Return for S240225UN - PIANO-Based UNDERSCORE INSTRUMENTAL CUES

[eye90prod]

Dear fellow members,

I recently received feedback on a track I submitted for consideration, and I wanted to share my thoughts and seek some constructive feedback from the community.

The track was returned with the feedback that the piano wasn't the main instrument, which I respectfully disagree with. In all four of the reference examples, the piano has a percussive accent, which I viewed as an essential element of the request. I utilized Noire's 'Particles' feature to implement this. While I respect the screener's feedback, I genuinely believe that my track aligns closely with the references and all the requirements of the request.

I value the input of the community and would appreciate your insights as to whether my assessment is accurate. Ultimately, I see this as an opportunity for growth and refinement, and I'm committed to honing my skills as a composer. Your feedback and perspectives are invaluable to me, and I thank you for taking the time to consider this.

Here is the track:
https://www.taxi.com/members/HlytJwZ_TV ... g-serenity

Here is the review:
https://www.taxi.com/members/HlytJwZ_TV ... rAPxHIQPMA

Here is the listing:

PIANO-Based UNDERSCORE INSTRUMENTAL CUES are needed by a very successful boutique Music Library that's distributed by Universal and has tons of credits in Big Films, Countless TV Shows, and Commercials!

This company gets some really, really great placements, and lots of them! Please listen to the following examples the Company's CEO gave us to get yourself in the ballpark of what they need:

Instrumental Examples (https://www.dropbox.com/sh/giwu620ya5cw ... oF7la?dl=0)

Quoting the Library's CEO: "We'd like to hear sophisticated, modern, pattern-based piano cues that are intimate, soft, and underscore-friendly. Structure-wise, make sure to both have a consistent composition and give the editors options to use, i.e. a dynamic section, build-up section, and more intense section. The key is to have different sections in terms of intensity, but NOT different in terms of harmony or 'new ideas'. Pianos often have quite a few resonances – so Dynamic EQs, Multiband compressors, different reverbs, etc. are very handy techniques to keep them from sounding muddy."

Please submit well-crafted Piano-Based Instrumental Cues that could add feeling and emotion to whatever is being shown on screen. Instrumentation can include strings, percussion, acoustic guitar, etc., as long as piano is the main focus. Remember, you're not trying to show off what an amazing piano player you are, so much as creating a vibe, feeling, and emotion while leaving plenty of room for dialogue to be the focus.

TIPS FROM THE LIBRARY TO HELP YOU NAIL THIS PITCH: "Many composers throw in way too many ideas and are not focused on ONE CENTRAL MOTIF: they try to keep things interesting by adding new harmonic lines and elements (melodies, even improvisations, etc) instead of focusing on the production and textures. What I'm looking for is basically: obvious production music (in form and structure), that sounds like commercial music (production style)." Put simply, keep it SIMPLE! We know that other Libraries like to receive music with complementary A and B sections, but this Library is NOT one of them – stick with ONE CENTRAL MOTIF per submission, please!

All submissions should be about 2 minutes long, give or take. Good edit points and non-faded, buttoned/stinger endings are required. Do NOT copy the references in any way, shape, or form. Use them only as a general guide for tempo, tone, texture, and overall vibe. Do NOT submit any material with unauthorized samples of any other artists’ music, sounds, or any other form of media. Broadcast Quality is needed.

This Music Library offers an EXCLUSIVE deal with a cool twist. You’ll keep 50% of all gross income generated by your music, plus you’ll get 100% of the Writer’s share income generated by your PRO. In other words, if the company licenses your music under a blanket deal, you’ll get income. If they license it for a YouTube video, you’ll get income. Not all music libraries pay you for things like that! The Publisher will get 100% of the Publisher’s share.

Because this is an Exclusive deal, the music you submit for this pitch cannot already be signed with other Libraries or Publishers. You must own or control 100% of your Master and Copyright. Please submit as many Instrumental Cues 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 (PST) on Sunday, February 25th, 2024. TAXI # S240225UN

Thanks,
Lucas Curtis (Eye90)

[macomposer]

Afraid I have to agree with the screener on this one Lucas. I love Noire, and I think it's a really cool piece of music that you've written, but you have to just strip it down in the beginning to the piano itself - not the particles synth. Rewriting it with the piano alone in the forefront, with the particles mixed in lower as the piece goes along might get you where you want to be with this one.

M

[eye90prod]

Afraid I have to agree with the screener on this one Lucas. I love Noire, and I think it's a really cool piece of music that you've written, but you have to just strip it down in the beginning to the piano itself - not the particles synth. Rewriting it with the piano alone in the forefront, with the particles mixed in lower as the piece goes along might get you where you want to be with this one.

M

Thanks M. I appreciate the feedback and that's probably what the screener was thinking too. It's just that none of the references do that. They all have a percussive accent on the piano all the way through. I'm just trying to understand why that wasn't acceptable for this submission. Maybe it's just a little too much and I needed to back off the particles a bit but that seems like a very fine line to me.

Lucas

[Casey H]

I agree with the previous comment. It's a nice piece but the backing synths or strings get too prominent and it loses what they were asking for which is very piano focused. A re-mix could help that so keep an eye out for future listings.

Note: I didn't listen in great detail for other things, if any, that could be improved. I just listened for relative instrumentation. Lots of great cue writers here can offer you more feedback.

Casey

[AlanHall]

Thanks M. I appreciate the feedback and that's probably what the screener was thinking too. It's just that none of the references do that. They all have a percussive accent on the piano all the way through. I'm just trying to understand why that wasn't acceptable for this submission. Maybe it's just a little too much and I needed to back off the particles a bit but that seems like a very fine line to me.

What I noticed about the ref tracks is that there seemed to be a common thread about the 'percussive element' that you mention. To my ears, it sounded like a very faint hi-hat pattern or the like. Something with the piano, but not the piano itself. Having said that, the pianos did sound to me to be on the EP side of piano patches, so I don't really know...

Nice track, but more 'synthy' than what I picked up from the ref tracks. JMHO

[macomposer]

So, be sure to listen very very carefully to the references. From memory, all of the references for this one started with a felt piano. That's the percussive part of the sound that I'm hearing. Noire (and other plugs like it) allow you to turn up the sound of the felt so that it's more pronounced and that's what I'm hearing here (except for maybe one of them that had maybe just a bit more of a layered something or another underneath).

But that's a more subtle thing than the particles to me. I wrote two pieces for this listing and they were forwarded. Memories uses a very similar approach that you used, but notice that the piano starts it off and the particles (this one uses Olafur Arnalds Stratus) come in later.

(I typically don't reference my own work, or note my forwards... but we're all trying to learn here so... )

Memories of That Saturday
https://www.taxi.com/my/artist/songs/j3 ... t-saturday

The Park Bench
https://www.taxi.com/my/artist/songs/qY ... park-bench

(Hopefully the links will work...)

- M(ark)

[Telefunkin]

(Hopefully the links will work...)

Sorry, but no they don't.

[eye90prod]

I agree with the previous comment. It's a nice piece but the backing synths or strings get too prominent and it loses what they were asking for which is very piano focused. A re-mix could help that so keep an eye out for future listings.

Note: I didn't listen in great detail for other things, if any, that could be improved. I just listened for relative instrumentation. Lots of great cue writers here can offer you more feedback.

Casey

Thanks for the feedback Casey. All 4 of the references have strings and 2 of them even have voices, so I don't think I overdid it there. But the comments on here have helped me to understand that the screener was probably referring to the percussive accent on the piano, and even though I thought I was giving them what they want, I probably overdid it.

Lucas

[eye90prod]

So, be sure to listen very very carefully to the references. From memory, all of the references for this one started with a felt piano. That's the percussive part of the sound that I'm hearing. Noire (and other plugs like it) allow you to turn up the sound of the felt so that it's more pronounced and that's what I'm hearing here (except for maybe one of them that had maybe just a bit more of a layered something or another underneath).

But that's a more subtle thing than the particles to me. I wrote two pieces for this listing and they were forwarded. Memories uses a very similar approach that you used, but notice that the piano starts it off and the particles (this one uses Olafur Arnalds Stratus) come in later.

(I typically don't reference my own work, or note my forwards... but we're all trying to learn here so... )

Memories of That Saturday
https://www.taxi.com/my/artist/songs/j3 ... t-saturday

The Park Bench
https://www.taxi.com/my/artist/songs/qY ... park-bench

(Hopefully the links will work...)

- M(ark)

Thanks again Mark and congratulations on the forwards. I tried to listen to your tracks but the links don't work for me. I listened to some of the other forwards though and only a few of them have any percussive accent at all. I really thought that was an essential element of the request. I actually tried cranking up the mechanical noises in Noire like you mentioned but I didn't think it was enough so I added the particles "mallet" sound and I probably overdid it. It's a shame, too. I would have really liked for the library to have a chance to hear my track.

Lucas

[Casey H]

I agree with the previous comment. It's a nice piece but the backing synths or strings get too prominent and it loses what they were asking for which is very piano focused. A re-mix could help that so keep an eye out for future listings.

Note: I didn't listen in great detail for other things, if any, that could be improved. I just listened for relative instrumentation. Lots of great cue writers here can offer you more feedback.

Casey

Thanks for the feedback Casey. All 4 of the references have strings and 2 of them even have voices, so I don't think I overdid it there. But the comments on here have helped me to understand that the screener was probably referring to the percussive accent on the piano, and even though I thought I was giving them what they want, I probably overdid it.

Lucas

Yea, I was a bit on the fence as to whether the strings were too loud after re-listening to the reference tracks. You could ask for clarification by emailing the headscreener, not to complain about the return or expect a reversal, but to ask for clarification. headscreener AT taxi dot com.

Best,
Casey