Do you perform all the music by hand or do you use a sound synthesizer to generate instruments?

99% of it is performed by hand. (The Piano, Orchestra etc). Sometimes for electronic drum rhythms I will quantize or manually input data with the mouse or pads on a keyboard.

Oh wow! You must have a lot of instruments around your house!

Mmh not quite! I have real Piano, guitar and a few ethnic instruments. Other parts are done via being performed on the keyboard which uses top of the line sound libraries and patches. My work is both a hybrid of real and sampled instruments, but are still performed by hand :]

do you play video games and if so what genres are your favorite?

I don't play them as often as I'd like to, however I greatly enjoy Fantasy RPG. The Morrowind series and Zelda. I'm also quite a fan of horror, especially games like Amnesia and Silent Hill.

What's your favorite Silent Hill game?

Definitely the first one. The School gave me nightmares!

What do you think the worst (scariest) part of Amnesia was?

For me... The whole Prison level. The atmosphere... Was SO intense.

Yeah, Prison was the worst for me too. Especially on my second play through of the game, where I tried to keep my sanity at the lowest point possible at all times by not using any light sources.....

Oh yeah. Are you looking forward to "A Machine for Pigs"? :3

Definitely. I can't wait to see what Frictional Games does with the industrial revolution theme. At the same time however, I am totally dreading it

My favorite composer and inspiration is Thomas Newman (The Green Mile, Finding Nemo etc.) His Piano and String work have a huge influence on my work and is my first stop for inspiration :]

do you like music games like guitar hero?

I'll admit I haven't played too many of them. I did however play Guitar hero and really quite enjoyed it. If I got the chance to play it again, I certainly would :]

i was mostly curious what a real musician thinks about them^^ personally i dont like them because i suck at them. i guess im only good at listening to music :P

It felt totally different from a real guitar. But if it encourages people whom have played it and never tried a real guitar before and now WANT to... Then I'd say thats awesome!

Half-Diminished or Full-Diminished? :p

Half in one hand, full in the other. Work that diminished power babah :] Though I am a sucker for Full ;)

INDEED. Double flat 7s FTW!

And what about the wholetone scale?

I use it all the time on a Harp sound in my bands just for a bit of show. DREAMSCAPE FTW

Aww, harp? no fair...I can has harpitar? :p

Where did you learn to make great music?

Thanks for the compliment! ^^ Thats a hard one to answer as I let others give the opinion on that... However from a technical point of view, I guess playing Piano all my life, having a very supporting family, and having a deep passion for it, might answer some of that.

But I'm still guessing that you learned music rather than playing it by ear, right?

I learned almost fully by ear and self taught :) Theory and sight reading came a bit later.

You're just amazing, far better than my music teacher and she's a good one. Wish i could play the piano just as good but alas, I'm just having problems with thrills itself and other stuff, despite practicing everyday. Sight reading is just difficult. Thus, why you're such an amazing musician. I for one, am sure to get the rest of your album when I get my paycheck. I've already gotten Fly.

If you can enjoy it, nothing will stop you, trust me

Haha! No words are wiser than that for a musician.

A creative mind that few have as great as yours..!

Do you still take commissions, and if so, how much?

At the moment i'm not taking too many more, mainly because I like to focus on my own ideas. Maybe later down the line I will get back into it, we'll see!

probably a strange question, but have you ever stood back and listened to your music, and just thought to yourself, thats just beautiful, magnificent, i cant believe i made something like that?

Thats a tough one, but in a way simple too. The answer would be yes, I do listen to my music sometimes, and I'm not shy to admit that I do enjoy it... But maybe thats because it's one of the styles of music I like. Is it selfish of me to create music knowing because I will enjoy listening to it? Who knows... Kinda a good question lol.

Personally I think the best music is written to the enjoyment of the composer. Weighing it on any other expectations removes the personal element from it. It should be the embodiment of emotion and thought that lets us connect in a way we can't otherwise communicate.

You are more for instrumental though, lets see if adding your own vocals to a composition piece at some point and see if you like your own music as much when hearing the sound of your own voice, LoL.

Do you prefer ceiling fans or desk fans... owo

Ceiling fans... They're soothing and hypnotic to watch :3 My relatives in America had one when I was like 9 years old. I was always fascinated watching it in bed 8D

Which piece you created is the one you would say you are the most proud of?

I would say Waltz of the Spirits, Myre being a close second. I felt for me that Waltz of the Spirits was perfect in every way. :]

For me, it was Myre i loved to listen quite much, followed by tears of the forgotten, thanks to it's athmospheric deepness. Still: hard to choose when you have to compare a diamond to another one ^^

O.O it was the first Fox Amoore song I -ever- heard, and I'll never forget it. I know exactly where I was at the time.

Who/What/When/Where/How (:P) do you get your ideas for music from?

Influential musicians on me such as Thomas Newman, maybe a bit of Hans Zimmer, Enya and other NewAge artists too. From a Piano playing point of view... Chopin, Rick Wakeman, Jordan Rudess. And I guess from constantly mucking around with sounds on my keyboards :]

Hooray for Hans Zimmer!

Why a Fox?

Out of all the creatures on Earth, Foxes have always inspired me and have always had some sort of influence in my life. It felt natural to be one :]

What's your Favorite Type of Music? :)

It would be a close call between Soundtrack/film and Metal. If I were to pick... I would choose Metal. But from a composing favorite, Soundtrack :]

On a side note,, I would classify your music more classical than anything else..

Indeed! Though Classical, like Rock is really so broad nowadays. There's sooooo many sub genres x)

Sorry One More Question >.> Do you have a favorite metal band?

Yup :) Iron Maiden. (Love their classic ones especially 8D)

Cool :)

How did you get so amazing on keyboard/piano?

Enjoying it :]

OK oh and fox I would like to talk with you via notes if I could please

I keep hearing this, and I'll have to agree. I played piano for 10 years as a kid but more or less hit a wall in high school. The teacher I had would only cram classical and more classical down my throat... I talked my folks into another one but she was sort of "meh" and we didn't get along all that well, and then they figured I was just whining and so I fell out of it. Practice was definitely a chore. I was still "good" at it, but it's really hard to make any progress if you don't actually ENJOY it. And it's sometimes hard to find an instructor who "gets" where you need to go, rather than just someone who knows how to play a piano and dishes out lessons to pay for rent.

Also at the time, music theory made me want to strangle kittens. Now I at least find it curious. But still kind of inscrutable.

Anyway, not really a question but just figured I'd add that I agreed. :)

how many Fox Amoore's dose it take to fill a wolfer?

What size of Fox Amoore are we talking here? ;D

Oh baby 8D

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live? c:

Scotland is such a beautiful country, I don't think I would ever move away from it. However Germany has a special place in my heart too... If I had to move, it would likely be somewhere around there ^^

What instrument do you enjoy playing the most? Or wich ones if you can't decide for just one?

Without a doubt the Piano. I enjoy singing quite a bit too, but I don't normally use my voice as part of my "Fox Amoore" sound.

Nothing planned for something like that. I tend to shy away from the idea of "contests" as it's not my personal way. But if anyone does remix them, I'll be sure to check it out and be very flattered :]

Here in Hungary a huge amount of fans listens to your remixed song. (Mad World)

I sent you a note regarding my situation. Also, what kind of pictures inspire you the most for your music?

Thanks! And a great deal of styles inspire me when it comes to pictures. I admire the skill of artists. I do find myself inspired by the epic, sweeping images. AlectorFencer and Kaji's work for example. It fires the imagination :]

Always wondered, when you're composing, do you have the whole song in your head before recording or does it come bit by bit as you record?

I tend to do a little bit of planning before hand. Mainly things such as the structure. I'll then start working and just follow where my imagination takes me ^^

1) Do you speak any other languages than English?
2) How do you like it to work together with Alector Fencer?
3) How long does it generally take to create a new song from scratch?

1) Mainly English. I can speak very little German.
2) She is an amazingly gifted and inspiring person. Words cannot describe how much I enjoy working with her and exchanging ideas :]
3) It depends on what i'm going for. I've created songs within 2 hours, to ones that took me over 2 weeks. ^^

So how does that cooperation with Alector work? She makes a drawing and inspired on that you make a song? Or the other way around? :)

We tend to do it both ways. I'll create a piece of music inspired by her finished picture, or she will do the same using the music as a source of inspiration. We will also come up with a joint idea and work together to create it at once. So I guess to answer the question... A number of ways :]

That sounds so nice. :3 It really sounds like a great way to work together. I know that I tend to get inspired by your music. :P Usually I think of stories and as the music changes, something happens in my stories. :) Usually they're really boring, because everything is happy and beautiful and nothing really special happens, but still it's fun to make them up. ^_^ Thanks for making such inspirational music. I hope I can go to another con soon, sometime, so I can buy another CD of yours. :P I'm slowly collecting them. First EF where I got Feel, then CF where I got Masked... Eventually I'll get the whole thing together. :P

Generally I would charge roughly 250 euro for such a track, though i'm taking less and less to focus more on my own ideas, so sadly that tends to push the price up. Myself and Alector do plan in the future at some point to do a collab commission auction which will both be a full painting and full soundtrack to the person that wins it :]

I would imagine roughly $300 to $320

i think there would be a HIGH demand for your work if you ever start takign commissions again, i think many people would want you to make them a track (me included).

So how long does it take you to make a 5 min track to sound like the way you want it to sound, or that you are happy with? or can that vary a lot?

Hehee I think thats half the reason I'm afraid to announce it, I will likely just make it an auction. But for such a piece, I always give myself a week for full planning so I can give my best for the commissioner :)

i guess it also has a few downsides being good at something, you are so sought after so people will literally fight for a spot.

so, dare i ask, what do YOU think is your best creation up until now?

I think my personal fave would be "Waltz of the Spirits" or "Myre". Both I adore deeply and am most proud of :]

don't be afraid of that price. I would say it is money well spent. i would have expected the cost to be higher $400-500 us dollars.

That's why I always throw in a pound or two extra for his work. Dude tte last time I wrote a short story I did it to Foxx Amoore's My World. I wrote over 13 pages.

Do you think it's too late for someone who's in their early twenties to pick up music and start learning, after never having touched it in their lives aside from a silly choir class for two years? :o

It's never too late to start :] Even as a hobby, music is a very rewarding experience. I cannot suggest enough that everyone tries it at least once. Whether it's playing Piano, joining a choir, or getting yourself a music program and play around with beats and sounds.

Hehe, well good thing you mentioned a music program, since that's pretty much all I use when I do end up trying to play with music x3 Thank you though, it helps to be told these things :3

I started writing music when I was 18ish. But some 12 years ago I stopped. I feel now that it was the single most stupid thing I could do. Hearing Fox Amoore's music gave me the inspiration to start again.

I will probably never be the quality he is, I only have 4-5 hours pr week to do music, but writing music, no matter the quality, is a great experience *OvO*

hearing his stuff is definitely inspiring x3 there are also quite a few great vocalists here that make me want to sing again :3

Never too late. I started at 18 and I'm doing things I couldn't even imagine today. That was only 3 years ago.
A friend of mine started at 45 and she's playing Chopin's etude after 7 years of piano.

Never too late. Never. It only takes motivation, and as foxamoore always says, if you enjoy it, if you LOVE every sound you take out of your instrument, you'll spend hours on it, and hours, and hours, and definitely you'll get very skilled.

And thank you for your input as well. Seeing other people accomplish something is the easiest way to motivate me, so your two examples really help :3

Keep in mind that music must be your pleasure. Maybe even your reason to live. If so, you'll be a pro in no time. Also, don't get stuck in one single type while your mind and ear isn't formatted yet :P
I've been stuck from the beggining and started to get out of my shitty way of playing only this year, means I lost 2 years over 3.

Also, depending on your instrument of choice, I can give you great books to learn the techniques.

I'm likely to learn guitar and keyboard first since I already own both (steel and nylon acoustic guitars and an entry level keyboard) i intended to take classes but school got to be too much, so I had to stop :x

Would you still play piano if you Transformed into a fox??

I would certainly try :] Hopefully my fingers would still be intact!

*turns your hands into feralpaws MWUAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!!*

... as in... https://www.furaffinity.net/view/4725473/

Oh boy... Time to work out the Black notes a bit more 8D

I've seen this so many times before! Lol

Do you have any favorite poets?
( if you're interested in horror movies, David Skal's done some good books on them :3 )

I actually don't have much knowledge on poetry. One person I do read a lot about though is a poet from my home country called Robert Burns, or "Rabbie burns" as some call him. He's done some very inspiring work :]

What's you onion on Vassilis Konstantinos "Basil" Poledouris? The guy did wonderful soundtrack work, in my opinion.

Opinion

If I remember correctly.. He did Robocop, Free Willy etc. I love his work and I'm not ashamed to admit I have the Free Willy soundtrack >.>; He's a very underrated composer.

Here the basic Rundown from IMDB:
2000 Cecil B. DeMented

2000 If These Walls Could Talk 2 (TV movie)

1999 For Love of the Game

1999 Kimberly

1999 Mickey Blue Eyes

1998 Les Misérables

1997 Starship Troopers

1997 Switchback

1997/I Breakdown

1996 Amanda

1996 The War at Home

1996 Celtic Pride

1996 It's My Party

1995 Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home

1995 Under Siege 2: Dark Territory

1994 The Jungle Book

1994 Lassie

1994 Serial Mom

1994 On Deadly Ground

1993 Free Willy

1993 Hot Shots! Part Deux

1993 RoboCop 3

1992 Wind

1992 Ned Blessing: The True Story of My Life (TV movie)

1991 Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man

1991 Return to the Blue Lagoon

1991/I White Fang

1991 Flight of the Intruder

1990 Quigley Down Under

1990 The Hunt for Red October

1989 Wired

1989 Lonesome Dove (TV mini-series)
– Return (1989)
– The Plains (1989)
– On the Trail (1989)
– Leaving (1989)

1989 Farewell to the King

1988 Split Decisions

1988 Spellbinder

1988 Intrigue (TV movie)

1987 Cherry 2000

1987 No Man's Land

1987 RoboCop

1987 Island Sons (TV movie)

1987 Prison for Children (TV movie)

1987 Amerika (TV mini-series)

1985-1986 The Twilight Zone (TV series)
– Profile in Silver/Button, Button (1986) (segment "Profile in Silver")
– Monsters!/A Small Talent for War/A Matter of Minutes (1986) (segment 'Monsters!')
– Examination Day/A Message from Charity (1985)

1986 Iron Eagle

1985 Misfits of Science (TV series)
– Your Place or Mayan (1985)
– Deep Freeze (Pilot) (1985)

1985 Flesh+Blood

1985 Alfred Hitchcock Presents (TV series)
– Pilot (1985)

1984 Protocol

1984 Single Bars, Single Women (TV movie)

1984 Red Dawn

1984 American Journeys (documentary short)

1984 Conan the Destroyer

1984 Making the Grade

1984 Amazons (TV movie)

1984 The House of God

1983 Flyers (documentary short)

1983 Behold Hawaii (documentary short)

1982 Summer Lovers

1982 Conan the Barbarian

1981 Fire on the Mountain (TV movie)

1981 A Whale for the Killing (TV movie)

1980 The Blue Lagoon

1979 Dolphin (documentary)

1978 Big Wednesday

1977 Tintorera: Killer Shark

1976 The Magic Rolling Board (documentary short)

1974 But Jack Was a Good Driver (short)

1973 Extreme Close-Up

1973 Hollywood 90028

1972 By Map and Compass (short)

1971 The Cell: Part One (documentary short)

1971 Congratulations, It's a Boy! (TV movie)

1970 The Reversal of Richard Sun

1970 The Interview (TV movie)

Whew. Too bad he passed away tho.

If I took a fursuit made to appear as say - some generic fox/wolf /dog thing - and wanted to fill it with cheese-whiz

how much cheese-wiz would I need?

If all the holes were plugged? If they weren't, it'd keep leaking so it would need ENDLESS cheese wiz.

ok, if plugged then

How does a fox change a lightbulb?

We ask someone else. So we don't hurt our cute paws :3

Will you every give us the honor of listening to your singing?

ever* x3 Sorry

At what age did you stumble upon furries or become one?

Come to a convention i'm at... Or a gig... I sing there all the time. Online as Fox Amoore... who knows, maybe one day :]

But...but... I'm in Argentina! x333 Will you visit Argentina as part of some kind of tour or something? :3!

I *would* love to visit Argentina some day. I have friends there I would love to meet ^^

Do you think it would be possible to spin some smut into music, without having any vocals?

Hmmm... I suppose you could have instruments to simulate certain things in it. In's and outs could be crescendo diminuedno, climaxes to crescendos as well. There's probably loads of techniques to try and would be quite an interesting challenge :3

What movie, out of all, do you wish you had been asked to do the soundtrack for? OvO

"The Fox and the child" :]

I must see that movie. We skipped it, since it was only in french, subtitled to Norwegian, and thats no good for Swannie *OvO* Must find an english subtitled or dubbed version, I guess.

Have you ever tried making an older style piece. Kind of like a John Williams type of style?

Funnily enough John Williams isn't such a huge influence on my work, though some of the soundtracks he's done are breathtaking. In terms of older styles, I once did an old Western soundtrack piece. With Harmonica, solo violin and some usage of old fashioned vintage mics. It was a nice experience :]

Oh that sounds cool. Is it posted here on FA?

Sadly not. It was a private commission :)

As a musician, what do you think about modern genres like dubstep, techno, electronic etc ? Do you consider them to be "real music" or "noise" ?

In terms of creating it, it's not hugely my thing, but thats just personal preference. I consider it a different genre of music and I can respect and admire it, because sometimes creating good sounds in that genre can be quite demanding. I do enjoy listening to it from time to time as well, depending on my mood! As such I would consider it a form of real music, but that's just my opinion :]

"Mr. Gershwin, music is music"
_Alban Berg, to George Gershwin

Given how emotionally strong your music is, where do you find your muse to make great emotional songs like "Rain"?

I take a lot of my inspiration from nature and the world around me. Also from artistic pieces (Rain for example). A lot of my work can be influenced from things like forests, stars, animals etc.

That question btw was for hafequine. For some reason it won't let me respond directly to their comment xD *flails*

haha, okay

Woo-hoo! You rocks!

Here's my questions: Do you use Kontakt? If yes, what libraries do you use usually?

Thanks! :3

I certainly use Kontakt, it's a very powerful and awesome tool. I use a lot of stuff from Native Instruments, there's really far too many to list. I also use East West and Vienna Symphonic Library too :]

Thanks for taking some of your spare time answering our questions! Why don't you open an IAMA in reddit? It would be nice!

any tips for a pianist trying to write their own composition for the first time?

Find something that inspires you... Like an image, or a thought, or even another piece of music. Think of that image or idea and play a few notes... See what happens and let me know how you get on :]

I'm having trouble finding something that inspires me, but i've gotten a little into it. at first I was trying to play something really low pitched, but I couldn't figure it out. thanks!

Dude, could it be that you're somehow bored? xD
I though about goin' out again with you guys together at EF to get smth between the teeth - interested?
An' still, will you stop bsssing aroun' with your finger? xP

I am bored :P

*grin* Sure! If I can get the time it'd be nice to catch up :]

Sounds great - I'm sure we get time. You know me ;)

Howver back to topic:
A fan from Austria ( a friend of mine)
asked if she ever makes a film, if you'd compose the music for it.

Of course! Tell her to contact me anytime!

This let's me ask if there's any other way to get on your nerves beside FA ;)
Second: would ya accept if I'll contact you?

Sure! My contact stuff is on my profile page. Skype etc :]

Is there a particular musician, singer or composer that served as a major influence for you? :)

The composer Thomas Newman for one. Jordan Rudess the keyboardist as well, also Chopin. :]

I wanted to make a comment more then a question, also perhaps a bit of approval and admiration.

Soundtracks, are the new composures of our century. I'm a very big fan of classical pieces, but, frankly any real listener has heard them all before. Where do we turn to hear new orchestrations? Well, it's always been my theory that the great composures of our past did such works for two reasons, one, because music was something they were quite adept at, and two, for recognition and fame/money - It's my firm belief that if we had Mozart's and Chopin's today, they would be composing for film/television, because frankly that's 'where the action's at'. So if you want to hear real pieces of exceptional work, one only needs to turn to an OST from some work which the artist in question was given free reign to create.

Even as I write this, I'm currently listening to the OST to 'Robin Hood' by Marc Streitenfeld in 2010. It's /brilliant/ - I've never seen the movie and yet the orchestration alone tells such an amazing story in sound. I've always held such a great respect for such composers, using only instruments, being able to impart such emotion with such handicap. Bands with singers don't understand how easy they've got it.

I've got a personal collection of over 200gb of soundtracks, and it's constantly growing every day.

I simply wanted to say, thank you very much for the work you do.

Thank you for the kind comments and support. It's great to see that people appreciate and admire this kind of music. :]

Do you like traveling around the world?

I get to meet amazing people, musicians and experience new cultures. I don't like it... I love it :]

When will ya finally visit me in Holland :)

Actually.. I'm heading back via car from Eurofurence, which means I think we would pass through Holland... So maybe something can be arranged ;)

What is your earliest memory of making music?

Who were your early influences?

What's the first song you remember learning?

(Thanks for the question and answer fun - looking forward to whatever's next!!)

My earliest memories are sitting on the floor with my tiny Casio keyboard that could play 4 notes at a time, and I would play my own melodies. I think I was 4 or something x)

Early influence I say would be Chopin, I used to teach myself his work.

The first song I ever learned was... oh gosh.. *thinks*... Twinkle litte star?

Twinkle little star aww... I learned to play that one in xylophone

Aww hehee. It's an adorable lil song :]

The first I remember was "Little Pony", although Mum always said she put me in lessons when she realised I was playing actual songs by ear while other kids were just banging on the keys. :)

my first was a Casio.

didn't see if anyone else asked this; what's your favorite instrument to play and why? :3

Definitely Piano ^^ I guess it was just a natural thing for me when I was younger. I wouldn't stop playing it and I would get eventually dragged away. This was on a Piano at my Grandmothers, which I later inherited... And still have and use to this day :]

(kinda figured)*hehe*

but hey! that's awesome! What kinda piano? And how old is it? ^^

What do you think about the music Thomas J. Bergersen creates on his own as well as with Two Steps from Hell?

Hmmm... Could you link me some of his own work? I could look up Youtube but it'd be cool if you could pick your favorite for me to listen to! ^^

Hard to tell a favourite out of those. I think this might be a good pointer http://youtu.be/7LtnLVRvypw otherwise browse whatever you think might be interesting here http://www.youtube.com/user/TwoStep.....heMusic/videos

About the infinite amount of notes, waves, and all... Well, yeah, that is true, but there's the problem of our range of hearing. We, as humans, are very limited to certain notes, tones and volumes... Also, with time (aging), we lose more and more our range of hearing of high-pitched notes or very deep ones.

Note: That is in the case of HEAR the sound... we can still feel the sweet vibrations of each note, no matter what tone, volume, or long it is. Just like Beethoven did hehe

You have an amazing following, and probably have a your share of creepers after you for one reason or another. How is it that you, unlike many artists of your level of fame, keep your ideals in order?

I've never actually had many problems with "creepers" (except when I try and build stuff in Minecraft ;D ). It's not really a question I can fairly answer since every artist has their own personality. I guess I just be myself and make sure nothing ever changes that. My listeners put me in the position I'm in, and that's to be respected by me.

That brings me to a question too, will ya play minecraft with me?

Same here: mc.omgwtfhax.info Is my server of choice!

nah got my own private server :) with tekkit on it too, is much more fun.

Sure! Maybe sometime soon :3

If you could have any one superpower, what would it be and why?

Also, why did you pick Fox Amoore as the name of your fursona?

To change the weather I'd say. Weather often inspires me. Having a nice thunderstorm or lovely clear starry night at the flick of my fingers would be epic :]

Amoore is a sort of modified spelling of my real name, which goes back distantly to France, Italy etc. It pretty much means "Love." Since I love Foxes, I made the name pretty simple. Fox Love ... Fox Amoore. :]

That's a very good name from what I've seen of you. :)

Since I can speak both Spanish and English, I kinda knew that was what you where going for. So Foxxy, do you know Zorro Re from Argentina?

Second: Would you be able to make a soundtrack to a death scene where a character of mine is being transfigured into his immortal body by his own father. A track that says: " Let go my son, and come home(to heaven) with me"?
I know your not taking commissions now but maybe in the future.

[If my previous comment went through, please disregard it. I wrote something that was a very embarrassing mistake.]

I would like to ask something like, "How do you compose such exquisite music and have each piece sound unique," but it's a process I could never understand no matter what the explanation is. Even if I learned how to play the notes, I could never actually make music. So instead here's something to think about.

Do you realize that as a music composer, you're working with the infinite? Considering all the notes, frequencies, wave forms, distortions, reverberations, sliding scales, different ways to make a sound, tempos, intensities/volumes, and all the combinations of putting everything together in chords and accompaniments, there truly are infinite ways of creating a piece of music. And of all the infinite pieces, you're able to pull out sounds that are truly beautiful pieces of music, taking something that's only inside your mind and putting it in a form that everyone can hear and appreciate in the same way. You have my greatest admiration.

No problem :) And that's what I love about music. You can look at all the fine details, or the simplest things that put it together. And in any combination, you can create an infinite number of things. Music can evoke such imagery and emotion, it's a unique language to everyone.

[Lol--- you deleted your comment when I replied, so I don't know if the notification arrived to you, so I re-reply your comment]
About the infinite amount of notes, waves, and all... Well, yeah, that is true, but there's the problem of our range of hearing. We, as humans, are very limited to certain notes, tones and volumes... Also, with time (aging), we lose more and more our range of hearing of high-pitched notes or very deep ones.

Note: That is in the case of HEAR the sound... we can still feel the sweet vibrations of each note, no matter what tone, volume, or long it is. Just like Beethoven did hehe

Are you open for future projects?

Always! Can't promise I can do it, but i'm always eager to know about them and if I can get time and feel I would enjoy it, I would do it :3

Hmmm. Interesting. I shall pm with more details on what I'm working on. Is that okay?

Of course!

Sent!

How busy has your life gotten to be after producing music became a full time gig for you?

Usually very busy. Though I get certain times where it's a bit lighter and I can focus on my own ideas (like now). The busiest times are at the weekend when I work with bands.

I see. I'm just trying to get a feel for what I'm in for. XD I'm going to college in a few weeks and majoring in Music Production and Recording Tech, and I was just curious. :)

Oh cool! I wish you all the best for your studies! I hope you enjoy it! :]

Thank you very much! ^^

where is your avatar from?

from the anime FLCL. it's awesome! :D

the avatar looked intriguing, so I'm definitely going to check it out :)

you definitely won't be disappointed. it's only six episodes and very goofy and epic! :D

Do you love me? Now that I can dance?
(sorry, feeling silly :) )

Dance dance dance! :D

*does a little soft-paw, then grabs you for a waltz*

Will have to get you here so you can try some Scottish Country Dancing ;D You'll love the Strip the Willow lol.

Oh wow it's been ages since I've seen any of that - let ALONE try it!
Tell you what, we'll dance the dance if we can sing the song (some good 'ol timey drinkin songs. THOSE are the best.)

What is your style? How did you develop it? (I play keyboards/pianos too! :D )

I always hope to have my own style, since I'm mostly self taught. I do enjoy always making the Piano prominent in my pieces so that's kinda developed into my style a little. And yay! Nice to meet another Piano and Keyboard player :D

Yeah, your OWN style is what actually counts. It is unique, unlike anyone else's.

Do you ever think of approaching a movie industry with your music? You have amazingly gorgeous music, and you are very talented. I think your music would fir with a lot of deeper, and sometimes more whimsical movies. Instrumental music can set the scene of an entire movie, and I think yours definitely could do that for a lot of films.

I think once I feel i'm ready to approach the bigger companies I will. At the moment I enjoy having the artistic freedom to work with my own ideas. If Pixar though were to approach me though... I doubt i'd say no x)

Oh my goodness, I know. Their movies (especially Up and Brave) have such powerful music in them <3
I know someday your talents will grace the theaters! Be sure to let us all know when it happens!

...I got shy. Couldn't come up with a question ...

Aww *hugs* You can get a hug instead then 8D

can I have a hug too? 8D

*hugs back* Awww...thank you, Fox ~!

How does someone like me, who is a nobody, go about getting his work listened to by strangers?

I compose videogame and film music, and anytime I release a project, my biggest hurdle is just getting people to sit down and just listen to it. I've tried networking with other musicians (on FA and other venues), I tweet and facebook and youtube the crap out of my work, I've even begged folks to just listen to my stuff. It usually ends up with a "Oh, I promise I'll listen later" and then I never hear from them again.

I've always dreamed of composing music for a living, but if I can't even catch interest, that'll never happen, and I don't know what I'm doing wrong. Maybe I'm going about networking the wrong way, or maybe my music just sucks ass, but I'll never know because I can't get any feedback about anything I'm doing unless i chain them down to a chair. :(

Any advice?

Although i should say I've had the most success on FA, I've got a few followers who do liste, and I'm super appreciative of them. <3

It's quite a tricky one to give a good answer to since I can't really speak for the people that go around doing the listening. For me it was interacting, trying to post on a fairly regular basis. Things like Twitter and Facebook are definitely important. Though like a lot of the music industry, to get to the top places it requires a good deal of "who you know" and luck. I definitely wouldn't say it sucks, don't think that for a second. At the end of the day it's about bettering yourself, focusing on what you enjoy doing. You might just find people will sooner or later following you, whether you intentionally meant that or not :]

what sort of music have you been listening to lately? anything new? :D

Been listening to a lot of Seal actually, including his new album. It's amazing how his style has developed :] And you?

Interesting! I haven't heard his new stuff, but Kiss from a Rose will always be a favorite :P I'll have to give something new a listen :3

Lately? Hmm... TV on the Radio and Aesop Rock for the most part lately. Aesop Rock has a new album coming out that I can't wait to get :D

To which demon did you sell your soul to be so awesome?

I'm not sure... I was probably drunk at the time x)

What would be the best way to learn to start composing orchestra songs? And are there any free programs you know of out there that would be good for recommending?
In the metal band I'm in, we want to use them and incorporate them into our songs for an interesting effect - much like Kamelot, Nightwish, Rhapsody of Fire, Epica, ETC.

I'm currently lead vocals and one of the bassists (we have 2 bassists, still trying to figure that out x3), but since we're having a little trouble finding an orchestral composer, I thought to volunteer as one.

I appreciate any input you've got on that c:

Thats so awesome you want to get into Orchestral work :3

In terms of programs, if you want to get a lot out of it, you might have no choice but to spend some money. You could get older versions of Cubase (like SX3 for example) very very cheaply, or totally free, but you'll need decent sounds too. Do you have a keyboard at all? :)

I do not unfortunately D: I used to, but I gave it away sometime ago to my roommate out in Austin as a gift to him for being awesome. I'll definitely look into older versions of Cubase then :o I'm going to be attending college soon, hopefully getting into the Northern Arizona University School of Music.

Awesome ^^ Let me know how you get on with looking for Cubase, I'll be glad to help.

Thanks! :D

Not sure if it was asked, since this is officially a balls awful long thread, but yeah. Need an experienced Scottish Bagpiper?

Oh gosh yes! Send me a note with your contact details, email or chat messenger!

Can do! -dances around happily-

Ever had a job opportunity in music? What's your current job?
Also, why a boxer shorts fox

Music is my job. I both compose and play Piano professionally. My current musical job is a private hire commission and some band work this weekend ^^

I guess I like boxers... They're stylish, especially when black

is that your dream job? :3

It is ^^ I'm living the dream.

that's amazing, congrats!!

You have a Dell PC right? Precision workstation?

I use a custom built PC from pcspecialist.co.uk ^^ They've always served me well! I have a dell laptop though!

Have you ever thought about doing this?:

http://faildesk.net/2012/02/07/dude.....getting-adele/

I introduced my mom to your music last year, and she was curious to know where you were from

Regards to your mom from me :)

I'm from Scotland. A small town called Dalgety Bay, in a county called Fife, which is just across the water from Edinburgh, the capital.

Why is it your music is so soothing and wonderful? Even some of the more harder themes have a has type of soothing feeling to it. :3

Hehee x) I guess it's the style i've developed and my method of writing!

Well I love what you are doing, and can't wait for more,
Do you do commissions or take requests?

Thanks! And generally it's commissions (but trying to reduce the amount now). Though if you want to make requests, feel free to. If I like it and have the time, I might just do it! :]

Sweetness :3 I'll send you a note. And if a spot on either side opens up let me know :3

Who are the top five musicians/musical groups you'd like to meet in person (living or dead)

I would have loved to have met:

1) The Beatles at their peak
2) The entire Queen lineup
3) Iron Maiden
4) Thomas Newman
5) Hans Zimmer

Nice choices.

Okay, if you could write amusical theme to any book, which would you choose, why, and what style would you use?

I would go with The Hobbit. Even though it's coming out as a film already I would have chosen this. I must have read it a dozen times when I was younger, I loved it so much. I would have gone with a Skyrim like style for the theme, something rich in fantasy and adventure.

That's kinda spooky coincidence because, right at his exact moment, I am listening to a lord of the rings medley X3

That sounds intense. I'm a huge fan of that kind music.

Okay, I have one last question. Can you play/emulate the Ocarina?

Ooh thats cool :) LOTR music is amazing.

I have a great Emulator of it, however one day I would like to get a real one and learn it :)

Yeah it is 'w' The medley I'm listening to is a cover by Lindsey Stirling, who kick all kinds of ass on the violin 'w'

Cool. I'd like to learn to play as well, but I have no money to get a decent one X3

I'm not sure how to phrase this question coherently, but what are your thoughts on the ability of the human mind to process and understand music? I can understand how hominids evolved to use vocal tones to express emotion to one another, and eventually that led to music as a form of art. But music in recent human history is so mathematically complex and abstract, and yet people are well capable of appreciating it. Why do you think our minds are so fine-tuned to recognize even simple sounds as music?

I think even though that technology is taking a lot of control everywhere, deep down people still have the primal emotions that music can influence. For me *personally*, when I listen to music that has had emotion put into it, I can definitely "Feel" it in my body, like it's transferring those emotions over. Ultimately like math, it's a way of communication both ancient and primal... So who knows, maybe thats a reason why we are so fine-tuned to recognize it... It's in our blood :]

Our cognitive abilities are so amazing. People should realize how phenomenally superpowered we humans really are.

why fox? )
you seen close one for inspire?
meet with one real as little child?

I remember seeing one when very young and was fascinated ever since :) When I was at confuzzled I got to hold one for the very first time. I wrote a song about it called "Inspire" :3

That sweet!
So not was close to fox before that?

I work with rescue fox, and they are amazing one. The 2012 kits are amazing, never get bore any of them. It is great see people around love them so well like I do!
I love your music. You do great songs.

I would have many question, but so hard english... not know how ask ((

Thank you for the kind comments and I appreciate your support. Thats so great you get to work with Foxes!

You know... I honestly can't recall o.o I don't think so though, mine don't tend to go unnoticed lol

What suggestions would you have for someone who is interested in creating their own music? Haha I play trumpet, a little piano, and I'm in the process of teaching myself how to play the guitar. :) Hooray for music!

Hmm! What style of music or genre were you looking at doing? If you can play Trumpet and Piano, would you try perhaps writing some Orchestral or Jazz pieces? :)

I would probably try to do more orchestral related to music. I love jazz but orchestral music can just convey so much to the listener.

*ignore the /to/ before music.

In that case then you could save up some money and invest in a reasonably good sequencer and get a starter Orchestra library (Garritan for instance). :3

OH? Around how much is that?

You could probably get Garritan for around $150. I'd recommend getting a midi keyboard as well so you can "perform" some of the patches it has to offer. I suggest saving up a few hundred and you'll have a great starting point :]

Haha alright, thanks. :)

1) What are some of your favorite albums or artists of all time?

2) How many separate instruments can you play?

3) What is the hardest instrument for you to play?

1) Artists would be Thomas Newman and Iron Maiden (though I have lots of other faves too.) One album that I love in particular is Revolver, by the Beatles :3

2) I can play Piano, Guitar, Tin Whistle, a bit of Bass and I can sing.

3) I often find the guitar a bit awkward as i'm very used to pressing down keys. When I go from playing Piano to a steel stringed guitar for example, it can often cause blisters because my fingers aren't used to it.

I've heard many of your collabs with the very talented vocalists here on FA which are fantastic!!! How do you obtain their vocals for the projects? Also do you do your own mastering? If so your mixes and levels are very bright and clear!

They perform the parts for me after I send them a guide track. They then send me their vocals as a raw effectless .wav, usually by drop box. I then place their vocal into the main mix in my sequencer, then apply any effects, EQ's or mixing as required :]

How much potential do you see in me as a musician?

Well... Let me ask you a question... When you write or play an instrument, do you enjoy it? :3

Of course I do, even when I don't necessarily feel like writing music I still enjoy playing on my keyboard.

Then I see plenty of potential in you ^^ *hugs*

Full of true, may contains traces of WIN ! XD

Have you ever thought of doing music tutorials to help aspiring musicians? If you've already done some (or know of some good ones), where might they be found?

It's not something i've often considered but maybe one day I could create some tips and techniques. I always find myself learning new things too though :]

1. Will your first album be available for digital download?

2. Will you release more stuff for iTunes?

3. Would you come to America for any cons? Which ones?

1. I'm reworking the first album and should be available in September. First as CD then later as a Digital Download :)

2. Most likely yes. When though I cannot be certain.

3. Hopefully soon I can attend an American con :] Have so many people I want to meet.

My choral conductor often referred to Bach's "Mass in B Minor" as her "desert island piece." If you stuck on a desert island and could only have one piece or collection of music to occupy your time, what would it be?

Awesome question... And a very difficult one to answer. I guess the best of Thomas Newman. It would keep me relaxed 8D

have you been approached to compose for a Soundtrack to a movie other than the one you DID do?

A couple of times, but not huge budget ones. I almost always turn them down as it has to be something I'll enjoy doing, as well as sustain me financially. Bitter Lake felt different because I felt like being part of a great project in the Fandom and I wanted to be a part of it :)

You use choirs in some of your songs, even you make them say the lyrics. Is that this kind of VST plugin, or something real?