Sound Design Portfolio:
Music Samples
Copyright RBI Sound 2020 Site Last Updated: 6/13/2021
These audio samples provide a representation of my original music
composition work as well as editing and manipulation of previously created
works to suit the needs of a production. All these samples are taken from
non-musical theatre productions. I would suggest listening to these samples
on as high a quality audio reproduction system as you have access to. Many
of these audio samples have been mixed down from their original multi-
channel audio file format to allow for stereo playback. During their original
production they likely would have multiple audio tracks played back
simultaneously. This practice allows for more three-dimensional audio
panning as well as the ability to match the timing of a performance more
closely with cue-based changes to a musical score.
Cock at Dobama Theatre (2013):
Cock is a play about a gay man who falls in love with a woman and the
complications that ensue with his current boyfriend and family. The director
of this production chose to create a setting reminiscent of a boxing ring. In
discussions with the director I came up with the idea of using the sounds of a
boxing fight bell and punching bags as the basis of an original music score. I
collected multiple samples for these sounds and then heavily processed
them to give them a more musical quality.
I have included three audio samples of original music for this production to
highlight the variety created for each transition. The first selection is from
the very top of the show and the second and third selections are short
transitional pieces between scenes.
Act 1 Opening Music
Music - Transition into Scene 1-6
Music - Transition into Scene 2-6
Hamlet at Chagrin Falls Performing Arts Academy:
This file is a mixdown of the audio for the appearances of King Hamlet’s
Ghost in a recent production of Hamlet. There is a background wind file that
played under the entire scene to denote the scene’s outdoor location. Prior
to the Ghost’s appearance there is an original musical underscore that
accompanies the entrance. This musical underscore is also utilized when
Horatio informs Hamlet of what he witnessed. The third part of this cue is a
droning whispering voice used only when the Ghost is on stage to heighten
the tension of the scene.
Audio Sample - King Hamlet’s Ghost Scene
Julius Caesar at Chagrin Falls Performing Arts Academy:
I have included two samples of original compositions created for a
production of Julius Caesar. The first sample is an original piece used to
underscore the scenes where Caesar’s ghost appears to Brutus. This
underscore was composed of multiple audio tracks allowing for it to
crescendo during the appearance with a tag at the end for the ghost to
retreat.
The second piece is music for the military battle. For this production the
fighting of the battle was stylized almost to the point of slow motion. The
purpose of this music cut was to augment the stylized blocking while also
providing a clear rhythm for the actors to follow.
Audio Sample - Caesar’s ghost
Audio Sample - battle underscore
Marie Antoinette at Dobama Theatre (2013):
This play is a mash-up of historical drama with modern pop culture. The
opulence of Marie Antoinette and the French Royal family is presented with a
mix of classical and modern pop music. For the early scenes of the show I
created edits of classical and pop music with added musical flourishes or
sounds to indicate the lavishness of her early married life. The director of
the play wanted to establish a light-hearted mood at the top of the play that
gradually grew darker as the piece progressed. The first selection here is a
musical cut from the opening of the show, which included choreography that
brought all the actors onto the stage and ended with the characters in the
first scene taking their seats on the button of the music. The two sources
used to create this piece are pre-recorded pieces of music, however they
were heavily edited and augmented to help set the scene and the stutter
effect which creates the tag of the music was original for the show.
The musical selections for Transitions number 5, 6, 7 and 8 demonstrate the
gradual downward progression of Marie’s life during the French revolution.
These are all original music cuts with sound effects as part of the score. All
these cues were timed with video projection within the show. The
projections told the story of events throughout the French revolution
through content that resembled modern day twitter feeds and news
headlines.
The final selection from this show, Transition number 12 is near the end of
Marie’s life during her trial and execution. The purpose of this piece was to
convey the chaos that her life had become following King Louis XVI’s
execution. This musical cut was created by taking existing sheet music and
creating original arrangements via synthesizers and detuning the music to
create a sense of anarchy.
Music - Opening Act 1
Music - Transition 5
Music - Transition 6
Music - Transition 7
Music - Transition 8
Music - Transition 12