Hey everyone! I just uploaded a brand new workshop to the classroom: the Trailer Music Workshop. This is a full 3.5 hour session where I build a trailer track from scratch in Cubase, explaining every single decision along the way. From the very first melodic idea all the way to the final master bus. Here's what's inside: 🎵 THE PRODUCTION PROCESS We go through the entire workflow step by step. Capturing ideas fast (I literally use my phone voice recorder), building the structure before writing a single note, and the toolbox approach that trailer editors actually want from us. I also talk about why one melodic idea is enough for a full trailer track and why most people overcomplicate things way too early. Then we get into instrumentation and arrangement. I walk through every library and plugin I use on the track, how I build drum layers from low booms to syncopated grooves to fills, how I write choir parts (women first, harmonize on chord tones, triplets for urgency), and how to create signature sounds that make your tracks stand out even though we all use the same libraries. Mixing and mastering happens while composing, not after. I show exactly how I use clippers on individual channels to save headroom, the multiband limiter setup on the master bus, and why minimal plugin chains beat overprocessing every time. 💰 THE BUSINESS SIDE I break down the two main income categories: sync fees and royalties. We talk about how to evaluate deals (hint: 30% of a company that places heavily can beat 100% of a catalog that sits on a shelf), why I personally focus on royalties over sync fees, and what you need to have in place before pitching to any company. 🎬 PREPARING YOUR DEMO REEL What to include, what to leave out, and why most demo reels get skipped in under 15 seconds. I keep this practical and honest. The workshop is $97 and you can find it right in the classroom.

Hi everyone🖤, I had a quick question for those of you who have experience with custom trailer works. I recently delivered a custom cue through a library for a big film project, and I was wondering what the typical timeline is to hear back from the client about whether the track has been selected or not. In your experience, how long does it usually take before you get a response? I imagine it can vary quite a bit depending on the project, but I’d be curious to hear what timelines you’ve typically encountered. Thanks in advance for any insights!!🙏🖤

I'm doing something I've never done in this format before. Today at 5:00 PM CET, I'm writing a complete trailer track from scratch, live, in 3 hours. Blank session to finished mix. Nothing pre-planned. Here's what we'll cover: → Track structure setup → Melody development from zero to a full theme → The sample libraries I recommend for trailer music → How to create signature sounds → Full production and arrangement in real time → Mixing techniques to make it sound release-ready General Admission: $197 Audio Artist Rise Members: $97 (please contact me for discount) I'm keeping the room small so I can actually interact with everyone and answer questions live. Replay is included if you can't make it live. 👉 Reserve My Spot 👈 Who's in?

Hi all, I have started composing orchestral music and want to produce an album of 10 songs. I have finished 2 songs with Cubase 15 Pro, the EastWestwood library (with Beyond the Storm template), and used plugins like Neutron, Ozone and Aurora reverb to create the modern trailer sound. I heard that my song sounded very orchestral, which is good, but I wanted to make it more "modern trailer like". However, I realized that this is hard and I have no experience as music engineer. So I need advice on how the setup all the usually plug ins, so that I can focus on "composing music", which is my strength and less on "mixing", which just is not my focus. I saw that Alex is offering a template for Cubase 14, which has all the plugins established. Is this template like very well organized so that I can focus on composing music, or is it a start and it would need a lot of tweaking per song? Would the plug ins from the template work with my available tools? Thanks a lot. Luka

Hey everyone! I'm trying something new here. I want to give you a quick recap of what we cover in our live coaching calls, so you can get the key insights even if you couldn't make it. Think of these posts as your cheat sheet for each session. Let me know in the comments if you find this helpful! If you're not part of Audio Artist Rise yet and posts like this make you curious about what we do in the live calls, check out the program. We do multiple live coaching sessions every week covering everything from trailer music production to game music careers, business strategy, and more. You can find all the details on the Audio Artist Rise page. Now let's get into it! 🎬 TRACK REVIEWS, HYBRID SCORING AND CHOIR LIBRARIES Here's your detailed breakdown of the February 10th coaching call. We covered a ton of ground on trailer music structure, layering techniques, choir libraries, game music workflows, and more. Whether you're working on epic hybrid tracks or ambient game scores, there's something here for you. 🎵 TRAILER MUSIC STRUCTURE AND TRANSITIONS The Empty Bar Problem One of the biggest structural issues in trailer music is how you handle transitions between sections. If you build tension with risers and then leave an empty bar with just a fade out, you're killing the momentum you worked so hard to create. The goal is always to build tension toward the next part. Solutions for strong transitions: - Add a proper riser that builds all the way to maximum dynamics - Use a full crescendo that actually resolves into the next section - If you want a gap or breathing space, make it intentional and brief (one beat, not multiple bars) - Let hits ring out naturally, but make sure the build before them is massive - Consider adding taiko rolls or other percussive elements to drive the build Three Act Structure (Actually Four) Technically, trailer tracks follow a three act structure, but in practice it's really four sections: