TAXI.com

Hi guys,

Been doing some work today on the western listing, just wanted some feedback before I progress further. Obviously not completed yet, so a bit rough around the edges but I think I'm getting there.

https://soundcloud.com/dave-gates-62481 ... al_sharing

Here's the listing btw for context. Thanks in advance for any advice, I'm here to learn so anything you can give me would massively appreciated.

Lots of SPAGHETTI WESTERN INSTRUMENTALS and/or INSTRUMENTAL CUES are needed by an International Music Library with lots of great placements in Film and TV.

This Library is on the lookout for Instrumentals (and/or Cues) that could be heard on a playlist with the following examples:

"The Good, The Bad And The Ugly (Main Title)" by Ennio Morricone

"I Giorni Dell'ira" by Riziero Ortolani

"A Fistful of Dollars" by Ennio Morricone

Please send well-composed Instrumentals that capture the vibe and sound of classic Spaghetti Western music. Captivating motifs, engaging grooves, and solid arrangements with plenty of dynamics, interest, and forward momentum are all needed for this request. Typical Spaghetti Western instrumentation that falls in the general wheelhouse of the references will work best for this pitch – think strings, brass, twangy electric guitars, etc. We think you have room to get creative and have a lot of fun with this one! Your production should be well-balanced and any and all virtual instruments or samples you use need to be high-quality and realistic sounding. If you've been looking for a chance to channel your inner Ennio Morricone, this it it!

Your submissions should be roughly 90 Seconds (give or take) long for Cues, and about 2 to 4 minutes long for Instrumentals, give or take. Non-faded, buttoned/stinger endings will work best. Do NOT copy the referenced music in any way, shape, or form. Use it only as a general guide for tempo, texture, 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.

This company offers an EXCLUSIVE deal, so please be sure the Instrumentals and/or Cues you pitch for this opportunity are NOT already signed with any other Companies or Catalogs. Any sync fees will be split 50/50 with the Company. You'll get 100% of the Writer's share, and the Publisher will get 100% of the Publisher's share. You must own or control your Master and Copyright to submit. Please submit as many Instrumentals and/or 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 (PDT) on Wednesday, May 10th, 2023. TAXI # S230510WT

Hiya mate,

Grantham! Only up the road from me.

Absolutely great feedback, thank you. Makes complete sense and I absolutely agree. To be honest it sounds a tad over produced with new ears (ear fatigue is a bastard), I think I need to strip it back a bit and make it less busy.

You're absolutely right about the structure as well, watched the rather excellent talk on TV/Film writing the other day and I'm definitely going to get a b melody in there, I was just having an absolute mind block yesterday.

I'm going to head back to it tonight, spend only a couple of hours and try and get it more in the ball park. Cracking feedback though, very much appreciated.

Dave

I agree with Graham you've got the basic sonic pallete , the timing somhow sounds off to me though, like the guitar has been played to a different click to the rest of it and it's throwing me off slightly.

Arrangement wise I'm not really getting much of a feel of the rest of the "band" either , the rhymic stuff seems too distant or quiet compared to the guitar and brass. Rather than starting out with a full arrangement I think you should just start out with just the guitar the guitar and make us feel like it's that part of the movie when a lone stranger is riding into town , everyone is looking at him and closing their doors and windows expecting trouble. Then he stops in the middle of the town and the bad guys show and the track then kicks into gear.

Also I think the production / mix sounds too modern, usually to evoke these types of classic tracks they want something that sounds like it came from a previous era so I'm not getting that with the guitar tone or brass sound and the actual mix itself.

Back in 2016 I made one of these with my guitar playing co-writer for a very similar Taxi Listing. It got fowarded and signed to a Library. It's never been used for anything yet and we never got asked to do any more but it was a fun track to work on. I did a lot of research for it to find out what instruements they had in those orchestras and how they recorded them , and tried to emulate the same equipment as best I could in my DAW. We ended up not recording it to a click, I think it's the only production music track I've ever made that's not on the grid. I think I also used an EQ matcher to get a similar overall tonality to those old theme tunes.

This is it it you want a listen, 8yrs later I like to think we could do better but I don't think it sounds too bad. https://soundcloud.com/cosmicdolphin/he ... t-mastered

Mark

Yeah, you're absolutely right. I think one of the first things I'm going to do is strip it right back. I'm still in the habit of writing a piece and then adding as much as I can to make it full and mixed within an inch of it's life, even if that's not what the briefs sound like. A habit I need to get out of.

It's a tough one though, you want to emulate the sound but then you also don't want a "this sounds like it's been dragged through a bush" feedback and not get forwarded, it's a bit of a minefield.

davidagates wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 24, 2023 2:17 am

It's a tough one though, you want to emulate the sound but then you also don't want a "this sounds like it's been dragged through a bush" feedback and not get forwarded, it's a bit of a minefield.

" that capture the vibe and sound of classic Spaghetti Western music "

I take this to mean they don't want it to sound contemporary, as there are other more modern Western movie themes they could have used as reference tracks otherwise but you can always email the head screener to check.

Mark

No, you're absolutely right. I'm very new to all of this so I need to be told, so to speak.

I'm going to have a good listen to the source material again and then remix the whole thing.