10 Ways to Compose Killer TV Sports Themes — How Noah Lifschey Won the SportsNet Launch

November 26th, 2012 by Trenton

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Have you been eating your Wheaties? Running your wind sprints? Are your composing chops in shape??? They better be if you want to create a massive package of themes for a major new sports TV network.

LA-based composer Noah Lifschey was in top musical condition for one of the most coveted gigs in town when he won the right to write for SportsNet, Time Warner Cable’s network that includes coverage of the NBA’s Lakers and Major League Soccer’s Galaxy, the Deportes Spanish-language channel, and the Access SportsNet nightly show.

We had 10 questions for Lifschey on how he landed this enviable project, and the high-level techniques he employed that made his themes fly. And because Noah’s so pro, he had 10 answers ready to go.

What was your edge and unique sound that made you right for what SportsNet was looking for?

I worked on this particular theme with Dylan Berry, fellow owner of our music company Smash Haus. The people who we were hired by to do the Root Sports music for were also in charge of doing the SportsNet promos and graphics and all the rest. They loved the way Root turned out and wanted our fresh approach to the old-hat standby music that you usually hear.

The edge was taking real sounds and manipulating them to create a unique sonic palette — from banging helmets to hitting huge concert bass drums to clacking any number of things lying around my studio to recording a group of people stomping — and melding that with modern instrumentation, a live orchestra, and live vocal chants to create a unique brand.

In all of my music I always try to do something unique while maintaining a big hooky sound and music that isn’t the standard (for example, I almost never use drum loops and prefer to create my own or severely mangle an existing one, combining it with new elements).

Since I come both from the composing and songwriting worlds, it can really help to make a theme feel like a cool song that you’d want to listen to, instead of a typical cheesy old sports theme in this case. And that’s just what they wanted. Also, the ability to move solidly between different styles for the different sports and countries (such as for the Spanish-speaking Deportes version of the channel) was a big point for them.

What tools do you use to arrange/compose/mix – both the expected, and the unexpected?

I use Nuendo exclusively to arrange, compose, and mix; I work fast and need something that can keep up with me. I was on Cubase for a while and last year decided to switch over to Nuendo with its more advanced automation and video handling, and very in-depth post production features. It’s incredibly fast, flexible and reliable — I love it.

I have my studio arranged so everything is close-by and I can grab whatever I need to fit the bill, from an old Juno 60 to a giant Sgt. Pepper’s replica drum to a bunch of guitars and basses to shakers filled with glass shards.

With a big TV job like this I mix entirely in the box due to the convenience, but with songs I often go out to an Aurora Audio GTQ2 then through a Roll Super Stereo Compressor and Drawmer 1968 — that’s my go-to outboard chain for songs. I could nerd out on gear for hours — don’t get me started.

What was the creative spark that gave you a musical direction for the “elongated theme?” And also for the piano piece for the “Lakers First Commercial”?

The first elongated theme was for the Lakers. For the main theme which that was based off of they wanted some hip-hop elements and such, while maintaining the overall new sound of the network.

We started with the primary beat and then began smacking and banging things – the majority of the drum sounds you hear are organic ones that were recorded then mangled. Surrounding all of it with the music just kind of flowed naturally from that.

For the promo commercial they had a reference piece that they liked, which was piano-based. I used that as my inspiration and wrote a new one that matched the feel of what was going on picture-wise, then added a few other subtle elements like the heartbeat — which is actually a filtered and massively compressed large plastic box being hit —  and some backwards guitar elements to heighten the emotion that the picture and voiceover have.

Seems like organic is always good. So how did some of the other projects you’ve done, like “So You Think You Can Dance” and “America’s Best Dance Crew” inform the SportsNet project?

“So You Think You Can Dance?” is one of my favorite gigs because I have to write sounds, songs and mixes that sound like another existing song from a variety of decades.

I thrive on that kind of challenge. So many times a client will want music that sounds like something they’ll specifically reference, but with a new and fresh take on it…that definitely came in handy for SportsNet, as I described before. For “America’s Best Dance Crew”, the approach of using real, unique sounds to combine with — in that case — a big modern hip-hop/dance track, was similar to the approach we used for Sportsnet. (Hear Lif’s work for these two shows at this link.)

What’s a technique you’ve learned for making mixes translate to TV?

I use a similar approach that I would for songs, and I make sure to check it on small speakers (I like Avantones) and my crappy laptop speakers — it’s got to translate well on everything.

I like using serial compression on the master buss to even it out for TV without sounding like its being mashed to death. For TV you generally don’t make it as ear-destroying loud/crushed as a pop music mix, though it definitely has to sound big. I’ve also found that you really need to be careful with how much sub content you have in there — that can kill a mix quickly.

Mixing is something that a lot of people don’t have a great grasp of, and it’s really something that just takes doing a lot of. Us modern composers have it so easy compared to composers and songwriters of the old days, but basic great mixing technique is still a fairly lost art, in my opinion…it’s a great advantage for a composer, to help separate you from the norm.

Amen! Shifting gears, how do you keep inspired as a composer — what do you do to bust out of a writer’s block?

I get asked this question a lot, and I wish I had an answer. Whatever is needed I can almost always just sit down, and out it comes from somewhere; I have no explanation for how it happens!

I do know that I’m subconsciously inspired by things from great works of art and music and architecture, to the mountains, to people’s stories, to other cities in the world that I’ve been to — there’s so much out there to feed the crazy artistic mind.

I’ve also gotta be as present as possible and not let drama/etc. start milling around in the head — that’s what kills creativity for me.

Noah Lifschey sidesteps distractions and goes straight to creativity.

We also try to avoid drama! What’s the latest thing you’ve added to your studio that helps you to make music for picture?

My powered Avantones. Couldn’t live without ‘em now — they’re small speakers that specifically enable you to hear how something will sound on an average/below average system. And they happen to look cool as hell.

Your studio is in Santa Monica: Why is L.A. the right place for you to work out of?

All of the connections I’ve made are here, as is my circle of other musicians and artists. It’s not the place I would want to call home for the rest of my life, but it’s been great for my career and I personally wouldn’t have been able to do what I’ve been able to if I hadn’t been here.

Here’s our Baba Wawa impression: If you could be a pro athlete, what sport would you play – and why?

We’ve all been joking about this for the whole SportsNet gig: I know next to nothing about sports. Nothing wrong with sports at all, but I just never watch them…aside from the occasional Lakers game. But I would like to be a pro basketball player — being a short guy, that would be pretty awesome.

Anything else on your horizon that we should know about?

Yeah, this new project that I recently finished writing with/producing, recording and mixing for an incredible artist named Kenny Wesley out of Washington, D.C. is something I’m totally thrilled about. We took what was so cool about older acts like Sly and Family Stone, Stevie Wonder, and even Prince and Seal, and fleshed it out in a totally hip and original modern setting. We have killer guests like Kid Koala, and one of the songs was recently featured on “So You Think You Can Dance?” last season (“Won’t Let It Go”). It’s awesome — keep an eye and ear out for it!

— David Weiss