeremyellismusicHahah and I always think Thomas Newman with Lydian!
This is serious gold..... here is a composer you can call a legend.
was obsessed with back to the future ...seen it a total of 350 times. The score in imprinted in my brain
@@jeremyellismusic solid dad work indeed! And so honored to get kudos from the greatest Maschinist of all time!! You’re the best man!
If the younger generation only knew how influential he is to modern film composing. This man is up there with Williams for his work without doubt.
I'm self taught
@@oholm09 You’re also trash
@@Hash-vo1hi gtfoh dont come around judging my opinion dont do that
@@oholm09 and?
@@oibruv3889 and what
“The movie says something, it always goes first” A brilliant piece of advice. Summarizes the art of scoring film.
I’m a simple man. I see Alan Silvestri and I click like. He’s GREAT. A true rolemodel
you definitely are a simple man. well done.
This man is an underrated genius. Yes, we have Williams and we have Zimmer but it was thanks Silvestri that we got such timeless classics like the Avengers theme, Back to the Future and Forrest Gump. I could go on for hours but I'm just saying, this man deserves more recognition.
Let's not forget Cast Away. Love Williams, Silvestri, Zimmer, Newman and really miss James Horner.
Goldsmith is above both. I like them all but JW and Jerry Goldsmith are at the top. James Horner was a genius aswell.
Isn't Howard Shore missing here?
When it comes to movies, the actors get all the recognition if fans like us don’t mention the other things in the movies then they know they did a good job
@@MaYstruction Howard Shore plumps them all!!! ONE SHORE TO RULE THEM ALL!!
My love for Predator score will never die. Just beyond amazing at every second of it.
Same here. The use of triplets on the timpani section, the percussion sounds, the melodies and the dinamycs. Amazing score.
Yeah I'm surprised he didn't mention it when listing his best scores. Like most composers that made great music in the 80s and 90s, he didn't make anything good from 2000 on.
Wow!! What an excellent video. As someone commented here, an unedited version would be gold!
He wrote the Predator theme, and i love him just for that.
Agree - you can hear common ideas in the B2F score
Im watching Predator right now and see his name under composer. I Google him and find out his resume.....lord have mercy. I chuckled though when I seen he worked on Mac N Me though.....might be one of his big regrets in life lol.God bless
Real talk. Best film theme ever. I arranged it for the percussion section of my high school marching band and we marched into the stadium to it. No one fucked with us.
@@Darkskinnded Gotta pay the bills
My favorites: Predator, Forrest Gump, and Castaway. Genius.
I'd like to see NI come out with a technical series of videos explaining how all the routing is done for each DAW, for each instrument and articulation, how to incorporate the Vienna plug-in which I've seen other composers use in this fashion to easily put together a scoring template. I've seen dozens of videos of how people use this approach, I've seen dozens of user-made videos of how to route for this or that but a comprehensive series from NI themselves would be very helpful in wrapping my head around some of this routing. It would also be helpful to know exactly how many computers are connected, the total TB storage needed, the minimum requirements for a system to embark upon such massive templates so they could be used effectively.
this.
Well, first of all you want to have as robust a machine as you can. Silvestri's using two monitors, one for Cubase/one for VE Pro. It seems like a single computer setup to me. Your post reminds me strongly of when I started out, the Gigastudio days, and I was just overwhelmed, intimidated. It has to be learned in the doing. That said, a specific video regarding Kontakt outputs routed to VE Pro is needed, it's probably out there somewhere tho. Because it's not straight 1:1 once you are dealing in any mono outs, after a point. I don't do it to that extent, individual instances vs multis is using negligibly more resources. It's not as daunting as you're imagining, is the upshot.
@Tigress... this is what I was going to say. Silvestri's setup most likely came together organically by way of using his setup everyday. It is a rule somewhere that 80% of the work is done with 20% of the tools but guys like Silvestri go beyond the 20% and when that happens, they become the Meta in their field. These dudes make bank because they become masters so we are not going to find how-to manuals on how they got these setups working. He knows his setup so well that he started figuring things out on his own. That's how things like midside and parallel processing or ducking and companding became common tools in mixing. Engineers figured it out from doing things everyday. I'm not saying you are I are unable to do it too, we just have to spend more time with these tools that the pros use and we will break through, as well. The key is always to spend more time working with them and when we do, we too will become masters...in time!
I am so happy to see Alan Silvestri finally speaking on the creative process of creating the scores that has made me cry in a dark movie theater for years. Now i know the man responsible for the tear your heart out, heroic, triumphant, heart stopping, pulse pounding, gloriou, magnificent and EPIC scores that i have collect for years. YES this man is Divine and gentle, GOD made him. I started crying when all the HEROES came back, to your music in AVENGERS ENDGAME. Thank you mister Silvestri for the music that made the heart i have today.
I love how excited he gets when he starts talking about the avengers theme. You can just hear how much he loves doing this.
Avengers Endgame is this guy's masterpiece. He should have won an Oscar for it, and I can't believe he wasn't nominated for it.
His funeral theme in avengers is based off a score he made in cast away. It won an Oscar and it was barely used. Pretty cool soundtrack.
THANK YOU!!! I knew I heard that in the theater! Castaway is my favourite movie, so when I heard that same melody in Endgame I immediately thought "ALAN SILVESTRI!!!"
His Masterpieces are: Back to the Future, Forest Gump, Predator, Abyss, Judge Dredd..... definitely not Avengers.
@@handznet Not The Avengers - Avengers Endgame. If you don't think that's a masterpiece, that's up to you, but you're wrong
@@LouizSlein When I was a kid, Stuart Little and Practical Magic were the two scores where I noticed Alan Silvestri's name, because not only did I listen to the Stuart Little soundtrack, but my mom had the Practical Magic theme on her playlist. In general though, anyone who's tried to compose film music will realize that it's actually incredibly easy to repeat yourself, and incredibly hard not to.
Avengers deserve a dedicated chapter with him showing some scenes and music behind it, a truly masterpiece!
"Porch" is one of the greatest film cues of all time. Of all time.
Coming from the standpoint of someone studying composition and pushing to one day be up there with these greats, it's rough. I spend more time being frustrated with myself over stuff sounding the same, contemplating dropping my dreams, staring at a blank project wondering why I bother... but when I do strike that little gold piece it's the greatest feeling in the world. It's a rough career, there's no such thing as going out and just getting a job for composing, you work your ass off and you grind every second of the day to make a name for yourself, to be discovered, to one day strike that gold job that puts you on the map. And as the little guy it's daunting, looking at these guys who've been the greats for decades, and setting a goal to be there with them one day. But one day I will, I'm sure of that. I look at these guys workflows and I see similarities in mine, and it reminds me I'm on the right track, and to keep going
Have you heard of punkademic?
Reminds me what John Williams said in one interview. Big dreams and visions can be dangerous and leave you cynical or depressed if things don't pan out in line with your expectations. Just focus on what's in front of you, find joy and passion in that. I've already verified the truth of this. I'm starting a composition masters soon and hope to utilise this amazing advice for the next stage of my journey
You won’t be discovered. Take action, create opportunities for yourself. And use music licensing platforms to jumpstart all that!
Thanks a lot for making this! But it’s tooooo shoooorrrtttttt! Maybe unedited full version in the future? It’s so golden!
I'm just encouraged that a man in his 60's can use a computer better than some kids I teach in their 20's
your weird
@@beloved3244 no u
@@beloved3244 ur black
Dont start rivals
You probably don’t realize you’re being insulting. I’m 65. My generation grew up with computers, starting with Sinclair, through Apple 1, PCs, etc. We’re often better with computers than the current generation because we had to learn them from the inside out. There was no such thing as plug-n-play. I just retired last week and am happy to leave my Sys Admin duties behind. I will now focus on my music. Age (to a point) has nothing to do with music or technical ability
As he's flicking through his track archive opening all those instances of damage my Computer just switched off and emitted smoke !
Well, don't think about it and remember it when it was happy and cheerful. Sorry for your loss :))
Well using ensemble pro, he's probably running 52 computers networked in the back room lol.
@@DarkSideofSynth Haha , my computers fine and is currently enjoying having Komplete13 collectors edition on it ..... I highly recommend it =~}
@@CADILLAKTRACKZ lol
@@auggiebendoggy You know that ! =~}
Alan's compositions are high class. It's good to see him teaching the next gen of composers and producers about tech assets.
His score for the Mummy 2 is a magnificent work of art. Simply wonderful.
I don't remember paying attention to the score. Will have a listen today.
His piano piece on his score of Forrest Gump is easily the most influential for every young pianist. Silvestri is truly a living legend!
Alan Silvestri is one of the greats in my book, right up there with Jerry Goldsmith, Thomas Newman, John Williams, et. al. I am amazed that it looks like his writing rig is based around an iMac and not an iMac Pro, Mac Pro, or larger PC. If you look at the composing studios of other "A-List" composers in LA you find a much more extravagant build-out. In this case, talent is superior to equipment. Thanks, Alan for your music and artistry. It has inspired many of us.
I mean, he's using Vienna which lets you incorporate slave machines. It's likely he has one in the same room out of view.
It looks like an iMac Pro to me.
The Avengers theme is what first got me into music. Five years ago. Since then, I have been consistently making music with the hopes that one day I will match his greatness.
Months late with this message, but please keep going! Your ambition is admirable, & it's clear you're on the right course - Sincerely, & with best regards, Chris
LEGEND! Thanks for everything Alan!
This man made the Avengers Theme and i am very thankful for that! I wish he would release stems from "Portals" so I can learn from.
To Alan -----I was in Benjamin Franklin Jr. High with you in Teaneck, NJ... I am 70-- and write my own music and remember playing drums with The Revolutions-- when you were the drummer of the WILDCATS !! WOW-- Where did the time go-- it went by so quick...You are so sophisticated with your music composing-- I am still a simple analog guy-- with my 8 and 16 track tape recorders...You left me in the dust !! I have followed your musical career for many years and really appreciate your amazing talent !! -- I would LOVE to have a conversation with you about your endeavors in writing music for many of the greatest movies you have written scores for !! -- Marc Falon, Bergenfield, NJ
This man is one of the best cinematic composers in history. For me way he made the late 80's sci-fi and adventure films to shine with his musical efforts is miraculous. I can't even count how many times I've listened his Back to the Future, Predator and Roger Rabbit scores. 🤩
One of the most talented composers. One of my favourite of his Sountracks is "Flight of The Navigator" (1986). Simply magic ;-)
All this nowadays technology has not realized the Predator Theme. It was his genius Mind and classic orchestration. Thank you Mr. Silvestri.
Agreed. Great movie ABC's soundtrack
Predators is a masterpiece of Alan silvestri. Best background score ever.
50 years? We've got time. Thank you Mr Silvestri
Silvestri is a genius. Period. A genius. The man give us Back To The Future and Predator, two musical masterpieces. We need to give him his flowers. He deserved it.
True legend of iconic film scoring.
My fav composer
Me too
i have 44 always cray with you music.forest is my best and contact with no doubts 90 was great years for me
I still remember when the soundtrack for Avengers came out, everybody was saying its so old school, they should have gone for someone like Zimmer, etc. But the way the Avengers theme evolved in the minds of young listeners throughout the series ultimately culminating into a cult classic by Avengers EndGame and becoming one of the most recognisable superhero scores of all time, is where the greatness of Alan Silvestri lies . . . a big fan of his scores like Forrest Gump, The Mummy Returns, Van Helsing, etc.
Native Instrument, what a great video.
My first song on piano was Forest Gump theme from Alan Silvestri. I love the song and the movie. Thanks Alan!
Alan is a true master. One of the greats. Loved this behind the scenes look at his workflow.
Love this! We need more film composer interview!!
Thank you for sharing your music and soul with us all these years! And thanks for the insight to your work flow!
Wow. I watched this way earlier today. Got inspired, and now it's after midnight. Fantastic.
Thank You Alan and NI for this beautiful and genuine video.
Amazing contributions from this excellent artist. Thank you.
he has composed some of my favorite scores! great composer!
True Gems from a Legend!!!
Love it ! More please !
Silvestri is and always has been my fav composer. Ever since I saw his name in the credits for Predator in 1987
What a pleasant, fascinating man. I love his work.
When this man speaks you hear the sound of experience and wisdom. Thank you for that sir.
Many great, great movie scores, have been composed by this brilliant musician!
This man's beautiful mind pretty-much created the sound of my youth in the 80s
The level of dopeness in this interview is everything!!!
Very inspiring! Would like to hear more from Alan Silvestri. Thank you Native Instruments for sharing this:)
One of my favorite compositions from Alan is the intro to the science series Cosmos. Amazing talent.
Alan is a pure genius .
Alan is my favorite film composer 👏🏾
I love him, & I love this company.
Alan Silvestri’s score for Back to the Future (still my favorite of any film) initiated my my love of film scoring and composing.
His work on The Polar Express was crazy incredible. So good.
i used to listen to that soundtrack a lot many years ago. thank you for reminding me of that great music
@@RobTi You're quite welcome. That ST is just amazing.
Great video! The workflow stuff is super-helpful to see. We seldom get to hear about stuff like this unless you are actually working there. Thank you Mr. Silvestri and NI!
I've only just realised that I don't "take in" many people on the tube with music guidance as I've got a "cluttered mind" and many talk too fast and are too excited but I soaked up just everything this fine man shared in this video about this software.
Thanks for this amazing video, NI! So Inspiring to see a legend at work and hear him reflect on his process and technology.
Wow. I'm repeating the extended version requested by other commenters. This dude is legend.
Awesome!, thanks Mr.Silvestri!
Alan the Great, thank you so mutch for you'r fancy creativity!!! Спасибо!!!
So inspiring!!! thank you so much!!!
I could watch the masters in their studios talking about film composing all day. Loved this.
Awesome stuff to hear.
I LOVE KONTAKT. I LOVE NATIVE INSTRUMENTS. I LOVE YOU GUYS! THANK YOU FOR THIS INSPIRING TALK.
Yes Alan or Sir Alan is one of the best Composer...great Composer.
This guy and Thomas Newman, have it going on, the emotion is always upfront.. Legends.
When they figure out the Komplete Kontakt library for Maschine +, OMG... It already runs Monarch/Reaktor 10x better than my computer. Whole new hardware/no-email-notifications-and-web-pages-of-distraction world coming up, guys, and I'm excited. Get your MIDI gear connected ASAP and go Back To the Future.
Great video! I had the privilege of meeting him and he is every bit a kind and approachable as he seems in this video!
Alan is a very intelligent human being and a Great Composer too
One of the greatest film composers ever.
What a cool interview!
Absolutely love Action Strikes
Fantastic....
What a legend !
Wonderful, wonderful. Alan Sylvestri had me at the opening sequence to The Abyss with his use of the "far fifth" change (I-v) that said--this is "Oceanic!"
One of my favorite composers of all time. Great interview. I just can't stand that underscore. You have Alan Silvestri in a shot and you put some Zimmer like music on it ? Come on :)
Yeah, they should have added larger than life comedy music
What a privilege to watch this! The one and only ALAN SILVESTRI, plus directly from his workstation providing us so many invaluable inputs! His COMPOSITONS made a deep influence in my life. Love his work!
Along with his work in Back to the Future and Ready Player One I enjoy his work.
That tip in Cubase for fast loading everything into Cubase was seriously underrated in how helpful it is. Thanks for sharing your process Alan and NI for hosting the interview!
Good call. I have a cousin who is a professional musician and he's been using Cubase since around 2000. He tried teaching it to me 20 years ago but I just didn't grasp it. There was 1 other one he used as well. I wish I could remember which it is. Anyway, awesome stuff.
The Forrest Gump Theme gave me so much joy and peace when I was a child. Thank you, Mr. Silvestri !
Nobody talks about the heavy emotional and mental pain toll these composers and musicians paid to be where they are today.
Elaborate?
I'm pretty sure that most composers are normal people like you and me, Danny Elfman is a little unhinged though and Bernard Herrmann had a terrible temper, stop dramatising things.
@@H1kari_1 Do you know what they are doing and how long and difficult this shit is?
@@iceomistar4302 Yea, they’re also not out there.
@@iceomistar4302 I don't think they were suggesting that they were not normal people. I get his point, it's not dramatizing. Being a composer essentially means serving up your heart and soul on a platter and dishing it out for everyone to treat as they please. All artists/workers of creative fields in general place themselves in a very vulnerable position. It's not like being a plumber or an engineer, where the product of your work does not represent who you are as a being. Your product as an artist is essentially a chunk of yourself, and it does take a heavy emotional/mental toll on you to see your identity get rejected or receive bad critics (which inevitably happens along the way). Sure, there's an objective side to it where lies the mastery of technical skills, but every piece you put out there contains your identity and that's not something tangible or changeable. That's what makes it special and also, at times, cruel.
Incredible interview. Would love to see Alan teach a master class in composing scores.
Thank you for this insightful look into this combination of tools of the trade. Track archives seems like a useful revelation to me.
Van Helsing, The Avengers, etc.!!! Best!!! Regards from Buenos Aires Argentina!
Van Helsing is amazing
i love this man, been my hero from the eighties. and I discovered him again in the avengers. but fall in love with his music in Back to the Future. If you read this ever Alan: THANK YOU !
The best cinematic composer!
Wow this came interview came in just at the right time for my final uni research project due tomorrow!! Thanks Alan Silvestri!!!
So awesome!
Don't forget Young Guns II...that opening sequence....so awesome.
I Pray that Native Instruments and Kontak will live forever..you are the best company for me
🙏 🙏 🙏
This man composed my favourite superhero theme
Avengers done in a DAW. If we look back 50 years ago. It would be impossible to think that you can have an orchestra, synths and a lot more in a suitcase. We live in amazing times. This is rising of DAWs making music was never this easy. At the moment learning Ableton and I'm grateful for the civilization for such a powerful tool to make amazing music.
Fascinating composer, one of my idols. ANd what a wonderful interview / workshop this is!
Many thanks!
My favorite track of yours Mr. Silvestri is “Totally Fine” You are a very inspiring composer
Native Instruments you have done well. More ... more
Thank you💐