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I’m Dave Wirth.
I’m a film composer based in Austin, TX. You’ll find plenty to read here, like articles on film composing, storytelling, creativity, and the music I release.
Thanks for stopping by.
Indie Folk Releases
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Ambient/Experimental Releases
Creative Productivity
In 9th grade, I permanently borrowed The Artist's Way from my Mom's bookshelf. The title arrested my attention... I had no idea why, but I just needed to liberate it from her bookshelf and keep it for my very own. Sorry, Mom! Only later did I realize how pivotal that act would be for my personal and professional life.
Can you handle disappointment if you don’t get what you want, even after asking for it? Even after setting a new years intention and checking on it's progress? I say go ahead and ask for it, no matter the outcome.
Since 2008, the DFX Transverb audio plugin has transformed my creative process. Its stunning delay effects create an unmatched atmosphere, making it an essential tool in my music production. Whether I'm layering guitar riffs or crafting ambient soundscapes, DFX Transverb helps me achieve that enchanting, ethereal quality I love.
Not many people can claim they traded a world-class opportunity for getting punched in the face. I do. That punch might've completely shredded my pride, but I came out ahead. Big time.
Latest Music Releases
Slowcore Christmas by Grande Valley Auction Incident. I recently stumbled upon a couple of Christmas songs in my back catalog. They’re quite slow and reminiscent of "The Red House Painters," of the most incredible slowcore bands ever.
Unlock amazing music deals this Black Friday 2024! Get a lifetime subscription for just $4/year and access all past, present, and future albums. Enjoy exclusive members-only content, discounts on merch, and bonus material. Alternatively, grab the entire discography for only $61. Don’t miss out on these unbeatable offers to support independent music.
Original Scores for Film
Behind The Scenes
The humbling and humiliating behind-the-scenes journey of creating "Archive Volume Three" and what it’s like to revisit recordings from two decades prior.
Conflict. The best music has the right amount of it. This post is a behind-the-scenes look at how Lodern, by Wicked Cities From A Distance, incorporates a great deal of conflict to keep the listener engaged, despite it's ambient appearance. Tons of info on the creative use of synthesizers and sound design.
Indie Rock
Storytelling With Sound
The music on your film is a powerful tool to deliver fresh perspectives, and believe me: Fresh perspectives are vital. This article goes deep into Audio Perspective, i.e. the music being written from the most compelling perspective in the story. Mastering audio perspective can make your movies far more relevant, relatable, and successful.
If you’ve ever wondered how you can use music to communicate a compelling perspective, this article is for you. Let’s hit it!
Without structure, without recurring motifs, without a backbone, a movie doesn’t stand a chance of being remembered. So, how can a unified film score help a movie be more memorable? Where can composers find these unifying motifs that make a movie awesome, and once we find them how do we organize and weave them into a brilliant tapestry of sound and story?
This post goes deep into the creative process, into the search for the creative motifs that can make a movie into a living beast. When these building blocks are found and sprinkled throughout a movie in both the narrative as well as the score, the movie ends up living on it’s own, independent of the people who created it. It becomes alive.
Choosing great music for your film is easy when you consider that all music has color. If you knew what made a piece of music energizing or relaxed or heavenly or intense, you would undoubtably have an unfair advantage in the wild game of filmmaking.
In my strong opinion, music is color and knowing that makes you stronger as a storyteller. This article takes a deep dive on what causes music to have a specific color and how you can use this knowledge to get an incredible soundtrack for your film.
How can you get the viewers of your film to feel the story viscerally? In a primal way? In order for your work as a storyteller to be received well, this post goes over why it’s so important to frame your work around the idea of emotional impact.
Specifically, this post goes over the factors that contribute (or take away from) the emotional impact of a story. I go in depth about the process of priming the people you work with (including the film composer), and how this one simple process will help you get the most memorable and emotionally impactful film possible.
In 9th grade, I permanently borrowed The Artist's Way from my Mom's bookshelf. The title arrested my attention... I had no idea why, but I just needed to liberate it from her bookshelf and keep it for my very own. Sorry, Mom! Only later did I realize how pivotal that act would be for my personal and professional life.