In TM’s Atelier - Episode 8: Composer’s Cut on "Le Rêve Restauré"
This time, it’s not an article in words —
but, instead, a piece created through video and voice.
"Le Rêve Restauré" is one of the representative works from the "Le Cube Dans Mon Rêve" series.
For this episode, I made a special version arranged exclusively for the video.
The arrangement highlights different parts in turn, with a commentary on how each section was built and what inspired its sound.
Some related pieces are layered or juxtaposed so that you can hear the contrasts and connections that emerge more vividly.
This video also includes the score playback version,
which is the stage before TI’s arrangement and final creation.
In TM’s Atelier: Composer’s Cut on "Le Rêve Restauré" (FMT)
The production notes and embedded link on the original complete version of the track is here:
Production Notes on "Le Rêve Restauré"
Production Notes on the Video
(TI writes:)
Background
This project was initiated by two separate voices from outside.
The first came from a listener who has been following our In TM’s Atelier series on our website with remarkable attention.
They told us:
“I would love to hear TM himself explain this in his own voice.”
The second came from a member of the music press who wrote a favorable review of our work.
They commented:
“It might be valuable for FMT to create some form of musical commentary or explanation.”
The fact that these two perspectives—one from a listener, one from the music press—aligned so clearly gave us a strong sense of necessity to move forward.
At the same time, we ourselves felt the desire to keep our album Le Cube Dans Mon Rêve alive not as a consumable “product” but as a continuing work.
Against this backdrop, TM suggested:
“If possible, I’d like to try a video version as well. It would allow me to show the score and explain things as I go.”
Since a video consisting mainly of MuseScore footage and narration was fully producible within our current environment, we decided to create a video edition in addition to the originally planned audio version.
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On the Video
The entire video was edited using Microsoft Clipchamp, a free editing tool.
This was a deliberate decision based on:
1. We do not expect direct revenue from music videos or visual works.
2. Our aim was to convey our thinking and creative process, and heavy investment would not have improved the purpose of the work.
However, we chose the paid 4K export option for the final output.
This was simply because:
• We did not want to look back later and feel, “We should have made it cleaner.”
• We wanted to preserve at least the minimum formal quality of a “work.”
The visual components were kept strictly minimal:
• MuseScore score videos
• Three motifs:
o Time and Gaze by Chiaki Tamura (used in the album visuals)
o The Impressionist-textured rotating cube used in the music video
o A portrait of Erik Satie
This approach stems from the advice we once received from our producer and the owner of KITCHEN.Label, Ricks Ang:
“You should always narrow down and refine the elements as much as possible.”
Beyond that, choosing a minimal visual language also reflected our own aesthetics:
• Increasing information obscures structure
• We want to leave room for the viewer’s own thinking
• We wanted to test whether the work could stand on its own with only the bare minimum of elements
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On the Voice
TM’s English—its pronunciation, structure, and pacing—was surprisingly natural and already complete as a piece of narration.
For this reason, editing was kept to a bare minimum.
Although we initially considered correcting the slightly muffled tonal quality, we ultimately decided against it.
Over-editing would have undermined what we valued most:
the ability for TM’s actual flow of thought to reach the listener directly.
Minor breath sounds and light environmental noise were intentionally left untouched as well.
Removing them entirely would have resulted in an overly sterile and impersonal tone, which did not fit the context of this work.
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On the Music
All sounds used in the video come directly from the MuseScore soundfonts TM used during the composition process.
These soundfonts do, however, come with inherent characteristics:
• Rough textures
• Noticeable phase inconsistencies
• Certain samples playing in reversed polarity
To address this, all parts were converted to mono before mixing.
This was not only a technical decision but also an aesthetic one:
• We prioritized conveying structure rather than spatial placement
• We wanted to avoid steering the listener’s interpretation through panning
• It felt more natural to stay close to TM’s original perspective during composition
Mixing was intentionally simple—limited to EQ and light compression—with minimal panning.
As a result, while the sound is not identical to what TM heard during composition, it faithfully recreates the structural impression of those early stages.
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Presentation
Since we were creating something and sharing it with others, we wanted it to be presented not merely as an explanatory video but as a work in itself.
We did not want the typical “independent band uploads a video to YouTube and leaves it there” style of presentation.
Instead, we wanted to design the experience of receiving the work.
For this reason, we created a new YouTube channel specifically for this release and treated it as a formal publication.
Before the public release, we sent a preview to eight members of the music press who had written positively about us or had contacted us previously.
Their responses were not lengthy reviews, but we received clear signs that they had watched it—messages asking us to follow up, and Likes on social media.
These small but unmistakable responses gave us confidence that the work had reached people in a meaningful way.
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Closing Thoughts
What we hoped to convey through this work is the idea that music is not merely the result of coincidence, impulse, or improvisation—it is a materialization of thought.
And in presenting this video, we wanted to be intentional about designing the viewer’s experience, not simply releasing something and leaving it unattended.
If this piece allows the narrative of In TM’s Atelier and the musical world of Le Cube Dans Mon Rêve to connect in a new way—
and if TM’s thought structures can re-emerge within each viewer’s own internal space—
then we feel the work has fulfilled its purpose.
In TM’s Atelier –
Episode 1: Composition Atelier
Episode 2: Geometry on Five Lines
Episode 3: When the Concept Ignites
Episode 4: Everything Begins with the Colour Red
Episode 5: A Journey of Creation and Self-Discovery
Episode 6: What’s Missing in the Age of Marketing Music
Episode 7: Is Listening to Someone Else's Emotions Really That Interesting?
Episode 8: Composer’s Cut on "Le Rêve Restauré"
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