When to edit cues

[themichaelscott]

I've read about a lot of instances where there is a significant amount of time (sometimes years) between when a song is written, submitted to a listing, signed by a library, then finally placed. It seems like I have also read that composers are asked to edit cues into various lengths :15, :30, :60, etc.

When are these edits made? Seems like a lot of work to do this for every song I write, not knowing if the song's going to turn out not to amount to anything.

Who asks for these cuts and when? Does the library want these variations from the start or would it be the Sup potentially years later?

The main reason I ask is that I've got a few songs that are older and I only have the two mix and the backups of the individual tracks. If detailed edits were needed I would have to start the mix over on a different console/DAW than the original song was recorded/tracked and surely this would come out a little different from the original song that was accepted.

Thanks for the advice,
Michael

[guscave]

I work with a royalty free library that recommends you upload edits together with your original tracks. In a couple of occasions the edits have been purchased instead of the original tracks. Not all libraries want edits, but it doesn't hurt to have them. Check around the web to see who are the ones that use them.

[richmstudios]

I didn't do any of this type of editing when I first started producing tracks but I've stumbled into a situation like guscave that made me rethink my situation. I have done some edits on a few of the older tracks but not anything too detailed; mostly just clean cuts to shorten the pieces and I wish I'd taken time to do this earlier. it is now standard procedure for me going foward. I'll always do the :15, :30, :60, looping edits for each new song as a top priority after my initial submission just so I have them ready to go.

I've been doing work with some libraries who are recommeding this since those edits increase your chance of placement. Some libraries want the edits up front.

My 2 cents,
Rich

[shanegrla]

I am currently active in 3 libraries, and none of them asks for any of those particular types of edits. They do, however, ask for alt mixes (No Lead mix, Drum & Bass only mix, etc.).

So I personally wouldn't bother unless the library specifically asks for it.

As you continue to build relationships with more and more libraries, you'll find yourself writing more and more for things they're specifically asking for (genre, style, etc.). It's then that you might cater the songs/cues to whatever that particular library wants, so as not to waste any more time than you have to, when you could be moving on to more cues. If Library A wants :30, :60, & :90 versions, then you make them for Library A. If Library B doesn't care, then you just do the mixes that Library B wants.

This, of course, presuming you're treating all your cues (even nonexclusive) as exclusive and not trying to retitle the same cues and use them somewhere else. (There are whole threads on the good / bad idea of that, which I won't get into here.)

Just my opinion.
Shane

[RonKujawa]

The main library I've been working with does not ask for various length edits. In fact, they don't even prefer alt mixes. What they want is enough variety in the arrangement of a 2 min track for a music editor to grab the sections he/she want for what they are working on. For instance, I'll start a piece with just acoustic guitar, then add bass, then drums, then an electric guitar all in the first A section. The first B section will usually be full band, then I'll change up the arrangement again in the next A section. The final B section will also get something different, either a melody drum part, bass part, something like that, to make it different from the first section.

YMMV

Ron

[themichaelscott]

Great, that all helps a lot.

So far the two libraries I have spoken with have not mentioned alternate mixes except, like Gus said, include them if you've got them. I didn't want to think everything was done and then get the email: "Ok, send us the other mixes now."

Lately I've been doing like Ron, writing songs that grow throughout and have different usable parts within the same theme. Now, as I'm writing/mixing, I hear these shorter sections and might start trying to save these independently if it will increase the songs usefulness.

Thanks a lot,

Michael

[mazz]

Write and produce great music. Be ready to create any edits the client wants. You can't anticipate it so just make sure you can go back and make what any client might ask for.

That's all you can do.