+1
Please Help Me Understand This Critique
Moderators: admin, mdc, TAXIstaff
- cosmicdolphin
- Serious Musician
- Posts: 4482
- Joined: Thu Feb 18, 2010 1:46 pm
- Gender: Male
- Contact:
- funkyguitar
- Active
- Posts: 29
- Joined: Tue Jun 09, 2020 12:32 am
- Contact:
Re: Please Help Me Understand This Critique
I appreciate the forum feedback, recognize the value here, and understand the screener's opinion may differ from forum members. It does trouble me though that the main issue discussed in the forum are the timing issues on the recording but timing issues weren't mentioned at all by the screener, saying I returned or forwarded this song because... it could benefit from a revision in the mix/structure to meet the listing's criteria.
Taxi promotes itself on their How TAXI Works page "Getting Opinions from Family and Friends is Nice, but...
Getting objective, detailed feedback from Hollywood music supervisors, hit songwriters, A&R people, publishers, and record producers is priceless. When you become part of TAXI, it's like having your own personal team of industry pros giving you tips, techniques and fresh ideas." As I said in my initial post, I usually understand where screener feedback is coming from but in this case, I feel it fell short. Better detail could have been given in about the same amount of words.
Taxi promotes itself on their How TAXI Works page "Getting Opinions from Family and Friends is Nice, but...
Getting objective, detailed feedback from Hollywood music supervisors, hit songwriters, A&R people, publishers, and record producers is priceless. When you become part of TAXI, it's like having your own personal team of industry pros giving you tips, techniques and fresh ideas." As I said in my initial post, I usually understand where screener feedback is coming from but in this case, I feel it fell short. Better detail could have been given in about the same amount of words.
- AlanHall
- Serious Musician
- Posts: 1158
- Joined: Tue Jan 07, 2020 5:46 pm
- Gender: Male
- Location: Great Black Swamp, northwest Ohio
- Contact:
Re: Please Help Me Understand This Critique
It's been mentioned here before (don't ask me to provide links!) that the screeners may focus on one issue that they feel is most pressing; omitting a mention of others to prevent 'information overload' by the receiver. I review my first critique now - knowing just how awful the submission was - and see that everything the screener wrote was spot-on BUT only scratched the surface of what was wrong with my cue.
What the screener feels is essential for my development may be different from what forum members feel is essential. So, a different critique.
What the screener feels is essential for my development may be different from what forum members feel is essential. So, a different critique.
Music for what Surrounds You
www.F7project.com
www.soundcloud.com/f7-project
www.taxi.com/members/f7project
www.F7project.com
www.soundcloud.com/f7-project
www.taxi.com/members/f7project
-
- Impressive
- Posts: 190
- Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2020 7:52 am
- Contact:
Re: Please Help Me Understand This Critique
I think timing issues in a song is pretty critical not to point out, Alan. If you can't point out timing and pitch issues in a song, what are you doing as a screener? I can't imagine what would be more fundamental to evaluating a song than measuring timing and pitch?AlanHall wrote: ↑Fri Jan 29, 2021 1:58 pmIt's been mentioned here before (don't ask me to provide links!) that the screeners may focus on one issue that they feel is most pressing; omitting a mention of others to prevent 'information overload' by the receiver. I review my first critique now - knowing just how awful the submission was - and see that everything the screener wrote was spot-on BUT only scratched the surface of what was wrong with my cue.
What the screener feels is essential for my development may be different from what forum members feel is essential. So, a different critique.
-
- Impressive
- Posts: 190
- Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2020 7:52 am
- Contact:
Re: Please Help Me Understand This Critique
Fair point about the checklist. You can level "Being human" to any screener comment. I believe in giving credit where credit is due. I have screener feedback where the feedback is accurate and warranted. There have been feedback which has been off. I believe overall since the review is paid for, it should fair, clear and concise. It should not trail off to obscure language which helps no one. (Sound palette, performance arcs). These things repeatedly confusethe members. To look for ways to defend the screener at all costs is awkward. If you can't have dissent on here or taxi tv, then it starts to feel like a cult.CTWF wrote: ↑Sun Jan 31, 2021 5:48 amIn the OP it says the screener wrote "There are tuning, rhythm, or dissonance issues" - so, does that not cover timing/pitch?Robertj64 wrote: ↑Sun Jan 31, 2021 5:03 amI think timing issues in a song is pretty critical not to point out, Alan. If you can't point out timing and pitch issues in a song, what are you doing as a screener? I can't imagine what would be more fundamental to evaluating a song than measuring timing and pitch?
Also, Rob, as Alan has pointed out, I feel you are beating a dead horse here. The screeners are human beings with a very limited amount of time and with different backgrounds - you need to take this into account.
Tom
- funkyguitar
- Active
- Posts: 29
- Joined: Tue Jun 09, 2020 12:32 am
- Contact:
Re: Please Help Me Understand This Critique
Some sort of standardized priority list for feedback would make sense. Starting with the performance type issues at the top, where no matter how amazing the mix is it wouldn't matter if there are performance issues. I would welcome anything they have to tell me to improve, the more information the better for me. I'd rather have that than like in this case mentioning the mix needs improvement three times and timing issues zero times.
-
- Getting Busy
- Posts: 106
- Joined: Thu Aug 15, 2013 10:47 pm
- Gender: Male
- Contact:
Re: Please Help Me Understand This Critique
hi funky, listened to your track...imho the most glaring issue is the timing (surprised they didnt catch that). but assuming they did the next issue they might present would be the samples used (especially on the drums), either tweak the hell out of them or get a good drum vi, i believe from your name your'e a guitarist, its best if you record a live bass guitar (if you have one). once you resolve that the next step would be the mix, specifically glue and ambience. you can make all them sound like a live band recording through reverb sends and mixbus compression plugins alone. once you get the midiness and sterile, separated quality of the track resolved the individual levels (per screener) would be easy peezy to diagnose and fix. you got a winner there that any mid tier or upper echelon lib would accept through taxi or direct after those minor adjustments alone imo...as usual ymmv. good luck
- cosmicdolphin
- Serious Musician
- Posts: 4482
- Joined: Thu Feb 18, 2010 1:46 pm
- Gender: Male
- Contact:
Re: Please Help Me Understand This Critique
That's quite funny given the level of offence taken when someone delivers it straight Robert. They only concocted this flowery language to avoid snowflakes feelings being hurt.
You can't have it both ways.
Buy me coffee https://ko-fi.com/cosmicdolphin78382
- ballereau
- Active
- Posts: 42
- Joined: Mon Feb 01, 2021 9:43 am
- Gender: Male
- Contact:
Re: Please Help Me Understand This Critique
I guess you can pay more $ ($20) for a custom critique but is that really going to help. I know some people will think so. I think sometimes the feedback on a submission is not always on target. That is one persons thoughts ,at that given time ,about a particular listing. Why because you pay more money will it be any better.
-
- Getting Busy
- Posts: 106
- Joined: Thu Aug 15, 2013 10:47 pm
- Gender: Male
- Contact:
Re: Please Help Me Understand This Critique
I think there are cheaper ways to improve. but also keep in mind after a custom critique....ballereau wrote: ↑Mon Feb 01, 2021 11:06 amI guess you can pay more $ ($20) for a custom critique but is that really going to help. I know some people will think so. I think sometimes the feedback on a submission is not always on target. That is one persons thoughts ,at that given time ,about a particular listing. Why because you pay more money will it be any better.
will an improved track guarantee a forward?
will a forward guarantee acceptance?
will an acceptance guarantee a good lib perfectly fit for you?
will that good lib get you a placement within 5yrs?
will that placement be a good, long one or (god forbid) be on a scripps network?
then multiply that with the hundreds/thousands of tracks you need to create to generate a reasonable income
not saying a $20 custom critique is good or bad, just laying out the big picture, and how trivial one track is to your entire catalog and the industry
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 24 guests