Talking with The Composer for Cyanide & Happiness

We here at Earthworks are always thankful to be in the company of such great partners in the audio world - and we're also thankful that we get to share some of their insights with you.

Today, we're talking with Steve Lehmann, a film and media composer from Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.?He composes music for the Cyanide & Happiness shorts, shows, and games, as well as other films, games, ads, theatre, and media.?He also produces records and is in the process of designing a world class recording studio.

How did?you get your start in the industry?

I completed my University degree in music composition, and I was doing some musical directing for theatre productions, as well as playing in live bands.?I had always loved the marriage of computers and music, and I've been combining the two since before computers had hard drives or multiple colours on the screen.?Once the software was accessible enough for me to practically start scoring from home, I started to seek out clients.?After some short films, commercials, and a feature?film, I was fortunate to be contacted by the guys at C&H.?I've been with them now for almost 15 years.??

You're currently the composer for the acclaimed web series Cyanide & Happiness. How does the process for writing music for the series usually go?

Writing for Cyanide & Happiness is a treat because there's always a wide variety of music styles I get to work in.?Generally, once a short is ready for music, I'm sent two video files - one that has temp music, and one that has dialogue and sound effects only.?I'm sometimes provided extra notes from the director, but the people that assemble the temp tracks do an excellent job, so I'm often ready to get started from just the temps.?I will listen through the entire thing a few times to try to get a full understanding of the role the music plays in the short.?Once I understand that, I often begin with a piano sketch of some musical ideas.?I time out the metronome in the Logic project to make sure I'm connecting with the action at the right times.?Once I'm comfortable?with the musical ideas, and that the timing is correct, I will orchestrate it using my midi libraries.?Often I am able to bring one or two live performers into my studio to add extra realism, or I'll need a vocalist.?Once I am happy with my first pass, I will send a video file with my music and the dialogue and sound effects to the director for notes.?I will provide any necessary?revisions, then I'll send a master file to the post audio person to add it to the final project.?They are in Texas and I'm in Canada, and we have been working this way since the beginning.??

How did you first learn about Earthworks mics?

When I'm not scoring, I also work with show choirs.?My first exposure to Earthworks microphones was when I was helping a friend set up for his choir performance and he had some Earthworks mics as overheads to pick up the choir on stage.?They sounded incredible, and they have been on my radar ever since.??

What do you typically use Earthworks mics for, and in your view, what makes Earthworks mics different from other mics out there??

My first Earthworks mic was the SR314, and it's easily the best sounding live vocal mic I've ever heard.?They also look incredibly cool, and the build quality is extremely solid.?Even when removing the grille, the fit and finish inside is better than you would ever expect.??

And?finally, do you have any takeaways or insight from your?career that you could share with our followers?

In my industry, you need to have a number of different skills.?Most scoring jobs are package deals which means my fee includes everything I need to do to provide the final music mix.?It's important to know about all the different processes from composition to getting realism from midi libraries to audio recording, mixing, mastering, etc.??