Hear 'Cleo' by Shygirl
Explore masterclasses and advice on film, TV and game scoring from a whole range of industry pros, including Hans Zimmer, Ólafur Arnalds and Spitfire Audio composers – all for free.
The Academy brings together the best educational videos from the Spitfire Audio family – tutorials that have already amassed almost 10 million views and helped thousands of composers around the world. It is also where you’ll find brand new education videos appearing regularly, to help you on your journey as a composer.
MOST POPULAR
Masterclasses and insights that have earned hundreds of thousands of views and positive reactions
Orchestral Programming: Day One
In this video, Christian Henson tries to allay fears about writing orchestral music
Ólafur Arnalds Studio Tour
Ólafur kindly takes time off recording his album to talk us through his amazing array of outboard gear, his methods and his philosophy
The Hans Zimmer Composer Roundtable
A rare insight into the workings of some of Hollywood's A-list film composers
Fly On The Wall: Air Studios
Step inside the control room at Air Studios to witness, in real time, how quickly you can record orchestral players in London
Paul Thomson Studio Tour
Christian joins Paul Thomson in his newly completed home studio 'The Bullbarn'
FROM THE VAULTS: Behind The Curtain - Hans Zimmer Percussion
Spitfire Audio takes you behind the scenes at the creation of Hans Zimmer Percussion
Program Realistic Sounding Strings Pt 1
Christian helps you to avoid various programming pit falls, rabbit holes and cul-de-sacs
Program Realistic Sounding Strings Pt 2
Christian continues his treatise into programming realistic strings, featuring another live composition session
THE BUSINESS END
Getting started, getting work, getting paid!
Scoring Doctor Who
In this video Christian Henson chats with Segun Akinola, composer of the music for Doctor Who
How Much Do Composers Get Paid?
Christian discusses how you can make a living from composing
How to Get Work as a Composer
Harriet Moss joins composer Oliver Patrice Weder to share some industry insights on how to get work as a composer
Do I Actually like Being A Composer?
Christian has a candid conversation about his experience as a composer
Being A Composer's Assistant
Christian gives 12 golden rules on becoming a composers assistant that he has learnt throughout his career
How Do You Land A Show Like Black Mirror?
Jon Opstad, composer for Black Mirror, walks us through how he broke into media composition
Can YOU Write Music To Picture? (Part One)
FACtual ENTertainment is arguably one of the most profitable areas of media composition
Can YOU Write Music To Picture? (Part Two)
Part II of a three part series offering you the opportunity to get some real life experience of writing to picture
How Long Does It Take To Become A Successful Composer?
Christian asks the question: Is it possible to become a successful composer later in life?
How Do Composers Get Paid?
Christian talks to Trevor Morris, Paul Thomson and Dru Masters about making a living as a composer
Piano Falling To Earth (What Does It Actually Sound Like?)
This film is the final part of a three-stage process, where Christian offers out compositional duties to students at Edinburgh college
SCORE BREAKDOWNS BY TOP COMPOSERS
How the best in the business wrote the music for your favourite films and TV shows
Scoring 'The Queen's Gambit' with Carlos Rafael Rivera
Carlos Rafael Rivera shows us his process for developing a sketch into a full orchestral score
Scoring 'Star Trek: Discovery' with Jeff Russo
We visit LA to meet Jeff Russo in his studio and talk about his opening cue for Star Trek: Discovery
'The Handmaid's Tale' Theme with Adam Taylor
Adam Taylor explains and demonstrates how he composed the soundtrack for this dystopian world
Scoring 'Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle' with Nitin Sawhney
Nitin and Christian talk through a cue for Netflix's feature, 'Mowgli', at Nitin's studio in South London
Scoring 'The Sinner' with Ronit Kirchman
Homay Schmitz joins Ronit Kirchman, composer of 'The Sinner', to talk through a key scene from the show
Scoring DC's 'Stargirl' with Pinar Toprak
Pinar Toprak shows how she scored a scene from DC's 'Stargirl', sharing some of her scoring tips
Scoring 'Spiral: Saw' with Charlie Clouser
Composer Charlie Clouser breaks down one of the climactic scenes from the movie 'Spiral: From the Book of Saw'
QUICK TIPS
Pick up useful new techniques and tricks in under ten minutes
6 Musicians - 1 Score
We challenged Emily Bear to compose a track with 5 musicians she'd never worked with before - entirely remotely!
Star Wars Theme: Secret Scoring Weapons
Three tips you can take away from the first eight bars of this incredible piece
How To Make Cinematic Drums
Oliver takes us through a series of drums in the Hans Zimmer Percussion library and demonstrates how to create cinematic drums.
Workflow Tips For Beginners
Homay takes you through some tips and tricks in Logic which she wishes she had known earlier
Adding Realism To Your Orchestral Sample Edits
Jake Jackson demonstrates how to add a realistic edge to your orchestral samples
How To Create A Successful Production Music Track
Christian demonstrates how to create successful production music in this latest Quick Tip
How To Be Successful Scoring Commercials
Paul shares some thoughts about how to approach creating successful music for commercials
The Unsung Magic of Evos
Christian shows us a new way to use evolutions
Making String Samples Sound Fat
How liberal super deep and subliminal bottom end can add emotion to your scores
3 Unconventional Uses For Reverb
Christian shows us one classic and three slightly more unexpected uses for reverb
Music Gear for Horror Scores with The Newton Brothers
Taylor Stewart from The Newton Brothers, demonstrates how he uses the Folktek Resonant Garden
CREATIVE CRIBS: THE SECRETS OF A-LIST COMPOSERS
Creative Cribs takes you inside the studios, minds and process of successful film composers, and explores iconic recording studios
Creative Cribs: Daniel Pemberton
See inside 'Spiderman' composer Daniel Pemberton's Studio
Creative Cribs: Carly Paradis
We visit East London to talk shop with 'Line of Duty' composer and pianist, Carly Paradis
Creative Cribs: Harry Gregson-Williams
'Mulan' composer Harry Gregson-Williams walks us around his studio
Creative Cribs: Nathan Barr
'True Blood' composer Nathan Barr gives a very special tour of his one-of-a-kind studio
Creative Cribs: Nitin Sawhney
Christian visits 'Mowgli' composer Nitin Sawhney at his South London studio
Creative Cribs: Joseph Trapanese
Oliver & the Spitfire team traveled to LA to visit 'The Greatest Showman' composer, Joseph Trapanese
Creative Cribs: Anne Dudley
Oscar winning 'Mamma Mia 2' composer Anne Dudley on embracing technology, pianos, pencils and paper
Creative Cribs: Andy Gray
TV composer Andy Gray walks us through his oasis of vintage gear on the sunny Isle Of Wight
STEP-BY-STEP TECHNIQUES
In-depth advice on helping you improve as a composer
How To Write Music (If You Can't Read It?)
Christian demonstrates the transformative power of live musicians & how you can do this with little to no theoretical knowledge
10 Golden Rules Of Orchestral Programming
Christian's 10 golden rules for programming realistic-sounding orchestral music
How To Achieve More Realism with Note Velocities
A dive into some useful info on note velocity programming and how to get more realistic results
Simple Tricks For A More Vibey Virtual Orchestra
How Paul creates a dark and compelling soundworld with just a few simple parts
Short Notes: How To Get The Most From Them
Paul discusses how you can add some movement to a long flowing line with subtle use of short notes
The Ultimate Orchestral Expression Controller?
The second most important tool we use in orchestral programming…. the expression controller
If I Had ONE Piece Of Advice...
Christian discusses the single most important piece of advice he could offer any aspiring or struggling media composers
Composing For Choir With Eric Whitacre
Grammy-winning composer & conductor Eric Whitacre shares how he approaches composing for choir
How To Program Realistic Sounding Strings Pt 1
Christian helps you to avoid various programming pit falls, rabbit holes and cul-de-sacs
How To Program Realistic Sounding Strings Pt 2
Christian continues his treatise into programming realistic strings, featuring another live composition session
Ólafur Arnalds breaks down 'Loom (ft. Bonobo)'
Ólafur Arnalds breaks down his Grammy-nominated track 'Loom (feat. Bonobo)'
The Best Ways To Voice Strings
Paul shows the options for laying out the voices in a string section
Orchestral Programming Day One
Christian Henson tries to allay fears about writing orchestral music
Orchestral Programming Day Two
Christian is back to discuss the next steps in orchestral programming
Orchestral Programming Day Three
How to prepare for an orchestral recording session
The Secret To Orchestral Programming
A fundamental lesson for improving your orchestral programming with expression and emotion
How To Make Samples Sound Authentic
Oliver shares the methods he uses to make samples sound authentic when composing
Cinematic Drum Programming
Overcome impostor syndrome and creating outstanding cinematic drum compositions
How To Work With Musicians Remotely
Christian goes back to the root purpose of the original Spitfire project - to connect composers and musicians
Scoring To Picture: Day One
Christian demonstrates how to approach scoring to picture
orchestral programming
Spitfire Audio co-founder Christian Henson demystifies the process of writing for an orchestra and guides you through, step-by-step
INSPIRING STORIES
Insights, wisdom and behind-the-scenes films from across the composing community
Recording at Abbey Road Studios
Enter the room that most composers dream about
Alfa Mist: Confliction
Follow Alfa Mist’s journey as he collaborates with the LCO to re-imagine his track ‘Confliction’
Global Collaboration Panel
The benefits and pitfall's of working remotely from a variety of perspectives across the composing spectrum.
FROM THE VAULTS: Behind The Curtain - Hans Zimmer Percussion
Spitfire Audio takes you behind the scenes at the creation of Hans Zimmer Percussion
Suzanne Ciani On The Buchla 200e
Suzanne Ciani gives an in-depth demonstration of how she composes using the Buchla 200e
The Hans Zimmer Composer Roundtable
A rare insight into the workings of some of Hollywood's A-list film composers
Fly On The Wall: AIR Studios
Step inside the control room at Air Studios to witness, in real time, how quickly you can record orchestral players in London
Schimmel Pianos Factory Tour
Christian visits the factory of master piano makers, Schimmel, in Germany to learn how pianos are made
Harbeth Speakers Factory Tour
Christian takes a trip to his favourite Loudspeaker company for a special tour
Composer Roundtable: Scoring Cinematic Trailers
Lucie, Oli and Dan discuss scoring cinematic trailers, storytelling with music and compare writing styles
using spitfire audio libraries
How to get the most of your Spitfire Audio libraries and achieve your goals
How To Win Pitches and Get Noticed
Christian focuses on vision and originality when pitching for composing work
Start Your Scoring Journey
Homay takes us through her latest demo written using libraries from our Originals series
Writing For A String Quartet
Oliver shows us how to compose music for a string quartet
How To Use Electric Guitars In Orchestral Music
Christian takes us through how to use electric guitar in your orchestral music
The Iconic Sound Of Cinema
Oliver takes a brief look at the iconic history of Abbey Road's Studio One
Adding Bite To Your Composition
Oliver takes us through writing music for a chase scene
Composing Your First Film Cue
Composer Homay Schmitz guides you through writing a film cue using BBCSO Discover
Building Tension
Homay demonstrates how to build tension in your compositions
Can Anyone Create Orchestral Music?
Christian transforms Erik Satie's famous 'Gnossienne No. 1' into an orchestral piece
GETTING THE PERFECT SOUND
Sound advice to improve your recording, mixing and mastering
How To Prepare A Pro Tools Session For A Recording
Oliver takes us through how you can prepare a Pro Tools session for recording
The Recording of Robin Hood
Joseph Trapanese shows how the arrangement of the orchestra was constructed
How To Make Your Garden Shed Sound Good
Can Christian and Yellow Technology make the shed an acoustically sound environment?
Professional Mixing - How Much Does It Improve Your Music?
Goetz Botzenhardt joins Christian to discuss how professional mixing can enhance your music
Which Budget Mic Should I Buy For Home Recording?
In this video we take a look at seven great choices for recording at home
Why Are Synths So Difficult To Mix?
Do you find synths difficult to mix?
Time Alignment - The Lost Secret Sauce?
Christian discusses how you can use time alignment to improve your compositions
Mixing and Mastering Your Music
Paul Thomson and Jake Jackson share an introduction to mixing and mastering
Make A Sample Library In A Day
The Spitfire team challenged themselves to create a sample library in a day
FROM THE VAULTS: Recording Hans Zimmer Percussion
Recording engineer Geoff Foster recounts the process of recording HZ Percussion
The Reverb World Cup
Christian and Jake Jackson put a selection of reverbs to the test in this in-depth episode
Comparing Mixes in Hans Zimmer Percussion Professional
Paul talks through his composition for the BBC show 'The Interceptor'
Mix Masterclass with Jake Jackson
Jake Jackson and Christian Henson present a mixing masterclass on Solo Strings
Follow us on socials for more
composing with strings
Level up your string arrangements
How To Program Realistic Sounding Strings Pt 1
Christian helps you to avoid various programming pit falls, rabbit holes and cul-de-sacs
How To Program Realistic Sounding Strings Pt 2
Christian continues his treatise into programming realistic strings, featuring another live composition session
The Best Ways To Voice Strings
Paul shows the options for laying out the voices in a string section
Writing For A String Quartet (with Sacconi Strings Quartet)
Oliver shows us how to compose music for a string quartet
Building Tension (with London Contemporary Orchestra Strings)
Homay demonstrates how to build tension in your compositions
Making String Samples Sound Fat
How liberal super deep and subliminal bottom end can add emotion to your scores
Adding Realism To Your Orchestral Sample Edits
Jake Jackson demonstrates how to add a realistic edge to your orchestral samples
Composing in the style of...
How to sound like your favourite scores
Writing in the style of 'STUDIO GHIBLI'
Louis demonstrates one way to create momentum within your scores using Percussion Swarm
Writing in the style of 'EDWARD SCISSORHANDS'
Dan Keen composes a piece inspired by Danny Elfman's score for Edward Scissorhands
Behind The Soundtrack of 'ASSASSIN'S CREED - ODYSSEY'
We spoke to the composers' behind the soundtrack of Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Odyssey
Writing in the style of Hans Zimmer's 'INTERSTELLAR'
Dan shows us how to use Symphonic Organ to achieve the Hans Zimmer Interstellar sound
Writing in the style of 'JOKER'
Oliver writes a piece inspired by Hildur Guðnadóttir's multi-award winning score for Todd Phillips' 'Joker'
Writing in the style of 'TENET'
Dan Keen builds a percussion-heavy composition inspired by Ludwig Göransson
Writing in the style of 'THE LAST OF US'
Oliver takes us through a composition inspired by composer Gustavo Santaolalla
Bernard Herrmann Masterclass - Cape Fear Re-Score
Paul looks at Elmer Bernstein's re-arrangement of Herrmann's original 1962 score to the film Cape Fear - for Martin Scorsese's 1992 remake.
Basic Instinct Theme (Secret Scoring Weapons)
Three great tips you can use in your work from the great Jerry Goldsmith’s score to Basic Instinct
BY GENRE
How to compose in a variety of styles
Writing Icelandic Style Music with Ólafur Arnalds Stratus
Spitfire Audio composer Lucie draws upon influences such as Björk, Ólafur Arnalds, and Sigur Rós to compose an Icelandic-inspired piece of music
Writing 'Fantasy' Music
Homay breaks down her stunning fantasy piece, 'Sadie's Waltz'
How To Write Music For 'Horror'
In a special spooky video, Louis shows us how to write music for horror scenes
'Film Noir' Inspired Composition
Dan Keen takes us through his stunning composition 'A Strange New World'
Writing in the style of 'JOKER'
Oliver writes a piece inspired by Hildur Guðnadóttir's multi-award winning score for Todd Phillips' 'Joker'
Writing Modern Trailer Music
Homay shares the process behind her music for the Ólafur Arnalds Stratus trailer
