How not to do a Caribbean Instrumental!

[douglasricketts]

At least the screener liked the sound of the steel drum, that's the part I'm most proud of!


My track: https://www.taxi.com/members/1xEs3OLTQV ... in-bermuda

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Feedback for "Party in Bermuda"
S250412AG
Share Your Feedback
What I like most about this song
It has a nice, authentic-sounding steel drum sound.

I think you could improve this song by
I think the melodic ideas of this track are interesting, but this track has some performance issues and overall sound concerns. There are timing issues between instruments in some places, and it is particularly noticeable around the 1:07 mark, and it kind of continues throughout from there...it feels like it wants to pick up the energy, but the bass, drums, steelpan, and flute are all out of sync with each other. The drums are also more noticeable in the mix than some of the other instruments; the bass is fairly low in places, and the crash cymbals are pretty loud. For this to work, the timing issues will need to be fixed, and it will also require some leveling work to meet broadcast-quality sound.

I returned or forwarded this song because
This track is being returned as it has performance timing issues. It is also not at broadcast quality presently in terms of mix/instrument leveling.

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The listing:

Lots of AUTHENTIC-SOUNDING REGGAE/CARIBBEAN INSTRUMENTALS are needed by an established and well-known Independent Production Music Library that pays Upfront Fees to Composers!

This EXCELLENT Company is searching for a range of Instrumentals in ALL TEMPOS in the general stylistic wheelhouse of the following references:

"Sunsplash" by David Arkenstone

SKIP "PARTY TIME RIDDIM" by Mafia & Fluxy

"Steelasophical" by Too Much to Play

QUOTING THE CLIENT: "We are looking for Authentic Reggae/Caribbean Instrumentals, and live steel drums are a major plus. They need to have an authentic, tropical/Caribbean feel."

Please submit well-crafted Reggae/Caribbean Instrumentals with an authentic sound and vibrant, culturally-infused energy! This Company is looking for tracks that have a fun, tropical feel with sounds you'd hear at an all-inclusive tropical resort or on a Caribbean cruise ship. Your submissions should have feel-good motifs, happy melodies, engaging rhythms, and solid arrangements that develop as your piece progresses. Instrumentation in the general ballpark of the references will work best, such as steel drums, guitar, bass, brass, congas, etc. Please ensure that any virtual instruments or samples you use are high quality, genre appropriate, and sound like they were performed by actual musicians! Original Instrumentals only please! (no covers)

TAXI Tip: Recording a live instrument or playing a MIDI part by hand (without snapping it to the grid) could help you get that authentic sound this Company is looking for! Those slight imperfections in timing can give the track a more natural, human feel!

Your submissions should be about 2 minutes long, give or take, and have non-faded, buttoned/stinger endings. Do NOT copy the referenced acts or songs in any way, shape, or form. Use them 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.

AI ALERT: This company does not accept or sign music that has been melodically composed using generative AI, nor does it accept backing tracks or full instrumental tracks created with AI.

This Company offers an EXCLUSIVE Buyout Deal. You get paid an upfront fee for your tracks. This company is also known for reaching out to their composers for more material in the same vein! The Music Library gets 100% Exclusive ownership of the Copyright and Masters. You’ll keep the Writer’s share, and get performance royalties directly from your PRO.

You must own or control your Master and Copyright to submit for this opportunity, and you need to be affiliated with a Performing Rights Organization for this company to include your music in their catalog. Because this is an Exclusive deal, please do not submit any material for this pitch that is signed to any other library or publisher. Please submit as many Instrumentals as you’d like, online or per CD. Submissions must be received no later than 11:59 PM (PDT) on Saturday, April 12th, 2025. TAXI # S250412AG

[johnnyrowing]

Wow! Your listener really invested some details in that feedback!

That's pretty cool. Thanks for sharing. It's great to learn from both the forwards and returns.

[telefunkin]

Hi Doug,
Thanks for being willing to show the community your returns. It is good to learn from them and hopefully incorporate the learning into your further work. Yes, there are performance issues in the timing - you could address some of that by getting the drums more on the grid to form a solid rhythm and then any other timing issues would reveal themselves (or perhaps seem less important). Yes, the mix balance is off but that's an easy fix, although you might re-consider your instrument choices to get closer to the Caribbean sound that the ref tracks demonstrate.

However, another important issue that the screener didn't mention is the arrangement. If I randomly skip around between any points in the track it sounds just the same, so there's no development on offer. That doesn't give an editor much to work with other than the one 'sound', which is great if it fits but not so great if some variation or progression is needed. Once again, I'd suggest watching Matt's videos. You could do a lot worse than to try his 'King, Queen, Jack, Ace' strategy, but understanding the principle is the important bit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDAt8C5rqqw
Also, when there's more structure its a lot easier to consider the melodic components and how they fit into the sections. At present, the track sounds like it meanders along as if the players are having fun just jamming, but there's not so much sense of 'motif' (often mentioned in briefings). Basically, you could simplify the playing and actually get more impact from a simpler approach.

I hope some of these points help, and by applying them I hope you find that your submissions become more successful. Best of luck to you.

[douglasricketts]

Thank you both, Johnny and Telefunkin! All comments appreciated.

[douglasricketts]

Hooray! My terrible track was rightly identified as a "Return" on today's TAXI TV.

The pan flute? Because I forgot "west" wasn't "east."

Bermuda? I meant to title it with Barbados!

What a mess.

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.

[douglasricketts]

I got one thing right!
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What I like most about this song
It has a nice, authentic-sounding steel drum sound.

[telefunkin]

Its all good Douglas. The sooner you make the mistakes, the sooner they'll be a thing of the past. Keep on truckin'!

[douglasricketts]

Oh man, this one was played during yesterday's Taxi TV. Most everyone pegged it as a Return.

One guy commented, "good iPhone ring tone!"

Other comments...

"sounds Asian"
"It's out of tune"
"distorted steel drums"
"mids driving me nuts"
"no 'feel'"
"E for Effort"
"Was the percussion actually jingle bells?"
"too many ideas"
"flute sounded inauthentic" (totally my bad, I didn't realize a pan flute would stand out to others as such)
"maybe someone wants inauthentic stuff?"