Epic Trailer-style Orchestral Hybrid

[Pvgeldrop]

Hi everyone,

Working on my first ever trailer-track, and very much enjoying it. The track is for this Dispatch-listing:

---------------------------------

Lots of EPIC, TRAILER-Style ORCHESTRAL-HYBRID INSTRUMENTALS are needed by a Music Licensing company that's landed some great placements for TAXI members.

This company is on the lookout for a bunch of Instrumentals in the general stylistic ballpark of the following references:

Civil War Trailer

"Evolved" by Tyler K

Napoleon Trailer

Quoting the Client: "Must be an impactful blend of orchestral and electronic elements with a modern twist. 3-Act Structures are required."

Please submit well-crafted Orchestral-Hybrid Instrumentals that sound like they could be heard in a Trailer for an upcoming blockbuster Film! Your submissions should have epic and dramatic motifs, and three "acts" that build to a climactic crescendo. Please craft your pieces around one central motif and create dynamics, interest, and forward motion by layering instrumentation in and out as the pieces progress. Orchestral instrumentation that incorporates elements of electronics and sound design in the general stylistic wheelhouse of the references will work best for this request. Please make sure that any virtual instruments or samples you use are high-quality, realistic, and not dated-sounding.

All submissions should be around 2 minutes long. Non-faded, climactic Stinger endings will work best. Please do NOT copy the referenced examples in any way, shape, or form. Use them only as a general guide for tempo, texture, 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.

This Library offers a NON-EXCLUSIVE, 50/50 Deal. You’ll get 50% of any sync fees and 100% of the Writer’s share. The Publisher will get 50% of sync fees and 100% of the Publisher’s Share. You’ll keep 100% of the original Copyright and Master Recordings. You must own or control the Masters and Copyright to submit to this pitch. Please submit as many Instrumentals as you’d like, online or per CD. Time-permitting, someone from the Music Library may screen some or all of the submissions. Submissions must be received no later than 11:59 PM (PST) on Monday, January 22nd, 2024. TAXI Dispatch # D230124CT

------------------------------

Fair warning: The track is not mixed and mastered yet, so I know there is a lot of work to be done there, and because of that it's also drowning in reverb in places.
I'm wondering how this track sounds structurally and developmentally to others? I -think- I'm 99% done with the writing part and can move on to mixing soon, but it seemed prudent to get some fresh ears in on this as I'm completely new to trailer-tracks.

You can listen to the track here on Disco

Thanks in advance!

[cosmicdolphin]

I think the first 30s goes on for too long without introducicing anything new, can you add some sort of rhythmic element halfway through the intro ?

Having a hit at 31s and then another at 32s seems a bit redundant. Try merging them so it's just one hit point

The entry to the new section at 37s seems a time weak / tame

38-52s doesn't really seem to up the ante enough , I might chop that section out and go right into the part where the strings come in so we feel like we are progressing.

1.25 - I was expecting some marcato type brass/braams, which is kinda the powerhouse of the orchestra for a lot of trailers.

Mark

[Pvgeldrop]

Thank you very much, Mark, I'll take those suggestions along in a next version!

Paul

[Pvgeldrop]

I think the first 30s goes on for too long without introducicing anything new, can you add some sort of rhythmic element halfway through the intro ?

Having a hit at 31s and then another at 32s seems a bit redundant. Try merging them so it's just one hit point

The entry to the new section at 37s seems a time weak / tame

38-52s doesn't really seem to up the ante enough , I might chop that section out and go right into the part where the strings come in so we feel like we are progressing.

1.25 - I was expecting some marcato type brass/braams, which is kinda the powerhouse of the orchestra for a lot of trailers.

Mark

I've incorporated most of your feedback into a new version, would love to know if it's an improvement. The 38-52s section has been altered somewhat, but I have kept it the basis of it, but hopefully it ups the ante a bit more now.

The new version can be found here

Thanks!

Paul

[cosmicdolphin]

I think that's quite a good improvement Paul

Around 15s there is a mid range pulsing synth , which I think is what should carry that section but it disappears

There is a reverse transition type sound ar 12s - 20s - 30s ...I feel its overused , maybe leave out the middle one and do something else like a little flourish on the drums or horn blast

At 34s that riser is too weak, you need to work on that transition

I think the horns work but they need to be blasting more, try some distortion and a little OTT plugin ..it's a hybrid track so you can get away with making them more aggressive

1:22 riser again is too quiet

Overall I think it's halfway decent , the mix needs more work - maybe think about using a clipper on a separate buss and sending the drums to it to give them some more power and I'm kinda missing a theme a little, it sounds more underscore-esque than a proper trailer track but those types of tracks get used on reality TV and sport etc so it's possibly not a deal breaker.

I'll let others chime in now, get some other opinions

Mark

[Pvgeldrop]

Thanks for the detailed feedback, Mark, it is very much appreciated. I'll take those tips on board for the final version.

I have yet to start mixing this track at all, everything's out of the box with reverb sends to give some sense of unified space during writing. After some final revisions, I'll export the stems and start that phase.

Looking forward to more opinions and suggestions!

[edmondredd]

Hey Paul,
For a first take at trailer music, that's really good. You have your acts there, and overall structure is quite on target.
However, and if you may, here are some of my thoughts, hoping they might help a bit:
1. Overall level is a tad low. Use the references for loudness.
2. Act 3 is almost as intense as act 2. Either move Act 3 to replace Act 2, or make Act 3 bigger. And if you think that's big enough, make it yet bigger. Some of the ways of doing this is adding more percussion (as in developping your percussive phrases), adding more on the high end spectrum of percussion, moving up the strings in octaves, adding more synth, more plucks, more of everything really. I'd also remove the break at 1:17 as it is too conclusive. I'd rather have the last chord hang on a cliffhanger, then introduce something on Act 3
3. When writing strings, quit programming them as a piano player would do instead, try playing with different voicings for a more natural sounding strings. Another trick is to modify velocities, use modulation and expression
4. For the brass, don't be afraid to make them louder. Add some saturation to them, enhance the 5K frequency range, and don't forget to let the brass players breathe
5. Don't undermix your sFx, but don't go overboard either (although who doesn't like a nicely shaped stuttered riser?)
6. Percussion: probably my biggest challenge to date, however, I feel that your percussion section needs some love to make it stand out.

Hope that helps,

[Pvgeldrop]

Hi Edmond,

Thanks for taking the time to listen and give feedback, plenty of things to add into a new version.
Especially your comment about the 3rd act is something I'm going to start on as soon as possible. I am enjoying the challenge of trailer-music, so a steep learning curve is welcome!

[Pvgeldrop]

I've created a first mix, would love to hear some feedback on it: Chaos Reigns

[edmondredd]

That's sounding better already!
Few of the things I've noted:
. The entire track seems stuck on one chord, with nothing pushing it forward. You might want to hold the chord on the 2nd section of the track, where you build tension, however staying there without creating any interest won't give your track the arc you're looking for. I suppose you're basing your cue off Evolved, and if that's the case, then dig deeper in all the small variations that happen in there, it doesn't stay at the same place ever
. I'd keep some elements till the end, ie the percussive break on the second part, as well as the choir. Those are "surprises" that you would want to reaveal at the very end. You might want to give a hint, or a taste of what to come, but refrain from revealing those elements in the first 2 sections of the trailer.
. When you duplicate a region, try to introduce tiny variations: the human ear can tell a difference. It could be a different note, a different pattern, an additional element, anything really that will avoid the looping effect. Try not to have any 4 bars identical (and as a win win, editor might want to choose one over the other, thus increasing your chances of getting a chunk of music used)
. Same concept apply with your Trailer's effect: try not to use the same sound (unless you need to), but instead introduce variations in them: length, speed, panning, filters, effects.
. There are also additional "signatures" like an unresolved chord just before a drop, a cliffhanger if you will
. Last but not least, levels. Try to match the levels of the references as a start
Hope that helps