I was a member of the choir that performed on the Tron soundtrack. I was a music student at UCLA at the time and performing in the UCLA Chorus and Men’s Glee Club. They ended up taking all the different UCLA choral groups and combined them into one giant choir. We were recorded inside Royce Hall at UCLA. In the center of the auditorium they put a giant piece of plywood across the audience seats and then put all their recording and mixing equipment on top of it. We were all up on stage. I remember thinking, “What the hell is this weird dissonant stuff we’re singing? There aren’t even any words.” It was both a weird and awesome experience at the same time. Seeing it all come together on the big screen was really cool, because we had no idea how any of it was going to be used. However, it was sad to see that we were never listed on the end credits.
I have studied Carlos's Tron scoring too, previously. Her sophisticated compositional style is both original and inspirational and really highlights just how restricted much of contemporary electronic music is. Its is extremely rare for today's synthesists to be fluent in the harmonies, modulation techniques and free form phrasing she employs. There is infinite untapped potential for those prepared to study and eventually master these challenging aspects of music making when combining them with the novel sounds of modern synthesizers.
Yes, it flirts with dissonance, it has odd time signatures, it has very non-standard modulations.... it's so many things recent EDM is not. She makes it seem easy, but I don't think it is. There were a lot of big choices she made in this film, but she chose correctly each time. We accept this score. It becomes another character in the film. She was the perfect person at the perfect time with the perfect background and skills to bring what this film needed.
A perfect encapsulation of this is the the jarring contrast of the Tron 2 score by comparison. It uses such cliché chord progression as the main theme and in general Daft Punk did a musically much more simplistic job.
This is FANTASTIC. Thang you so much !!!. She is such a giant . I was lucky enough to talk to her on the phone for over an hour in 83 whilst I was in NYC. Lovely lady.
Phenomenal. Simply phenomenal. When you consider Carlos was writing code to help with music production as well as wrestling with composing, engineering and wrangling the other musicians and technologies of the time it’s a tribute to her astonishing talents. And Alex ye Gods man you’re a one person orchestra and sound track engineering studio too. Fascinating!
I know several commenters have shared similar experiences, but I also had to express my gratitude for this video (and encouragement for your upcoming Daft Punk take!) I was the perfect age as a kid when TRON hit theatres to have my mind absolutely blown by the visuals, story, music, SFX... and the toys, arcade video games etc. to follow. ☺ To this day I still have--and play--my original LP of the soundtrack. I cannot overstate how much of an influence it all had on me. Cheers for this fantastic tribute!
OG Tron was the first film I ever saw in the cinema in Surround - We went to the Odeon Leicester Square and it was mesmerising. A real checkpoint childhood memory. Also, for anyone interested, the Hideaway GDS sample library is in Kontakt format. You've done a fab job here.
This is SPECTACULAR. I've never seen another music exploration channel re-create the music as much or as completely as you have. And it goes such a long way in helping to demonstrate and express just how clever and captivating Wendy's compositions were. Absolutely beautiful video.
I was basically crying happy tears as you described the score and went through some of the cues... I believe I saw the film at the cinema together with my father and I was absolutely mesmerised by both the visuals, music and sounds, an unforgettable experience
Alex, as always a fantastic video and BONUS points for starting your Tron section with my absolute favourite melody from the Sea of Simulation - so haunting, especially coupled with the movie footage of the solar sailor being crept up on by Sark's cruiser. Like many sci fi films at the time, I had a copy on betamax that I'd mispend my teenage years playing again and again and again. For every time I watched Tron, I'd play that single sequence ten more times and the tune has stayed in my head ever since. I still whistle it from time to time, like a distopian version of a jolly tune. Maybe that's why most people give me a bit of distance as I stroll through town.
One of my favorite soundtracks from one of my favorite synthesizer players/composers. Just excellent. Thanks for making this video Alex, I've been waiting for this one
Alex, thank you for this. The music in TRON is underappreciated, to be sure, and I'm not the least surprised at everything that actually went into it. This video goes on my permanent bookmark list.
Oh man, right into my freaking veins. I LOVE the soundtrack to TRON, and Wendy is one of my musical hero's, such a talent. Thanks for covering this Alex!
Wow! After seeing almost endless uniformed commentary on both Carlos and her music, both online and off, this is a revelation. Sophisticated, intelligent, respectful, marvellous. Thank you.
There is a rare recording of Wendy discussing her methods. I believe it's called "On Synthesis". I have a digital copy of it and cherish it. It's somewhat hard to find out there. If you can... get it. Her knowledge is DEEP.
Thank you, as a Carlos completist, I have had that since it was released :) If you're interested in her work in non-octaval scales, I have done a few experiments in the area (but there are more sophisticated examples to be found online, as you may already be aware): ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-XDvopkdo7NY.htmlsi=H1kOQfbIS33Me949 @@Tyrell_Corp2019
@@Tyrell_Corp2019 pretty sure I ran across it on yoo toob at some point in the past - she's really a musician's musician and a nerd's nerd. She showed immeseley deep knowledge as you mentioned.. and of course she's an awesome cat mom - I seem to recall the wee beastie getting a bit of screen time in there.. :)
My God man, this was great!!❤ and let me just say that YOU are among the great electronic composers of your/our generation. Never discount your skills. Coincidentally listened to Tableux fully last night. Your day will come my friend! 😉
I love this! Very cool to see this movie highlighted. I had it as an audio story on casette tape when I was a kid and I have such fond memories of it, especially the sound effects.
Superb. Some of your finest playing I feel. Hats off. Really excellent stuff. Must have taken ages ! If it didn’t then hats off and I’ll eat that hat off the floor !
Outstanding work, Alex. Wendy deserves all the recognition we can muster. Like Bach, Chopin, and Beethoven, her work has so many layers and invites the listener to revisit again and again. Thank you for investing so much time to highlight why her work deserves appreciation. Peace.
Great effort @alexball! Thank you for your contributions to synth history! Your videos are not only informative… they compel us to get back on the keys. Cheers mate
Tron was a major, major film during my teenage years. It so affected my mind that I later programmed a light cycle game on the C64 (assembler, of course). I loved everything about the film. Wendy Carlos was a genius.
Massive kudos, too, to Dani Wilson for her epic work in restoring not only the Crumar GDS, but also many Synergys and even a Mulogix Slave32. All of these instruments are related, but only about 25 of the Mulogix Slave32 were ever made.
Thank you for making this excellent video! I’m not generally a fan of electronic music but Wendy’s Tron soundtrack is one of my favorites and I still often listen to it.
I'm that old that I went to cinema to see Tron when it came out. Loved the film and music in it but I never knew it was Wendy Carlos that composed it until now.
This is some of your best work mate. I love the movie and Wendy's score. This film made a massive impact on me as a young lad and effectively put me onto the path I followed in both technology and music. Thank you - your videos are a treat and every one of them seems better than the last!
Thank you Alex. I have loved the film 'Tron' since it came out and I watched it twice at my local cinema as a lad of 15 LOL I picked up the soundtrack album soon afterwards and played it endlessly! I am very familiar with the different movements and you do them justice in your short performances. I'd love to hear a complete album! Instant sub.
Funny you should say that, because she also went pretty deep into different temperaments and made music with many different sets of notes too! She's the eternal overachiever.
@@AlexBallMusic Yes, I know about that, and probably would have just assumed she did that here as well, until I saw you playing it on the standard keys :) My whole thought was more like "wow, even when she is not using a crazy temperament, she finds a way to make it sound totally unique." Thanks for your reply.
Great movie, great video breaking it down. The soundtrack really matched arcade video games music and sound effects of the period! I know, I was there lol
I remember telling my Mother back then that in the future, everyone will own a computer. It was movies like Tron that gave us that glimpse of the future.
As a teenager when this came out, I played the Tron coin op video game whenever I had the chance. The Scherzo reduction was used if you completed a level, and the main them was used in one of the levels where you are shooting robotic spiders. Oh the memories!
Thanks for this great video. One of my favorite movies and scores ever. I thought you did an excellent job of recreating the beautiful music. Wendy Carlos is a genius, and nothing but.
THIS VIDEO IS AWESOME, A-W-E-S-O-M-E, to the point of being moving! When I saw the notation of TRON SCHERZO (and when I watched you actually PLAY those magical notes) I could not help to start crying, having been Wendy Carlos' music in my ears since 1982, when I watched the movie at the theater for the first time. I was 14 years old… So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you! Hugs from Florence (Italy).
This video is EPIC!! Tron is to this day one of my all-time favorite films, having seen it at a young age in the late 80s and viewed it countless times since. Carlos' score is incredible, and your recreations were spot on!! I'm very happy I can now own this soundtrack on vinyl. Brings back so many memories. Thank you so much for the video!!
Super special, under-extolled score. Among many excellent things worth noting about it, I really appreciated the near-latin bass lines that wander underneath a lot of the score. So many influences and things going on, yet so cohesive and in service to the film. (I got it on vinyl in the 90s :D )
This is great! I've been a fan of Tron since I first heard of it in 1982, even though it took years for me to actually see it. My parents took me to see E.T. and nothing else that year despite my pleading. Now E.T. was great, but I was a computer nerd, and Tron is what I really wanted. I think I've been compensating ever since. I got the sound track on vinyl a few years ago, and listen at least once every month. Your breakdowns of the songs are great, thanks!
This was an amazing video. I have always enjoyed the music of Wendy Carlos, and the TRON movie series is an absolute favorite. Thank you for the time and effort put into this video.
I absolutely love that film and score. Watched it in a theatre upon release. And the first excerpt you play from the soundtrack is the second movement of Tron Scherzo, maybe my favourite part. It's so haunting.
Fantastic video. Wendy Carlos' Tron score was such a perfect fit for the visuals! It's been so cool to see how some of those iconic sound textures came to be. Thanks!
Thanks so much for that Alex! Extremely entertaining and educational. Loved it. Have been a huge fan of the movie since its release and the music is very special indeed. This is from an era when musician were doing fabulous soundtracks, before the ultimate evil took over nearly everything, a.k.a. Hans Z.....
The animations in this video are amazing! 😂😂 Seriously, this was a great video on one of my Top 5 movies…thanks for your time invested in ALL of this, start to finish!
Tron is one of my favorite movies ever. I was seven when it came out and the entire experience of the film had a great impact, especially the music. The combined effect of the sounds and music of this movie shaped the way I hear many things now. Excellent work here, as always. I really enjoy this channel and your soundtrack breakdowns are always great. Cool drawings, too! Cheers!
Your synth videos are always top-notch, Alex! Back in the late 2000's, I uploaded on RU-vid my own incomplete cover of the Tron Scherzo (made with the KORG DS-10 app for my Nintendo DS). Unfortunately, Wendy's company Serendip took it down and gave my old channel a copyright strike. I'm sure this video won't suffer the same fate though, lol. Keep up the excellent work!
Absolutely brilliant Alex, I have always loved the music to Tron. I was 11 when it first came out and even to this day breaks my mind! Superb reproductions of the themes.
