TAXI.com

Hello.
My name is Fernando. I’m brand new at Taxi and here at the forum.

I sent my first list submission a couple of weeks ago, and frankly, I’m quite annoyed at myself for having misinterpreted the intended meaning of “roughly 2 to 3 minutes long, give or take”…

I figured that anything that clocked 2:something or 3:something was fine, especially since they would also want 60 and 30-second cuts out of the complete version (I do understand those must be precisely 60/30-second edits).

My 3 pieces were around 3:33, 3:49 and 3:56 minutes long, and judging by the critique I got, that seems to be the reason they were rejected.

If length was important, why use subjective words like “roughly” and “give or take” in the listing? Wouldn’t it be clearer if the wording read something like “between 2 and 3 minutes”, or “no longer than 3 minutes”?

So I did learn my lesson! From now on I’ll aim for something in the middle of what is asked. Does that sound reasonable/safe for next time?
Has something annoying like this happened to you?

Based on the music and the critique, would it be reasonable for me to think that, had they been 30 or 40 seconds shorter, at least one would have been forwarded? Or would that be wishful thinking? I'm not sure what to make out of the other two brief comments.

If I shorten them, and I find a very similar listing, would I have a chance, or do you hear any other issues I should fix?
I wrote them with a few built-in pauses for easy edit points, but now I’m second-guessing myself...


Thank you for your thoughts or any comments.



These are the 3 pieces I sent:

https://www.taxi.com/members/fkE9z8wtTM ... o-kate-liu

https://www.taxi.com/members/fkE9z8wtTM ... lga-scheps

https://www.taxi.com/members/fkE9z8wtTM ... ol-eum-son



These are the 3 critiques I got:

https://www.taxi.com/members/fkE9z8wtTM ... P2OaF1Z1aA

https://www.taxi.com/members/fkE9z8wtTM ... G1UQtIyjaA

https://www.taxi.com/members/fkE9z8wtTM ... 8DQ0YOAffQ


This was the listing:
EMOTIONAL PIANO INSTRUMENTALS are needed by a hard-working Music Library that's landing tons of placements in TV and Film.

NOTE: This Library is BRAND NEW to requesting music from TAXI, so this is a great opportunity to create a new, ongoing relationship for your music with an awesome company whose catalog you're probably not in, yet!

This Company is on the hunt for emotional Instrumentals in the general stylistic ballpark of the following references:

"Lost In Island" by Yiruma
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIewioW ... ruma-Topic

"Blazing" by Korey Banks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlABHrl ... anks-Topic

"At the Ivy Gate" by Brian Crain
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axRT1mh ... BrianCrain

"Laetitia" by Ron Adelaar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOMDLcA ... laar-Topic

Please submit top-notch, original Instrumentals that feature piano as their ONLY instrumentation. Your submissions should evoke a strong emotional vibe and sound that could tug at listener's heartstrings. Captivating melodies and engaging arrangements that take listeners on a dynamic and heartfelt journey are a must. Your production should be polished and if you choose to use any virtual instruments or samples, they need to be high-quality and indistinguishable from the real thing.

TAXI Tip: Leaning on the more melancholy side of the emotional spectrum could give your pieces an added edge.

Your submissions should be roughly 2 to 3 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. Do not submit any material with unauthorized samples of other artists’ Songs, sounds, or any other form of media. Broadcast Quality is needed.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This client will likely want 30 and 60-second versions as well, so please have these on-hand and ready to send them within an hour if the client contacts you.

This Library offers an EXCLUSIVE 50/50 deal, so the material you submit for this request CANNOT be signed with other publishers or catalogs. The specific deal points will be handled directly with the company. You must own or control your Master and Copyright to submit. Please submit as many Instrumentals 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 Tuesday, December 6th, 2022. TAXI # S221206EM

TAXI # S221206EM

Hi Fernando,

First of all nice compositions, I personally would forward them(with the right length)

It's okay, in the early stages of writing for "sync music " we all have made some kind of mistakes until we learn and keep learning. I still am after 4 years and also
still make mistakes.

As for the length of the track with in 12-15 second short or over the requested time is fine. They say "roughly" because some tracks might have a reverb tail end or delay that should decay naturally as fade outs are not popular in sync music.

As for the comments on how it should be worded I will let others chime in.

good luck

gitanosoy wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 28, 2022 11:54 pm

Hi Fernando,

First of all nice compositions, I personally would forward them(with the right length)

It's okay, in the early stages of writing for "sync music " we all have made some kind of mistakes until we learn and keep learning. I still am after 4 years and also
still make mistakes.

As for the length of the track with in 12-15 second short or over the requested time is fine. They say "roughly" because some tracks might have a reverb tail end or delay that should decay naturally as fade outs are not popular in sync music.

As for the comments on how it should be worded I will let others chime in.

good luck

Thank you so much for taking the time to listen and comment, gitanosoy!

I have already made shorter versions of the pieces, so they'll be ready if I ever see another very similar listing. I also corrected a few little details that I felt needed attention after listening again with fresh ears.

As for the reverb tails and the "roughly" wording, what you mentioned makes sense. I learnt my lesson well, so I won't make this same mistake again.


In the interest of avoiding them, what would other typical newbie submitting mistakes be?
In general, should one stay as close as possible to the references and not deviate too much from form, harmony, intensity, emotional shapes, etc? I know they are not to be copied, but do you get the best results when you stay close or when you deviate a bit?

Hi Fernando, I listened to all 3 of your pieces & all 4 of the refs. imo they were all on point (very lovely and emotive) albeit the track length. These tracks would be a great start to form a 10 track album to pitch to libs/labels for sure (if you want to go down that path). I'd submit as is and if length is an issue the publisher will tell you to rectify if they're interested.

a few things that stood out to me, and its just advise, are the production vibes per each track. if it were me i would try to match the production & mix quality as follows....

Kate Liu --> Lost in island
Olga Scheps --> Laetitia
Yeol Eum Son --> Brian Crain song

Listen to the frequency spectrum, the use of compression, and mic balance (close and far) to each ref track compared to your tracks....while your mix/master is perfectly acceptable, there's that 3-5% extra mojo that enhances the whole vibe and emotional properties that were achieved in their mix/master (the performance, recording, and sound quality on your tracks were solid btw). the difference will be subtle but worth the effort me thinks...

good luck buddy and you have the chops, dont let minor setbacks pull you down (i only stuck my head in when i saw you mention "second guessing yourself" from your post)

Hello, boinkeee2000. Thank you very much for taking the time to listen to the tracks and giving me such detailed advice!

boinkeee2000 wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 04, 2023 6:32 pm

a few things that stood out to me, and its just advise, are the production vibes per each track. if it were me i would try to match the production & mix quality as follows....

Kate Liu --> Lost in island
Olga Scheps --> Laetitia
Yeol Eum Son --> Brian Crain song

Listen to the frequency spectrum, the use of compression, and mic balance (close and far) to each ref track compared to your tracks....while your mix/master is perfectly acceptable, there's that 3-5% extra mojo that enhances the whole vibe and emotional properties that were achieved in their mix/master (the performance, recording, and sound quality on your tracks were solid btw). the difference will be subtle but worth the effort me thinks...

That is solid and specific advice. I will definitely do that.
I didn't do any mastering, so if I can get that extra 5% of mojo it would be sweet! The references have quite a different sound among them, so I'll try your exercise of pairing and matching them as you suggested. Sounds like I'll definitely learn something from that.

boinkeee2000 wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 04, 2023 6:32 pm

good luck buddy and you have the chops, dont let minor setbacks pull you down (i only stuck my head in when i saw you mention "second guessing yourself" from your post)

Thank you for the encouragement and for the 10-piece album idea. I really appreciate it

am glad to be of help fernando. mind you i only matched your tracks to the corresponding refs as they correlated to the same vibe and emotion that i hear (not sure if you intended it that way). nonetheless its a good exercise to be as close to the production quality of the refs as i have had better success that way, although its always a challenge suppressing the urge to follow ones artistic vision...