TAXI.com

Would love to get some feedback on this!



LIGHT DRAMATIC ORCHESTRAL-Based TENSION INSTRUMENTAL CUES are needed by a very successful Music Licensing Company that lands placements on hundreds of shows on Major Networks every year with distribution in North America and Europe!

This Company is on the hunt for Instrumental Cues in the general stylistic ballpark of the following references:

"Drama Mama" by Bleeding Fingers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1fbCvwoog8

The Shahs of Sunset (0:08 – 0:22)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcIF4zEakx4&t=8s

"Mad Hoc" by Bleeding Fingers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6OlNDejhSc

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (0:21 – 0:52)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_uOzpDTs4k&t=21s

Please send light dramatic Orchestral-based Instrumental Cues that could work well in the context of tense scenes in Reality TV shows. Craft your submissions around a singular motif, and layer instrumentation in and out as they progress to create a sense of dynamics and forward momentum. This Library is open to hearing lighter, more minimal pieces as well as more dramatic Cues. Whichever approach you decide to take, your production should be polished, and any virtual instrumentation you use should sound like the real thing and not dated, stiff, or obviously MIDI-driven. A range of instrumentation could work for this request, as long as Orchestral elements remain a focal element in your arrangements. We recommend keeping Cues on the simpler side so they don't distract from dialog.

TAXI Tip: This Library does NOT want huge Tension Cues that would work in blockbuster movies. They need light dramatic Cues that could help to establish a tense mood in Reality TV shows – think of the type of music that would work under petty arguments or fights. Listen to the references closely to see what we mean!

Your submissions should be about 90 seconds to 2 minutes long, give or take. Non-faded, buttoned/stinger endings will work best. Do NOT copy the referenced material in any way, shape, or form. Use it only as a general guide for tempo, tone, and overall vibe. Broadcast Quality is needed.

This Company offers an EXCLUSIVE deal, so the material you submit for this request CANNOT be signed with other publishers or catalogs. Sync fees will be split 50/50. The Publisher will get 100% of the Publisher’s share, and you’ll keep 100% of the Writer’s share. You must own or control your Master and Copyright to pitch for this opportunity. 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 Wednesday, January 26th, 2022. TAXI Dispatch # D220126RE

A good start, but there's a lot of work needed. It sounds like you are trying to emulate the first reference track. F

or starters the instruments are not playing together or in good sync with each other. Listen to the first reference track again and hear how good the timing of each instrument. The percussion elements are right on the beat along with the strings.

The drones/sustained strings you are using are a little too loud and should come down a bit. To my ears they sound very bright or brittle.

The string samples also need to be improved. I can hear the different string attacks and can tell easily that this is a sample.

At the 1:00 mark the track starts to lose focus, it gets messy musically and rhyhmically, and then the ending becomes anti-climactic. No build or rise to a final conclusion.

I suggest spending some time analyzing the reference tracks more deeply. Take notes about the form, the instruments used, etc. Something I've done over the years is dropping a reference track into my DAW and then trying to recreate the entire track, listening for every instrument, sound effect, etc. I listen to the panning, the EQ, etc. What this ends up giving you is a wonderful recipe or roadmap for a complete track with all of the parts.

I hope this is helpful.

PC

Thank you, Paulie! Really appreciate you taking the time to listen.

Paulie wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 04, 2022 7:03 pm

I can hear the different string attacks ...

Not sure I understand what you're saying about the attacks. Can you expand on that?

Thanks again!

It sounds like you have two different string patches in use for the short notes. For example, the measure starting at 0:50, it sounds like you have both a short violin and a short cello playing two different parts, but the articulations do not match. There is a quarter note theme on on track (C Eb Eb C) that sounds like a short string attack, while the other theme has a more gentle pluck attack. If this is supposed to be a single instrument theme, the different attacks do not sound realistic or human, this is the sort of thing that gets the dreaded "sounds too MIDI" feedback.