MCB Interviews The Track Team
“Thankfully it seems that live musicians are returning in projects of all sizes. Now there are more creative ways to work with them on smaller budgets."
For composers Jeremy Zuckerman and Benjamin Wynn, the power of collaboration has its advantages. The Track Team has scored a slew of national commercials for brands like Nike, Honda and Samsung. The duo stretched their musical chops even further working as composers for the Nickelodeon series Avatar: The Last Airbender.
“Being a team has its advantages,” explains Wynn. “One is simply that we have someone to talk to and knock around ideas with (be they music or business related). Additionally, we have developed slightly different skill sets. Jeremy has had more scoring experience than me over the last few years and I’ve developed my sound design side a bit more. But one of the best reasons is that it’s just more fun.”
Less is more when it comes to sample libraries. “I try to use live instrumentation as much as the budget allows,” says Zuckerman. “Even on small budgets, I'll find ways to get a live musician presence. Even one musician will add significant realism. Thankfully it seems that live musicians are returning in projects of all sizes. Now there are more creative ways to work with them on smaller budgets. In addition to composers having their own studios, more and more musicians are building small home studios where they can record their parts and deliver them to the composer via the internet.”
Although The Track Team isn’t against using samples, their work as sound designers gives them a broader perspective on the future of music. “I think there's still room to explore computer music in scores more deeply and in a non-imitative way,” says Zuckerman. “Commonly, when the computer is used musically for something other than traditional sample libraries, the emotional and sonic palettes are fairly limited. I hope composers and directors delve more deeply into these tools and start taking more risks with them. I know Ben and I would jump at that opportunity!”
Jeremy Zuckerman’s Studio Setup:
“I compose in Logic at a workstation with a simple SPL 5.1 monitor control (no mixer). I have an 88 key keyboard in front of me, a few good microphones including the Wunderaudio CM7 FET, a couple BAE 1073 mic preamps an a John Hardy M-1 mic preamp on the way. I use Apogee convertors with the AD16x and DA16x I/O. Scattered around the studio are many instruments including a chinese guzheng, 100 year old pump organ, several acoustic and electric guitars and guitar amplifiers, percussion instruments, chinese flutes, random noise-makers, etc.”
Benjamin Wynn’s Studio Setup:
“We both use Apogee converters feeding into an SPL controller with no mixer involved. It offers a clean path from the converters to the monitors (which currently are Genelec 8050A’s with a Genelec sub for me). I then have a few nice pre-amps and analog synthesizers, including a Cwejman S1 Mk2 and a Roland Jupiter 6. On the software side my DAW changes depending on the job. We score in Logic, I do sound design in Nuendo, and I use Ableton Live to play live shows.”
Check out The Track Team at www.thetrackteam.com and Ben’s electronic output as Deru at www.deru.la
About Benjamin Wynn's (aka Deru) Involvement in The Outliers Project:
"On the artistic side I’m used to making music by myself so It’s been awesome to be involved in a bigger project," says Wynn. "The internet is so flooded with music these days that I think people respond to bigger ideas. Plus it’s been great to have a positive experience with the internet. On a day-to-day level the internet can be so frustrating that it’s also easy to forget its power in bringing people together. I’d never met my collaborators in real life before the trip. We funded the project on the internet. We’ll promote and distribute it online. So even apart from the film, photos, and music that will come out of it, it’s been amazing to watch all these people come together for art."
John Presley is a composer and founder of Music Composer Blog. You can visit his music site here.