Hip Hop Instrumental Cues

[bigshot]

Hey everyone!

Hope all is well. I want to submit to listing #U150519HC and want to know if what I'm about to submit is good for that listing. Please check http://taxi.com/bigshot and listen to "Happy Walking" and "Only You" to let me know.

Thanks in advance and pointers will be appreciated!

[ochaim]

wassup bigshot!

can you post the listing details so we can provide some feedback?

thanks.

[Joseph]

I agree with Owen, let's see the listing details. I did listen to the tracks and I like them. They sound really good. Two things: "Only You" has a weird skip at 1:52 and "Happy Walking" has about 30 seconds of silence at the end. You should probably chop that off and also avoid faded endings, unless the listing says they are fine.

-Joseph

[bigshot]

This is how the listing goes:

HIP-HOP INSTRUMENTAL CUES are needed by a NON-Exclusive Film/TV Music Publisher that’s providing music directly to an Emmy Award-Winning Executive Producer who’s working on a brand new Reality TV Series. We recently ran this opportunity as Dispatch Listing #D150422HH, but they want more material so we’re opening this up to everybody. If you submitted for #D150422HH, please send different material this time around. The show features a very popular Urban personality/entrepreneur, so send them swagger filled, Mid-to-Up-Tempo Instrumental Cues that would be heard on shows like Eddie Huang Needs a New Name, Black Ink Crew, Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory, etc. Please listen to the following segments of the shows below to get an idea of what they need: Eddie Huang Needs a New Name (0:54 – 5:29): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rix7OL8vOIE Black Ink Crew - Season 3 Episode 11 (16:25 – 18:45): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QYOK8qyPNc Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory – Season 7 Episode 5 (4:43 – 7:23): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi_ObzbD2Vs Quoting the library’s president: “The show centers around a guy that’s very Urban, street smart, and has tons of swagger, so the Cues need to reflect that. The Cues should be current, and not so busy that they step on the toes of the dialog.” Please submit original Hip Hop Instrumental Cues with strut-worthy beats, slick sounding production, and compelling, yet simple melodic hooks that will musically support this character’s larger-than-life persona. Cues that stick to a central melodic motif and build interest and forward momentum by adding and subtracting layers of instrumentation will put a smile on their face. Easy edit points and buttoned endings are recommended. Please do NOT submit any material with unauthorized samples of other artists’ music, sounds, or any other form of media. All submissions should be at least 2 minutes long. This company offers a NON-EXCLUSIVE deal, with a 50/50 split. You must own or control the Master and Copyright. Broadcast quality is needed (great sounding home recordings are fine). Please submit one to three Instrumental Cues online or per CD no later than 11:59 (PDT), on Tuesday, May 19th, 2015. TAXI #U150519HC.

[bigshot]

I agree with Owen, let's see the listing details. I did listen to the tracks and I like them. They sound really good. Two things: "Only You" has a weird skip at 1:52 and "Happy Walking" has about 30 seconds of silence at the end. You should probably chop that off and also avoid faded endings, unless the listing says they are fine.

-Joseph

Oh wow! Must have been an uploading error! Will fix this quick.

[ochaim]

well done, bigshot!

I think they both have a fairly good shot for this listing.

It seems both cues have rather distinct sections, almost like you had a vocalist in mind to come in or out of each.

Another way to approach writing these is thinking of adding and subtracting layers as well as giving some slight variation in each section as you build it.

For example, in happy walking, the pizzicato line in the first section goes on a little long and feels a bit repetitive in, I think, the 4th time it comes around at 28sec. sprinkling a stripped down version of the piano section or even accenting some of the pizzi line at 28sec will help to main interest til the full piano breakdown after. when the pizzi line comes back, I'd add some more piano accents to keep the interest moving. the buttoned ending with the crash/kick, feels disjointed, I was kinda expecting the resolving bass and pizzi notes. alternatively you can add the crash/kick with the last pizzi note and end there instead before the next bar.

these are just ideas I think will help the cue be more "useable" in a scene for an editor, and I think the screeners judge it the same way.

good luck!

hopefully Matt will chime in here...

[Paulie]

Owen and others... in general for hip hop cue listings do you tend to stay on the minimalist side throughout the entire 2-3 minutes? I find that if I keep layering every seconds or so that by the end I have a very full piece of music. Are screeners looking to be captured in the first ten seconds, or do they give the entire track a listen, looking for edit points and grooves that they think meet the listing best?

I've been analyzing cues and seeing the good ones don't really layer a whole lot of instruments by the end. Do you shoot for the feel going big and small in a wave pattern throughout the cue, or is it best for each section to be more complex than the previous one?

Ug... I'm probably overthinking this.

[ochaim]

i hear you Paul. i wasnt suggesting adding layers til it becomes too busy. but to add/subtract layers to maintain novelty every 4 to 8 bars.

minimal but but not repetitive.

[bigshot]

well done, bigshot!

I think they both have a fairly good shot for this listing.

It seems both cues have rather distinct sections, almost like you had a vocalist in mind to come in or out of each.

Another way to approach writing these is thinking of adding and subtracting layers as well as giving some slight variation in each section as you build it.

For example, in happy walking, the pizzicato line in the first section goes on a little long and feels a bit repetitive in, I think, the 4th time it comes around at 28sec. sprinkling a stripped down version of the piano section or even accenting some of the pizzi line at 28sec will help to main interest til the full piano breakdown after. when the pizzi line comes back, I'd add some more piano accents to keep the interest moving. the buttoned ending with the crash/kick, feels disjointed, I was kinda expecting the resolving bass and pizzi notes. alternatively you can add the crash/kick with the last pizzi note and end there instead before the next bar.

these are just ideas I think will help the cue be more "useable" in a scene for an editor, and I think the screeners judge it the same way.

good luck!

hopefully Matt will chime in here...

Thank you for taking the time to really go in details of what you were thinking. Those are definitely good pointers. I did use a couple variations to try and not make it too boring but hey, you don't exactly know until someone else hears it.

I submitted those to the listing but I'm sure I could re-edit in the meantime before they get screened.

Have you had any successful placements with that style?

Let me know and thanks again.

[ochaim]

I could hear 3 distinct sections, pizzi, piano, and synth/orchestra hit sections. is that the variation you were referring to?

although they all make sense played sequentially, they also seem like separate ideas that could be fleshed out into their own cues.

its hard to explain what i mean by "variation" but if you listen to MattV's soundcloud tracks it's the perfect example of using a melodic motif and building variations of that to keep the piece moving and interesting. (check for his link in his signature, he has a recent post in the success stories section)

another way to think about it is to make changes that are small enough to keep the same vibe but just big enough to be noticeable.

i've seen your youtube videos and the beats you make there are great. i'm not sure how you felt making these beats you submitted, but i think the beats you make on the regular would have stood a better chance at a forward. thats just my feeling though.