But I agree that they are mostly both used to inform the viewer of what to feel. But one has only one note, where the other has complexity and variety on par with what visual media can express. Therefore not comparable IMO

I disagree. Music has the potential to express an artistic idea that goes beyond what a fake laugh can do. This can contribute to the scenes mood or contradict it to create a more complex emotion than what the images would do by themselves.

The only time I remember seeing fake laughs being used in a contradictory manner is when used in the sitcom scene in Natural Born Killers.

Furthermore, music scores can be enjoyed by itself. Interstellar was for me a subpar movie, but the score was great and works for me as a standalone piece of art. A fake laugh doesn’t (for me at least)

Weird. I can’t even see comments. And I have changed settings to reflect the recommended settings. I can only see your replies in my inbox. I’m gonna ask my instance what’s up 😶

Thanks for the pointers- and sorry I can’t reply specifically to your messages- hope I’ll find a fix soon so I can geek out with my fellow synth-nerds