The Shaman

YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/jonbrookscomposer

Website: http://www.jonbrooks.co.uk

This was one of the music demos I did in 2004 for my application to work at WASP Studios (Malaysia) where I held the position of Audio Consultant and In-House Composer for 6 years.  Below are the presentation notes I prepared for the interview of my thought processes and how I composed/produced the music to the visuals:

"The Shaman" Sony Vega

FIRST IMPRESSIONS:
- Even though it's a commercial, it's portrayed like a film.
- Visuals contained a dramatic sense of mood so it felt like the commercial demanded a dramatic, evolving musical score to reinforce and enhance the drama.

RESEARCH:
- After researching Shamanism and Far East Asian modes, my intention was to implement the pentatonic scale into the thematic development.
- Subsequently, after incorporating this into the creative process, i then realised the drama required a much darker tonality.
- I then decided to flavour an epic soundtrack style approach with oriental and ethnic instrumentation/influences - such as Chinese violins, Chinese Harps, Japanese Taiko Drums, Vietnamese Bells and ethnic Flutes. (As noted in the handout).
- This was to give the commercial a sense of time and space along with multi-cultural value.

COMPOSITIONAL PROCESS:
- First I worked out an appropriate click track to ensure I could highlight significant hit points.
- I began by setting the scene and mood by means of sound design and a dark musical timbre.
- After a relatively peaceful introduction, the pace of the drama picks up; therefore the soundtrack imitates.
- I planned to portray the Shamen as mystical. My inspiration came from his facial expression and gestures.  A subtle scraping on the Tam Tam (as he lifts the lid from the pot) marks the introduction to the Shamen's mystical powers.
- Reverb was added to the ethnic flutes to create an atmospheric sound when we see the clouds and moon.  This then leads to a menacing and suspenseful section highlighting the foreboding presence of the warrior.
- The suspense is built up by use of ostinato rhythmic devices, diminished 5ths, rasping trombones and other chromatic features.

- Subconsciously, for the the audience, I paid attention to specific hit points in order to get the message across that Sony Vega produces clear and precise images and sound.
- To concluded the commercial I conveyed Sony and their product with positive vibes by an unexpected, happy major modulation.

INSTRUMENTATION:
(XV-5080 Sound Module was used unless otherwise stated)

- Orchestral Reeds
- Ethno Flute (eLAB)
- Voyager Brass
- Trumpets
- Trombones (Project Sam)
- Zheng Harp (Ethno World 2)
- Wuhan Tam Tam (Ethno World 2)
- Timpani
- Percussion (Cymbals, Snare)
- Japanese Taiko Drum
- Vietnam Bells (Ethno World 2)
- Chinese Cymbal (Wizoo)
- Tubular Bells
- Xylophone
- St. Choir
- Gaohu (Ethno World 2)
- Erhu (Ethno World 2)
- XV Strings
- Violin Section Trills (Wizoo Strings)
- SFX (Various Sources)

YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/jonbrookscomposer

Website: http://www.jonbrooks.co.uk

Musical Machines - Cutting It

This music features recorded & sampled machines/equipment from my dad's factory that I captured in 2001. I edited & programmed the audio and added a few other instruments to create the music. It then became the musical corporate identity for the factory. Captured audio files included guillotines, compressors, sheeters, hammers, fork lift trucks, shutter doors, slitters etc.

G.B. Brooks Website: http://www.gbbrooks.co.uk
My YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/jonbrookscomposer

G.B. Brooks & Company was founded in 1973 by Mr. G.B. Brooks who is now retired. The company is now run by Mr. Clive Brooks and his highly-skilled team, who pride themselves in offering a reliable, quality cutting service. The company has expanded organically and offers a wide range of services. It has a reputation for its flexibility, dependability and ability to meet customer requirements, especially when it comes to adhering to agreed timescales. Continuous investment in machinery and equipment has led to increased efficiency and quality of work. We strive to maximise the yield from your material, and aim to recycle as much waste as possible, being conscious of our environmental responsibilities.

GUILLOTINING:
Depending upon the nature of the material, supplied sheets are guillotined to accurate dimensions and tolerances, with minimal variation in sheet sizes. Material supplied in lapped or roll form is pre-sheeted and if necessary allowed to naturalise. Products may be plain or printed and are packed suitably or as requested. We often sheet rolls of material into a stack (eg. PVC, paper) and then guillotine a small amount from each of the edges to ensure that a consistent size is achieved. In addition to cutting flexible materials, our large format machines are often used to guillotine printed display board to the specified size.

SHEETING/PANELLING:
Rolls of material are converted into sheets (to your specified length and width). For example, a roll of material may be sheeted to 1 metre lengths, and also cut in the width. We optimise the yield from your material by taking into account finished product dimensions, and the physical attributes of the supplied material (eg. elasticity, quality of winding). Unless requested otherwise, sheets are cut over-size and later guillotined.

INTERLEAVING:
Interleaving is the placing of a sheet of paper between two adjacent layers of material (usually plastics) to facilitate handling and to prevent sticking / blocking or scratching. In some cases, we would be unable to work with your material without interleaving it due to the tackiness of your product. We are able to provide paper for interleaving between the material you supply - this will usually be costed into your quotation.

SLITTING:
Some materials are slit and rewound simultaneously, as it may be inappropriate to use the log cutting method. There are a number of reasons why slitting and rewinding is sometimes the most appropriate alternative. The most common causes are damaged or wrong size cores, the material is wound too tightly, the roll has an uneven shape, and the cutting blade will bounce, the material is prone to excessive friction or heat build-up (causing welding).

COILING:
We use log cutting machines to cut through rolls of material whilst the roll remains in its fully-wound state. On occasions, we need to re-wind rolls onto a different size or type of core to that supplied to conform to the machines' specifications. If the core supplied is not capable of supporting the resulting coils, we may also need to rewind the material onto a stronger cardboard or polythene tube before it can be cut.

RE-REELING SERVICE:
Re-reeling involves the winding of a roll of material from one tube to another. The new core / tube could be of different size and/or type (cardboard, plastic). Materials are usually re-reeled so that they can be used by another machine that accepts a particular core size.

PUNCHING:
We are able to punch shapes out of various materials, and cutters are custom made to suit each job. The material you supply can be in roll form for us to sheet, or you can provide it ready sheeted for punching.

PACKING & DISPATCH:
Completed orders are packaged to meet your requirements, from individually wrapped to bulk packed on pallets. Depending on the product and dimensions of the finished goods, materials we commonly use as packaging include: Cardboard Boxes, Paper / Card, Adhesive tape, Cling Wrap / Shrink Wrap, Banding / Strapping, Banding Clips, Pallets, Wooden Battens, Corner Protectors. You can arrange for goods to be collected, or we can arrange for collection once the order has been completed. We have fork lift trucks to load and unload goods from vehicles.

Valentine's Day Video Message - I Love You

A Valentine's Day Music Video Message to send to your loved one on 14th February 2013. Send this youtube video message to your husband, wife, partner, boyfriend or girlfriend to show them how much you love and care for them. Some people assume that if they love another person, the other person is simply going to know this. That is not always the case. Your loved ones need to be told and shown that you love them to know for certain that you really do.

Music by Jon Brooks: "Contact" (© 2004 Jon Brooks)
YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/jonbrookscomposer

Website: http://www.jonbrooks.co.uk

Valentine's Day is celebrated on 14th February. It is a festival of romantic love and many people give cards, letters, flowers or presents to their spouse or partner. They may also arrange a romantic meal in a restaurant or night in a hotel. Common symbols of Valentine's Day are hearts, red roses and Cupid.

Many people celebrate their love for their partner by sending cards or letters, giving gifts or flowers and arranging meals in restaurants or romantic nights in hotels. People who would like to have a romantic relationship with somebody may use the occasion to make this known, often anonymously. Valentine's cards are often decorated with images of hearts, red roses or Cupid. Common Valentine's Day gifts are flowers chocolates, candy, lingerie and champagne or sparkling wine. However, some people use the occasion to present lavish gifts, such as jewelry. Many restaurants and hotels have special offers at this time. These can include romantic meals or weekend breaks.

The most common Valentine's Day symbols are the heart, particularly in reds and pinks, and pictures or models of Cupid. Cupid is usually portrayed as a small winged figure with a bow and arrow. In mythology, he uses his arrow to strike the hearts of people. People who have fallen in love are sometimes said to be 'struck by Cupid's arrow. Other symbols of Valentine's Day are couples in loving embraces and the gifts of flowers, chocolate, red roses and lingerie that couples often give each other.

Tell your loved ones that you love them often. So many people regret when their loved ones pass away and they cannot remember hearing or saying the words, "I love you," in recent years. Prevent this deep regret from happening in your relationships by specifically saying, "I love you," to the people you love.

Spend time with the people you love. Many people claim to love their friends, spouses or children but do not carve out time to spend with them. If you do not spend time with someone, you are communicating that they are not important to you. Loving someone means investing time in them.

Make your loved ones a priority in your life. If you love someone, then you will not shove that person to the bottom of your priority list. You will not cancel plans at the last minute to accommodate other priorities in your life or, worse, refuse to make plans because other parts of your life are always more important.

Invest in what someone you love cares about. For example, even if you have never had any interest in construction equipment, a parent who loves her son will take the time to learn about construction equipment because the child cares about it. If you want to show people how much you love them, then value what they value.

Make yourself vulnerable to the people you love. Part of loving another person involves opening up your heart and revealing who you really are. To show someone that you love him, you must be honest and open about who you are.

Accept your loved ones as they are. When you love someone, you do not try to change her. Instead, appreciate her for the unique and precious person she is.

Make sacrifices. Showing someone that you love him often comes with sacrifice. The needs of the person you love are more important than your wants. For example, a child's need to play outside with you overrides your desire to take a nap. In some cases, making painful decisions that are in the best interest of the one you love is the best way to show your love for him.

Commit to the people you love. Even when you do not feel loving toward someone, choose to stay invested. The feelings of love might ebb and flow, but your commitment is the glue that holds the relationship together and shows how much you love someone.

Chinese New Year - Happy and Prosperous New Year - Gong Xi Fa Cai

Wishing all my Chinese subscribers a Happy and Prosperous Chinese New Year - Gong Xi Fa Cai 新年快樂.  I composed and produced this Chinese music in Logic Pro.

YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/jonbrookscomposer

Please comment, like, share and subscribe. Thank you for your support!

This music is subject to copyright and is provided for demonstration purposes only. © 2010 Jon Brooks.

For additional information or more music, please visit my website: http://www.jonbrooks.co.uk

(As cited on Wikipedia)

"Chinese New Year is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. In China, it is known as "Spring Festival," the literal translation of the Chinese name 春節 (Pinyin: Chūnjié), since the spring season in Chinese calendar starts with lichun, the first solar term in a Chinese calendar year. It marks the end of the winter season, analogous to the Western Carnival. The festival begins on the first day of the first month (Chinese: 正月; pinyin: Zhēngyuè) in the traditional Chinese calendar and ends with Lantern Festival which is on the 15th day. Chinese New Year's Eve, a day where Chinese families gather for their annual reunion dinner, is known as Chúxī (除夕) or "Eve of the Passing Year." Because the Chinese calendar is lunisolar, the Chinese New Year is often referred to as the "Lunar New Year".

Chinese New Year is the longest and most important festivity in the Chinese calendar. The origin of Chinese New Year is itself centuries old and gains significance because of several myths and traditions. Chinese New Year is celebrated in countries and territories with significant Chinese populations, such as Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mauritius, Philippines, Vietnam, and also in Chinatowns elsewhere. Chinese New Year is considered a major holiday for the Chinese and has had influence on the lunar new year celebrations of its geographic neighbors.

Within China, regional customs and traditions concerning the celebration of the Chinese new year vary widely. People will pour out their money to buy presents, decoration, material, food, and clothing. It is also traditional for every family to thoroughly cleanse the house, in order to sweep away any ill-fortune and to make way for good incoming luck. Windows and doors will be decorated with red colour paper-cuts and couplets with popular themes of "good fortune" or "happiness", "wealth", and "longevity". On the Eve of Chinese New Year, supper is a feast with families. Food will include such items as pigs, ducks, chicken and sweet delicacies. The family will end the night with firecrackers. Early the next morning, children will greet their parents by wishing them a healthy and happy new year, and receive money in red paper envelopes. The Chinese New Year tradition is to reconcile, forget all grudges and sincerely wish peace and happiness for everyone.

Although the Chinese calendar traditionally does not use continuously numbered years, outside China its years are often numbered from the reign of the Yellow Emperor. But at least three different years numbered 1 are now used by various scholars, making the year beginning in 2012 CE the "Chinese Year" 4710, 4709, or 4649."

Chinese New Year 2013 CNY 2013 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015

Calming Music for Stress and Anxiety - "Seventh Heaven"

Seventh Heaven

Calming Music for Stress and Anxiety

Music by: Jon Brooks

Available as a digital download on peoplesproblems.org: www.peoplesproblems.org/buy_music.php

Add this calming new age music to your music collection and allow yourself some time to slow down; reduce stress and anxiety with this soothing, relaxing music.

"Seventh Heaven" is ideal for Meditation, Yoga, Mindfulness, Reiki Healing, Massage, Reflexology, and other relaxation techniques. It is highly effective at inducing sleep and can be used as a way to help your brain get into a meditative state. The slow tempo and musical structure encourages the heart rate and breathing to slow down. This calming music is even more effective if you can listen with headphones on. Use "Seventh Heaven" to help you combat negativity and a wide range of uncomfortable symptoms and sensations.

Whether you are suffering from crippling Generalized Anxiety, Relationship Problems, Panic Attacks, Depression, Adrenal Fatigue, PTSD, Agoraphobia or an Energy Disorder, you can take back control of your physical and emotional wellbeing; be kind to yourself. Give your sympathetic nervous system a break... your adrenal gland, hypothalamus and amygdala will thank you for it! This music was specifically composed and produced for empaths, highly sensitive people and those with a high emotional intelligence, to help find the inner strength to battle through difficult and traumatic situations.

Thousands of people have enjoyed and psychologically benefitted from "Seventh Heaven". Make sure you experience the whole music track. (It's a good idea to turn off your phone so you're not distracted). Sit down (or lie down), close your eyes, take a few deep breaths and concentrate on this beautiful music to clear your mind. Boost your mental health, be who you want to be, promote inner peace and heal your soul. Enjoy!

Track Duration: 4'42"

"Seventh Heaven" (Copyright 2012 Jon Brooks)

Seventh Heaven Testimonials

"I love it! Thank you so much. I was out of control earlier and on the edge of self-halming. I feel so much more calm. Thanks! xx :)"

"Thank you. I suffer from really bad panic attacks and this actually helped me today. Thank you."

"i have a big exam now. and my mom just don't get it. i'm tired stress and about to blew up, this song helps me relax :)"

"This just really helped me out a lot thank you so much i was about to have the "attack" and this just took my anxiety away much thanks given have a great holiday"

"this just helped me with some non-stop belching i've had for almost a year now?..every time i play this it stops but every time i stop playing it it comes back :-( but nevertheless at least i found a temporary way to briefly stop it thanks :-)"

"Helps me relax when i'm overwhelmed with school. Thank you very much."

"Beautifully done! This piece has really helped calm me down from stressful family today. Thank you."

"I recently got some nasty online hate and I have quite a bit of homework?? This seriously helped me to relax. Thank you. :)"

"This is great. i've an exam in two hours time and i'm very nervous. just playing this soothes me down a lot. thanks ((:"

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Animation Competition 2013 - Animator Opportunity

Dear Animators,

This is an exciting animation commission opportunity and competition for any animators that would like to produce the visuals for a fun, catchy song and humorous 2 minute music video.  If you know anyone that might be interested please share this with them.

ANIMATION STYLE:

There are very few limitations to the look and style of the animation; i believe in leaving some creative space for the animator to "do their thing". For example, this could end up being Hand Drawn, CG, 2D, 3D, Traditional, Flash, or Stop-Motion. It doesn't have to be complex either - as long as the visuals express the mood, lyrics, setting and characters of the song. You might draw on influences from Crazy Frog, The Duck Song, Wallace and Gromit, Pingu, Walt Disney, Tom and Jerry, Happy Feet or The Family Guy etc. Above all, this is supposed to be a fun project to work on and a nice way to experiment with creativity.

CHARACTERS, SETTING and THEME:

There are two main characters. (Separate audio tracks for each character are provided if you are able to lip sync.). Both characters are Penguins located in Antarctica. Fred is a small cheeky and cocky penguin whilst Uncle Bill is a big, old, perverted, smelly, scruffy, simple minded yet wealthy and extroverted penguin.  (The lyrics will also give you a feel for the characters, their expressions and the overall theme).  The main emphasis is on the difference in characters.  Uncle Bill has always called his nephew "Fred" - but that is NOT his name!  (Even though I have labeled him Fred in the downloadable files so things don't get too confusing).

No matter how many times the cheeky little Penguin tries to tell Uncle Bill that his name is not Fred - he is unable to get the message through to him!  Fred absolutely despises Uncle Bill and is agitated and frustrated by his Uncle's ignorance.  Fred's real name (if he needs one) could rhyme and be something like Ted, Red, Ned or Jed.  That's up to you!  You could class this as a humorous nonsense song - The music track revolves around Uncle Bill thinking his nephew is called Fred.

MUSIC:

I am a professional British Music Composer, I have a BA (Hons) Music degree and an MA in Film and Television Composition (London). I have performed for the Queen of England and written music for hundreds of international television commercials, numerous animation series and orchestrated music for game consoles. Clients and credits include: Coca Cola, Kidsco, Walt Disney, KFC, Mars, Sony, XBox and Panasonic. I currently have 2653 Youtube subscribers and over 1,504,209 video views. Please have a look at my website and Youtube channel for more information about me.

This is an excellent opportunity for a skilled animator, or enthusiastic student, looking for experience whilst adding invaluable content to their demo reel.  I have contacts in the film, television and audio industry - this will be great exposure; you never know who might see our work.

BUDGET:

The budget for this commission is small because it is self funded but the winner will receive full credit, exposure, use on their showreel and $80 (USD) or £50 (GBP) (or equivalent currency depending on the applicants country of residence and the exchange rate at the time of payment).

SUBMISSION DATE and RULES:

Submit animation on or before 1st April 2013. Please send a link to your submission via email. Please DO NOT send any large attachments. There are plenty of free sites that will host and store files for free (eg. Dropbox, Skydrive, YouSendIt etc.)

All animation visuals must be original material created by you and should not infringe on other publisher's content. The judging is based on originality and creativity in relation to the audio track and lyrics provided.

WINNER:

The winner will be notified and rewarded before the winning animation is uploaded on 8th April 2013 onto my Youtube Channel and shared on Facebook, Blogger, Twitter etc. with the synchronized music track.

You can have a look at some of my work on either my website or YouTube channel here:

http://www.jonbrooks.co.uk

http://www.youtube.com/jonbrookscomposer

DOWNLOAD LINK:

If you are interested, please find the download link here for the music and lyrics: https://skydrive.live.com/redir?resid=2B1B937B12AB05A0!213

I'm very excited about this project and the potential it has. Let your creativity thrive!

Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks and good luck with your submission!

Kind regards,

Jon

Epic Orchestral Music - Beyond (HD)

"Beyond" - Epic Orchestral Music - Higher Quality Version (HD).  I composed, orchestrated and programmed this orchestral epic music in Logic Pro using high quality multi-samples... and a lot of editing! :-)

Download on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/beyond-single/id824428705
Download on Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beyond/dp/B00IJ7RKQ8/ref=sr_1_1?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&qid=1416271622&sr=1-1&keywords=Jon+Brooks
Download on CDBaby: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/jonbrooks17
Download on Google: https://play.google.com/store/music/album/Jon_Brooks_Beyond?id=Btn4rwjynq2lsifgpnixezvf6rm&hl=en_GB

Please comment, like, share and subscribe.  Thanks.
Youtube Channel: www.youtube.com/jonbrookscomposer

This music is subject to copyright and is provided for demonstration purposes only. © 2009 Jon Brooks.

For additional information or more music, please visit my website: www.jonbrooks.co.uk

Stills images by Paul Bica (Creative Commons license).

BIOGRAPHY:
Born into a musical family, Jon started his training on the piano at the age of six, and then took up the French Horn two years later. Now, as a multi-instrumentalist, he plays mainly the Piano, French Horn and Trumpet.

In 1993, when he was twelve, Jon won first prize in a piano competition where he performed in Manchester on stage alongside Richard Clayderman. In 1996 he was awarded the 'Excellence through Achievement - Jonathan Donaghy and Emma McManus Memorial Trust Prize'. One year later, he took first prize, the Haydn Trophy, at Macclesfield Music Festival, performing Frank Bridge's 'Rosemary' on the piano.

Jon has performed at a variety of venues including the Royal Albert Hall, Barbican Hall, Bridgewater Hall, Kuala Lumpur's Twin Towers and at the Vatican, Rome. He also had the privilege of performing with Anita Sarawak, M. Nasir in Malaysia and for the Queen in London during her Jubilee Tour.

He began composing and orchestrating in his early teens, and almost immediately discovered that this was the career path he wanted to pursue. Jon continued his studies in Cambridge (Anglia Ruskin University), where he was elected student president of the music department. Relocating to Kingston University, London, he gained a Master's degree (with commendation) in Composition for Film and Television.

On completing his studies, Jon set up his own recording studio, working as a freelance composer in the UK before taking up a full-time position at Wasp Studios in Malaysia as an in-house composer/sound designer mainly composing and orchestrating for film, television, radio, TVC's, theatre, mobile devices and animation.

Jon composes in a great variety of different genres, from epic orchestral scores to dance music, from jazz to canto pop, from western classical to eastern and from children's music to experimental work. Though his creativity is versatile, his real forte leans towards dramatic orchestral film scores. His music is heavily influenced by a wide range of composers spanning from the 17th century to the present day.

As well as his excellent working knowledge of music/sound production on both Apple Mac and Windows, Jon also has in-depth and extensive knowledge of recording equipment, techniques, programming and associated technologies. He is equally well versed in composing/arranging for live instrumentalists - 'keeping it live' and in producing close renditions by utilising powerful software, precision editing and the highest quality audio samples. Jon frequently combines the two.

His research into the relationship between sound and emotions enables him to approach projects with sensitivity and awareness. The function of music and sound in all media is paramount to his work, from concept to realisation.

Jon's work has enabled him to travel abroad extensively, including Romania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Holland, France, Germany, Greece, Malaysia, Belgium, Austria and Italy as well as coast-to-coast in the United States.