A question for those with more experience than I...

[waveheavy]

I hear the cut at 0:12 on the first example where it sounds like they looped it. It's really not that smooth of an edit.

You know, one of the hardest things I'm dealing with in learning to write cues for the listings is how keep an idea going with fewer composition changes than if I were writing a normal instrumental cue. I'm used to doing modulations to other keys within a key, but that's out with doing these cues pretty much. The only cues I see freedom to write normally are the Pop, Rock, Blues, and Jazz cues that require a vocal.

On some cues, I would try sticking with one texture of instruments throughout the composition, only changing the song form, and see what they do with that. I know it can make the cue sound kind of boring, but that's what they want evidently, a cue that presents a certain mood, stays with it, and builds at the same time. But I would in no way stop writing how you've been doing, because like you said, you're getting placements even though they're chopping them up.

[cassmcentee]

Thanks Len! Michelle's Blog, KC's interview is priceless!

Yup, Thanks Casey!

Cool Dave! You HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD... simplicity...
I was just chatting with a very experienced Taxi Member and that was exactly their point!
Thank you all
Cass

[mojobone]

Sounds to me like you're the victim of some inelegant edits, possibly due to an inexperienced editor and/or a time crunch. I doubt it's any fault in your music; there's just no accounting for other peoples' 'ears' sometimes.

[VanderBoegh]

But if, in reality, their 'home' is gonna be just nice background 'noise' - either supporting an ad campaign video, or sitting beneath dialog... that's a whole different animal; where continuity may matter very little.

Hey Cass, I gotta agree with Peter and others on this one. Sure, you may not like how they chopped up your cue to loop a certain 5-10 second passage, but your music impressed them enough to stick it in there in the first place. So there's the major win. And the fact that they liked a certain section enough to repeat it is a bonus win. And now you'll get more money because of it. So there's the ultimate win!

Bottom line, you're already doing the right things if your music is getting placed. We can't control what certain section an editor will like best or what will be more appropriate for a scene which we haven't seen. The best we can do is make good music and let them chop it up as necessary, even if their "chopping" is more akin to butchery, haha. Still pays!!

~~Matt

[cassmcentee]

Mojo And Matt, Thank you for the good words!
Time for me to quit crying and just let the children play

[mojobone]

The good news it's mixed so far below dialog, only an experienced editor or musician would notice. Or so someone thought, LOL

[cassmcentee]

The good news it's mixed so far below dialog, only an experienced editor or musician would notice. Or so someone thought, LOL

I'll take that as an insult!