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Hi there everyone. I’ve been checking out these forums for a while and I decided it’s time to jump in. For the past ten years or so I’ve been writing and assembling songs and compositions but never have I made the leap of actually trying to put them “out there”. Lately I’ve been more intrigued by the idea, so I have started checking out some of these forums and the like to see what the pros are saying, trying to gather as many tips as I can so I don’t make the mistake of submitting sub-par material or sending my stuff to the wrong places.

One of the issues that I’ve come across quite frequently is the issue of “Broadcast Quality” recordings. I have learned that many publishers, labels, etc will not accept many, or any, recordings that are not of “broadcast quality”. Everyone seems to have a different definition of it, and they all make sense to me when I read them. However, when I put the idea to the songs/compositions I’ve written, I have no clue how to tell (criteria, etc.) if they are anywhere close to broadcast quality. I’m thinking there may be some bias involved, so I’ve decided to go after some harder proof: You guys!

I’ve included a link to a song I am working on, called “Tell Me Where We Are”. I say “working on” because I still need to get a singer and put down the vocal track. What I’m interested in is whether or not what I have down so far is “broadcast quality”. I'm not necessarily wanting input on the song structure itself (I know the song is immediately dull until I put a vocal track on it), but any feedback on which aspects of it are good and which are bad in terms of broadcast quality as it relates to the actual recording quality (clean and up-to-date samples, mix, performance, etc.) would be unbelievably appreciated by me. I would enjoy criticism more than praise, because I want to know what I need to improve and why.

Thanks so much, guys. I hope to be posting a lot more here in the future!

http://soundclick.com/share?songid=9516950

Hey Justin,

What you have so far IMHO is definitely in the "park" as far as Broadcast Quality. I'd say it's about 75% there. I think the mix needs to be tightened up a bit and the drums/cymbals need to be tweaked. They seem a little bright. The guitar parts have a cool vibe and modern sound.

Things will really depend on how the vocal comes off. The vocal is the attention of the song and no matter how good the track is, the vocals gotta be sweet! Please post again when you have completed it. I think you're on the right track.

Fuller

just comments on the recording/production process here

sounds pretty good - 75% seems about right, maybe a little more, imo

listening again as if listening to the radio or something to see where I notice a drop-off where I would not expect it on the radio... if that makes sense

initial guitars after the pause are a little too far back, but it maybe the effect you want

something about the drums on beats 2 and 4 seem a little weird - reverb issue? I don't know. I have percussion limitations - this is WAY better than I could do.

guitars seemed really clean, playing-wise

good luck with it!

Hi Justin. The track sounds cool. The orchestration of the guitars is great. I think there's too much reverb on the snare and hihat. The fast hihat and ride patterns could possibly have a bit more dynamics. Nice sound on the kick. I reckon it's broadcast quality. Cheers, Doug

The piece feels very contemporary.
The bass and the guitars are really excellent in my opinion.

But, the drums are not I'm afraid. You need a better software to do this. Invest in something like Superior drummer to get a better sound. The screeners will definitely say something about this.
The drums lack the natural dynamic sound, they are also tighten up in the middle, they should be panned (either from the drum players view or audience).
I pan it this way, Hi-hat to the left, snare to the left but not as much as the hi-hat, toms left to the right and always keep the bass kick in the middle.

75% might be correct, because the 25% lies in the drums.

About the reverb thing. If you're going to pitch it like a rock song it might be too much reverb on the drums, but some libraries/producers like it this way because it sets the track in the background.

Sounds pretty darn good to me, I would agree on the drums... especially the high hat.

Nice job,

Rob