TAXI.com

I almost never complain about reviews (I understand they are objective), but when I get 4 songs from a listing all say the same thing, well, I'm wasting my time and since I'm paying for this... (BTW, 2 of the tracks have already been signed so they can't suck that bad).

"The programming of the arrangement is good, yet, the character of the overall "sound" is synthetic generated and this quality of sound is ill-advised for this listing. Try an alt-arrangement and replace the brass with organic brass to get this closer to the desired sound." or "The arrangement is good, although, this is MIDI generated and has the "stiffness' of the quantization. Choosing the piano and vibes is good, yet the overall sound has that "Character" of being synthetically generated. You could try an alt-arrangement and replace the instrumentation with an organic performance to get this closer to the desired sound requested in the listing."

Sorry, can't help it if Cubans know how to play Cuban music.

Since NONE of these use any midi and recorded with live players mostly in Havana, just tell me the mix sucks, or the song sucks, whatever, but it's really starting to piss me off when I get told they are "stiff"

Good luck finding someone who can program a Cuban tres like this, and no, it's not a guitar; or percussion. Much less a baby bass, nylon string guitar etc.

https://www.taxi.com/members/AfZ6AWI8SN ... w-yuca-jam
https://www.taxi.com/members/AfZ6AWI8SN ... or-de-cali
https://www.taxi.com/members/AfZ6AWI8SN ... guantanamo
https://www.taxi.com/members/AfZ6AWI8SN ... night-club

Here is the listing FYI:
S210112LA

Lots of ORIGINAL TRADITIONAL LATIN DANCE INSTRUMENTALS (in a wide range of styles) are needed by a successful Music Library that gets tons of placements in TV Shows, Films, and Movie Trailers.

NOTE: They’re open to hearing a range of Traditional Latin Dance styles including (but NOT limited to): Tango, Samba, Mambo/Guajira, Flamenco, Bossa Nova, Merengue, Salsa, Bachata, etc., etc., etc.

Telefunkin wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 20, 2021 6:05 am

Hi Jon,
Congratulations on having some great music! I particularly liked the 1st and 4th track. Synthetic horn sound in the 2nd track? Well, maybe I could understand that comment. Midi stiffness though? I don't hear that, I hear the looseness of natural playing, not programming.

I most often side with Taxi screeners when I hear gripes about returns, but I have to say that I think you have some legitimate concerns here, although I claim no expertise. Perhaps it would be worth having a chat with Taxi about this submission, just to check whether there was some administrative error. Failing that, send them to a library yourself anyway!

[Edit: Be careful though. If 2 tracks are already signed to a library, should you really be submitting them elsewhere? I hope your contract allows that.]

Thanks!

They were signed last week... after the submission I'm focusing on direct to show now unless there is a reversion clause in the contract.

Yeah it's nuts that they would think some of this stuff is midi

cosmicdolphin wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 20, 2021 8:15 am

Yeah it's nuts that they would think some of this stuff is midi

Thanks, sometimes I think maybe my ears are shot

Jon,
Love your pieces! It's clearly a group of musicians who know what they're about and enjoy it. Synth, MIDI, psh!

If I were to comment on the recordings, I'd say - on the laptop speakers I'm auditioning through right now - the tracks might be overly bright and somewhat 'brittle'. Mic choice or placement? I dunno. And it may sound fantastic on better monitors. But that's the only thing I can think of that may lead a screener to believe any of it is synthetic.

On the other hand, Taxi is not the only way to go - as you know. And if this kind of music is your primary focus, then perhaps Taxi isn't the best gatekeeper for your output. But if you do other things, at least some of what you do may be enhanced by Taxi's efforts. There is that.

They are real nice tracks, and it doesn't sound midi to me (not even close). However, you can argue that the mixes lacks bottom end and are quite bright, which maybe can account for the synthetic comment from the screener. Real brass can get to sound that way, unfortunately.

Kolstad wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 21, 2021 5:28 am

They are real nice tracks, and it doesn't sound midi to me (not even close). However, you can argue that the mixes lacks bottom end and are quite bright, which maybe can account for the synthetic comment from the screener. Real brass can get to sound that way, unfortunately.

Yes, I agree they could definitely be more sympathetically produced / mixed...maybe the mixes are adding a layer of unaturalness to the overall vibe

One thing consistent with this forum is that when you bring an unfair review, someone will find a fault with it that has nothing to do with the feedback mentioned. I really like the mixes by the way and no they do not feel midi sequenced at all. Congrats on your placements!

I would definitely contact the Head screener with your concerns even though they are signed. If it is a mix issue, it may create a barrier for placement when a music supervisor hears a track. At this point, it can't hurt to find out as much as possible.

I noticed that all the tracks are mastered hot and compressed just by looking at the wave forms.
Maybe that lack in dynamics is being perceived as artificial and not organic.

Just a thought!