Author: Slacker/Anitama Cover Source: PATLABOR TV+NEW OVA 20th ANNIVERSARY PATLABOR THE MUSIC SET-3
In Oshii Mori's other masterpiece, Mobile Police PATLABOR, Kenji Kawai played the music for both the theatrical version and the TV anime.
The main point of the music for the theatrical version of "Mobile Cop PATLABOR the Movie", released in 1989, is the steel drum. The year before, in the mini-animated Labyrinth Object File538, which Kawai and Oshii collaborated on, Kawai used the steel drum sound of the Yamaha DX7. Oshii listened to the soft tone of the metal very much, and asked that in "Mobile Police", "be sure to use that feeling as well". However, the sound of the electronic simulation is good, but the real instruments used in the movie are used, and Kawai thought to himself, I am afraid that it will not be so easy to get the steel drum. By coincidence, he rented a Yamaha Epicurus studio with a steel drum in it. He felt very lucky and used it with gratitude.
If you want to say why File538 uses the sound of steel drums in Maze Objects, it is because there were many Drum Machines at that time. Kawai adjusts his tone, plays with these machines, and occasionally makes sounds that feel good. There are many more pieces like this that get inspired by the sound of the equipment. In the past, there was not as much sound source as now, so you had to spend your own time to make the sound.
Unforgettable sounds are also one of the characteristics of Kawai music. From time to time, he would compose music from his voice. However, it is very difficult to explain exactly how you think about imagining sounds.
For example, in a combat scene, it is important to make the audience emotionally aroused. Then Kawai imagines what to do to raise the audience's mood and the impression of the sound emerges in his mind. If he changes to a movie, he can see the picture in advance, he can modify the music according to the play action, adjust the beat and rhythm, and exhaust various means to make the music match the picture, so it is easier to use sound to perform.
However, whether it is a live-action or a movie, the need for music is the same. Kawai never cares whether the works he is responsible for are for adults or adults. Some people think that since the audience is a child, it should be written like a nursery rhyme. But Kawai scoffed, thinking that it was a misunderstanding among adults, and even children knew the advantages and disadvantages of music. Therefore, he believes that no matter who the object is, it must be made to look decent. However, as a performance technique, when he wants to reflect childishness, he will of course write a simple melody like a nursery rhyme.
In Kawai's view, whether it is animation or live-action, the position of music is very important. For example, in a sad scene, sad music is bound to be played, which is "musical usage close to the picture". In turn, the battle scenes such as "General Storm" will definitely play songs, and like the theme song of "Ghost in the Shell", it is "musical usage close to the audience". When using music in this way, the music cannot be dissolved into the scene.
How music is used in works is a very important point when creating music. If it is close to the picture, it needs to be expressed superficially and directly, and if the music and the picture are kept at a distance, the music must be made from a completely different perspective.
The position of the music will bring a big change to the impression of the audience. But it is not the composer who controls the position, but the idea of supervision. To Kawai's headache, he occasionally receives requests such as "Please match this work with the same music as Ghost in the Shell." The supervisor who makes such a request may lack a clear understanding of the location of the picture and music, and Kawai will explain to the supervisor that the place where he wants to directly perform cannot be matched with music like Ghost in the Shell. Most of the supervisors can understand it.
In fact, Kawai himself was not quite sure whether his approach was correct, but based on the experience accumulated over the years, he formed this indifferent idea.
In Kawai's view, the joy of making the soundtrack, the supreme pleasure that comes from the perfect combination of picture and music, will make him feel from the bottom of his heart that it is great to write music for this work.
If it is a live-action work, Kawai can get ahead of the audience and watch the No. 0 test screening at IMAGICA or Tokyo Vision. But TV animation and imported films may not have time to go to trial screenings, and he often does not see the results of his work with other audiences until the work is broadcast. When looking at the works he participates in, he also pays attention to the combination of pictures and music.
If it's a movie, the concert sticks to the conclusion of his initial meeting with the director, but occasionally it surprises Kawai: "And this usage!" Or, "Although the place used is different from the original, it is much better than the original." "It made him feel very teachable.
And TV series and TV animation, there will occasionally be "Here's one less shot!" "Something like that. It all depends on the technique and aesthetics of the editing, and to put it mildly, Kawai sometimes disappoints when he watches the broadcast. Therefore, in order to facilitate the music connection, he will attach the stem file for editing when he recently delivers it.
When composing music, Kenji Kawai first interprets the music demand list and imagines the song in his mind; then uses the MOTU Digital Performer 10 software to play the keyboard or guitar to compose the melody; and then arranges the melody. When recording, he takes timecode from Avid Pro Tools and records them into Pro Tools through the mixer. The sound of the software synthesizer is also all recorded through the mixer. As for the reason, it is very simple: he has always done this, and it is not easy to change it until now. And, to be honest, he couldn't tell the difference between doing so and recording with the DP10 Bounce, which was good and which was bad. That being the case, it is better to do it in your own more comfortable way.
The arrangement work was also carried out entirely by Kawai alone with the DP10. If he were to switch to a real instrument next, he would be able to simulate the state of playing a real instrument to some extent, taking the hard disk to the recording studio.
Kawai's performance team is basically fixed, and they are all old comrades of his own choice. His criteria for selecting musicians were dominated by people who were proficient in music from multiple genres. And the guitar is often played by himself.
Amazingly, Kawai did not come from a science class, but studied science and engineering, and only because he liked the guitar did he embark on the road of music, and never systematically studied music. At that time, he did not understand theory or harmony, nor could he play on the spot after reading the score, and he hated to practice. He thought to himself, as long as he writes the music himself, don't you have to read the score? So I began to compose my own music, and by chance, I came to this step.
After starting the soundtrack, Kawai had to compose various styles of music. Every time he grinds his gun, the client asks him to write jazz, he listens to jazz; the client wants to use strings, he writes strings according to his feelings. Therefore, musicians often come to him and ask him: "Is this sound and chord difference semitone, can it work?" This may be a taboo in theory, but Kawai felt that the sound was everything, and replied, "It should be no problem." "Over time, repeatedly grinding guns, it has become its own thing." Even if you don't know anything at first, you can learn something new every time you challenge yourself.
Speaking of the composers who were affected, Kawai said that he had always liked Burt Bacharach, so he was also influenced by his music. Until now, Kawai wanted to be a composer like Bacharach who could write with a damp side.
Today, Kawai's annual schedule is so full that sometimes there are 4 works to be carried out at the same time without paying attention. Every time he had to rack his brains to complete the work, he felt that his body was hollowed out and he could no longer write. But there will still be new jobs waiting for him later.
In this situation, Kawai is like being in the midst of a storm of psychological stress. Especially when the customer asks for a modification, he will not sleep at night. Shortly before the interview, he was in charge of a stage play for music that was repeatedly revised until it was staged. Seeing that it began to be staged in two days, the customer called him: "Please delete two subsections here." ”
The same is true of movies, some directors are still editing until the last moment, and every time there is a change, they have to change the music. If it is a problem that can be solved by modifying the file, it is better to say that the place where it cannot be repaired has to be re-recorded.
Domestic works have a limited budget, so they will not be changed so repeatedly. But it is difficult for works in Asia, especially Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, to be reviewed and the length of the music to change.
Kawai has basically never taken a vacation. When you are stressed, you will drink wine and watch variety shows to relax. He said that artists don't write hundreds of pieces a year and can think carefully about each piece. And their professional writers win with speed, which is very different from artists. What kind of composer you want to be is the freedom of the individual. Even if you tell him, "Then you can't just become an artist," he won't be able to come. Let him make a solo album, he doesn't know what to write well. Or take orders to write songs according to demand, more in line with his temperament.
From 1986, when Kenji Kawai made his debut as a composer, musical equipment has evolved, and his methodology for composing has changed with it. In particular, the appearance of Pro Tools is an epoch-making change, and the music can be adjusted repeatedly.
Today, the equipment used by Kawai is about half of the software synthesizer and the hardware synthesizer, each with its own use, such as software synthesizer suitable for band music, and simulating real instruments is more convenient for E-Mu. An essential of this is Studio Electronics' Midimini, which Kawai loves with the bass thickness of the synthesizer and thinks it's perfect for every occasion. In addition, the Roland Integra-7, Korg M1R, E-Mu E4XT Ultra, etc. are also commonly used hardware synthesizers in Kawai.
Kawai, who likes equipment, is also interested in new equipment and sound. However, there have been so many recent software synthesizers that he feels unable to catch up. The latest piece of equipment he uses now is the Mellotron M4000D Rack. Someone pushed him for this synthesizer, and it just so happened that NHK's morning drama "Wanfu" wanted to use Mellotron, so he bought it, but he only used it in this work.
What instruments and equipment to use depends on the budget given by the work, but considering elements such as harmonics, as long as he can use real instruments, Kawai still wants to use real instruments as much as possible. Strings are 100% authentic recordings.
Although Kawai claims to be a professional writer rather than an artist, he also has music that he likes and that he feels comfortable with. Such as musical sentences, and the movement of strings, people who understand it may find it. In the scope of the purpose, he will try to fill this kind of music as much as possible, just like someone who eats everything has to pour soy sauce. Clients may find it superfluous to do so, but they won't give him an opinion, so he can do it for his own pleasure and satisfaction. After all, the soundtrack has to write three or four songs a day, and there is no time to repeatedly deliberate, so even in a short period of time, he has to stuff his favorite phrases. This is also the benchmark for his judgment of the degree of completion of the music.
When asked about his plans for the future, Kawai, now 62, replied that he had thought that his job would be reduced after the age of 60, but this was not the case, which made him very grateful. Now excellent young composers are also emerging, so his next task is how to make his career "soft landing".
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