That was a wonderfully personal video mate. It certainly helps to love what you are doing, something I've learned to my detriment unfortunately but I can appreciate the sentiment. Honesty is a great thing
You could be writing my story here. Extreme bullying at school, to the extent that I left at 16 in fear for my life. Yet I managed to get a master’s, then a PhD from Cambridge, and spent a decade working at NASA. I very much recognize the inner drive to stick two fingers up at the world.
That's nothing. I can school Nobel Laureate Dr. Paul Krugman on macro economics all equipped with a cellphone and Google search. I'm smarter than that goofball.
You perfectly described the implications of bullying! Been going through this self-discovery myself as of late. Also it’s pretty amazing that you can turn that negative energy from childhood and transform it to an endless fire of ”I’m gonna show them”. Stay safe Christian, love from sweden!
I was saying to someone at an event at Spitfire HQ the other night how much I loved your generosity of spirit and how I wished there were nurturing characters like you when I was coming up as a muso. More power to your elbow and let's hope that your message gets through to the dinosaurs that are still out there.
So glad the lead in wasn't that you had to step away from doing your vlogs! Getting help is wise. I can totally relate to the bullying and the geographical -- been there, survived, and thriving. You can appreciate it all more when you've had to struggle for it, I think. Your candor is one of the reasons I subscribed. Thank you for all you do, the inspiration, and I'm looking forward to whatever comes next. : )
I know exactly what you are saying. I've been bullied all my life, with the consequent huge reduction in self worth. When I became a successful sound designer I finally felt worthwhile and therefore threw myself into my work. The more work, the better. And working in the performing arts you always had a deadline. And I loved it. And when I got to working eighteen hour days before a show, followed by a couple of hours in the pub with the cast and crew, followed by four hour sleep and the same again, I thrived on it. A devised show featuring one hundred dancers who were rehearsing across the East coast of my country that needed 70 minutes of music in seven weeks finally broke me. That was eight years ago. I haven't taken a large show since. And a month ago I finally retired at the age of 53. Stressed out, burnt out and broken, I have a million personal projects I want to complete. I've completely upgraded my studio to do this. And I can't even face the computer. It taunts me from the corner of the room. The thing that made me, the thing I dedicated my life to, the thing that has been my greatest love, and my greatest passion, is now a cause for anxiety and regret. A cautionary tale from you Christian that is as vital as it is timely for any young composer who likes to believe that throwing work at everything will just make it work. We ain't machines.
Very interesting and personal advice and also very inspirational keep up the great work it’s a strange world we live in at the moment especially in this industry The bigger and more successful people become They will always be people that want to bring you down when basically all we are doing is composing music just carry on doing what you love doing and all the best for the future
Christian, I cannot put into words how much your work has inspired me and my work. And I am pretty convinced that what came out of your sacrifices and ordeals has inspired *so many* others. We owe you.
I feel your pain on the bullying, as I too went through that as a kid. I also grew up very poor, where in my dad had to receive welfare so we could eat. I remember being embarrassed at my cheap clothing...which brought on further bullying. I'm 50 now, so it is long behind me, but I always feel bad when I see others go through it. I'm glad that you used your past bullying to your advantage now as a very successful businessman. :)
the last 3 months I've finally started writing at the level ive wanted to for years, ive always been a bed at 12 guy keeping my life good and organised and balanced. something happened one night i felt ultra inspired and for the first time in my 40 years i stayed up all night and the next and i was like a salivating beast just laying tracks down for around 37 hours, i finished that session with something that I'm greatly proud of, years of feeling inadequate and disconnected from my self because i knew that deep within my i was dying because i hadn't written anything or worked hard on anything for over a decade, so watching this world of youtube often left me deep down feeling jealous and a bit shit as i knew i should be creating too, its what im here for! so my point is in my case living balanced for years brought no balance to my creative life, and just being a bit of a beast of the night and not worrying about what others think finally brought me home, ive written 2 songs in 11 years n in the last 3 months ive written 6 and i guess im on the way to an album, the gratitude i feel is hard to explain, i finally can except myself again, BUT THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT TRAUMA BROUGHT ME HERE, SPOT ON CHRISTIAN, THANKYOU FOR INSPIRING ME MATE!!!
We really appreciate these videos, I hope you'll find an editor and don't stress much in the future!! Story time!!! I got very obsessed producing my first orchestral track (come kid you know that..epic trailer style) and before I know I lost sleep . so when i said it's finished, I was listening and i was proud and the arrangement made me feel all that i wanted to make someone feel when listening. Later I got disappointed, when I send it to a more experienced composer he actually roasted me. That made me tick kinda . after that i was losing sleep to make it perfect and I had this session and a friend was listening when I was taking some stems from the previous version of that track to include them in the new one, he shouts "THAT'S DOPE" and i was like f this! I returned to the previous version and I'm a happy man now.
Self imposed stress (I'm convinced,as there is no history in my family) opened the door to fighting with stage 4 cancer. 2010 is my lost year,as it was mostly spent in hospital...coming out of that,I have lived every second to the fullest...but have had to self-moderate. These day's,instead of working a 50 hr week with minimal sleep,I take as much time away from projects as I do working on them.....and it's only a good thing in every way. Cheers
When we run ourselves to the ground with work, it's usually doing something we highly enjoy doing. I would say that anything to do with music would fall into that cat so it's prob no wonder you burn at both ends. Although I would also say that when you get to the level that you have with Spitfire, there is nothing wrong with getting other people to run things as you have earnt that in the amount of initial work you and Paul put into the co. and the reason why the co. is doing so well is because the products are highly regarded in that music business. My view on what you said :)
Thanks for this Christian. I’m always overworking. Never been able to find a balance that works for me. Its always either way too much, or not enough. Congrats to the winner btw. I was reasonably close, but guessing someone will have nailed it bang on.
Well with a RAM footprint like that compared to my other libraries (far beyond that), I am certainly buying the BBCSO Library next month :D Thanks Christian, excellent video
Great video! I used to do the workaholic thing. For years I would start work at 4:00am and work through the day. I didn't get paid any extra. I didn't get thanked for the extra effort. I was disposed of when the companies I worked for hit a road bump. I am not retired and adjusting is not easy. As I have said before, I really love your videos. Keep up the good work but please don't kill yourself in the process. As for the competition: I was miles out!!!!!!!!!
Brain hemorrhage at 25 and ticking like every moment is is your last. Love all the panache you continue to lend through the screen. My guess was a little less than a GB off but it’s on the wishlist inviting a copious amount of music licensing to come through by November. But I definitely need to fix this roof from this house I purchased in Detroit first.
Getting out and about is vital for Vitamin D levels, as I've just found out from a recent blood test. I too have become obsessed with video editing, music production, and using a mobile phone to learn new skills. While it may seem wise to stay inside working away to progress, it's not good for anyone's health at all. You have the right frame of mind walking the hills, getting exposure to sunlight whilst getting exercise from it too. My question to you would be: "Have you ever made schoolboy errors while constantly churning out things?" I've made the ultimate schoolboy error of messing up my latest editing showreel with a flash cut not intended for it. Plus shoddy graphic editing to get a quick turnaround of it by just using the tools I have in FCPX. I'm gutted, and I have fallen from a great height as I suffer from the fall of failure, urging me to rethink my strategy, updating my NLE application in order to keep up with current trends stops me because of that very thing you call code red! If I update to the latest operating system, will it f**k everything up for me!
I think that bullying can lead us to bully ourselves, without realising it. Some advice / a comment from someone you trust can work wonders in terms of you starting to unpick this. When you feel that you don't need to prove yourself to the bullies [real or in your perception] then I think that you've cracked it - without killing yourself in the process.
Couldn't agree more Christian - it took me way too long to realize the impact lack of sleep was having on my life. I'm not perfect now either, but at least when I do it, I know what I'm doing, and try my best to avoid it. By the way, in case anyone hasn't seen Andy Blaney's BBCSO demonstration, Spitfire have just put up a screen flow of it on their TH-cam channel (check out the flat version - link in the notes) - it's absolutely incredible. The library can't come soon enough!!
I think you’re absolutely right there buddy! Work your ass off, but get some sleep and remember there is a balance. I’m off to go and drink coffee up a mountain too, while I’m on my break from transcribing!
Another insightful video CH. I just got back from a nice sight seeing tour and to put it bluntly, I could give a rat's ass if it helps my compositions. It sounds like a great idea to distribute the editing load now that you've learned how you like things done. Some lucky soul will get the benefit of all that "seat of the pants" learning you've obtained.
As soon as you said based in or around Edinburg i fell off the boat; building a nice ship nonetheless however. Appreciate your concern and insight Chief; Will be taken with 3 grains of salt.
In one way I am sorry to have guessed so wrong, but on the other hand it is great that the memory footprint is half of what I thought. About the “therape”, I have followed your vlog while writing a PhD and so much of what you say about composers is also true for academics. I have forgotten how many nights I have skipped sleep all together because I have prepared a presentation or finishing a paper/chapter. It gets harder every time and I keep thinking that I am too old to keep it up. Will try to do better.
It’s a myth that all you need is a good idea. The world is full of people with good ideas who never managed to get beyond the idea itself. The secret to success is sustained hard work over time, resilience to failure, commitment to developing the personal and interpersonal skill/tool sets of your chosen craft; and the adoption of a state of “constant learning” - ... Oh yes. And luck, whatever that is...? Willingness to do early starts and work late is illustrative of the above. Not just once, or now and again, but consistently. I’m not a fan of the fourteen hour work day but it’s a necessary and unavoidable part of successful execution. If you can get a refreshment break in every 2.5 hours or so, that’s obviously preferable. There are loads of people with “a good idea”. Few put in the necessary time, effort and repeated failure - with its commensurate disappointment - required to fashion a good idea into a successful idea. Ideas are cheap. It’s the time spent at work that counts. And whilst it’s true that you don’t need to hail from wealth; being of a privileged background definitely helps. You still need the talent and sustained hard work though without which money means nothing. Indeed, whilst Alfred Newman was not at all borne of means, he understood sustained hard work - he used to walk a ten mile round trip for piano lessons... Would the Newman dynasty have been such had it not been for Alfred Newman’s hard work? Likely not. This doesn’t diminish the tremendous talent and achievement of David or Thomas. When talent meets hard work, access and means; it is unstoppable. But certainly, the majority of the most successful UK2LA composer transplants are Private School alumni; which is of itself indicative of a particular cultural and economic background. And privileged background need not necessarily be constrained to financial privilege. John Williams, for example, had early privileged access - as a session pianist - to the Columbia Studio Orchestra during the Fifties. He had this privileged access through his Father who was a session percussionist. And it gave him contact with the likes of Miklos Rosza and subsequently early opportunities to arrange and then ghost write. Of course, there’s also a definite sense of entitlement behind financial “means” or privileged access which leads to a feeling that success is a birthright merely to be claimed. What financial means or privileged access can buy is time at the roulette wheel. When coming from means, one is not burdened by the opportunity cost of having to work hours on the checkout at Aldi that could be more fruitfully spent composing or networking. What means buys you is the right tool for the job. No. It is not decisive but should not be discounted. “Once you relieve people of debt and that preoccupation, it allows them to engage creatively on such a more meaningful level” - John Favreau What your videos show, Christian, consistently for me anyway, is the importance of sustained hard work over time. It’s normally when I run out of steam that I flick over to your You Tube channel to give me the pick me up to get back at it... And when I think of the success that Spitfire has had, it initially originates not from stumbling into some stuffy classical world... East West and Vienna smashed that bubble long before... Indeed I remember running orchestral samples produced by the likes of Peter Siedlaczek on my EMU hardware samplers before even GigaStudio was a thing. But; what Spitfire did, which was (!) remarkable, was to make creatively accessible the sound of the Hall at Air Lyndhurst coupled with AAA London players at a price point and via a medium that was globally scalable and eminently accessible. There was a point - for many of us - where the hall at AIR was like a mythical place sealed off from the rest of reality. I remember John Powell extolling to me this very reason for his adoption of Spitfire’s earliest “private” libraries. He could write with the same sound he was likely to ultimately record with and he couldn’t get that from any other sample library. And for me personally, over the years the appeal of Spitfire libraries is more potent when it is the niche - yes, someone’s love; but also ultimately their years and decades of hard work - being made available at a price I can justify. Whether it is the musicians (Dom’s band or the BBC) or a particular artist like Olafur... Sample libraries are the very essence and distillation of sustained hard work over everything else! 😊
Amazing opportunity for someone that... Sadly not got the chops for it. I hope a further expansion in some way or another in Edinburgh will be somewhere in the future (baby steps, I know...) I'd give my left kidney to be a part of it.
Thanks Christian, but how did you remove the unwanted articulations - from the video it appears it was a one click - off they go now. I cannot find any information on how to do this.
Ah, now this is what I like best about you and your channel Christian. "Thrapist"!?! That's absolutely perfect. I assume you've read "Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less" by McEeown? Basically outlines how 80-90% of things that want our time are meaningless and that we should always be struggling to spend our lives on the 20-10% that really matters. Rick is always saying that he can "out work" the other guy but in fact he does this well. He's really more "productive" than the other guy as well.
Burning the candle at both ends and staying up for several days in a row to meet project deadlines sure seemed easier when I was younger. I think most people who do that are going to reach a point where their bodies step in and set them straight on the need for sleep.
Your therapy is very welcome Christian (as is your swearing). It's difficult to manage time, especially when the creative process is very non linear (all too often it's 2 steps forward, 1 step back) and it involves a lot of experimentation and constant learning. Someone such as yourself demonstrates the level of craftsmanship that it's possible to achieve. But I wonder whether it's possible to achieve that without significant effort and the personal sacrifice that entails. Maybe you have to make the sacrifice to achieve the reward?
The Secret To Success? is having awesome dogs that makes everyone happy and live on the amazing Scotland.... "Simplicity is the final achievement." Written by Frederic Chopin
So let me get this straight as I've missed quite a bit. The plugin shows the total amount of memory used across an entire template, rather than per instance of said plugin? If so. That. Is. Amazing. So useful! I'm literally on the fence and that is swinging me very close to just buying!
Important to remember that all bullies are cowards - this has been and always will be true- unfortunately, some very negative things shape the path of our future-perhaps the ultimate revenge [if there is such a thing] is that these people helped nurture the drive that has brought you success and fame-as always, learn from this and en devour not to carry it with you-old wounds are always better left in the past-Peace Christian
Well, I had guessed 11.5 but few megabytes screwed me. Anyway that is a really low footprint for all the instrument and articulation loaded. I wonder on how much it would increase by adding 1 more mic.
Its a big sign you're a workaholic Christian when your meditative walk each day ends up as a very successful but time consuming youtube channel. Hope you get there with getting the balance right
Sounds like a nice job for someone - I wish I had a few more of the key skills that you are looking or, but I know I haven't (yet...). What sort of salary do you expect it to be at? It seems a little harsh to expect people to apply for a full-time permanent position with no indication whatsoever.
Hi please keep obsessing I am now on my third orchestral album. that would not have happened without Spitfire in general and you're help in particular. Many thanks. ps nowt gets done without someone obsessing - perhaps you should take on an obsession assistant to take the strain.....
Ah, I'm glad you're happy to split up the work of your YT channel. I see so many TH-camrs unhappy to do that and end up simply burning out. As much as I enjoy your content, I'd rather you be happy and healthy than burnt out. I assume you have a sort of workaholic personality that will end up finding something to fill your time in some way or another.
I would like to understand your need for someone to be permanently available anywhere. We have airplanes, video chat, slack channels, etc that enable people to work from literally anywhere at any time. I wonder if you limit yourself and the talent pool available by making arbitrary location a requirement. I’m in no way saying that location doesn’t matter, it does, but regular checkins in person in combination with all of the tools at hand really makes it easy to work together with colleagues.
“We are children who pretend to be grown ups.” Wonderfully poignant. This might explain why at the age of 33 I’ve yet to feel fully “adult.” To add to your point, sleep is the #1 way you can better your health immediately. So many studies on sleep suggest that to continue living life sleep deprived is actually robbing you of life. I find that as I grow older the necessity of 8 hours of sleep is crucial to my daily life. It impacts my work, my relationships and it’s been profound the difference from when I get adequate sleep to when I’m running on fumes. 100% something we all must strive to get on the daily!
The Brexit Reveal ."Valuable Copyrighted Creation?" Invest One Pounds or One Billion on Machinery+VAT and SPOTIFY still pay you the same amount in return. Spotify pays about $0.006 to the holder of music rights
I spent 30 years working 16-18 hours a day as a TV composer and record producer . What for? To make other people look and and sound good. Ridiculous. There's nowhere that says better music comes from longer hours, because I now believe the opposite is true.
Hmmm, 11.4 GB for all articulations. Serious question: Why in the heck do a composer need a Mac Pro 2019 then? At the WWDC 2019 the words "music production" have been used several times in the context with the Mac Pro 2019.
That was a wonderfully personal video mate. It certainly helps to love what you are doing, something I've learned to my detriment unfortunately but I can appreciate the sentiment. Honesty is a great thing
You could be writing my story here. Extreme bullying at school, to the extent that I left at 16 in fear for my life. Yet I managed to get a master’s, then a PhD from Cambridge, and spent a decade working at NASA. I very much recognize the inner drive to stick two fingers up at the world.
That's nothing. I can school Nobel Laureate Dr. Paul Krugman on macro economics all equipped with a cellphone and Google search. I'm smarter than that goofball.
You perfectly described the implications of bullying! Been going through this self-discovery myself as of late.
Also it’s pretty amazing that you can turn that negative energy from childhood and transform it to an endless fire of ”I’m gonna show them”. Stay safe Christian, love from sweden!
I was saying to someone at an event at Spitfire HQ the other night how much I loved your generosity of spirit and how I wished there were nurturing characters like you when I was coming up as a muso.
More power to your elbow and let's hope that your message gets through to the dinosaurs that are still out there.
Thanks for the therapizing and good advice. Good luck in your editor search!
So glad the lead in wasn't that you had to step away from doing your vlogs! Getting help is wise. I can totally relate to the bullying and the geographical -- been there, survived, and thriving. You can appreciate it all more when you've had to struggle for it, I think. Your candor is one of the reasons I subscribed. Thank you for all you do, the inspiration, and I'm looking forward to whatever comes next. : )
I know exactly what you are saying. I've been bullied all my life, with the consequent huge reduction in self worth. When I became a successful sound designer I finally felt worthwhile and therefore threw myself into my work. The more work, the better. And working in the performing arts you always had a deadline. And I loved it. And when I got to working eighteen hour days before a show, followed by a couple of hours in the pub with the cast and crew, followed by four hour sleep and the same again, I thrived on it. A devised show featuring one hundred dancers who were rehearsing across the East coast of my country that needed 70 minutes of music in seven weeks finally broke me. That was eight years ago. I haven't taken a large show since. And a month ago I finally retired at the age of 53. Stressed out, burnt out and broken, I have a million personal projects I want to complete. I've completely upgraded my studio to do this. And I can't even face the computer. It taunts me from the corner of the room. The thing that made me, the thing I dedicated my life to, the thing that has been my greatest love, and my greatest passion, is now a cause for anxiety and regret. A cautionary tale from you Christian that is as vital as it is timely for any young composer who likes to believe that throwing work at everything will just make it work. We ain't machines.
Very interesting and personal advice and also very inspirational keep up the great work it’s a strange world we live in at the moment especially in this industry The bigger and more successful people become They will always be people that want to bring you down when basically all we are doing is composing music just carry on doing what you love doing and all the best for the future
Christian, I cannot put into words how much your work has inspired me and my work. And I am pretty convinced that what came out of your sacrifices and ordeals has inspired *so many* others. We owe you.
“You just need to be brilliant with your imagination" 💯
I feel your pain on the bullying, as I too went through that as a kid. I also grew up very poor, where in my dad had to receive welfare so we could eat. I remember being embarrassed at my cheap clothing...which brought on further bullying. I'm 50 now, so it is long behind me, but I always feel bad when I see others go through it. I'm glad that you used your past bullying to your advantage now as a very successful businessman. :)
"We are children who pretend to be adults'.
Hallelujah. Amen.
Wonderful video, Christian. I'm trying to find a healthier balance again lately, and this is all helpful to hear.
the last 3 months I've finally started writing at the level ive wanted to for years, ive always been a bed at 12 guy keeping my life good and organised and balanced. something happened one night i felt ultra inspired and for the first time in my 40 years i stayed up all night and the next and i was like a salivating beast just laying tracks down for around 37 hours, i finished that session with something that I'm greatly proud of, years of feeling inadequate and disconnected from my self because i knew that deep within my i was dying because i hadn't written anything or worked hard on anything for over a decade, so watching this world of youtube often left me deep down feeling jealous and a bit shit as i knew i should be creating too, its what im here for! so my point is in my case living balanced for years brought no balance to my creative life, and just being a bit of a beast of the night and not worrying about what others think finally brought me home, ive written 2 songs in 11 years n in the last 3 months ive written 6 and i guess im on the way to an album, the gratitude i feel is hard to explain, i finally can except myself again, BUT THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT TRAUMA BROUGHT ME HERE, SPOT ON CHRISTIAN, THANKYOU FOR INSPIRING ME MATE!!!
We really appreciate these videos, I hope you'll find an editor and don't stress much in the future!! Story time!!! I got very obsessed producing my first orchestral track (come kid you know that..epic trailer style) and before I know I lost sleep . so when i said it's finished, I was listening and i was proud and the arrangement made me feel all that i wanted to make someone feel when listening. Later I got disappointed, when I send it to a more experienced composer he actually roasted me. That made me tick kinda . after that i was losing sleep to make it perfect and I had this session and a friend was listening when I was taking some stems from the previous version of that track to include them in the new one, he shouts "THAT'S DOPE" and i was like f this! I returned to the previous version and I'm a happy man now.
Self imposed stress (I'm convinced,as there is no history in my family) opened the door to fighting with stage 4 cancer. 2010 is my lost year,as it was mostly spent in hospital...coming out of that,I have lived every second to the fullest...but have had to self-moderate. These day's,instead of working a 50 hr week with minimal sleep,I take as much time away from projects as I do working on them.....and it's only a good thing in every way. Cheers
When we run ourselves to the ground with work, it's usually doing something we highly enjoy doing. I would say that anything to do with music would fall into that cat so it's prob no wonder you burn at both ends.
Although I would also say that when you get to the level that you have with Spitfire, there is nothing wrong with getting other people to run things as you have earnt that in the amount of initial work you and Paul put into the co. and the reason why the co. is doing so well is because the products are highly regarded in that music business.
My view on what you said :)
Thank you, a very honest video. Many of the things that you spoke about I recognise in myself and my own motivations, for better or for worse.
Thanks for this Christian. I’m always overworking. Never been able to find a balance that works for me. Its always either way too much, or not enough. Congrats to the winner btw. I was reasonably close, but guessing someone will have nailed it bang on.
Well with a RAM footprint like that compared to my other libraries (far beyond that), I am certainly buying the BBCSO Library next month :D Thanks Christian, excellent video
Christian, when you say "there's a lot of mental people at Spitfire", it makes me wish I could work there. I think I'd finally be in good company! 😀
Best ever. Thanks for the motivation. Highly appreciate this. Am inspired.
Oh man, wish I didn’t live across the pond, I’d love to help you out! Best of luck my friend! Hope to meet you next time you’re in NY!
Great video! I used to do the workaholic thing. For years I would start work at 4:00am and work through the day. I didn't get paid any extra. I didn't get thanked for the extra effort. I was disposed of when the companies I worked for hit a road bump. I am not retired and adjusting is not easy. As I have said before, I really love your videos. Keep up the good work but please don't kill yourself in the process.
As for the competition: I was miles out!!!!!!!!!
Brain hemorrhage at 25 and ticking like every moment is is your last. Love all the panache you continue to lend through the screen. My guess was a little less than a GB off but it’s on the wishlist inviting a copious amount of music licensing to come through by November. But I definitely need to fix this roof from this house I purchased in Detroit first.
Funny how your brilliant rambling went from giving me the felling OMG I can’t do composition , despite all the years making records, to maybe I can :)
Getting out and about is vital for Vitamin D levels, as I've just found out from a recent blood test. I too have become obsessed with video editing, music production, and using a mobile phone to learn new skills. While it may seem wise to stay inside working away to progress, it's not good for anyone's health at all. You have the right frame of mind walking the hills, getting exposure to sunlight whilst getting exercise from it too. My question to you would be: "Have you ever made schoolboy errors while constantly churning out things?" I've made the ultimate schoolboy error of messing up my latest editing showreel with a flash cut not intended for it. Plus shoddy graphic editing to get a quick turnaround of it by just using the tools I have in FCPX. I'm gutted, and I have fallen from a great height as I suffer from the fall of failure, urging me to rethink my strategy, updating my NLE application in order to keep up with current trends stops me because of that very thing you call code red! If I update to the latest operating system, will it f**k everything up for me!
I think that bullying can lead us to bully ourselves, without realising it. Some advice / a comment from someone you trust can work wonders in terms of you starting to unpick this. When you feel that you don't need to prove yourself to the bullies [real or in your perception] then I think that you've cracked it - without killing yourself in the process.
TaffmanGuyo said so much more eloquently than what I stumbled through!
Couldn't agree more Christian - it took me way too long to realize the impact lack of sleep was having on my life. I'm not perfect now either, but at least when I do it, I know what I'm doing, and try my best to avoid it. By the way, in case anyone hasn't seen Andy Blaney's BBCSO demonstration, Spitfire have just put up a screen flow of it on their TH-cam channel (check out the flat version - link in the notes) - it's absolutely incredible. The library can't come soon enough!!
I think you’re absolutely right there buddy! Work your ass off, but get some sleep and remember there is a balance. I’m off to go and drink coffee up a mountain too, while I’m on my break from transcribing!
Another insightful video CH. I just got back from a nice sight seeing tour and to put it bluntly, I could give a rat's ass if it helps my compositions. It sounds like a great idea to distribute the editing load now that you've learned how you like things done. Some lucky soul will get the benefit of all that "seat of the pants" learning you've obtained.
Great stuff Christian. Well done.
As soon as you said based in or around Edinburg i fell off the boat; building a nice ship nonetheless however. Appreciate your concern and insight Chief; Will be taken with 3 grains of salt.
lol i was way off :D congrats to the winner ;)
Christian Henson you are one extraordinary man!
Wonderfully inspirational m8!
As always, thank you for sharing the things. And damn it. If only I was based in Edinburgh.
In one way I am sorry to have guessed so wrong, but on the other hand it is great that the memory footprint is half of what I thought.
About the “therape”, I have followed your vlog while writing a PhD and so much of what you say about composers is also true for academics. I have forgotten how many nights I have skipped sleep all together because I have prepared a presentation or finishing a paper/chapter. It gets harder every time and I keep thinking that I am too old to keep it up. Will try to do better.
It’s a myth that all you need is a good idea. The world is full of people with good ideas who never managed to get beyond the idea itself.
The secret to success is sustained hard work over time, resilience to failure, commitment to developing the personal and interpersonal skill/tool sets of your chosen craft; and the adoption of a state of “constant learning” -
... Oh yes. And luck, whatever that is...?
Willingness to do early starts and work late is illustrative of the above. Not just once, or now and again, but consistently. I’m not a fan of the fourteen hour work day but it’s a necessary and unavoidable part of successful execution. If you can get a refreshment break in every 2.5 hours or so, that’s obviously preferable.
There are loads of people with “a good idea”. Few put in the necessary time, effort and repeated failure - with its commensurate disappointment - required to fashion a good idea into a successful idea. Ideas are cheap. It’s the time spent at work that counts.
And whilst it’s true that you don’t need to hail from wealth; being of a privileged background definitely helps.
You still need the talent and sustained hard work though without which money means nothing.
Indeed, whilst Alfred Newman was not at all borne of means, he understood sustained hard work - he used to walk a ten mile round trip for piano lessons... Would the Newman dynasty have been such had it not been for Alfred Newman’s hard work? Likely not. This doesn’t diminish the tremendous talent and achievement of David or Thomas. When talent meets hard work, access and means; it is unstoppable.
But certainly, the majority of the most successful UK2LA composer transplants are Private School alumni; which is of itself indicative of a particular cultural and economic background. And privileged background need not necessarily be constrained to financial privilege. John Williams, for example, had early privileged access - as a session pianist - to the Columbia Studio Orchestra during the Fifties. He had this privileged access through his Father who was a session percussionist. And it gave him contact with the likes of Miklos Rosza and subsequently early opportunities to arrange and then ghost write.
Of course, there’s also a definite sense of entitlement behind financial “means” or privileged access which leads to a feeling that success is a birthright merely to be claimed. What financial means or privileged access can buy is time at the roulette wheel. When coming from means, one is not burdened by the opportunity cost of having to work hours on the checkout at Aldi that could be more fruitfully spent composing or networking.
What means buys you is the right tool for the job.
No. It is not decisive but should not be discounted.
“Once you relieve people of debt and that preoccupation, it allows them to engage creatively on such a more meaningful level”
- John Favreau
What your videos show, Christian, consistently for me anyway, is the importance of sustained hard work over time. It’s normally when I run out of steam that I flick over to your You Tube channel to give me the pick me up to get back at it...
And when I think of the success that Spitfire has had, it initially originates not from stumbling into some stuffy classical world... East West and Vienna smashed that bubble long before... Indeed I remember running orchestral samples produced by the likes of Peter Siedlaczek on my EMU hardware samplers before even GigaStudio was a thing. But; what Spitfire did, which was (!) remarkable, was to make creatively accessible the sound of the Hall at Air Lyndhurst coupled with AAA London players at a price point and via a medium that was globally scalable and eminently accessible. There was a point - for many of us - where the hall at AIR was like a mythical place sealed off from the rest of reality. I remember John Powell extolling to me this very reason for his adoption of Spitfire’s earliest “private” libraries. He could write with the same sound he was likely to ultimately record with and he couldn’t get that from any other sample library.
And for me personally, over the years the appeal of Spitfire libraries is more potent when it is the niche - yes, someone’s love; but also ultimately their years and decades of hard work - being made available at a price I can justify. Whether it is the musicians (Dom’s band or the BBC) or a particular artist like Olafur... Sample libraries are the very essence and distillation of sustained hard work over everything else! 😊
Amazing opportunity for someone that... Sadly not got the chops for it. I hope a further expansion in some way or another in Edinburgh will be somewhere in the future (baby steps, I know...)
I'd give my left kidney to be a part of it.
Thanks Christian, but how did you remove the unwanted articulations - from the video it appears it was a one click - off they go now. I cannot find any information on how to do this.
Ah, now this is what I like best about you and your channel Christian. "Thrapist"!?! That's absolutely perfect. I assume you've read "Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less" by McEeown? Basically outlines how 80-90% of things that want our time are meaningless and that we should always be struggling to spend our lives on the 20-10% that really matters. Rick is always saying that he can "out work" the other guy but in fact he does this well. He's really more "productive" than the other guy as well.
Great advice 😀 I need to get out more. That’s my free therapy to myself
Burning the candle at both ends and staying up for several days in a row to meet project deadlines sure seemed easier when I was younger. I think most people who do that are going to reach a point where their bodies step in and set them straight on the need for sleep.
Thanks for this,... and all the other stuff!
Your therapy is very welcome Christian (as is your swearing). It's difficult to manage time, especially when the creative process is very non linear (all too often it's 2 steps forward, 1 step back) and it involves a lot of experimentation and constant learning. Someone such as yourself demonstrates the level of craftsmanship that it's possible to achieve. But I wonder whether it's possible to achieve that without significant effort and the personal sacrifice that entails. Maybe you have to make the sacrifice to achieve the reward?
Good stuff Mr Henson :)
The Secret To Success? is having awesome dogs that makes everyone happy and live on the amazing Scotland.... "Simplicity is the final achievement." Written by Frederic Chopin
but dogs don't know anything about money
@@captainvoluntaryistthestat3207 Dogs are good, money are not !
@@ivanklass1
Then give me all your money.
@@captainvoluntaryistthestat3207 I don't have any and very happy !!! ..LOL
So let me get this straight as I've missed quite a bit. The plugin shows the total amount of memory used across an entire template, rather than per instance of said plugin? If so. That. Is. Amazing. So useful! I'm literally on the fence and that is swinging me very close to just buying!
I’d move to Edinburgh from the US, but right now I have school to finish.
Bloody hell, I had 11.3! Christian, I can't remember what you said the prize was for second place? ;) Congrats to the winner and your lucky arsed DOB.
0:29 I misheard this as: alright, try not to pull off a 'Cliff Henson'
Ha ha ha!
Thanks for your candour. I find your dedication to Spitfire incredibly inspiring. Only obsession gets us where we want to go in the end.
Ps- Be careful Of Bruno- with a total of 3 subscribers he is a force to be reckoned with
Important to remember that all bullies are cowards - this has been and always will be true- unfortunately, some very negative things shape the path of our future-perhaps the ultimate revenge [if there is such a thing] is that these people helped nurture the drive that has brought you success and fame-as always, learn from this and en devour not to carry it with you-old wounds are always better left in the past-Peace Christian
Amazing how low the RAM usage is. Impressive! and goats to the winner
Just noticed. Meant "grats" not "goats". Not sure what Apples spell correction did there...
Well, I had guessed 11.5 but few megabytes screwed me. Anyway that is a really low footprint for all the instrument and articulation loaded. I wonder on how much it would increase by adding 1 more mic.
Its a big sign you're a workaholic Christian when your meditative walk each day ends up as a very successful but time consuming youtube channel. Hope you get there with getting the balance right
Sounds like a nice job for someone - I wish I had a few more of the key skills that you are looking or, but I know I haven't (yet...). What sort of salary do you expect it to be at? It seems a little harsh to expect people to apply for a full-time permanent position with no indication whatsoever.
Hi please keep obsessing I am now on my third orchestral album. that would not have happened without Spitfire in general and you're help in particular. Many thanks. ps nowt gets done without someone obsessing - perhaps you should take on an obsession assistant to take the strain.....
Ah, I'm glad you're happy to split up the work of your YT channel. I see so many TH-camrs unhappy to do that and end up simply burning out.
As much as I enjoy your content, I'd rather you be happy and healthy than burnt out.
I assume you have a sort of workaholic personality that will end up finding something to fill your time in some way or another.
I would like to understand your need for someone to be permanently available anywhere. We have airplanes, video chat, slack channels, etc that enable people to work from literally anywhere at any time. I wonder if you limit yourself and the talent pool available by making arbitrary location a requirement. I’m in no way saying that location doesn’t matter, it does, but regular checkins in person in combination with all of the tools at hand really makes it easy to work together with colleagues.
Would the assistant have to walk the dogs?
I was 3gb off... :(
11.4! I don’t think I had that. Lol.
“We are children who pretend to be grown ups.” Wonderfully poignant. This might explain why at the age of 33 I’ve yet to feel fully “adult.” To add to your point, sleep is the #1 way you can better your health immediately. So many studies on sleep suggest that to continue living life sleep deprived is actually robbing you of life. I find that as I grow older the necessity of 8 hours of sleep is crucial to my daily life. It impacts my work, my relationships and it’s been profound the difference from when I get adequate sleep to when I’m running on fumes. 100% something we all must strive to get on the daily!
Have you tried comparing the template with and without track stacks? I've found that havind stacks has a larger load on CPU
Fernando Franco I’m sure it does... next experiment is one track per artic (cracks fingers and goes in!).
I miss the swearing. Thanks for sharing again Christian.
I wish I would live where you live, Christian, just for the walks in nature.
I guessed 11.3Gb!! Never mind eh?...I'll just have to save more pennies! Congratulations to the winner, though :-)
Oof I guessed 11.2... Here's hoping that no one was closer!
11.3 :(
@@davidmcpoland5286 Nooooohh. I think at least we deserve a discount.
I said 11.8. I may or may not be crying right now
Holy crap I was one decimal point off (I put 25.1)!!
ADD makes me a Ther-rapist from time to time
The Brexit Reveal ."Valuable Copyrighted Creation?"
Invest One Pounds or One Billion on Machinery+VAT and
SPOTIFY still pay you the same amount in return.
Spotify pays about $0.006 to the holder of music rights
I spent 30 years working 16-18 hours a day as a TV composer and record producer . What for? To make other people look and and sound good. Ridiculous. There's nowhere that says better music comes from longer hours, because I now believe the opposite is true.
Hmmm, 11.4 GB for all articulations. Serious question: Why in the heck do a composer need a Mac Pro 2019 then? At the WWDC 2019 the words "music production" have been used several times in the context with the Mac Pro 2019.
ridgero I guess if you had all mics running in a Dolby atmos configuration that would be a different matter entirely!
Are you sure it wasn't from your wife? (kidding of course!)
Combined with the view, your way of speaking resembles Downtown Abbey (meant as a praise)
11.4! I don’t think I had that. Lol.