Home Studio Tracks for TV?

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leejohnson
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Home Studio Tracks for TV?

Post by leejohnson » Thu Apr 21, 2016 3:25 pm

Hi, Question here, hopefully for moderators or experienced members who have tons of film tv placements:)

What do I need to do, to get some film/tv worthy placeable tracks using my home studio? I have pro demos of songs I pitch also....but they cost more than I'll probably make back, and have to get co writers approval etc...which ties things up for simple straightforward pitching to film tv. I had a couple things get placed that I produced at home, on like Animal Planet as background, a few years ago, so I know it can be done, but would like to get way more into that end of things.

I have made some decent upgrades to my home studio mostly via Protools 12 and Apollo interface w some plug ins (Neve 1073) etc... I play a variety of instruments, including guitars, ukulele, dobro, lap steel, bass etc...

I hear tons of basic simple tracks on TV that I say to myself "i could do THAT"....BUT then i notice they DO have cool little elements like techno fade outs (i dont know what they're called? swooshing sounds with cool software??) or bells, whistles, sound efx etc...that help them fit in the commercials that I DONT know how to do. I could get 70-80% of the way there I think but would still be missing some of these cool/hip/ contemporary TV elements that make all the difference. Also they are mixed wonderfully, clean, bright, or dark, or whatever...etc...they sound like today! I sound out of date, like a folk rock singer/songwriter. (yep sorta Ryan Adamsy/Neil Youngy)

Any tips on sound efx, or elements, or styles to approach that are most highly sought after and placeable? Shoot me a link or point me in a direction?

Guidance, suggestions, help, etc...are very appreciated! I've gained many valuable skills over the years, but Im still mystified and humbled at my lack of ability to really crack this film/tv nut! Help me get cracking!

Best
Lee

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mojobone
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Re: Home Studio Tracks for TV?

Post by mojobone » Fri Apr 22, 2016 12:37 am

Sounds like you're more than halfway there, and better yet, you've come to the right place. This is the place where we help each other/help ourselves learn to get more/better placements for our music. So what do you need to do? I dunno, maybe post some music so we can hear. In the meantime, if you need help with mixing there's a great book on it by Mike Senior: http://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Secrets-Sm ... all+studio
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Re: Home Studio Tracks for TV?

Post by MattCurious » Fri Apr 22, 2016 2:51 am

I agree - if you can post a couple of tunes in the Peer to Peer forum, there are loads of people there ready and willing to give some great advice; they've helped my work come on leaps and bounds.

One thing that stands out for me from your post - sound design elements (FX etc) are generally not put in by the composer. In certain genres you might add risers/drops etc but generally you should focus on composition, performance, recording and mixing - one thing less to worry about! :)
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Re: Home Studio Tracks for TV?

Post by TheElement » Fri Apr 22, 2016 5:19 am

you are right in saying you can do that. thats where you start. it is possible.

Your ears are your best piece of equipment. with time they get better at hearing and placing elements within the mix. your mixes will improve over time.

All you need is a computer, a DAW, pair of decent monitors, some decent drum and fx samples and some high quality synths..and your ears.

Listening is what a producer does. Listen to learn. learn to listen.

To stay current listen to a lot of new music. Try and always listen to music on your studio monitors to get used to how other songs are mixed and produced.

Hope that helps. all the best! 8-)
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Re: Home Studio Tracks for TV?

Post by Telefunkin » Fri Apr 22, 2016 12:32 pm

HI Lee,
When you find out, will you tell us all? :lol:
Just joking, but many of us are at various stages of making the same journey.
The 'ears' suggestion is probably the one I would agree with most of all.

To add the that I might also suggest:
- pick the genre(s) that you think your material is most appropriate for,
- find that category in the Taxi listings for new submission opportunities,
- read what each request is looking for and take note of key elements (era, instrumentation, mood, tempo, etc),
- listen carefully to the examples and listen for how the examples meets that criteria.
- compare your nearest material and listen for whats already there, and what's missing.
If you do that enough times with enough examples, your next moves might start to become clear.

Understanding where you are (strengths, weaknesses, knowledge gaps, etc) is a great starting point though.
I guess then you need to find a way to get from where you are to where you want to be,
but you can then focus in on where you need more help, and there's plenty here from some great people
who know just about everything you could ask.
What's more, they are all so helpful. Its a fantastic community.

Back to your question then, its a bit too open at the moment to prompt succinct replies,
but when you know where you are and can home-in on what help you need, I have no doubt that you'll find some help here.
Sounds like you have a great starting point though, so good luck with the next steps.
Graham (UK). Still composing a little faster than decomposing, and 100% HI.

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Re: Home Studio Tracks for TV?

Post by andygabrys » Fri Apr 22, 2016 2:44 pm

Sounds like if you have an Apollo you are rocking with the same or better gear than a lot of successful members. It seems to be a pattern that except for purchasing new sound libraries which is a never ending money pit, people get a decent setup and use that for a LONG time. Upgrades in monitors etc. aren't so important as learning how to use what you have really well.

some resources in addition to what Mojo wrote:

Books on writing cues:

"Demystifying The Cue " by uber successful TAXI member Dean Krippaehne - http://www.amazon.com/Demystifying-The- ... B00MR2MPBG

Books on mixing:

Mike Seniors book that Mojo mentioned
Mixing Engineers Handbook (3rd edition) by Bobby Owsinski - http://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Engineers- ... s+handbook

Videos on Mixing:

Puremix.net
Macprovideo.com
Groove3.com
Therecordingrevolution.com

What direction to go?:

It depends on what you play, and what you are interested in. There are many many genres that get placed with high frequency and can lead to good royalties coming your way.

I recommend watching some shows like MTV's "Catfish", HBO Vice, and of the various CSI type shows. Also check out some NBC football stuff. Other shows like the down home types of things like American Pickers or Duck Dynasty will give you another window. Any program really - there are so many genres that are popular. If you are able to write any kind of synth pop or indie rock you will likely find a lot of uses for that. You will get an idea for some things that are frequently used.

If you want to hear good examples of "production music" then its worthwhile to do a Google search for Production Music Library or something similar and check out what you see / hear. There are a lot of super high end libraries out there and you will get a good idea of what could be used.

Then....write some pieces and start falling down. Fail fast, ask for feedback, and keep on working on it. As Graham noted - sometimes the biggest issue is properly reading the brief and figuring out what information is really important, and tailoring your submissions accordingly.

Hope that helps (HTH)

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Re: Home Studio Tracks for TV?

Post by jonnybutter » Fri Apr 22, 2016 6:08 pm

Any more advice is really superfluous, but I would just +1 two things:

1.) Lots of ppl here on the taxi forums who are further along at this than you (or me) can be very helpful, and

2.) what Andy said - just do it. Mike S.'s book is great and understanding what you're doing theoretically is important; but if you don't actually get in there and do it, slog through, the theoretical knowledge is not enough. When you can get time, force yourself to produce.

Also remember to revisit tracks and make them better (if the idea is any good). I used to forget that and instead just always write something new. Now I find I have a huge library of ideas and half-done tracks, or tracks I now know how to make better. Much easier to come up with submissions now. And just psychologically knowing that I don't always have to start from scratch is good for my head sometimes.

welcome!

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Re: Home Studio Tracks for TV?

Post by Paulie » Fri Apr 22, 2016 9:46 pm

Also, go through the Forwards section of this forum to hear what makes the cut. :)
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Re: Home Studio Tracks for TV?

Post by sansharbour » Sat Apr 23, 2016 4:03 am

Listen
Learn
Work
Think Mood
Be original
Believe
Be tough cause you might get slapped around a little (Returns)
Don't stop

:D

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Re: Home Studio Tracks for TV?

Post by mojobone » Sun Apr 24, 2016 12:54 am

Don't forget to watch Taxi TV live most Mondays on Ustream, and write submit, forget, repeat!
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