Composing

PART 2 — “The Three Engines Every Composer Must Separate”

Most composing overwhelm doesn’t come from lack of talent or inspiration. It comes from a structural collapse:

you’re trying to run three different engines at the same time.

When these engines collapse into one moment, the composer experiences:

- confusion

- false starts

- endless revisions

- emotional fatigue

- “nothing sounds right”

This isn’t a musical issue — it’s a sequencing issue.

Here are the three engines:

Engine 1 — The Identity Engine (Upstream)

This engine answers the question:

“What is this score ultimately about?”

Not musically — structurally.

Examples:

- “This score is about fracture.”

- “This score is about inevitability.”

- “This score is about a world losing its center.”

This is the spine.

If the spine is unclear, everything downstream becomes guesswork.

Engine 2 — The Function Engine (Midstream)

This engine answers:

“What does the score need to do in this moment?”

- stabilize

- destabilize

- reveal

- conceal

- interrupt

- support

This is the behavioral layer — the score’s job inside the scene.

Engine 3 — The Execution Engine (Downstream)

This engine answers:

“How do I express that musically?”

- motif

- harmony

- orchestration

- tempo

- palette

- texture

This is where the notes finally appear.

⭐ The Composer’s Clarity Rule

You cannot run all three engines at once.

When you try, you freeze.

When you separate them, you move.

Upstream clarity is the discipline of sequencing:

- Identity — what the score is

- Function — what the score does

- Execution — how the score sounds

This is how composers stop guessing and start composing with structural confidence.

PART 1 — “Before the First Note: The Composer’s Real Job”

Most composers think their work begins when they sit at the keyboard, open their DAW, or start sketching motifs. But that’s already downstream. By the time you’re writing, you’ve already made a dozen upstream decisions — most of them unconsciously.

Upstream clarity begins with a simple question:

“What is this score for?”

Not the genre.

Not the instrumentation.

Not the tempo.

Not the emotional adjectives.

Those are downstream.

Upstream is the identity layer — the part that stabilizes everything else.

When you skip this layer, you end up:

- rewriting themes that never land

- chasing references that don’t align

- over‑scoring scenes

- under‑scoring scenes

- fighting with the director’s notes

- losing the spine of the project

Here’s the upstream truth:

A score is not music. A score is a function.

Before you write a single note, define the function.

Ask:

- What is this score stabilizing?

- What is it revealing?

- What is it protecting?

- What is it interrupting?

- What is it amplifying?

When you define the function, the music becomes inevitable.

When you don’t, the music becomes guesswork.

Upstream clarity is simply this:

Identity before execution.

Function before form.

Purpose before notes.

Just like my post yesterday. Let's start with some more free stuff.

https://www.production-expert.com/free-pro-tools-plug-ins

This also includes freebies. Get what you can before it goes away. Happy composing 2026!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yZKuUl4GUs&t=1334s

PART 3 —

A catalog isn’t just a folder of tracks.

It’s an asset class.

But only if:

- the works are organized

- the ownership is clear

- the versions are tracked

- the metadata is consistent

- the deliverables are ready

Most musicians think they need:

- more gear

- more plugins

- more opportunities

But what they really need is:

definition.

When your catalog is defined:

- sync becomes easier

- publishing becomes cleaner

- collaborations become smoother

- deals become possible

- your work becomes leverage

Upstream clarity turns a collection of tracks into a catalog,

and a catalog into an asset.

PART-2 Musicians spend hours perfecting a track…

and minutes naming it.

But in today’s industry:

Metadata is the real master.

If your metadata is unclear, incomplete, or inconsistent:

- your tracks become hard to place

- your catalog becomes hard to search

- your deliverables become unreliable

- your opportunities become limited

Metadata isn’t paperwork.

It’s identity.

It tells the industry:

- what the track is

- who owns it

- how it can be used

- where it belongs

- what it’s worth

Inspiration creates music.

Metadata creates value.

Upstream clarity is the bridge between the two.

PART 1 — “Most Musicians Don’t Have a Catalog Problem — They Have a Structure Problem.”

Most musicians think their biggest challenges are:

- finding opportunities

- getting placements

- improving their sound

- learning new tools

But the real issue sits upstream:

Their catalog isn’t defined.

When the catalog is unclear:

- metadata becomes inconsistent

- splits get messy

- publishing gets confusing

- licensing slows down

- sync opportunities fall through

Upstream clarity isn’t about contracts — it’s about orientation.

Before you pitch, publish, or distribute, the first question is:

What exactly do you have?

This is where most musicians lose leverage without realizing it.

Before publishing, before pitching for sync, before distribution, before metadata…

there’s an upstream layer most musicians never get taught:

What exactly is in your catalog?

How is it organized?

What belongs together?

What’s an asset and what’s just a file on a hard drive?

When the catalog is unclear, everything downstream becomes harder:

- splits get messy

- metadata becomes inconsistent

- licensing slows down

- publishing gets confusing

- sync opportunities fall through

But when the catalog is defined, musicians suddenly have:

- clarity

- leverage

- clean ownership

- confidence in their deliverables

- a foundation for future deals

I’m starting a short series here focused on upstream clarity for composers and music creators — not legal advice, not contracts, just the structural layer that helps everything else make sense.

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by your own catalog, or unsure how to organize your work before thinking about publishing, sync, or licensing, this series is for you.

Happy to bring some clarity to the creative side of music.

Curious how other composers capture ideas when inspiration hits.

Voice memos, notation apps, DAWs, piano sketches, or something else?

Hi Everyone! ☺️

I have been wanting to focus more on my singing and possibly getting together with other creators to produce some music, but I have no idea of where to start!

While I love acting and plan on still doing it, singing has always been my favorite when it comes to performing arts. I know I definitely need to get a set up for when I want to record at my house if I can’t make it to the studio, but I have no clue of what to get!

And regarding the producing and making music, that’s something that has been a struggle for as long as I can remember because I am my own worst critic just like everyone else is with themselves! I feel like if I was able to communicate with others already established in the industry and get some advice (or even a lovely mentor), it would help out a lot with getting started.

Thank you to anyone who is willing to help, it is appreciated more than you’ll ever know! :)

Hey Composing Lounge,

I just watched this breakdown on Better Man, the Robbie Williams biopic where he’s portrayed as a CGI chimpanzee, and it’s a really fun conversation starter for anyone who thinks about music, identity, and how songs function inside a story.

Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BKgGj54X44

Why it’s relevant for composers (and not just film nerds):

The video argues music biopics are entering a more experimental era, and Better Man is a standout example because it commits to a bold concept that reflects the artist’s internal self-image.

It frames the film as a jukebox musical that actually uses the songs as storytelling tools, not just “hit parade” moments.

It highlights how the film’s musical sequences shift between spectacle, character intimacy, montage, and catharsis, which is exactly the kind of structural thinking that affects how music is written, arranged, and placed.

It digs into how the film externalizes inner voices, self-doubt, and personal demons, then uses performance to turn that into narrative payoff.

If you’ve seen Better Man, did the musical approach make the story land more for you, or did the concept pull you out of it?

And if you haven’t seen it, what usually makes a music biopic’s song choices feel earned versus forced?

I enjoyed this movie. - the Colony.

Lorenz used a lot of new concepts for me.

From how he and his team created Low sounding drums to create tension within the movie, to smooth sounding techniques throughout the movie made the audience and movie a great experience.

Wanted to share and see if anyone has seen it.

https://www.lorenzdangel.com/english