The Pro Scores promo will be online sometime before Tuesday, so be the first to see it when it comes out. There will also be a second mini-promo to highlight the various categories and content of this massive DVD. Pro Scores will be available Tuesday December 9th on DVD and Download.

Sometimes during my work in AE, I solve little problems and add them to memory without telling anyone. Well before I forget, I want to make a short list. You'll probably see more posts like this now that I have an outlet. These may be simple but I found them to be quite useful and allowed me to break certain routines.

1. Fade in Fade out Adjustments:
So you have a video element that has 2 keyframes in the beginning that fade the clip in and 2 more at the end to fade it out. Now you want to lower the opacity but you normally have to adjust both keyframes. Instead I just add an expression by alt clicking the stopwatch and typing value*.5 this cuts all values by 50 percent.

2. Helping Failed Renders due to image buffer errors:
Often times HD projects will fail on render due to image buffer errors or all sorts of things. Here are a couple things to try during clutch situations.

• Change the AE secret preference to purge after 1-4 frames. (hold down SHIFT while accessing the edit menu/preferences. The "Secret" menu appears.
• Another thing to try is render to an image sequence like PNG or TIFF, this way if the render fails when going to a QuickTime, you still have good frames that you can add to by rendering the incomplete portion.
• Another thing to try (if you have access) is loading your project into a 64bit machine since it can handle more memory and actually allowed me to finish a render when my 32bit machine couldn't.

3. Working Late
Order a pizza before they close so that you can have a late snack after most places close. Be considerate of toppings that will still taste good after refrigeration. When you have rendering problems they can last all night but then you pull out a cheesy friend and somehow it's not so bad.

Until I get a chance to post the video demonstration, I thought I would answer a few questions first.

1. There are 500 audio tracks, how many are actual music tracks?
As a music toolkit, Pro Scores includes over 50 full length musical tracks approximately 1-2 minutes with various styles. In addition to these tracks you also get access to hundreds of music design elements such as tension building fx and atmospherics. One example would be television dramas use intense backgrounds and ambiance to set the mood and Pro Scores offers a vast library of elements to choose from.

For those who have purchased production music, you know that a SINGLE track can cost anywhere from $25-$100 with premium stuff well into the hundreds of dollars and they don't include layered versions. The music track for the Evolution Promo ran over $150 just for the specific use in a web advertisement... it's not even royalty free.

2. Are the music tracks loops or fully orchestrated?

Pro Scores music tracks are NOT short loops but rather fully composed production music with the more complex tracks available with separated key tracks such as, Percussion, Orchestra and Choirs, etc. This allows users to customize and even extract tracks such as percussion and mix with other atmosphere elements but maintain the climactic builds like you hear at the end of movie trailers and promos. Of course the music tracks are just one part of this collection.

3. What program can I use Pro Scores with?

You can use Pro Scores with any audio application. This includes professional applications such as Logic and Cubase, but also video editing applications such as Premiere, Vegas and even Final Cut Pro. The DVD training focuses on the concepts of mixing and all the steps can be reproduced in almost any program. I personally demonstrate the audio portion in Vegas Video because the waveforms are very prominent and make it easy to see the music but I also show you how you can achieve the same functions in Premiere Pro as well as After Effects.

4. Will there be a full demo, what is the quality?

We will do our best to show off this product in several ways including a promo video scored only with audio elements from this collection. You can also access our audio guide with examples to illustrate the various categories of sounds and music. The sound quality is 24bits and uncompressed.

5. Your posts are always early in the morning are you a robot?

Yes. Living Tissue Over Metal Endoskeleton.

As we approach the release of Pro Scores, I wanted to share some of the great features before Tuesday. Pro Scores is not software but rather a collection of easy-to-use musical elements, layered music and sound design tracks offering you a new perspective on music production. These sound files can be used in almost any audio/video application with total control. A demo video will be online soon for a first hand look.

This collection focuses on Epic and Orchestral music with a broad range of styles and moods, from intense and exciting to dramatic and even inspirational. Pro Scores is perfect for promos, trailers, films as well as enhancing your existing music tracks.

Pro Scores offers unique access to individual music design elements for creating powerful compilations with ease. You can also get started right away with full mixes or tryout the high quality template scores until you start mixing your own.

Features:

• Over 500 Audio Tracks
• 85 Minutes of Tutorials (Audio Mixing & After Effects tips)
• 4 Primary Sound Categories & 5 Musical Styles
• Layered Music Tracks, (Percussion, Orchestra, Choirs, etc.)
• Customizable Template Soundtracks
• Royalty Free Licensing
• & Much more...

Here is a little test I made using CC Particle World and some vector blur to make Fire. It's not perfect but an interesting study. One of the key things I did was used a wiggle expression on the particle birthrate to give a variable emission pattern like something was burning inconsistently. It's a little slow to render but it is very high resolution.

Sample Video

Project File

Essentially it is 3D, although I haven't tested it much for things like looking down on it... Currently it is only for AE CS3 but an After Effects tutorial may be possible in the future.