The Newsroom

BBC News - The Music

Epic New "Sub Mix 2012" on DLs Site (August 2012)

This site closed in March 2021 and is now a read-only archive
AC
aconnell
Who composed the latest music for BBC Sportsday? It's so much better than the one on David Lowe's website.

71 days later

LW
LeeWN
Is it just me or anyone who hate the new World Business Report theme? It sounds a bit like GMT to me. I would still love the popular one from the flags era.
LW
LeeWN
Pete posted:
Just realised that we haven't mentioned the ugly ducking of the insane BBC World original vamp, the overnight News 24 version without thunderclaps. Which for no apparent reason was also a semitone higher and therefore sounded strange next to the titles.


I agree, I watched some clips of overnight bulletins and making the vamp a semitone higher was very irritating and strange. Does anyone have a mp3 of it? Anyway, here's an example I found on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAbQGieKKXc
Last edited by LeeWN on 3 February 2013 4:54am
ST
Stedixon
Pete posted:
Just realised that we haven't mentioned the ugly ducking of the insane BBC World original vamp, the overnight News 24 version without thunderclaps. Which for no apparent reason was also a semitone higher and therefore sounded strange next to the titles.


I agree, I watched some clips of overnight bulletins and making the vamp a semitone higher was very irritating and strange. Does anyone have a snippet of it? Anyway, here's an example I found on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAbQGieKKXc


That sounds like it was speeded up. I can remember a bed the same but in the right pitch
LW
LeeWN
Pete posted:
Just realised that we haven't mentioned the ugly ducking of the insane BBC World original vamp, the overnight News 24 version without thunderclaps. Which for no apparent reason was also a semitone higher and therefore sounded strange next to the titles.


I agree, I watched some clips of overnight bulletins and making the vamp a semitone higher was very irritating and strange. Does anyone have a snippet of it? Anyway, here's an example I found on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAbQGieKKXc


That sounds like it was speeded up. I can remember a bed the same but in the right pitch


Yes, I remember the time when News 24 relocated to N9 due to the News Centre being temporarily closed because of the bomb, the simulcasts used the version with no thunderclaps but with the right pitch. World used it again on their generic bulletins on the aftermath of Sept 11.
IT
itsrobert Founding member
Yes, I too dislike the new WBR music. Not a patch on its predecessor.

To clear up the World vamp pitch debate... World always used the vamp at the correct, lower pitch. The higher pitched one was only used for joint/overnight coverage - the exception being in the immediate aftermath of the BBC bomb when the normal World vamp was used.
CR
Critique
I much prefer the new WBR music, actually. I've always felt that the music, and indeed, the graphics, seemed old and outdated, and didn't fit in particularly well with the rest of BBC News' output. I'm glad they've changed it and brought things back up to date.
IT
itsrobert Founding member
I much prefer the new WBR music, actually. I've always felt that the music, and indeed, the graphics, seemed old and outdated, and didn't fit in particularly well with the rest of BBC News' output. I'm glad they've changed it and brought things back up to date.

It's so bland, though. There's no proper tune to speak of. It would have sounded great if the existing theme tune had survived but was brought up to date in David Lowe's style. For me it was a missed opportunity.
LW
LeeWN
I much prefer the new WBR music, actually. I've always felt that the music, and indeed, the graphics, seemed old and outdated, and didn't fit in particularly well with the rest of BBC News' output. I'm glad they've changed it and brought things back up to date.

It's so bland, though. There's no proper tune to speak of. It would have sounded great if the existing theme tune had survived but was brought up to date in David Lowe's style. For me it was a missed opportunity.


I prefer itsrobert's opinion much. I really love the old theme tune. I'm also expecting the new titles with the flags theme on it. Replacing it was dismaying and during my vacation, I always used to hear it. It was an exceptional composition IMO. That will hold a special place in my memory.
JW
JamesWorldNews
To be precise, the music of the second flags era was sublime. The special versions of TWT theme were just out of this world, if you pardon the pun.
LW
LeeWN
To be precise, the music of the second flags era was sublime. The special versions of TWT theme were just out of this world, if you pardon the pun.


I actually never heard that version of the TWT theme, only the extended opening one I watched on YouTube. Although I only heard the ident music and the World News one, these were excellent but dramatic.
ST
STV Today
IMO the best titles were the flying fish fingers for the Nine O'Clock News and the 84-93 Six O'Clock News. I also liked the One O'Clock News from this era as well. It was good when the bulletins had distinctive titles but I doubt we'd go back to that now.

I think the current music for BBC News is immediately identifiable and is here to stay for a very long time to come.

I wonder if we will see any changes when the network bulletins and news channel move in to NBH in March?

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