The Soundtrack Composer Behind the BBC’s Doctor Who
Image: BBC / BBC Studios, Henrik Knudsen
Segun Akinola is the new composer of the BBC’s hit show Doctor Who. He’s been working on the show in secret for the better part of one year. MusicTech managed to secure an interview with him that covers his come up in the music industry, what led him to his current coveted position working on Doctor Who, and the software/hardware that he uses in his creative process.
Akinola grew up playing instruments, doing creative writing, and reading books. He studied composition at the Birmingham Conservatoire and the National Film and Television School which allowed him to network with producers and directors. His work on the score for Black and British: A Forgotten History is what put him on the map. He actually didn’t even apply for the job working on Doctor Who; the BBC called him one day and asked if they could pass his number on to the show’s execs.
He states that “During the compositional process I’d ask questions such as ‘I wonder what this will sound like’ or ‘if I just did this, what would happen to the sound?’ I’d run things through unconventional plug-ins to see what happens when I approach things differently and challenge myself. I wanted to have that same spirit of invention that Doctor Who’s original composers had, but to make everything sound completely fresh for today’s audience.”
MusicTech’s Andy Price mentions that “Segun uses Logic Pro X and Pro Tools, writing mainly in Logic and using Pro Tools to host video and bounced compositions once he’s written them.” Akinola’s other tools include the SoundToys bundle, Spectrasonics’ Omnisphere, Cinesamples, some Spitfire’s orchestral libraries, and lots of Lexicon reverbs. He follows up his list of computer-focused tools by mentioning that he’s created many of his sample collections himself.
Read the full interview with Segun Akinola by Andy Price for an in-depth look at what it takes to work as a composer for the BBC. Additionally, you can preview Akinola’s work on the new Doctor Who in the video below.
Charles Hoffman is a Mixing and Mastering Engineer at Black Ghost Audio. After graduating from the University of Manitoba with an English degree, Charles completed his education at Icon Collective in Los Angeles, CA.
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