Music for TV Show, Feedback Please

[karafinman]

Hi. I would like advice on how to take this to the next level. This is for a brief I got for a popular TV show that deals with crime and investigation. This particular piece is for when the family would talk about a love one that died or something like that. Or it can be something more hopeful, yet serious. They want emotional but not overdone, thus the major key. By the way, they are not worried about the length, as long as it is at least 1:30. Thanks for your advice in advance.

https://soundcloud.com/user-913241419/t ... e279afacd6

[DouglasKnight]

Wow, it's a beautiful piece and I could see it working well. I'm not entirely sold on the bell/glock and found it a little distracting from the feel created by the piano. Very nice work overall, and best of luck with it! DK

[ComposerLDG]

Listening now. Beautiful and emotive track and playing. I can definitely hear it working under a sad, reflective scene. I will echo what DK said about the bell; they tended to jump out and distract me. Maybe eq them down or lower them in the mix if you want to keep them? I would probably lower the melody line volume a bit also, so it's not quite as prominent. At its current level, it may compete with dialog. That's my very humble .02. Really nice track, though, and beautiful playing. Good luck!

[Margaret]

Agree on the bells. I think I grasp the vibe you're trying to create with them, but they aren't quite hitting the mark. Possibly (???) something more like harp could work in place of the bells?

Also, a general tip I've gotten for underscore work is to consider eq-ing your final mix to reduce things just a bit in the 90-250 Hz range, typical upper and lower bounds for speaking voices. It shouldn't be super noticeable, i.e. it shouldn't be enough to make your music sound flat or tinny or something, but shaving it just a bit in that range creates a little more space to place it under dialog without the editor having to turn your lovely music down to nearly inaudible levels.

Best of luck,

Margaret