In the air tonight

We're putting YOU in the drivers seat!

Moderators: admin, mdc, TAXIstaff

User avatar
PhilRey
Impressive
Impressive
Posts: 282
Joined: Thu Mar 15, 2018 10:22 am
Gender: Male
Contact:

In the air tonight

Post by PhilRey » Fri Apr 20, 2018 12:42 pm

Trying to create something for this ACOUSTIC COVER brief..
-> LAST VERSION: V4: https://soundcloud.com/melodeicon/in-th ... er/s-3xY0K

------------------------------------------------------------
V1: TOO LONG !
------------------------------------------------------------
V2: EDIT : following feedback from John : V2 : INTRO still too long !
------------------------------------------------------------
V3: EDIT 02 : following Peter's feedback, short intro: V3: https://soundcloud.com/melodeicon/in-th ... ight-cover
------------------------------------------------------------

But:
1-I'm affraid it's too "busy"..
2-I'm affraid it's not "commercial friendly" enough..
3-I'm affraid it's not so original
3-I'm affraid ! I'm affraid ! I'm affraid !

:D

What do you say?
-Phil
ACOUSTIC-BASED, SINGER/SONGWRITER-STYLE COVERS of POPULAR SONGS in: • Any Genre • Any Tempo • From any Era • With Male, Female, or Duet Vocals are needed by a hard-working Music Library that gets a lot of placements in TV, and is branching out into Trailers, TV Promos, and Commercials as well.

Quoting The Music Library Owner: “I’ll consider a cover of ANY song that’s been commercially released -- ideally the more famous the better. I’m especially interested in the originality of the cover; it can’t sound like the original. It has to be unique and stand on its own.”

Put your thinkin’ caps on ladies and gents, and send this company re-imagined versions of well-known songs -- aka HITS – delivered in ways that are noticeably different from the style and approach of the original.

If the song was a fast Punk song in 1981, try creating a dreamy, Folky, or Country/ Singer/Songwriter version. If it was a huge Hip-Hop hit in 2014 with a hardcore male rap, try a slower, Singer/Songwriter version that’s acoustic-based with a lilting or delicate female vocal. You get the idea! Mix it up, change it up, and mash it up! Keep the same lyrics and melody so the root song is recognizable, but produce it in really cool and different way.

We’re not giving any references for this request, as we think they might be more limiting than helpful. You are encouraged to use your imagination!

TAXI Tip: Your re-imagined, acoustic-based, Singer/Songwriter-style covers can be stripped-down, lo-fi versions with just a guitar/vocal or piano/vocal, or you can send fuller productions with more instruments, all the way up to a full band, as long as an acoustic guitar or piano is at the heart of what you create. You can also send songs that are not lo fi, and sound a little more slick and polished, as long as an acoustic guitar or acoustic piano is the core instrument.

TAXI Tip 2: Covering songs that lyrically lend themselves well to being used in Trailers, TV Promos, and Commercials is probably a smart idea. Spend some time researching on YouTube or Spotify, and you’ll see what we mean. Covering songs that have relatively universal lyrics might be a good idea to give your covers a higher “usability” quotient. That wasn’t mandated by the listing company, but we think it makes sense.
Last edited by PhilRey on Sun Apr 22, 2018 10:56 pm, edited 8 times in total.

johnlewitt
Serious Musician
Serious Musician
Posts: 1525
Joined: Mon Oct 21, 2013 6:44 am
Gender: Male
Contact:

Re: In the air tonight

Post by johnlewitt » Fri Apr 20, 2018 2:19 pm

It's pretty cool.

A few things I'd do.

1) Start the song with the first verse. That first minute just takes too long to get to something and it's a slight changeup on what Phil originally did.
2) There's no discernible bass. It needs it. Not necessarily from the get go, but eventually.
3) That breakdown at 4:13? That's got to be longer and introduced in the middle of the song. That acoustic guitar adds a perfect flavour to the song and a welcome variation.
4) I would work on the acoustic guitar tone too, it could be better IMO.

Good luck with it.

John

User avatar
PhilRey
Impressive
Impressive
Posts: 282
Joined: Thu Mar 15, 2018 10:22 am
Gender: Male
Contact:

Re: In the air tonight

Post by PhilRey » Fri Apr 20, 2018 11:42 pm

Thank you so much for these precious (and clever) information John ! ;)
I agree on everything you said... (the guitar on the left is a Ukulele actually, I don't know how it's confusing....)

Here is V2 : https://soundcloud.com/melodeicon/in-th ... -1/s-pHcXa

Still struggling a little bit with the bass sound...

-Phil
Last edited by PhilRey on Sat Apr 21, 2018 4:49 am, edited 1 time in total.

ernstinen
Total Pro
Total Pro
Posts: 5658
Joined: Mon Feb 02, 2004 6:59 pm
Gender: Male
Location: Los Angeles
Contact:

Re: In the air tonight

Post by ernstinen » Sat Apr 21, 2018 3:08 am

Really nice and creative! Excellent vocals. Nice build to it!

My only suggestion is when the first "obvious" synth part comes in at about 1:42, play those 3 chordal notes on electric guitar. "We" know that the synths are coming in later, so why not throw a curve and do the first synth part on guitar? Just a thought.

Very well done!

Ern :)

User avatar
PhilRey
Impressive
Impressive
Posts: 282
Joined: Thu Mar 15, 2018 10:22 am
Gender: Male
Contact:

Re: In the air tonight

Post by PhilRey » Sat Apr 21, 2018 4:48 am

Thank you very much Ern ! That's a good idea, that I would love to try ! May I ask what kind of electric guitar you hear ? Saturated ? Starto kind of ? Half / half ?

User avatar
funsongs
Total Pro
Total Pro
Posts: 7162
Joined: Fri Sep 06, 2013 11:18 am
Gender: Male
Location: So Cal
Contact:

Re: In the air tonight

Post by funsongs » Sat Apr 21, 2018 9:05 am

Just Old-Guy ears & Peanut Gallery review - having a tough time sitting still through the long Intro...
was expecting to hear some singing before the 10 second mark; getting impatient in my old age. :? :shock: 8-)
Peter Rahill - aka "funsongs"
NOW, back on YouTube (2022)
https://www.youtube.com/@peterrahill9263/featured
https://soundcloud.com/funsongs-1
https://peterrahill.bandcamp.com/

“The future aint what it use to be.” - Yogi Berra

User avatar
PhilRey
Impressive
Impressive
Posts: 282
Joined: Thu Mar 15, 2018 10:22 am
Gender: Male
Contact:

Re: In the air tonight

Post by PhilRey » Sat Apr 21, 2018 9:18 am

funsongs wrote:Just Old-Guy ears & Peanut Gallery review - having a tough time sitting still through the long Intro...
was expecting to hear some singing before the 10 second mark; getting impatient in my old age. :? :shock: 8-)
Did you listen to V2 ? :)

User avatar
funsongs
Total Pro
Total Pro
Posts: 7162
Joined: Fri Sep 06, 2013 11:18 am
Gender: Male
Location: So Cal
Contact:

Re: In the air tonight

Post by funsongs » Sat Apr 21, 2018 9:23 am

PhilRey wrote:
funsongs wrote:Just Old-Guy ears & Peanut Gallery review - having a tough time sitting still through the long Intro...
was expecting to hear some singing before the 10 second mark; getting impatient in my old age. :? :shock: 8-)
Did you listen to V2 ? :)
well, yeah... the up to the :30 mark... LOL
by then, I was needing a nap!
Peter Rahill - aka "funsongs"
NOW, back on YouTube (2022)
https://www.youtube.com/@peterrahill9263/featured
https://soundcloud.com/funsongs-1
https://peterrahill.bandcamp.com/

“The future aint what it use to be.” - Yogi Berra

User avatar
PhilRey
Impressive
Impressive
Posts: 282
Joined: Thu Mar 15, 2018 10:22 am
Gender: Male
Contact:

Re: In the air tonight

Post by PhilRey » Sat Apr 21, 2018 9:29 am

Ok well.. the 1st verse is at :30... Strangely it doesn't bother me so much knowing that this track is originaly very linear... But commercialy speaking that might not be a good idea nowdays.. I don't know..
I tried to make it start at :10 and it sounds rushed... i really don't know what to do with this.. is it some kind of criteria this "vocal before :10" thing in this business ?

User avatar
funsongs
Total Pro
Total Pro
Posts: 7162
Joined: Fri Sep 06, 2013 11:18 am
Gender: Male
Location: So Cal
Contact:

Re: In the air tonight

Post by funsongs » Sat Apr 21, 2018 9:41 am

PhilRey wrote:Ok well.. the 1st verse is at :30... Strangely it doesn't bother me so much knowing that this track is originaly very linear... But commercialy speaking that might not be a good idea nowadays.. I don't know..
I tried to make start at :10 and it sounds rushed... i really don't know what to do with this.. is it some kind of criteria this "vocal before :10" thing in this business ?
Well - I don't write/submit stuff for TV/film - so maybe there's no rule or specific formula.
But - if music supes are listening to multiple submits, and maybe only enduring and/or deciding within the first few seconds...
long Intros could be hugely problematic.
There is also that mantra: "Don't bore us - get to the Chorus"...
therefore: intros more than 10 seconds (maybe 15 seconds, MAX), and not getting to the Chorus by, say, :45 in... :? :shock:
It's gonna depend on what the listing/client wants, and the patience of the Screener how long they'll listen to a SONG that starts out like an instrumental.

Maybe this is a discussion/topic for a separate thread: "how long the Intro to a song?"
Peter Rahill - aka "funsongs"
NOW, back on YouTube (2022)
https://www.youtube.com/@peterrahill9263/featured
https://soundcloud.com/funsongs-1
https://peterrahill.bandcamp.com/

“The future aint what it use to be.” - Yogi Berra

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 29 guests