Need Critique

[johndalenow]

Listing # Y181227DR

https://soundcloud.com/john-dale-music/y181227dr


DARK and EERIE DRONE INSTRUMENTAL CUES are needed by a very active British Music Library that’s looking to TAXI to find a lot of music to meet their increased client demand. Please submit “drone-y” Instrumental Cues in the general stylistic ballpark of the following references:

Vice - The Opioid Effect (From 0:00 – 0:55)

True Detective S1 OST - The Tiara

“Under the Midnight Sun” by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

Please submit dark, eerie Instrumental Cues that could support creepy or ominous scenes. Your submissions should have a consistent droning quality, and very little to no melodic movement. Be sure to stick to a singular vibe and sound throughout the entirety of the Cue to keep your piece emotionally cohesive from beginning to end. VERY sparse percussion can also be added; but remember, less is more. Simplicity and mood are the keys to this pitch.

NOTE: Please remember, they don’t need horror-based pieces, so much as something that delivers an unsettling, dark and moody feeling.

Your submissions should be about 90 seconds in length, give or take. Non-faded endings with a natural decay/ring out will work best. Do NOT copy the referenced material in any way, shape, or form. Use it only as a general guide for tempo, tone, and overall vibe. Broadcast Quality is needed.

This company offers an EXCLUSIVE deal, so please be sure the songs you pitch for this opportunity are NOT already signed with any other Companies or Catalogs. Any sync fees will be split 50/50 with the Company. You'll get 100% of the Writer's share, and the Publisher will get 100% of the Publisher's share. You must own or control your Master and Copyright to submit. Please submit as many Instrumentals as you'd like online or per CD. All submissions will be screened on a Yes/No basis - No full critiques. Submissions must be received no later than 11:59PM (PST), on Thursday, December 27th, 2018. TAXI #Y181227DR

[stansongman]

It's cool, but it feels more like horror than tense and ominous. The high dissonant string cluster sound took me there right off the bat. Also, the low vocal thing, and the random shakers. Try keeping your primary drone, and then slowly bringing other pads in/out on top of it, to shift and thicken the texture as your drone develops. The single "melodic line" works, as long as it is slowly evolving and supporting the texture, as opposed to feeling melodic. There really shouldn't be any surprises in there (hits, etc.), it should all just blend in as a single soundscape. That doesn't mean you couldn't layer in some rumbling or distant bell kinds of sounds, as long as everything feels cohesive.

The other thing is to let the drone fade out slowly, with long release times and reverb tails. I've been working on some for this pitch myself, and I went more towards the kind of beds they use in things like Dateline, etc., to steer me from creating a horror bed. You can also "test" these by playing them while looking at an episode of one of those shows, to see if it could fit. Good luck!

[johndalenow]

Stansongman,

Thanks for your excellent critique. What you said makes perfect sense and is very insightful.

Best!

John Dale

[johndalenow]

Tom,

Yours seems to have resulted in the same effect as mine with too much horror, but it certainly works well as a horror kind of mood setter. I chose to revise my original. Here it is.

https://soundcloud.com/john-dale-music/ ... r-revision

BTW, thank you for your input. I do appreciate your effort.

Thanks again,

John

[johndalenow]

Sorry. Please try this link.

Thanks

https://soundcloud.com/john-dale-music/ ... on/s-30NEq

[NaeDae]

Sorry. Please try this link.

Thanks

https://soundcloud.com/john-dale-music/ ... on/s-30NEq

Try drenching the high part in reverb and turning it a quieter.