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Composer Simon Malherbe has written music for film, television, and most recently, the free gaming iOS app “Drifter!” Today, Simon takes a moment from his busy composing schedule to talk with MakeMusic Inc. about his trade, and why he chooses Garritan sound libraries.
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MM: Tells us where you’re from and a little bit about your musical background.
SM: My name is Simon Malherbe and I am a composer from Cape Town South Africa. I started Composing music in late 1999. I started out writing electronic music and since, have studied music composition and orchestration under Cornelis Jordaan at Strepitoso School of Music. My primary instruments are guitar and keyboard.
MM: How did you receive the opportunity to write music for the Drifter app?
SM: Doing the music for the Drifter app actually came out of the blue and I can give all thanks to Soundcloud. I actually just wrote the piece of music on a whim and loaded it up, but a couple days later I received a message from Brandon Shepherd of Omniverse studios in the United States telling me they love the track and that they would love to use it for the game. So of course I said yes and that was that!!!
MM: Why did you choose to create the music with Garritan sounds?
SM: I love the Garritan software for the simple reason its super user friendly and is a really good sound library. From wind instruments to strings, it’s an all rounded great piece of software.
MM: What other music software do you use?
SM: I mostly write all my music using Logic and Sibelius but I also mix and record in Pro-tools. All programs have there pros and cons, but for me – to have an idea and get it down as fast as possible – Logic just works.
MM: What other projects have you done beyond the Drifter! app music?
SM: Wow it has been a super busy year. I have just finished the score for the movie “Bordering on Bad Behavior,” which is a politically incorrect comedy, starring Tom Sizemore, about an American solider, an Arab soldier and an Israeli soldier who are accidentally locked in a room on the Israeli/Lebanese border with no way out. If they can’t overcome their differences, World War III may only be hours away.
I am also currently working on a samsung commercial among other things.
MM: What advice do you have for composers or students who would like to follow in your footsteps?
SM: My advice for young composers and students who want to get into writing music for films and television, is to learn as much about making films as possible – from editing to producing. Learn all aspects of the industry! We can’t just be a composers. We need to know how to communicate to directors and editors in their language. All the things us musicians can learn about other aspects of the process will help our music writing process and make our job easier.
MM: Whats the best way for us to stay informed about your projects?
SM: The best way to stay informed of my work is on the Website and my Soundcloud page:
Thanks a million for the opportunity to chat with you guys, look forward to speaking again soon.
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We’d love to keep the conversation going. If you’ve got a question for Simon, or a film composing story to share, please leave a comment below.
