REID here, invited by some Taxi TV listeners.

[mikeymike2000]

Hi Reid,

I just thought of something that I think will really bring this all together for ya. BTW, I went through this same questioning several months ago and there are prob a lot of other people who will benefit from this entire thread.

Just before Halloween I was in Denver visiting friends and we went to a piano bar. I had my cocktail and was excited to hear a Jazz trio, had not done this in a long time! Within the first 3 seconds of them playing I decided I would have another cocktail even though I had barely dented the first. Then on second 4, the drummer played a cymbal and I thought to myself “gosh, I really don’t like that sound, I hope I don’t have to hear that all night”. Then, it was there again and it was really harsh.

Now these are all real live instruments with actual humans playing them and I am thinking the cymbal sound is not good. Who the hell am I?

So, after a few songs I went outside for a cig and as I passed the drummer I scoped out his set. Then it all made sense. Ah-Ha! He was NOT using Zildjian. What drummer does not use Zildjian? Up to this point I had NO IDEA what a Zildjian cymbal really sounded like but now I do cause the “other brand” sounded a lot different.

If this group had recorded the session and I was a Taxi Screener, I would have returned the song because the cymbal would have taken away from the music and bleed too far into the scene.

So the moral is, even if you produce a lost Mozart piece, if you do not present it with the same brand of sounds everyone is accustom to hearing, it will not go over well.

That may sound preposterous but that is just the way it is. Another way to look at it would be like going to an art show where everyone has oil based earth tones and your art has florescent colors. Yes, it will stand out but for all the wrong reasons.

That is all I got to say on this subject.

[rdefever]

Zildjian, Sabian, Paiste....it is not the brand it is the type that you didn't like. Thing is you can't please everyone. And if you write something you yourself don't like just to please others, you are a sell out and will end up hating your music career. I know several very successful commercial composers who hate their job.

Arrrrg.

[mikeymike2000]

Sabian.. that is what he had.

Anyway, I feel like you are missing the point. I am not saying make music you don't like, I am saying present your music with the sounds that people want to hear.

If I rework my "Flight to the Vineyard" with East/West and Symphobia (as opposed to Vienna) that does not make me a sell out, I still wrote and arranged and like the piece. I am simply using the colors that are marketable for the genre I am pitching it to.

If that makes me a sell out then, so be it.

From what I understand, nobody is saying your are a bad composer, rather it seems the comments are saying the samples used are not competitive with the others that are sending in songs.

You should post one song on a new thread and ask for general feedback. (I have not looked at the thread list, maybe you already have, just replying to the email notice). Maybe it would be better for us to focus on one specific song and from there can give actual thoughts that are relevant to your production.

[rdefever]

Yes, we are getting away from the topic, thank for your input, several other have written me private messages too, very nice thanks all.

RD

[keithl]

Welcome to the forum, Reid! I thought it was great that you were able to hear feedback instantly on what worked and what didn't work. Be sure to check out the forwards section. That is some of the best free education anywhere!

[TechNoiZ]

Yes, we are getting away from the topic .......

RD

What Mikey says is absolutely on the button. I just got two returns for the (Zimmer-esque) trailer forward:

Recording box ticked; Comment: "again, you are on the mark melodically for what I was asking for. but thin sounding string and instrument samples prevent me from FWDing this" ...

Its my own fault. I have been producing tracks and edits for a library who wanted high quality .WAVs with no final EQ and/or compression - they do their mastering in-house - I simply forgot to master the tracks so they subsequently sounded thin and quiet in comparison to those that were forwarded. ..... Lesson learned.

It doesn't matter how well you join up the dots on paper, it MUST sound competitive and up with the competition when its turn comes to actually move air.