Submitting variations of same song for a listing

[smelterbox]

Hello -

I am going to be submitting to listing #S230417MM, which in brief has the following;

ACOUSTIC GUITAR INSTRUMENTALS are needed for an (up to) $250, Direct-to-Producer placement in a Pilot for an upcoming TV Show!

This Producer is searching for Instrumentals that could work as a replacement for "Cohesion" by Minutemen, which is currently temped in.

[b]They're NOT looking for clones or soundalikes! Similar tempo, style, and overall vibe? Yes. Clones? No![/b] (emphasis added)


So, I have a few more touches to put on before submitting on Monday, and I am pondering: I do have a melody line that works that I would also like to include, but the reference track does not have one per se. (The closest I can hear is the bass movement as carrying any sort of melody.) Would it be better to NOT submit a track with an obvious melody, or would you think it okay to submit both a non-melody track that has similar vibes as well as the track with? Thanks.

Kevin

[smelterbox]

Rough mix including melody. Re-recording melody line on Sunday with a nylon-string.



https://www.taxi.com/members/TvY0SeWiTj ... ittersweet

[cosmicdolphin]

Rough mix including melody. Re-recording melody line on Sunday with a nylon-string.



https://www.taxi.com/members/TvY0SeWiTj ... ittersweet

It sounds too slow to me compared to the ref track. And it sounds like a DI rather than a natural acoustic ?

[nicorivers]

I'm not sure about posting variations of the same track as I'm new to Taxi, but for a brief like this, I'd say save the $5 and just submit the version you think best represents the piece in terms of the references.

I do agree that it is pretty slow compared to the ref. I think it's a nylon string and that may be why it sounds a little like DI - or maybe it's DI. If it's a mic'd guitar, try mic'ing a little further away and adding a little reverb to give it a sense of space. You can also try using a tool like Soothe to help shape the current recording you have and get rid of some of that nasal tone.

[Casey H]

Hi
It's not at all a fit for this listing. You have to really pay attention to the ref track. It sounds more like a Latin instrumental. The recording isn't all that clean. Seems a bit bassy in my headphones. Is that note at 00:59 what you intended?

I would save this idea for a Latin instrumental listing. As others asked, what instrument, real or virtual? I could see it working well for Latin with a well recorded classical guitar.

Best,
Casey

[smelterbox]

Guitar is a direct to recorder (Breedlove to Tascam DP24) and I have not finalized anything. Tempo of original is about 96-100 and I have set my tempo to 92. The EQ I used was to dial down the high-end, and I know there is still some quacky-ness there. I live in downtown Phoenix and running live instruments to mic is a challenge.

Trying to keep the vibe - I hear flamenco-style guitar, and a sad-sounding progression. Maybe its just my perception. I value everyone's input - still new to the whole thing and starting to jump in with both feet.

[Casey H]

Guitar is a direct to recorder (Breedlove to Tascam DP24) and I have not finalized anything. Tempo of original is about 96-100 and I have set my tempo to 92. The EQ I used was to dial down the high-end, and I know there is still some quacky-ness there. I live in downtown Phoenix and running live instruments to mic is a challenge.

Trying to keep the vibe - I hear flamenco-style guitar, and a sad-sounding progression. Maybe its just my perception. I value everyone's input - still new to the whole thing and starting to jump in with both feet.

It's not the BPM, it's the general feel as far as fast motion or laid back. When you read that the a la is "temped in", you really have to match that feel. BPM can be deceiving as far as what a track sounds like.

[Paulie]

A very nice piece of guitar work, but I agree that it's not close enough to the reference. Like Casey said, when a track has been placed into a video as a "temporary" reference, you need to match that feel and vibe as closely as possible. Your track feels much slower, it is in a 12/8 triplet feel, while the reference track has more movement.

I think the reference track sounds Latin like yours does. And Casey is spot on regarding the note at 0:59. You are moving from A major to Bb major and back, but the melody is playing a C# over the Bb major, which is a half step away from the major third in the Bb. Chang the melody not to a D, or even an F of Bb and you will be good to go as far as that dissonance is concerned.

[smelterbox]

Thank you all for your input. Will hold off on this submission.

So one final question: How does one get that same vibe and feel of the piece when the listing says no clones or soundalikes. I am thinking that might be part of my issue.

Example: "Louie, Louie" "Bang on De Drum All Day" and "Who Let the Dawgs Out" all have a similar vibe IMHO, but not clones of each other much less sound alikes. Is this what that listing would be inferring? Am I on the right track on this thought?

Thank you again for all your help.

Kev