Making the Terminator 2 score
Posted: Jun 03, 2025 5:57 am
There's some wackiness here and there, but this is a great video that digs into the very idiosyncratic score for Terminator 2, almost entirely made on 2 Fairlight CMI series 3s.
Those 8-bit voice cards were vital to giving the film its sound. It has all aged spectacularly well despite using ancient technology. There's a great bit where they compare the T2 crunchy lofi strings pitched down 3 octaves with Spitfire's Chamber Strings, and of course the former sounds so much better in this context. Brad Fidel was a true genius.
I think this is also a good example where a theoretical concept really works in practice. They wanted to mix real with machines, like the Terminators themselves. That digital grinding grit that is over the whole score is the absolutely perfect accompaniment to the visuals (which also haven't really dated, despite a flurry of morphing knock-offs that came in its wake).
Those 8-bit voice cards were vital to giving the film its sound. It has all aged spectacularly well despite using ancient technology. There's a great bit where they compare the T2 crunchy lofi strings pitched down 3 octaves with Spitfire's Chamber Strings, and of course the former sounds so much better in this context. Brad Fidel was a true genius.
I think this is also a good example where a theoretical concept really works in practice. They wanted to mix real with machines, like the Terminators themselves. That digital grinding grit that is over the whole score is the absolutely perfect accompaniment to the visuals (which also haven't really dated, despite a flurry of morphing knock-offs that came in its wake).