Posts by daviddas314341
Gershwin’s OTHER Rhapsody?
George Gershwin is best known for Rhapsody in Blue, his 1924 composition in which he brilliantly fused the worlds of jazz and classical music in a way that had never been done before. Rhapsody in Blue is a piece that transformed my life when I discovered and played it as a young teenager, and its…
Read MoreAllen v. Farrow
Allen v. Farrow is a look behind the years of sensational headlines to reveal the private story of the accusation of sexual abuse against Woody Allen involving, his 7-year-old daughter with Mia Farrow. This story gains new perspective now being retold in the #metoo era where allegations of this kind of assault are seen in…
Read MoreTo All the Boys: Always and Forever
I produced one song for the soundtrack of Netflix’s To All the Boys: Always and Forever, which released today on the streaming service. The featured song is All Right Now, a 1970 classic rock track by the English rock band Free. The twist on this production is that it needed to be a high school marching…
Read MoreIl Est Bel Et Bon
Pierre Passereau (1509-1547) was a Renaissance composer from France who specialized in light- hearted chansons. One of his favorite techniques was using nonsense language to imitate animals, which is vividly shown in this piece, Il est bel et bon, featuring a delightful staccato quasi-round that emulates clucking chickens. The frivolous text refers to two gossiping…
Read MoreThe Three Legs of a Successful Music Career
I was a guest on the Thumpmonks podcast, talking about my composing career, technical issues, and the role of social media in promotions. Host Brian Gocher and I had a lively conversation and it’s available in the Thumpmonks YouTube channel as well as other popular podcast destinations. From the podcast description: LA-based composer David Das…
Read MoreSuperhuman
Covid season has seen an explosion in virtual ensembles making music videos. I had long had this project in mind when I first discovered the K-Pop stars NCT 127 and their blockbuster hit Superhuman. (If you haven’t heard their electrifying version, here it is on YouTube.) Now, with the help of friends and collaborators across…
Read MoreBetter Call Saul, Narcos, Bloodline, The Get Down SFX
In the modern era, the lines between music, sound design, and sound effects can sometimes get increasingly blurred, and I’ve increasingly found that while working on one aspect of a project, it’s necessary to create elements that straddle the fence between the disciplines. I’m proud to have worked on sound design for some amazing shows:…
Read MoreOrb
Orb is a short experimental textural piece for strings, winds, and voices that I wrote abstractly, not with any particular picture in mind, but with a clear aural concept of immensely slow moving large-scale textures with infinite micro-variations within them.
Read MoreUltimate Kontakt Library Organizing
I have been a Native Instruments Kontakt user for almost twenty years, and in the course of time, I’ve amassed multi-terabytes of samples to load into Kontakt. Some are from commercial companies, other from indie developers, others from experiments, and others from my own studio kitchen. This has led to a lot of disorganization as…
Read MoreHow to Use Kontakt in Digital Performer
This quick tutorial shows the basics of using the Native Instruments Kontakt sampler inside MOTU’s Digital Performer (DP). I cover the process of adding the necessary tracks, loading instruments, recording two quick demo tracks, and balancing them in the mixer.
Read MoreSee You Yesterday
Netflix has just released their new spy-thriller film See You Yesterday. I was privileged to serve on the music team under composer Michael Abels. SYY is the story of two teen prodigies try to master the art of time travel, leading to a tragic police shooting which sends them on a series of dangerous trips to…
Read MoreJordan Peele’s Us
Jordan Peele’s eagerly anticipated follow up to his film debut (Get Out) came out this weekend, and Us looks like it’s going to be a groundbreaking film. I was privileged to serve on the music team under composer Michael Abels, who conceived a phenomenal score with a completely unique and spellbinding flavor. Even if you’re not…
Read MoreSeiko Jazz 2
Japanese superstar Seiko Matsuda just released her landmark new album Seiko Jazz 2, produced by multiple Grammy-winning producer, arranger, and performer Mervyn Warren. The album features 10 brand new arrangements of classic jazz and pop favorites. The project features lush orchestral arrangements, which I conducted, and also did some of the engineering and editing on…
Read MoreUnbanned: The Legend of AJ1
Director Dexton Deboree penned this exploration into the dynamic life of AJ1 from its unlikely origins to its role in disrupting NBA rules, birthing sneaker culture, and influencing a social and cultural revolution. This is the story of a shoe that changed the world. For this film, I worked on a delightful big band remake…
Read MoreMOTU and Digital Performer 10 at NAMM
At the 2019 NAMM Show in Anaheim, California, I gave composer demos of the brand new Digital Performer 10 by MOTU. MOTU is a decades-old company which has been an industry in the digital audio workstation field for a very long time, and they announced their brand new DP10 at the NAMM Show this year.…
Read MoreGame of Thrones S8 Trailer
Game of Thrones is all the rage these days, and some of my sound design work is featured in HBO’s brand new Game of Thrones trailer for season eight (“Crypts of Winterfell”)
Read MoreJeff Bowders: Mission
Drummer extraordinaire Jeff Bowders just released his latest rock drum album, Mission, and he and I collaborated on one song, Visions of Thingamuhjig. Visions was a very complex song to pull together, and it went through many iterations as a piano demo, then various approaches to orchestration, to the drum recording, to the guitar and…
Read MoreSuspiria
A darkness swirls at the center of a world-renowned dance company, one that will engulf the artistic director, an ambitious young dancer, and a grieving psychotherapist. Some will succumb to the nightmare. Others will finally wake up. I was privileged to contribute some background music to this Amazon Studios fantasy/horror/mystery film starring Chloë Grace Moretz,…
Read MoreA Score to Settle Podcast
I was recently interviewed by the podcast A Score to Settle, which is a podcast and blog about music composed for film and TV. The show notes are: In this episode, I am joined by talented composer, songwriter and music producer David Das. We talk about his background in studying music, arranging and composing and…
Read MoreOcean’s Eight
Every thriller needs a cumulative total of thousands of pieces of sound and music elements to complete the drama, and the latest installment in the series, Ocean’s Eight, is no exception. Starring Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, I’m privileged to have had a part in contributing sound design to this highly enjoyable movie. Here…
Read MoreHulu’s All Night
During an all-night, lock-in graduation party, a group of new grads will do whatever it takes to make their remaining high school dreams come true. But it’s not what you think. I got the chance to work on some background music for the pilot episode of Hulu’s All Night. Watch the trailer here:
Read MoreManhattan Transfer: The Junction
Ten-time Grammy award-winning vocal jazz group Manhattan Transfer just released their new album, The Junction. The group has been making music for forty-five years and has numerous accolades over its long and distinguished career. At the helm of this new project is five-time Grammy Award winner producer and arranger Mervyn Warren, and I was privileged…
Read MorePeter Rabbit
For this 2018 feature film adaptation of Beatrix Potter’s classic tale about a rebellious rabbit trying to sneak into a farmer’s vegetable garden, there’s a ton of comedy to go around. Somewhere in the midst of the rapid-fire comedic moments is an 80’s throwback to “Flashdance (What a Feeling),” and that’s where you’ll find me.…
Read MoreGinny Owens: Fly Away
In the midst of writing the score for the feature film Trafficked, I also produced and co-wrote a song with singer-songwriter Ginny Owens that was used in a crucial scene in the film. This song has made the 2018 Oscar shortlist for consideration, and we were also featured in a five-minute behind-the-scenes video showing how…
Read MoreLA to Vegas Promo
LA to Vegas is a new comedy show on FOX, and I produced the music for this promo piece featuring the dramatic meeting of Dylan McDermott and Dermot Mulroney in this parody of George Gershwin’s “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off.”
Read MoreTrafficked
Last year, slave traders made $100 billion. That’s more than Intel, Microsoft, Nike, Google, and Starbucks. Combined. I had the privilege of writing the score for the new feature film TRAFFICKED, including a new song “Fly Away” that is performed by and co-written with Ginny Owens. Human trafficking is an incredibly important human rights issue.…
Read MoreMark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down The White House
I have a lifelong fascination with espionage, starting with reading Peter Wright’s near-unbelievable autobiography Spycatcher when I was young. Today, I’m a big fan of the Espionage podcast, which has put a spotlight on retelling the stories of some of the most notorious spies throughout history. That ties in neatly with this new film entitled…
Read MoreRaising a Rukus Trailer
I wrote some of the music for this beautiful trailer for the brand new animated VR adventure, Raising a Rukus. For true 360° playback, you must use a supported browser like Chrome. The music I wrote begins at 0:37: Embark on a magical animated adventure from Academy Award winner and “Maleficent” director Robert Stromberg and…
Read MoreFunny or Die: How a Bill Becomes a Law
I had a blast producing and mixing the music for this new Funny or Die spoof of an old Schoolhouse Rock song/skit on How a Bill Becomes a Law: Trumpcare Edition. For this project, we were specifically trying to re-create the 70’s vibe of the original (witness the 4:3 aspect ratio). So in came 70’s…
Read MoreLike a Virgin (Trailer)
My longstanding friend Brandon Rogers and I worked on this new setting of the classic and provocative 80’s song by Madonna, putting it in an entirely new guise in the deep dark world of epic trailers. This massive hybrid production included massive drum kits, electric guitars, orchestra, choir, and a restrained production to guide the…
Read MoreGordon Ramsey’s The F Word
I got the chance to write some music both for Gordon Ramsey’s new The F Word show, and also for the promo video (seen below).
Read MoreOJ Howard: Rolling with the Rookies
“He wasn’t expecting any offers, and then a college powerhouse came calling. From growing up in the country to being a top prospect in the 2017 NFL Draft, OJ Howard was driven to be better.” I was privileged to write the music for this wonderfully moving long-form advertisement from Hyundai USA featuring OJ Howard.
Read MoreSung Outside the Prince’s Door
Edward MacDowell (December 18, 1860 – January 23, 1908) was an American composer and pianist from the late Romantic period. A New Yorker, best known for To a Wild Rose and his second piano concerto, MacDowell is not often performed and, some would say, now forgotten in the annals of music history. As a child,…
Read MoreGeneration Zapped Documentary
I had the opportunity to write some music for the brand new Generation Zapped documentary. Generation Zapped is an eye-opening documentary, which reveals that wireless technology poses serious health risks, from infertility to cancer. Through interviews with experts in science and public health, along with people who suffer from high sensitivity to wireless radiation, the film…
Read MoreThe Ultimate Guide to a Multi-Computer Kontakt Composer Setup
I got an overwhelming response to my long-form video called Orchestration Secrets from Star Wars, in which I methodically sequenced the first two pages of the Star Wars suite by John Williams into the computer using my large orchestral template. Many of the questions I received related to my setup and how I had such…
Read MoreMariah Carey: The Keys of Christmas
In this YouTube Red Original called The Keys of Christmas, DJ Khaled and Mariah Carey drop a holiday hater (Rudy Mancuso) into a mystical winter wonderland where an all-star cast of lyrical troublemakers show him the true meaning of Christmas. It was a blast to work on this project and not only write the underscore…
Read MoreOrchestration Secrets from Star Wars
In my work with the Academy of Scoring Arts, I’ve been leading lots of orchestration discussions on both film music scores and on classical music works, and as a professional exercise, one day I decided to sit down and sequence the first two pages of the Star Wars Suite by John Williams. What this means is:…
Read MoreRhett and Link’s Buddy System
Announcing Rhett and Link’s Buddy System, a new comedy show from the fine folks at YouTube Red! I had the privilege of writing the music for this show along with composer/guitarist Graham Fink. Rhett & Link are an Internet comedy duo from North Carolina. Self-styled as “Internetainers,”, they are known for their online viral videos, comedy songs,…
Read MoreHow John Williams Came Up With The Sound For Catch Me If You Can
At a recent meeting of the Academy of Scoring Arts, we spent a session dissecting the unique sound of John Williams’s unique 2002 jazz score to Catch Me If You Can. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score and the Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media. What follows is a brief video…
Read MoreNRDC Ad Council: Save the Food
I had the chance to write this off-kilter track for a Save the Food campaign, coordinated between the NRDC, Ad Council, Hope Street Group, and SaveTheFood.com. Did you know that 40% of all food in the U.S. is thrown away each year? Watch as two Michelin starred chef Josiah Citrin prepares a delicious gourmet meal…
Read MoreShort Ride in a Fast Machine: Orchestration Deconstruction
I recently joined the board of the Academy of Scoring Arts, a Los Angeles-based organization which works to advance the creative and technical process of scoring visual media by bringing together composers, filmmakers, audio engineers, and musicians to share knowledge through the production of educational programs and community events. At our last monthly LA Ravel…
Read MoreSkyLinkNet
I had the chance to work on this new commercial for SkyLinkNet with my friend and guitarist Michael Elsner. This promo shows how SkyLinkNet’s alarm system can be used seamlessly with the wonderful service IFTTT (If This Then That) to control a smart home. The SkylinkNet Connected Home Alarm/Alert System along with IFTTT recipes allows…
Read MoreFair Game with Brock Everett
The new Audience Network show Fair Game with Brock Everett has debuted, and I was privileged to write the theme music and some of the underscore for it.
Read MoreShunna Jones: Beautiful
I just finished producing and playing on Shunna Jones’s latest EP, entitled Beautiful. This is the second project I’ve worked on with Shunna, following her previous album, With God, from 2011. Shunna’s music is a blend of gospel, worship, R&B, and hip hop. Along with Shunna, it was great to work alongside Rahki (Eminem, Kendrick…
Read MoreSkylights: Adventure Trailers for Family and Fantasy
The new trailer music release in the SonicTremor line has just hit the airwaves. Skylights is a bold collection of twelve new pieces of music crafted for motion picture advertising specific to the genres of family, children, adventure, and fantasy. I co-wrote many of these pieces with Michael Elsner, and they span the stylistic gamut…
Read MoreMarriott’s Race Against Darkness Commercial
Exercise has helped blind paratriathalon champion, Beth White, cope with the challenges in her life and also take advantage of all the world has to offer. But this year in Chicago, she competed to show her children that anything is possible. Meet the White family to see what Beth’s strength and inspiration mean to them.…
Read MoreThe Story of God with Morgan Freeman
I’m pretty sure there aren’t many names that can be associated with a topic as massive as this, but Morgan Freeman would certainly be at the top of the list. IMDB summarizes the show in this way: “Morgan Freeman presents his quest in order to find how most religions perceive life after death, what different…
Read MoreCollegeHumor Skewers Donald Trump
loves pushing the boundaries, and in this highly unusual political season with a reality show star as a political candidate, it’s no surprise that CollegeHumor aims its sights squarely in the center of the hot topic of the day: Donald Trump. This holiday video, which I was privileged to produce the music for, is a parody of…
Read MoreFunny or Die’s Christmas Spot
The song of the season this year seems to be Frank Loesser’s classic from 1944, Baby It’s Cold Outside. Except, oddly, when you listen to the lyrics, they’re actually quite creepy. The folks from Funny or Die decided to tap this irony this Christmas season, and I produced the music for this “honest performance” of…
Read MoreNetworking MIDI in Mac OS X
Many people don’t know that Apple’s OS X includes built-in MIDI networking features, but it’s not well documented and therefore not widely used. It’s not hard to set up, though, and in this video, I document the step-by-step process to setting up MIDI networking between two computers. This recipe can be followed for any number…
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