How should I make 15 and 30 second edits?

[Ted]

Hey guys, I got my first deal with a library on an instrumental and in addition to the master recording, they want 15 and 30 second edits. I'm getting ready to work on the edits.

My question is... I haven't specifically measured the musical phrases with a stopwatch, but I'm guessing that the length of musical phrases within the piece are not necessarily going to lend themselves to well defined "edit points"- there will be likely be something chopped off, or maybe it would sound better with a sharp fade. The 30 second edit might be OK, but the 15 second one might be harder to express the basic musical idea of the theme which is 8 bars..

Are 15 and 30 second edits generally intended for an end use which will be broadcast or are the 15 and 30 second edits more for the ears of music supervisors who don't have a lot of time to listen to complete songs? Does anyone have any sound examples they could post of typical 15 and 30 second edits that work for a music library's request?

I'd really appreciate some help.

Thanks

Ted

[cassmcentee]

Hey Ted, Intended for End Use 100%
By listening to TV shows you will hear these kind of stingers all day long.
Listen to your piece and find what works...
I sometimes work backwards from the end since my endings seem to be pretty commercial.
Just make sure your 30 second stinger ends by 29.5 seconds and the 15 by 14.5 seconds (very important)
Congrats on the deal!
Cass

[eeoo]

I often have to move things around and chop things up a bit for these kinds of cutdowns so I make sure to save the session as eg 15 edit, 30 edit etc. Also I've been trying to get in the habit of letting the initial ring out fade and afew seconds later hitting the end note/chord again for an easy to edit stinger.

[ResonantTone]

It might be worth getting some clarification from the contact at the library as well. Depending on the usage, the duration might need to be pretty exact, or it might just be in the 15/30 second range, if that makes sense.

When I first started sending stuff to libraries, I was a bit gun-shy at asking for clarification and what would work best for them... now I do it constantly, lol. I'd rather them clarify any gray areas beforehand if possible vs me doing it wrong, them listening to it and having to get back to me about why it won't work, and then re-doing it.

Andrew

[guscave]

Are 15 and 30 second edits generally intended for an end use which will be broadcast

Definitely for the end user. I can't tell you how many alternate edits I have that are in multiple episodes of different shows. They don't pay as much as having your full version played out but every penny counts...

[Ted]

Thanks for the PM! I got the edits done and submitted. I should hear back if I need to make changes— otherwise I assume they are good. The 15 second edit was tough because I didn’t have enough time to include any of the main musical motif of the piece but I highlighted a section of the song that seemed to best state its case in 15 seconds.

The 30 second edit almost made me jump out of my seat in a good way when I monitored it later while driving in my car. It seemed like I was hearing a promo for a cool new TV show or movie and I could really picture my song getting a placement. I hope it happens.

Thanks again.

Cheers!