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Hi,
I've searched for the answer to this on the forums. If a cue listing states 90 seconds "Give or Take", what exactly does it mean?
1 second either way? More than 1 second either way? Sorry if this has been asked before. Thanks. -Tim

I'd aim for at least 90 seconds. You can edit down from 90 secs but it's harder for an editor to extend it. I wouldn't go much longer than that - it sounds like they already know the length of the spot.

Thanks Matt Curious. My cue is at 1:34 and I was wondering if any one has had a return on the basis of 3 or 4 seconds over what they asked for in the listing?
I could submit and find out...but trying to avoid any obvious pitfalls. - Tim

Having just been R recently for a track that was too long (they asked for 90secs, I gave them 2mins)... the note from the screener said maybe 10 secs early or late is okay but don't stray to far...

Thanks hummingbird. That's what I was hoping to get confirmation on. - Tim

So far I've had pretty good success with doing a bit of math up front to make sure I land in the ballpark. I pick a tempo and multiply the length (e.g. 1.5 for 90 seconds, 2 for 2 minutes) by BPM, then divide by my beats per measure in the time signature. Then I round up to figure out how many bars I need minimum.

For a concrete example, I've been doing a bunch of dubstep which is about 140 BPM.

140 BPM * 1.5 minutes = 210 beats
210 / 4 (for 4/4) = 52.5

So I'd need 53 bars minimum. What usually happens then is that I add a few bars to make things fit musically, but that gets me started.

Give 90 seconds exactly.

Thanks for the input everyone. From the variety of answers I'm guessing that if they ask for 90 secs ideally it should be exactly 90 or 90 secs give or take a few seconds may or may not get forwarded depending on who is screening. Can I post this question somewhere we can get a definitive answer? -Tim

If it's a great piece of music that nails what the listing asked for is not likely to be held back because it's 17 seconds too long. If a listing asks for 90 seconds and somebody submits something that's great, but only 40 seconds long, it might not be forwarded. It's generally less work to shorten a cue than loop and lengthen. A video editor given that scenario would most likely take the path of least resistance, meaning: using a cue that's easiest to work with.

It's not an exact science, and it's context dependent to some extent. The listing could be a for a 90 second online video, so 78 seconds makes it harder to use. If the cue is 2 minutes long, and is easily editable to 90, then it could be a good fit.

Generally speaking, most libraries have a preferred length they find works for the majority of their clients. Most are also not going to pass up a great piece of music because it's a little too long or short. A LOT short might be an issue. Again, there really is no hard, fast rule, and it's not an exact science. Common sense is usually the best answer, but trying to fit a square peg into a round hole might not be.

It's also noteworthy to see if the screener passed on the cue for another reason(s), and just mentioned the length as an "Oh by the way..." thing.

Hope this helps,
Michael

Michael,
Yes, It does help! Thanks. -Tim