Orchestrator | Composer | Copyist
Martin is in the unique position of having worked in all stages of the music creation process in both the film and theatre industries. His familiarity in the production workflow from early sketches, through sampled mockups, to fully formatted orchestral scores means his sole focus is on the creative aspect of writing and arranging, without being limited by technology. This has been extremely beneficial on a number of projects where Martin has been able to serve as Orchestrator, Programmer and Copyist in one, allowing greater oversight to execute his vision.
Listed below is some of the software Martin uses in his studio.
Sibelius (Score Engraver):
Martin has been using Sibelius' score-writing program for over 15 years and has become an expert in music notation. He has provided scores for numerous Hollywood blockbuster films played by world renowned orchestras such as The London Symphony Orchestra, City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and the Sofia Session Orchestra. His classical training combined with an understanding of modern theatre means he is comfortable writing in many musical styles for forces ranging from contemporary pop bands to full symphonic orchestras. His experience working with such a broad scope of instrumentation means he has amassed a wide range of skills, with each project requiring a different approach to realise the composers vision.
Martin's custom score templates not only ensure accuracy and consistency, but also greatly improve workflow and productivity, resulting in a faster turnaround time with no compromise on quality.
Logic Pro X (Digital Audio Workstation):
Apple's Logic Pro X has been one of the most widely used Digital Audio Workstations for film and television composers for some time now. It has transformed the music creation process in recent years by offering the perfect environment for writing a song from scratch all the way to mixing it down for a worldwide release. Martin has been using Logic Pro X for over 10 years. Its versatility is fantastic for the varied nature of his work from creating large scale symphonic mockups, to recording and mixing small bands.
Martin's compositions and orchestrations created in Logic have been used on a variety of platforms including Film, Theatre and Radio. His background scores for the composer M. Ghibran were created by augmenting the sampled instruments with string orchestras and vocalists recorded live in the studio. He has also written library music for Oprah Winfrey's 21-Day Meditation Experience.
Orchestral Sampling:
Whilst no sample library could ever replace the nuance and realism of a live recorded orchestra, the creation of virtual mockups is an extremely valuable tool for the modern composer. It has become the norm in both the film and theatre industries as a way of ensuring their intentions are fully realised ready for the first studio session. In times of strict budgets and deadlines, the combination of sampled sounds and live recordings make for a fantastic, cost-effective way of adding warmth and depth to your composition.
Martin has invested time, money and effort into learning how to get the most out of these virtual sounds. Due to his classical training and deep knowledge of orchestration, Martin is able to write for instruments in an idiomatic way, thus ensuring his mockups are physically playable and completely authentic. This kind of detail is vital for making the music feel as real and emotive as possible - the ultimate goal.
Below is a comprehensive list of all the sample libraries Martin uses for his mockups.
Drums/Percussion
- Abbey Road 50's Drummer
- Abbey Road 60's Drummer
- Abbey Road 80's Drummer
- Abbey Road Modern Drummer
- Abbey Road Vintage Drummer
- Action Strikes
- Battery 4
- Damage
- Drum Lab
- Kinetic Metal
- Maschine Drum Selection
- Polyplex
- Rise And Hit
- Studio Drummer
Orchestral
- Action Strings
- Berlin Woodwinds
- Session Horns Pro
- Session Strings Pro
- Spitfire Brass
- Spitfire Percussion (Joby Burgess)
- Spitfire Symphonic Strings
- Spitfire Woodwinds
- Symphony Essentials Brass
- Symphony Essentials Woodwinds
Guitars
- Ample Acoustic Guitar
- Ample Bass Guitar
- Ample Electric Guitar
- Scarbee Funk Guitarist
- Scarbee Jay-Bass
- Scarbee Mark I
- Scarbee MM-Bass
- Scarbee MM-Bass Amped
- Scarbee Pre-Bass
- Scarbee Pre-Bass Amped
- Scarbee Rickenbacker Bass
- Session Guitarist - Strummed Acoustic
Pianos/Keys
- Alicia's Keys
- Scarbee Vintage Keys
- The Finger
- The Gentleman
- The Giant
- The Grandeur
- The Maverick
- Una Corda
- Vintage Organs
World/Misc.
- Balinese Gamelan
- Cuba
- George Duke Soul Treasures
- India
- West Africa
*Plus all Logic Pro X factory instruments, loops, effects & plugins
Synthesisers
- Absynth
- Evolve Mutations
- Evolve Mutations 2
- Evolve R2
- Flesh
- FM8
- Form
- Kontour
- Korg M1
- Massive
- Molecular
- Monark
- Prism
- Razor
- Reaktor 6
- Retro Machines Mk2
- Rounds
- Skanner XT
- Spectrasonics Omnisphere 2
- Spark
- Traktors 12