About OdysseyNotes
I believe great music tells a story.
I’m Robert, a media composer, YouTuber, and lifelong film-music nerd.
As a kid, I lived for the DVD bonus features…listening to composers and directors talk about how music fit scene, followed a character, or even change how we feel.
I was always making worlds, sketching characters, and thinking in themes long before I knew what “composition” even was.
Somewhere along the way, I got lost in templates, music theory, and perfect mockups. I stopped finishing ideas and started doubting whether my music really said anything. What brought me back wasn’t another expensive sample library…it was story!
Rewatching films I loved.
Listening to scores that made everything feel bigger.
Letting that curiosity pull me back into writing!
OdysseyNotes is where I stay connected to that feeling and invite you into it. It’s a place to slow down with the scores we love, understand what the music is doing, and (if you’re a composer) bring some of that storytelling into your own work!
What You’ll Find Here…
OdysseyNotes (free)
These are my main notes and reflections: how a cue shapes a scene, how a motif grows with a character, how harmony or texture shifts our emotional understanding. It’s a mix of recent releases and older favorites, written in plain language for both composers and non-musicians.
OdysseyNotes Pro (paid)
Once a month, we go deeper on one score. I pick a film, show, or game and zoom in on specific moments…what’s happening on screen, what the music’s doing underneath, and why it works. Think of it as a focused long take on one story the music is telling, with concrete examples you can revisit and learn from.
Score Club (paid)
Score Club is basically a book club, but for soundtracks. Each month, I choose a score and share a few prompts. You listen on your own time and jump into the discussion. It’s a low-pressure way to compare notes, notice new details, and hear how other people are experiencing the same music.
CoffeeNotes (paid)
These are short, “off-the-cuff” videos…casual thoughts over a cup of coffee about a music that inspired me, something from my own writing, or whatever’s been sparking ideas lately. They’re not polished “lessons,” just honest check-ins from personal experience.
Bonus Videos & Resources (paid)
From time to time, I’ll add extra interviews, bonus videos, or curated resources that feel like a natural extension of what we’re exploring together. Paid members get access to the full library as it grows.
Who This is For…
Composers who care about storytelling through music, not just technique or tools.
Film, TV, and game music fans who want language for why certain moments are so impactful.
Creators who feel a bit stuck or disconnected from the joy of writing and want to feel inspired again.
No theory background required. If you’re curious about how music and story work together, you’re in the right place!
Free vs. Paid
Free
You’ll get the main OdysseyNotes posts and public content: Occasional notes, score discussions, and reflections on how music and story connect.
Paid – $12.99/month or $99/year
Everything in free, plus:
OdysseyNotes Pro – monthly deep dives on a specific film, show, or game
Score Club – members-only “book club for scores”
CoffeeNotes – short video reflections
Bonus videos & resources as they’re added
Founder – $399/year
For those who want to support a bit more and connect more directly. Founders get everything in Paid, plus:
Story Circles – a live version of Score Club. We meet on Zoom once a month to explore one score together in real time. It’s a space for open discussion, questions, and personal connection.
That’s everything for just $33/month!
Paid subscriptions help me keep doing this work consistently while I balance composing, content, and parenthood. I’m genuinely grateful for everyone who chooses to support in that way!
Why I Do This
I’ve had the privilege of working with hundreds of composers through ThinkSpace Education’s Orchestral Composition Bootcamp and also collaborating with developers like Cinesamples, EastWest, and Westwood Instruments. With over 6K+ subscribers on YouTube, I help you hear music like a storyteller, so you can write more confidently and with deeper intention.
Across all of that, one pattern keeps showing up: people light up when they reconnect with why they started writing in the first place.
For me, that why has always lived inside scores…inside the way music can influence a story, deepen a character, or make a moment unforgettable!
OdysseyNotes is my way of staying close to that, and of giving composers and film-music lovers a place to keep listening, learning, and feeling connected to the music that moves them!
Get to Know My Work on YouTube
Superman
When a character is as iconic as Superman, the theme is part of the character. In this breakdown, I show how John Murphy and David Fleming pull a small moment of struggle from Williams’s fanfare into a new three-note motif that scores Clark’s most human, vulnerable beats…and why that expands the legacy rather than copying it.
Companion post: I Can’t Stop Listening to the New Superman Score
Thunderbolts
I dig into how Son Lux’s distinct, experimental language became part of the film’s DNA (because of how they were brought in so early…and how that sound lets the score speak to mental health, trauma, and a move toward redemption instead of defaulting to superhero clichés.
Companion post: Why the Thunderbolts Film Score Hits So Hard
Fantastic Four
Why Giacchino’s theme feels both brand-new and instantly iconic: a lullaby-simple I–IV–IV–I opening that grows into a classic anthem…and one chord that sounds heroic and ominous at once. The video focuses less on theory labels and more on how that harmony serves the story and the four-act shape the theme tells.
Companion post: Why Giacchino’s Fantastic Four Music is So Important
Subscribe
Read free, or support the work with a paid plan when it feels right. Either way, I’m so glad you’re here and always…Happy Composing!
