JOE WALLACE: How is what you do different than making something that's simply washes over you and you pay no mind like Muzak in an elevator...

DAVE HUIZENGA: Right.

JOE WALLACE: ...and, you know, you are communicating, you are speaking a language on some level but you are not pulling the attention...

DAVE HUIZENGA: Right.

JOE WALLACE: ...into the musical sphere? You're doing something that's more subliminal but still communicates something. What's that like and how do you do that?

DAVE HUIZENGA: And also what I was trying -- I think I was getting from your question to is how does that differentiate from, you know, if you're so subtle, you know, are you -- do you have substance, you know? And I'd like to think that it's my choice of sounds, it's the textures that I'm using, and that's actually a great word for the type of -- You know, I might have, in a lot of cases, now you've been hearing some loops here that I've been playing. But even before the popularity, let's say, of loops and how easily accessible they are from Garageband to, you know, to just loop CDs that you can buy, way before loops, one of coolest things, one of the coolest sounds that I love, if you'll allow me, let's see if I have it here (it's from a sampler here, the Akai), and this might be it.

[DAVE HUIZENGA PLAYING A SAMPLE FROM HIS AKAI SAMPLER]

This would be it. So, to try and answer your question, you know, especially you know because I think it's just the coolest thing there is, is if there was something like a subtle, what someone might think is an unforgettable or non- -- yeah, kind of inconsequential type-sound. Let me go over here where it's I'vegot some space here.

[DAVE HUIZENGA PLAYING A SAMPLE FROM HIS AKAI SAMPLER]

Now, maybe for our listeners and viewers, they may not have had the patience to deal with that. To me, that's heaven. I love that. And that is an example of how I would stay in the background, and while most people might think that this might just be inconsequential and not important, I would want to perhaps...

[DAVE HUIZENGA PLAYING A FEW PIANO PASSAGES WITH AN ATMOSPHERIC SYNTH SAMPLE FROM HIS AKAI SAMPLER]

...you know. And to me, the combination of if I've got the right note working, which I think I did on the last one there (there were two or three in there that weren't exactly the ones that I wanted), but if I've got that one texture and that one, just the right note, that is a hook for me. I mean I call it a bit of a hook. You know, it's not going to be a single [LAUGHING] but I look for just those little things where -- and this will pop up in the show, I would just that's the other issue is I've got to make sure that a little subtle thing like...

[DAVE HUIZENGA PLAYING A FEW PIANO PASSAGES WITH AN ATMOSPHERIC SYNTH SAMPLE FROM HIS AKAI SAMPLER]

...or wait...

[DAVE HUIZENGA PLAYING A FEW PIANO PASSAGES WITH AN ATMOSPHERIC SYNTH SAMPLE FROM HIS AKAI SAMPLER]

...just that little half-step fall or something like that, that it's in the perfect spot, and that's really what's so exciting about what I do. It's just why every show is different. Every script is different and Bill's delivery, you know. Perhaps it, you know, maybe not to everyone, you know. You know, here's another cold case, it's about crime, and Bill's got that great voice. It might be all their hearing, but to me every little nuance is different, and when I hear, and when I have the room, and oftentimes -- and of course this is what's discouraging to young composing dudes is, "What? I have only two or three seconds to be up full?" You know what I mean? Well, yes. In some cases, I long, I must say, I long for some more New Explorers and the kind of shows where we had often a vehicle and I have 10 to 12 or 13 seconds to establish a theme for that particular hour, and I love it. I can play a few of those for you too. That's not the case here in Cold Case or in some of these newer. Look at any shows on television that are reality based, which is most of the -- Even A&E has gone so reality now that it's all about dialogue and it's about, "Cha! Cha! Cha!" you know, and the chatter between what's happening and this and that. And basically, in a lot of these shows, I'm hearing nothing but kind of hard rock music track underneath, which to me could from chosen -- Not to be mean, but I'm just saying, it's like it could be chosen from a music library. You know, I have walls of that too, you know. If I ever need to a go a music library, pull a cut of hard rock cut, play it [IMITATING A CHUGGING GUITAR SOUND], and that's unfortunately what you're kind of hearing under a lot of this reality-based television now, so this will always to me be a craft that I'll admire and truly do admire in a number of composers. My favorite, if you're interested, his name is Sean Callery from 24. Fabulous, the soundtrack on 24. I just absolutely love it. And of course Michael Giacchino, if I'm saying that right. And he was Alias's composer and now doing Lost. Just some of the, you know, just some of the greatest ideas of -- 24 especially is neat because he kind of does what I love to do, and he will just hypnotically take you into a rhythm and into a bit of a loop, whatever, but then [VOCALIZING A HIT], he'll bring in some of this incredible -- If I can -- Can I show you something real quick here? For example, let's take a -- I think I have a loop right here.

[DAVE HUIZENGA PLAYING A LOOP FROM DIGIDESIGN XPAND]

Okay, just a loop from the XPand thing here, all right? But let me locate my --

[DAVE HUIZENGA PLAYING A FEW PASSAGES]

Cool. Another thing that I love, which I haven’t told you about yet is the Gigasampler. That was the last thing that I've gotten, and it's over here on this PC of all things, a PC which is hidden [LAUGHING] on the floor over there, and I only use it to turn it on and off because I know nothing about Windows or PC, so I'm just happy that it works, it's here, and all I need is to learn this interface, and it's from TASCAM so it's super-friendly. I love TASCAM stuff. But anyway, some of the best sounds that I could have ever imagined, and they would have loved these, and maybe they were available 20 years ago. I don't know but for example, let me just add quickly, just add a horn. This isn't for any reason, but it's just to kind of show you what I mean about.

[DAVE HUIZENGA PLAYING A LOOP FROM DIGIDESIGN XPAND AND PLAYS A HORN PASSAGE]

And then --

[DAVE HUIZENGA PLAYING A DISTORTED GUITAR LOOP]

Well and then actually, I could see the 20 -- You know, something might kick in there.

[DAVE HUIZENGA PLAYING A HORN PASSAGE ALONG A LOOP FROM DIGIDESIGN XPAND AND INSERTS DISTORTED GUITAR LOOP]

Cool. What key was I in at that moment? But here is, and when I just ditchd that guitar, but because I wanted to -- It just described these to praise this Giga, it's just...

[DAVE HUIZENGA PLAYING A LOOP FROM DIGIDESIGN XPAND]

But the strings for example, the horns, the strings...

[DAVE HUIZENGA PLAYING HORNS AND STRINGS FROM GIGASAMPLER ALONG WITH BACKING TRACK FROM DIGIDESIGN XPAND]

You know, so combining loops, synthesized cool great stuff in the go is another cool program that I have. I can just show you that interface real quick, but it's also a favorite. Let me see here. There we go. In the go right here. Very, very cool. This is another [PLAYING A FEW NOTES] you know little [PLAYING A FEW NOTES] arpeggiation thing which gets -- which really kicks in the groove nicely for me, and I love this Stylus RMX. This is the one I speaking of before that has just fabulous sounding loops.

[DAVE HUIZENGA PLAYING A LOOP FROM DIGIDESIGN XPAND]

Oh, this is the one that was here. You know, and it's eight-track too and you can go in here, add effects, mixing, and you know and to just create your own loops with RMX. It's just a great, great thing, so between that Gigasampler with those fabulous strings and brass and lots of other cool things as well, that's kind of how I'm doing what I do.