Ambient New Age Returns - OK Let It Fly!

[kurtkreimier]

I've never been one to come out here and complain about a return but I'm a little upset about these returns. That said, I'll get over it. Instead I'm going to try to use it as a learning experience. Here is the listing.

Y100803NA

AMBIENT NEW AGE INSTRUMENTAL COMPOSERS a la Brian Eno, Patrick O'Hearn, Steve Roach's "Structures from Silence" album, etc., needed by a Music Producer who has a new music library with Major distribution and already has several TAXI composers under his roof. He is currently the provider of music for a huge daytime television talk show but wants to make clear that the songs he signs to the library will focus on the other projects he is involved in and will not compete with the Composers working on the talk show. He is open to both domestic and international writers. This is an exclusive deal and you keep 100% of the writer's share. All submissions need to be Broadcast Quality. We recently ran this as Dispatch listing #D100616NA, so if you submitted to that listing, please send in new instrumentals this time around. Please submit two to three instrumentals online or per CD. All submissions will be screened on a YES/NO BASIS - NO CRITIQUES FROM TAXI - and must be received no later than Tuesday, August 3, 2010. TAXI #Y100803NA

You can hear the returns "Ambience" and "Cosmic Curiosity" on my Taxi Page at http://www.taxi.com/kurtkreimier

I spent about 3 hours listening to these artists and excerpts from the above mentioned album but maybe I still put too much of myself into these tracks. In any case, go ahead and let it fly and tell me what I should have done differently on these. All comments are welcome. I can take it. Thanks in advance for taking the time to listen and critique.

Peace!

[Cruciform]

Hey Kurt,

I can't see any immediate reason why neither of them were forwarded. Dunno mate, but given some of my returns lately, I am seriously scratching my head too, so I can only sympathise.

[bwd]

Hi Kurt. The ones that got forwarded seem to have airy and slowly evolving high-quality synth sounds. There also have no obvious chord changes and maybe just a little pulse to anchor the rhythm. "Ambience" seems fairly melodic and the pads are a little thick. I've read that you need to open up the voicings to create an nice open sound. I tend to plonk down on the 1, 3 and 5 on the keyboard myself! The piece seems to end a little suddenly. Again with "Cosmic Curiosity" I can easily hear the harmonic movement and the pads don't seem quite as lush as some of the forwards. Your pads are definitely more "stringy" (as in orchestral). From around 2.10 there's a bit of a bass rumble now and again - like maybe the 3rd of the chord is in too low a register? By the way, my ambient pieces also got returned so you can take what I say with a pinch of salt. Cheers, Doug

[kurtkreimier]

Thanks Guys! Doug, I hear what you are saying. My old nemesis the thick harmonies have gotten me into trouble in the past. I must learn to slay them. As far as the chord changes go I really have a hard time putting something down without any harmonic movement. That said, I have heard a few of the other forwards and some of them also had a definite chord progression. But perhaps not as obvious and without so many extensions such as 9ths, 7ths and suspended 4ths, another old nemesis from my jazz playing days. And perhaps the sounds were a bit organic. Thanks Again!

I'm still looking for more feedback until I get these returns out of my system. Please let it fly my fellow Taxi Members!

[crs7string]

Kurt,

I listened to both tracks and have just a couple of thoughts.

Both tracks feel just a little fast to me. It may be the harmonic rhythm. It may be worth experimenting with cutting the time in half and "hang" on each chord a little longer.

Regarding the pads. On tracks like this I will usually treat the pads as individual voices and use a different pad for each voice, almost like writing for a woodwind or string section. I think when it is done like this you pay a little more attention to voice leading and common tones. If there is a common tone say from a C chord to an F chord, holding the C thru the changes smooths out the pads.

This can be very creative as well. You can mix a fairly static sawtoothy type of sound with a whooshy wavestation type of sound with a lot of movement and create a hybrid sound that has movement and hold interest even if in a more subliminal way. Sort of orchestrating, only with synths patches.

The pads in your tracks sound like someone "plopping down" their fingers on the keyboard and hence, to me, don't sound very "organic". They also call a little too much attention to themselves. A pad(s) should be the backdrop and create the ambience of the piece.


Chuck

[kurtkreimier]

Thanks Chuck! All very good points to work into these tracks and future projects. I appreciate you taking the time to give me your thoughts.

[GregRalls]

Hey Kurt,

I'm listening right now, and I think both songs are fantastic. I submitted two songs for the listing, and both of mine were returned as well. Perhaps we both just love harmony a bit too much. Like you, I listened to that Steve Roach piece, and I listened to just about every Brian Eno album from 1975's Discreet Music on up through 1984's The Pearl with Harold Budd. I think maybe my problem was that I focused too much on the dark ambient of On Land.

Anyway, the two songs I submitted were "red sky in the morning and "foggy night" if you (or anyone) wants to offer feedback:

http://www.taximusic.com/artist/gregralls

Take care,
Greg

[GregRalls]

I liked both of the songs, Kurt!

[t4mh]

Hi Kurt! Listened to both and liked them. I also wrote several of these and submitted two, one of which was a forward. The forwarded track I really disliked, to be perfectly honest.. Totally lacking in any musical direction, melodic or harmonic. It was a struggle for me to put that track together but I guess thats what they were looking for because the other track that was returned had more melodic and harmonic content albeit not much... To me, it sounds more New Age Electronica than Ambient New Age. At any rate, I believe that both tracks and yours for that matter sound very much like the A Las. Sorry you got returned...

Keith

[kurtkreimier]

Thanks Greg and Keith for your comments. I'm pretty much over these returns at this point and moving on to other things. I have made some slight changes to these songs and have posted the new versions up on some of my other sites but I'll probably leave these original versions up on my Taxi page for a few more days before pulling them down. Once again, thanks to everybody who took the time to listen, critique and comment.

Peace,
Kurt