David Birnie MMus

Department of Music
Teaching Fellow

Contact details

Address
Bramall Music Building
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

I am a composer and sound designer for trailers, advertising, TV and films. I write primarily for either orchestra or synthesisers.

Qualifications

  • MMus in Music Technology. Royal Birmingham Conservatoire
  • BMus in Music. University of Birmingham

Biography

As a composer specialising in music for ‘sync’, I compose ‘library music’ that is available for licensing to picture. My music has most notably been heard in trailers for Marvel (Fantastic 4), HBO (The Gilded Age), Disney+ (The Bear, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew), Channel 4 (Trespasses) and advertising campaigns for Tesco and Highclere Castle. My library music is published with the likes of Warner Chappell, Universal, BMG, APM and Cavendish Music.

My specialism is writing and orchestrating realistic MIDI arrangements for orchestra, sound design and programming with software synthesisers, music production and audio recording and mixing. The genres of music I work on are extensive, recently including Classical, Rock, Hip Hop and Drum & Bass.

My modules at the University of Birmingham seek to provide students that are aspiring composers for media with the technical skills and industry knowledge needed to succeed as a commercial composer.

Teaching

  • Composing for the Creative Industries 
  • Introduction to Sound Recording 
  • Postgraduate supervision - Masters Composition Tutorials

Publications