Another Return for the Stomp Clap Rock Instrumental - Can someone help me?

[DanGalasso]

I'm kind of annoyed that I somehow keep missing the mark here. Can someone help me fix this so that I can understand what I'm continually doing wrong? Thanks in advance. Maybe I need a collaborator with a bunch of forwards to work with and help reign me in / show me the ropes? For the record, if I recall correctly, every single one of the examples had a melody that I thought was supposed to be replaced by an instrumental melody because it didn't specifically state "underscore" and asked for earworm melodies so I went with the solo....

Here's what I submitted:
https://www.taxi.com/members/ujrTCM1MTH ... rumental-1

Here's the review:

What I like most about this song
Cool Blues Rock track. I like the riff. Good energy and swaggering vibe.

I think you could improve this song by
This has potential, But it is too solo based on the top line for large chunks. I'd limit the solos and follow more on the riff, textures, percussion and dynamics. Incorporate some breakdowns, bass and percussion only and sprinkle in some ear candy.

I returned or forwarded this song because
Could have a better developmental "arc" and less solo based top line.

And here's the stomp clamp rock listing:

A Bunch of HARD-HITTING STOMP-CLAP ROCK INSTRUMENTALS are needed by a great Publisher with an incredibly good track record of really big placements in TV Commercials!

This Publisher is on the lookout for Mid-Tempo Instrumentals that could be found on a playlist with the examples below:

"Most High" by boon

"Solo" by Prismo

"Monster" by Willyecho

Although the references have vocals, please submit Instrumentals only for this opportunity. Some non-lyrical vocals like "ahs," "woahs," etc., are okay to include – just don't overdo them!

Please submit Stomp-Clap Rock Instrumentals full of raw, bad*ss energy and an unapologetic swagger all the way through! Ear-worm melodies, hard-hitting rhythms, and dynamic arrangements with lots of forward motion and interest are all needed for this listing. Rock instrumentation that's in the general stylistic wheelhouse of the references will work best (gritty guitars, stomp-clap-style drums, etc.).

Submissions should be about 2 minutes long, give or take. Non-faded, buttoned/stinger endings will work best for this pitch. Do NOT copy the referenced material in any way, shape, or form. Use it only as a guide for tempo, tone, and overall vibe. Do NOT submit any material with unauthorized samples of any other artists’ music, sounds, or any other form of media. Broadcast Quality is needed.

The specific deal points will be handled on a case-by-case basis. You must own or control your Masters and Copyright to submit to this opportunity. Please submit as many Instrumentals as you’d like, online or per CD. All submissions will be screened and critiqued by TAXI. Submissions must be received no later than 11:59 PM (PST) on Wednesday, March 6th, 2024. TAXI # S240306CP

TAXI # S240306CP

[cowriter]

Hey Dan, here are a few starting points that came to mind while listening:

- Avoid midi guitars, I only use them as add-ons, never as a basic track
- Stomps and claps in these types of songs are usually used to create the size of a stadium or a large rock concert. In your case, it sounds more like a small group in a medium-sized room.
- Solo lines are a tricky subject, when played in higher ranges they can get in the way of announcements or dialogue. It's better to create variety by layering octave chords, dampened parts or a filtered EQ section.
- Give the editors at least one cutting point, here you can, for example, reduce the arrangement to just the drum/stomp rhythm and then slowly build it up again.
- for further inspiration, I recommend that you just listen to what is offered in this area on the websites of the major music libraries. You will notice that everyone copies everyone else. But hey, these are the tried and tested structures and sound habits, and you can't go wrong with them.
- I didn't submit to the briefing mentioned, but I received forwards for similar ones with all 3 titles on my profile. Feel free to listen, maybe they will inspire you.

Best, Andy

[Telefunkin]

Yes, I have to agree with Andy (other than I like the guitar sounds) and also the screener. Not enough build and variation through the backing track, too much soloing (which I don't hear in the refs other than the occasional motif), and also the stomp-clap needs a lot of beefing up.

In the refs the stomp-clap is huge and dominates the tracks (hence the nomenclature, and otherwise they'd be called rock tracks). They have characterful guitar parts and structures that build to maintain the interest including break-downs and rebuilds, and the transitions provide edit points. My suggestion would be to take that first ref track (or any of them) and really analyse its all its parts, sounds and its arrangement. A comparison with your submission should reveal quite a lot of differences. More generally, it might be worth keeping in mind that in most cases you're providing a piece of music that not only has to sit beneath dialog without attracting too much attention, but can also be cut into sections by an editor (should they choose to do so) in order to match screen action and give a sense of progression if needed. This one sounds great but maybe not for this listing, and I'm sure if you'd posted it in the Peer-To-Peer section before submitting there would have been helpful feedback on these things.

I hope that helps. Post your next submission here ahead of time for some additional pointers. Best of luck!

[Casey H]

I agree with the feedback above. From the get-go, I did not hear your track as stomp-clamp, heard it as hard rock. The differences between your track and the references are not even subtle. Sounds like great hard rock to me. However, screaming lead guitar solos like this has are generally not good for sync since it's hard to put them under dialog. I think if you removed the lead guitar, you could build (with some development) a nice rock cue out of it.

Best,
Casey

PS While it's irrelevant to the return/forward, I strongly recommend you always give your tracks a real title, one that reflects the style but not just "Stomp Clap Rock Instrumental 1". It's a good habit to get into. (e.g. "Rock The Stadium").

[funsongs]

Check out the other post here (by Matthew C. Vander Boegh), 2 examples of what got forwarded to the client.
THAT is what they're looking for... that's the proverbial "wheelhouse".

[DanGalasso]

Check out the other post here (by Matthew C. Vander Boegh), 2 examples of what got forwarded to the client.
THAT is what they're looking for... that's the proverbial "wheelhouse".

Thanks for that, I hear what they did there. They were great, and I completely understand why those were forwarded. (I think) that cleared everything up. I'll shoot for something more like that the next time. I'm going to have to get better at remembering everything "instrumental" ,melodically, needs to be ultra subtle or maybe buried in the mix(?), and dialogue friendly, even when it doesn't specifically say "underscore" and asks for "earworm" melodies. I think that's really what threw me off. I went to replace the vocal melodies with a solo instrument singing a melodic line because I got hung up on "earworm melodies" part of the description. Otherwise I'd have done more layering and treated it more like the piano underscores I actually got one forward on. Big mistake obviously. Unless I'm missing something else.... which I probably am...

In the meantime, time to turn that failed submission into a full song and publish under my Distrokid account. I have a couple local musician pals itching to do a full something with it. Might as well. Just need to work out a chorus section, transitions, and some lyrics. I won the "Secrets to hit songwriting" book last night during the live stream so, hopefully I'll be a quicker study there.

[DanGalasso]

I agree with the feedback above. From the get-go, I did not hear your track as stomp-clamp, heard it as hard rock. The differences between your track and the references are not even subtle. Sounds like great hard rock to me. However, screaming lead guitar solos like this has are generally not good for sync since it's hard to put them under dialog. I think if you removed the lead guitar, you could build (with some development) a nice rock cue out of it.

Best,
Casey

PS While it's irrelevant to the return/forward, I strongly recommend you always give your tracks a real title, one that reflects the style but not just "Stomp Clap Rock Instrumental 1". It's a good habit to get into. (e.g. "Rock The Stadium").

Thank you Casey. At some point a friend of mine suggested it would be a great underscore for a hot car chase scene, maybe even with lots of gunplay in the scene. I agreed and kind of ran with that playing in my head. It was sadly, the wrong vision. I would love to figure out how to make the stomp clap more thunderous than I achieved here. Short of doubling the track with multiple midi instruments and reverbs for each track, I wasn't sure what to do. As I said to someone else I got hung up on the "Earworm melodies" that were requested in the brief and thought that meant to replace the vocal melody I might have chosen for the song with a solo guitar. I appreciate all the feedback from everyone here.. I know I look like a fish flopping around aimlessly on a dock blindly trying to find my way into the water... I'm hoping I can move past that phase sooner than later. I appreciate the tip on the naming conventions, I'll start doing that, point forward.

[Telefunkin]

I would love to figure out how to make the stomp clap more thunderous than I achieved here.

You could let someone else do all the work. This is free......
https://www.native-instruments.com/en/p ... nce-choir/

[DanGalasso]

I would love to figure out how to make the stomp clap more thunderous than I achieved here.

You could let someone else do all the work. This is free......
https://www.native-instruments.com/en/p ... nce-choir/

YES! I have Komplete 14 Collectors edition (bought during a 50% off sale instead of a new music workstation/keyboard) and just added this to my account when I got the email about it but haven't downloaded it yet! (FACEPALM!)
This is awesome! Thank you for the reminder! Assuming you're saying the stomp clap sounds I needed are in there, this will save tons of time and grief for the next one!

When I was working on mine It took 3 - 64th note spaced single and group claps to make it sound like more than just a few people clapping and then added some reverb and delay and still it was not enough. If I added a 4th hit after, it felt like they went on too long, and if I added a single clap 1/64 before the bet it felt too early even though it felt a little larger. The stomp was a little easier, flam toms and a NI 40's drums kick, but since then I've found some thunderous orchestral drums that I could have used to really make them sound like they were in an arena. Even though I didn't get the forward, thanks to you guys I've learned a bunch about this. Hopefully I am as good at retaining and executing this knowledge as am I grateful for all your help.

[cosmicdolphin]

When I was working on mine It took 3 - 64th note spaced single and group claps to make it sound like more than just a few people clapping and then added some reverb and delay and still it was not enough.

Boz Labs El Clapo is your friend

https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/bo ... aps-bundle