Under Pressure - Action trailer

[Pvgeldrop]

Hi everyone,

Been working on a new trailer-track, this time for this listing:

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Lots of ACTION TRAILER-Style ORCHESTRAL INSTRUMENTALS are needed by a Music Licensing company that's landed some great placements for TAXI members.

This company is on the lookout for a bunch of Instrumentals in the general stylistic ballpark of the following references:

5Lbs of Pressure - Official Trailer

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One - Official Trailer

Breathe - Official Trailer

Quoting the Client: "Must be energetic, dynamic, and suitable for action-packed Movie Trailers. 3-Act Structures are required."

Please submit well-composed Action Trailer-Style Orchestral instrumentals with tension mixed with high-powered energy throughout! Your submissions should have epic and thrilling motifs with three "acts" that build to a climactic crescendo. Please craft your pieces around one central motif and create dynamics, interest, and forward motion by layering instrumentation in and out as the pieces progress. Orchestral instrumentation or Orchestral Hybrid instrumentation that's in the stylistic ballpark of the references will work best for this request. Please make sure that any virtual instruments or samples you use are high-quality, realistic, contemporary, and not dated-sounding.

Submissions should be about 2-3 minutes long, give or take. Non-faded, buttoned/stinger endings will work best. Please do NOT copy the referenced examples in any way, shape, or form. Use them only as a general guide for tempo, texture, tone, 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 Library offers a NON-EXCLUSIVE, 50/50 Deal. You’ll get 50% of any sync fees and 100% of the Writer’s share. The Publisher will get 50% of sync fees and 100% of the Publisher’s Share. You’ll keep 100% of the original Copyright and Master Recordings. You must own or control your Master and Copyright to submit to this pitch. Please submit as many Instrumentals as you’d like, online or per CD. Time permitting, someone from the Music Licensing Company may screen some or all of the submissions. Submissions must be received no later than 11:59 PM (PDT) on Wednesday, April 17th, 2024. TAXI Dispatch # D240417RA

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And here is my track: Under Pressure

Any feedback would be most appreciated, especially on the mix, as I still find mixing trailers a very daunting task.

Thanks in advance,

Best wishes,

Paul

[johndalenow]

Hi Pvgeldrop, Given the rhythms you chose, I would experiment with one, or two, more bpm. It sounds a tad bit "laggy" at its current pace. Regarding the "mix," a "trick" you may already be aware of is to listen to the track at two different volumes, 1 barely perceptible, 2 very loud to make sure the "balance" is exactly what you want. (It's surprising what new things you will hear.) All the best. You are a very talented creator. John

[Pvgeldrop]

Thank you for taking the time to listen and comment, John, I'll play around with the BPM a bit and see if I can get rid off the dragging.

Thanks again,

Paul

[Pvgeldrop]

I wasn't happy with the mix after listening to it again today, and made a new version: Under Pressure v2

[edmondredd]

Nice piece of work here, and I suppose it could easily get forwarded; however, I think that there's still some room for improvement to take it up another notch.
Stucture.
Although you clearly have a 3-act trailer, I find the contrast between those acts a bit subtle. 
1. I would personally strip the first act to its bare minimum, making it almost ambient-like, to set the tone. I could use the sliding synth with tons of reverb on it in the background too. Less percussion and more ambience (I love those electric guitars, btw).
On the first drop, I'd keep some of those ear candy elements rather than keep it almost silent.
2. The buildup is fine, I guess. It's a bit too long compared to the rest, as it's taking up much of the trailer. Staying on the same chord for a long can be quite challenging if you don't introduce some variations. Personally, I'd look into some hybrid elements, such as synths, in that section. 
And I would use the musical break at 1:30 to end my buildup section instead of the drop you currently have.
3. Act 3 should, in my opinion, feel way bigger and definitely longer. This is where your musical idea is blooming, and everything is playing: your guitars, your synths, your percs, and your horns. This is where your trailer explodes.

Lastly, once Act 3 is done, it's always useful to give a sort of a smaller outro (usually used for the end credits of a trailer: coming soon, in theaters, etc.). 

I wish you all the best with that one, and hopefully my comments make sense to you.

Cheers

[Pvgeldrop]

Thank you so much for the feedback and tips, Edmond, very educational too!
I'm still struggling to find a good balance between the acts, but these tips will definitely help.