Bethlehem Prophesy (Edited Version Sat July 30th PST)

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johndalenow
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Bethlehem Prophesy (Edited Version Sat July 30th PST)

Post by johndalenow » Thu Jul 28, 2022 8:11 pm

A Bunch of INSTRUMENTAL COVERS of CHRISTMAS SONGS in the PUBLIC DOMAIN are needed by a very busy British Music Library that's constantly landing tons of placements in Film, TV, and other Media.

This Library is searching for quite a few -- and a wide range of -- Instrumental Covers in the general wheelhouse of the following references (but not limited to):

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

"What Child Is This" by The Piano Guys

"Silent Night" by Duke Pearson

"Carol of the Bells" by Stephan Moccio

"Joy to the World" by Kenny G

"Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" by Our Last Night

Please send well-produced Instrumental Covers of Public Domain Christmas songs that capture the holiday spirit! Your submission should have solid arrangements, and stay true to the original melodies of the Songs so that they are familiar to listeners. Your arrangements can range stylistically from Classical to Jazz to Rock to Hybrid to anywhere in between (as long as they remain commercially viable)! They can also range from mellow and soft to bombastic and epic. Whichever approach you choose to take, your production should be polished and clearly Christmas-y. If you plan to use any virtual instruments, please be sure they are of the highest quality and not dated.

Please double check to make sure the Covers you submit are truly Public Domain! In case you’re unsure if your Instrumentals are in the Public Domain, here’s a link that will help: Public Domain Christmas Song List.

Your submissions should be about 2 to 3 minutes long, give or take. Non-faded, buttoned endings with good edit points are needed for this pitch. Do NOT copy the referenced examples in any way shape or form. Use it only as a general guide for tempo, tone, texture, and overall vibe. Broadcast Quality is needed.

This company offers an EXCLUSIVE deal. Since this is an Exclusive deal, please be sure the material you submit for this pitch is NOT already signed with other Libraries or Catalogs. You must own or control your Master to submit. Please send as many Instrumentals as you’d like, online or per CD. All submissions will be screened and critiqued by TAXI. Submissions must be received no later than 11:59 PM (PDT) on Thursday, August 4th, 2022. TAXI # S220804PC
Last edited by johndalenow on Sat Jul 30, 2022 1:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Bethlehem Prophesy

Post by nigelmerrick » Sat Jul 30, 2022 7:35 am

Hi John

Sorry, I'm unfamiliar with the original version of this track, and was unable to find another version online, so I can't comment on how close a cover this actually is to an existing song.

My main thoughts are that the instrumental sounds (which are mostly percussive) are quite big and bold, but the choir voices are a lot softer in nature, so I'm not sure how well they fit together in this type of cue. Personally, I think the drums could definitely be a lot quieter. The rhythm and drum patterns also don't quite fit the Christmas music genre.

I'm not sure what happens around 1:05 to 1:25, as it feels like it goes off the theme with a new feel and sound that's unrelated to the rest of the cue - I think the same thing happens again near the end.

The ending at 2:46 feels like a third theme altogether, and I don't think an editor would be able to take that ending and attach it to earlier sections of the cue if they wanted to create something shorter.

Overall, I think it needs some work in the orchestration, sound choices, and mixing, but you've got some good elements there to work from.

Hope that helps, and maybe others will chime in with some additional thoughts for you.

Cheers

Nigel Merrick

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Re: Bethlehem Prophesy

Post by johndalenow » Sat Jul 30, 2022 12:48 pm

nigelmerrick wrote:
Sat Jul 30, 2022 7:35 am
Hi John

Sorry, I'm unfamiliar with the original version of this track, and was unable to find another version online, so I can't comment on how close a cover this actually is to an existing song.

My main thoughts are that the instrumental sounds (which are mostly percussive) are quite big and bold, but the choir voices are a lot softer in nature, so I'm not sure how well they fit together in this type of cue. Personally, I think the drums could definitely be a lot quieter. The rhythm and drum patterns also don't quite fit the Christmas music genre.

I'm not sure what happens around 1:05 to 1:25, as it feels like it goes off the theme with a new feel and sound that's unrelated to the rest of the cue - I think the same thing happens again near the end.

The ending at 2:46 feels like a third theme altogether, and I don't think an editor would be able to take that ending and attach it to earlier sections of the cue if they wanted to create something shorter.

Overall, I think it needs some work in the orchestration, sound choices, and mixing, but you've got some good elements there to work from.

Hope that helps, and maybe others will chime in with some additional thoughts for you.

Cheers

Nigel Merrick
Thanks for the comments, Nigel. Just to add some clarification: The title was intended to suggest a simultaneous "present" and "future" thus I chose the word, prophesy, so the contrast was intended. (The birth of the Christ child on one hand and his ultimate trials, tribulation and crucifixion on the other) That said, if it wasn't obvious to you, perhaps it won't be obvious to enough others either. We'll see! Enclosed is an amended version with String Bass added, which I believe makes it much more interesting.

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

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Re: Bethlehem Prophesy

Post by johndalenow » Sat Jul 30, 2022 1:14 pm

nigelmerrick wrote:
Sat Jul 30, 2022 7:35 am
Hi John

Sorry, I'm unfamiliar with the original version of this track, and was unable to find another version online, so I can't comment on how close a cover this actually is to an existing song.

My main thoughts are that the instrumental sounds (which are mostly percussive) are quite big and bold, but the choir voices are a lot softer in nature, so I'm not sure how well they fit together in this type of cue. Personally, I think the drums could definitely be a lot quieter. The rhythm and drum patterns also don't quite fit the Christmas music genre.

I'm not sure what happens around 1:05 to 1:25, as it feels like it goes off the theme with a new feel and sound that's unrelated to the rest of the cue - I think the same thing happens again near the end.

The ending at 2:46 feels like a third theme altogether, and I don't think an editor would be able to take that ending and attach it to earlier sections of the cue if they wanted to create something shorter.

Overall, I think it needs some work in the orchestration, sound choices, and mixing, but you've got some good elements there to work from.

Hope that helps, and maybe others will chime in with some additional thoughts for you.

Cheers

Nigel Merrick
The original is "O Little Town of Bethlehem."

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Re: Bethlehem Prophesy (Edited Version Sat July 30th PST)

Post by nigelmerrick » Sat Jul 30, 2022 5:20 pm

Hi John

The new version definitely sounds a lot better in terms of the balance between the percussion and the singers. By the way, did you mean to spell "prophecy" with an "S" instead of a "C"? Just curious.

I'm still not a big fan of those sections where it seems to go into some kind of breakdown (once in the middle and again at the end), and I think the railroad crossing and train sounds (?) are a little out of place. I didn't think that music libraries liked us to put sound effects (as opposed to sound design) in our cues, generally speaking, so it may be better to leave those out or replace them with tubular bells or something less recognizable as an everyday object.

As a cover of "O Little Town Of Bethlehem", I'm not able to match the melody with the original song, so it's hard for me to see it as a true cover, and I wondered if we're supposed to use the same title (not sure about that, but I thought we might since they're cover versions).

Hope that helps, and I wish you all the best with your submission.

Nigel

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Re: Bethlehem Prophesy (Edited Version Sat July 30th PST)

Post by irthlingz » Mon Aug 01, 2022 3:49 pm

Based on the listing and references, I think they are looking only for the positive side of Christmas -- I would not include any foretelling of "trials, tribulation and crucifixion". JM2C

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Michael

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Re: Bethlehem Prophesy (Edited Version Sat July 30th PST)

Post by johndalenow » Tue Aug 02, 2022 4:25 pm

irthlingz wrote:
Mon Aug 01, 2022 3:49 pm
Based on the listing and references, I think they are looking only for the positive side of Christmas -- I would not include any foretelling of "trials, tribulation and crucifixion". JM2C

===
Michael
There IS that possibility. I guess I'm hoping there may be "room" for such a "take" on the request, but I could be wrong. In which case, I'll save it for another project.

I thank you for responding, Michael. Best! JD

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