gitanosoy wrote: ↑Wed Mar 31, 2021 6:33 pm
My last Brazilian track got returned because it wasn't a live sounding performance played like live musicians do(did not agree and wrote to head screener), now I try to create a more live sounding track and it comes back as too busy for under a dialogue although the reference tracks are going pretty heavy with improve.
Too many edit points: There is edit points and musical breaks but I guess in Film/TV it is considered as all edit points(note to self for future and leave the musical ideas for live gigs and albums)
Yes I read the listing and listened to the ref tracks a gazillion times. so I went to create a track like
Batacuda by
Walter Wanderly like the listing preferred we do out of the 4 refs. I would say that it is a pretty heavy track as the jazz cats would say.
https://www.taxi.com/members/M8lnHf2ZQO ... 8Fj7N_wi7Q
my track:
https://www.taxi.com/members/M8lnHf2ZQO ... ina-colada
Just want more clarification and learn, starting to loose confidence in playing Latin music.
Let me start with the caveats that I am decidedly no expert on Latin music or writing instrumental cues. Rather, I read your review, listened to your piece, and listened to a fair portion of the "Batacuda" track you alluded to as being a primary reference.
On the edit points, you do have a lot, but "Batacuda" does, too. The big differences is that, except for one of yours, where there is a piano that fills in the space somewhat, all yours are dead stops, with nothing to lead to the next section. Whereas in "Batacuda", all the ones I heard had something filling in, be it ambience in the early one with just percussion, or organ pickup notes, or whatever. They still make enough space that an editor could cut the track, but also keep the music flowing if it isn't time to cut it yet.
As for the "busy-ness" comment on your track, I agree, but not on specifics. I don't think it is the guitar playing that makes yours feel too busy for the most part (maybe in one section). I'm actually not sure what it is, but it sounds like some kind of percussion that almost has a feel of people talking -- perhaps some bowed metal or something??? -- that comes in around halfway through the track. It is just filling in a lot of space with "busy-ness" and making the overall piece sound way busier than it would if it were just guitar and more drum-like percussion.
The other key comment the reviewer made was not having the percussion prominent enough in yours, and that is definitely a difference I heard between your track and the reference track. Also, the reference track was led by the organ, at a fair volume difference from the backing guitar. Even though the guitar in it was pretty busy, its being so far back in the mix made it less prominent, and the organ wasn't super busy melodically. In the places where it got busier, it was more just a rhythmic thing than a melodic thing.
I guess my thoughts would be to make there be bigger differences between background and foreground. Since the guitar is your feature, maybe have that higher in the mix than any background instruments (e.g. piano) except for the percussion that is purely rhythmic. There is also one part in the song where the guitar gets very busy, where maybe it could be less so, but I think the bigger consideration would be, if the guitar will be the main element, to make the background pitched parts be less busy. That said, in "Batacuda", the guitar is in the background and is busier than the melodic organ in the foreground, but it is also more of a rhythmic thing than a melodic thing. So maybe busy rhythms are okay but busy melodies not so much???
Rick