New to Peer to Peer-Does this one work?

[edmondredd]

Hello,
So I was working on this track (If you could check "The Hounded" on my taxi page), and I found that there was a listing that goes like that:

HYBRID, TRAILER-Style ORCHESTRAL INSTRUMENTALS are needed by a Top-Notch Music Licensing Company with a really long and impressive list of placements in Film, TV, Commercials, and Trailers. Please submit impactful, current-sounding Instrumentals in All-Tempos that can stylistically match the intensity and style of a Big Blockbuster Theatrical Trailer. Please take a listen to the following examples to get in the general ballpark of what they need:

“Illusions” by Thomas Bergersen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1qzm3UUTrg

“False King” by Two Steps From Hell:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZz9mvCcyPk

“Breach Of Faith” by Fringe Element:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxXxCDGzpCM

“Brutal Revolution” by Music Junkies:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfHfJMLFXtM

“Unstoppable” by E.S. Posthumus:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoaUYcwEpSw

Give them epic pieces that demand attention and deliver a big emotional impact, with heart-pounding percussion, beefy brass, and sweeping strings. Submissions should be structured like a typical film trailer, with three distinct acts that build as your composition progresses. Your hybridized elements can include Electro, Rock, Hip-Hop, or Dubstep to give your piece the added flair they’re after.

Non-Lyrical Choral samples are okay for this pitch. Easy edit points and buttoned endings are strongly encouraged. Please do not copy or rip off the referenced music in any way, shape, or form. Use them only as a general guide for tempo, texture, tone, and vibe. All submissions should be at least 2 minutes in length. Broadcast Quality is needed (Great sounding home recordings are fine).

This company offers an EXCLUSIVE deal, so please be sure the music you submit for this pitch are NOT already signed with any other Libraries or Catalogs. Any applicable sync fees will be split 50/50 with the Company. You’ll get 100% of the Writer’s share, and the Publisher will get 100% of the Publisher’s share. You must own or control your Master and Copyright to submit. Please submit one to three Instrumentals online or per CD. All submissions will be screened on a Yes/No basis by TAXI - No full critiques. Submissions must be received no later than 11:59PM (PST), on Wednesday, February 17th, 2016. TAXI #U160217HT

Any advice would be welcomed, and any constructive feedback would be more than appreciated,

[coolhouse912]

Hi Edmond,

Boy you jump right in to the deep end of the pool! Trailer music no less, & your track is very good!

Basically, I have one concern. I don't hear the clearly defined 3 act arrangement. I was waiting for the heroic center section & the uber-heroic close that typifies this genre, but it never quite got there for me. To be honest, I didn't listen to the refs. You may be matching them pretty closely.

Take this with a grain of salt. I'm an EDM guy. Hopefully, some of the peeps who are working in this field will weigh in. Obviously, you have the composing & recording chops for this demanding level of work, so keep at it! I'm looking forward to hearing more of your stuff.

Regards,
Mike

[edmondredd]

Hi Edmond,

Boy you jump right in to the deep end of the pool! Trailer music no less, & your track is very good!

Basically, I have one concern. I don't hear the clearly defined 3 act arrangement. I was waiting for the heroic center section & the uber-heroic close that typifies this genre, but it never quite got there for me. To be honest, I didn't listen to the refs. You may be matching them pretty closely.

Take this with a grain of salt. I'm an EDM guy. Hopefully, some of the peeps who are working in this field will weigh in. Obviously, you have the composing & recording chops for this demanding level of work, so keep at it! I'm looking forward to hearing more of your stuff.

Regards,
Mike

Mike, I really appreciate your comment and feedback,
I was actually trying myself at epic music, with a full orchestration.. there's a lot of things that I'm learning through the process, and this one was written before the listing.. I was just checking if it could work, but you're probably right, I'll probably need to look at the 3 act arrangement,
again thanks a lot,

edmond

[edmondredd]

Just updated the track and submitted it to 2 listings.. fingers crossed!
I'm still not getting the "big" sounding music (especially with drums) and when I reference it to other trailer cues, it feels as if it needs something.. can't really put a finger on. So I was wondering do you guys mix and master your own tracks or have someone do the mix for you?

[Cruciform]

This is really good, Edmond. I think there are a couple of things that could take it up a little more. But I'll make these suggestions as things to think about for your next track, rather than revisiting this one again.

Try keeping the intro section to around 0:30s. The energy isn't rising until nearly a minute in. You'll want it sooner than that.

Maybe try de-essing the choir.

Now take this one with a grain of salt as I'm listening on headphones and to a low-res stream so I could be being mislead - I feel there's not enough density in the mid range to add weight and power. There's a lot of exciting things happening higher up and the percussion (to the extent I can hear it given the two caveats I mentioned) seems right. But I feel like I want a meaty synth or some cimbasso, or low horns beefing it up. If I get the time tomorrow I'll have a listen on speakers and I may change my mind on this point.

You have the composition skills and the mockup abilities for trailer music - 100%.

When you're listening to high-end trailer music such as the ref tracks, they've generally recorded the orchestra and choir - and even if they mix it themselves they will normally still have it mastered by a pro ME.

Keep at it.

[edmondredd]

Rob, thank you so much for your feedback..
I really appreciate
Your comments have been all carefully noted.
The cimbasso and the low horns are actually present, but I'm finding it a tad hard to achieve a proper mix. I have the 'image' of the mix in my head but it is hardly transcribing into reality.
I did mess up with the choir, for exemple, by adding some compression: I go the harsh "s"; and without the compression, the choir is lost in the background..
I agree, will try to implement your comments and notes in the next one..
but again thanks a million,

edmond

[edmondredd]

oh and btw, nice website

[Cruciform]

Hey Edmond,

I'm finally listening again. You are so close. I'm trying to pin down exactly where I think it need some tweaks. It's a little tricky on the Taxi stream.

Yeh, I can hear the cimbasso now. The horns sound a bit thin. Are they too heavily compressed? The drums sound a little too focused in the upper mid range. There's not a lot percussion-wise coming through in the low and lo-mid ranges.

The deep rumble in the intro is overwhelming the mix, I'd fade it up slowly so it reaches full volume around the 30s mark, or bring the other intro orch section up more. Loving that piano.

Other ideas to try could be doubling strings and brass with octave down synths that aren't clearly audible in the mix but add density to the phrasing.

I understand compressing the choir. If you don't have a dedicated de-essing tool then try using an eq with a tight Q factor and a deep notch. Sweep it across the 4-10khz range and see if you can find a spot to lessen the harsh 's' without overly affecting the general choir sound.

Again, this is really good, exciting. It just needs that little extra in the production/mixing to make it roar.