Response from Screeners

[ShaunS]

hi All,
just got a bunch of returns from the Taxi screeners, no luck, but kind of expect that (early days for me).
Just something i wanted to throw out there.
'needs more layering' seemed to come up quite a bit.
I kinda get it, was sort of going for more of a sparse sound (horror cue)
in your collective experience, when layering instruments do we usually duplicate the melody (or whatever is being played) or something different but complimentary, counterpoint?
anyway, any comments would be appreciated.
I was told to add a Synth Pad, I think I worked that one out OK.
just on a related subject, (nothing to do with the responses, I hate not understanding the terminology) is a patch just a preset that you import?
Happy new year to you all, I'm dialing in from just north of Sydney in Australia - stinking hot and humid here...
cheers
Shaun S

[Telefunkin]

Hi,
Layering can be different things depending on the purpose of the layers and what the track needs. Additional layers might add weight to a drum part, a pad to increase thickness or increase texture, a unison part to bolster a melody, an octave below to increase bass and depth, an octave above to add interest or momentum, a complimentary or counterpoint part to add interest and development, etc. If such things are arranged well they can help with taking the listener on a journey through the track rather than it being static and 1-dimensional all the way through, and that can also help editors select different sections to support the development of an on-screen story.

A patch (sometimes called a preset) is a collection of all the control settings for a virtual instrument or synthesizer, often given a descriptive name such as 'Synth Strings', 'Moog Bass', 'Dance Piano' etc, and saved in memory. Most Virtual instruments include banks of patches that demonstrate the range of sounds available, and each patch can be customized and saved. Sometimes, additional patches can be imported (provided they are designed for, or compatible with, the instrument in question).

[edmondredd]

Hey Shaun,
Graham's answer sums it up nicely.
If I can add my grain of salt in here, is that usually to enrich the sound you're after (and by sound, it could be any sonic element, sound design or instrument) you have to take the best out of many : 2 or 3 sounds I'd say. What you want to achieve is a nice full sound filling up nicely the audible spectrum, enhancing the frequencies that sound good, and reducing the frequencies when it sound less optimal.
An example of this would be with your orchestral strings ensemble: Some of the libraries have a lush sounding strings patch, which, on its own sounds gorgeous. Howver when added to a full orchestra might lose it's presence. The layering idea here could be taking another sample library that has a dry sounding orchestral strings sound, that might not sound as good soloed, and mix that with the soupy strings, in a way the ear could now detect the attack of the strings while enjoying the smooth reverb.
It's really like adding salt to your food: a little bit can enhance the flavor. Much of it might and probably will ruin it

[cosmicdolphin]

when layering instruments do we usually duplicate the melody (or whatever is being played)

Yes. Thicker , fuller more exepensive sounding parts are often acheived by layering several instruments all playing the same part so they sound like one thing but they're not.

[VanderBoegh]

I love Edmond's answer!

Just to add a little something that would help you: it's nice when you're seeking feedback like this to include links to your music - particularly the track(s) in question so we can listen and see if we can impart a little wisdom and clarity into the screener's comments. Without being able to hear your music, we're really just taking a shot in the dark here as to what "layering" means in the context of this critique. All of the above answers are correct in the general sense, but not all of them might apply to your music!

~~Matt

[prizzi]

Hi Shaun,

Paul Croteau has some great tutorials on his Youtube channel. Hope this might help.

Tension Crime Cue


Phil

[ShaunS]

thanks for the responses,
good point Matt (about adding links to the music) will keep that in mind in the future.
a lot of good material there to reflect on.
cheers good people.
Shaun S