Questions from a first timer to the rally..

[johnnyfive]

Hi all,
So I'm new here. First time on the forum, first time to the rally and first time to the US!
I'm flying in from Australia for the Rally- I'm pretty excited.

A couple of Qs- am hoping someone can help!

Is it cool to bring my CDs (full album, 11 tracks)? I gathered from other postings here that you do 3 track burnt CDs.If anyone has any ideas on what is best, super cool!
Am following the advice of other posts here to make clean white background business cards.

Any other Aussies going?

I'm looking forward to coming and making new friends. Come and say hi if you see me! I'm on my own- my wife is staying home to look after our little family. All ready for a big adventure and to have my mind blown away.

Cheers!
John


http://www.johnnewsomemusic.com

[roland]

Hey John,
great to meet you...
Happy to hear you'll be at the Rally this year! You definitely won't be the only Australian there.

A couple of years ago I seem to remember an incredibly helpful post by Vikki (hummingbird). I looked everywhere but couldn't track it down... I did, however, find this extremely helpful thread about what CDs to bring, with posts by people who definitely know what they're talking about:
http://forums.taxi.com/topic37763.html
Hope this helps!

Hope to bump into you at the Rally!
Cheers,
Roland

[roland]

As a quick follow up, Vikki posted some great info in this thread:
http://forums.taxi.com/topic70529.html

[johnnyfive]

Thanks Roland. Super helpful. I read thru those responses and will probably make a CD with "three of the best" froom two categories.

i couldnt help follow your reverbnation link and had a listen to your music. Sounds hot! Wow-would love to know how you got started in the orchestral side of things- what sounds, gear etc you use. Definantly thinking thats a future angle i;d like to explore.

hope to see you there! cheers..
john

[pboss]

Hi John,

The posted info is great regarding what music and info to bring. I have found via three Rallies that it seems like there can be a variety of what works best for others. For example, I have had a publisher tell me he likes montages - you know, short clips that get right to the point. Others say they want a full CD (10, 15 tracks or whatever) because they get a better sense of your music and they can skip ahead or fast forward at their will. We have all heard a lot about the 3 song demo.

I'm speaking to the amount of music and how it's presented. A publisher recently told me their favorite way to receive files is via Yousendit.com, while another says that is the least favorite way to receive data. The moral of the story, is to be prepared and also ask the person how they prefer material to be presented.

Look forward to meeting you in person.

[roland]

Thanks so much for having a listen and for the kind words, John!

I'm still at the beginning of the learning process when it comes to virtual orchestration and orchestration in general, but one can do absolutely stunning things with libraries like East West, LA Scoring Strings (LASS), Symphobia, etc. with some libraries using their own play engines and some being accessible through a program like Kontakt. It's a very cool area to get into, either for full out orchestration or just to have the ability to use great sounding strings on a guitar-based or electronic track.

There was a fantastic session last year with Matt Hirt and Kavin Hoo, and perhaps something similar is happening again this year.

In terms of hearing what one can do when it comes to virtual orchestration (sometimes combined with real instruments), TAXI has a number of incredibly skilled, extremely talented, humble and approachable members who blow me away regularly with their music.

Cheers!
Roland