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Erik
You got me curious … so I took the liberty to check out your music on Pond5. I only went through the first few dozens tracks that appear in your profile, so the sample is probably not representative of the whole 1200. But for what I’ve seen, I understand better now how you (or anybody) can make 1200 tracks in 3 years. It’s not really about the quality (the quality of your music is good, for my taste), but it’s about the kind of music. I’ve seen you have a lot of eletronic / ambient tracks. I’m not saying those are easier to make, but surely faster to make. I guess it doesn’t take more than just a few good, evocative, interesting sounds (there are literally dozens of amazing synths nowadays) and put them together with some good musical taste with simple chord progressions. That’s absolutely fine, there’s probably a market for that. I also heard a couple of your acoustic tracks. These are also quite well done, but the arrangement is very simple (again, I’ve only heard a few, you probably have more complicated stuff too). Anyway, I can imagine myself doing a complete ambient track like those in 2 hours or so, quite comfortably. But for other genres things may be a bit different. As an example, right now I’m working on a latin / afro-cuban track, for which I need 3 guitar tracks (real guitars, not loops, as I am a guitar player), a horn section made of 3 trumpets, a tenor trombone, a bass trombone, 3 flugelhorns, and a solo trumpet part. Each of them has to properly harmonized and realistically rendered with all kinds of articulations. The solo part especially has to be very realistic. Plus, some pretty complex percussion and drums. Finally, bass of course and two piano tracks, one with rhythm and chords, and another one with some melodic lines and phrases. I’m probably slow, but I’ve been working on it for 3 days, and it’s far from finished. I probably need 2-3 more days to be happy with it. I spent one entire afternoon for the horn articulations alone (doits, trills, falls etc). Admittedly, I am a bit of a perfectionst 🙂
I’m starting to understand that’s it’s not really so much about quality vs. quantity, but about different genres requiring more or less time.
Anyway, keep up the good work, you obviously found a very good way of balancing quantity and quality quite nicely. Thumbs up!Big like Megatrax, labels on APM, WCPM, 5 Alarm, EMI, a few libraries like Apollo Live, Mibe, Atomica, Epitome Music. And I’m always creating new albums and pitching them. I actually just got a deal with another new worldwide sub-published PMA library yesterday. I do have 4 tracks with Jingle Punks though lol.
I get some upfront fees. I started working with the bigger publishers last year, so I hope to see more upfront fees soon as my music keeps progressing. But I like doing 50/50 sync splits too, since I do so many tracks.
@GM What libraries are you with? Can you make a living doing library music if it takes you 3-4 days per track? I wouldn’t know… I don’t do the genres you do, so I don’t know how much money they make compared to what the genre I does makes.
And I’m always creating new albums and pitching them.
Congrats! That’s part of the key.
I couldn’t work at your pace though. A lot of what I do is orchestral and has up to 96 audio tracks per cue. My average Pop tracks maybe have 24 to 36 audio tracks per cue. It can take a day just to mix master and edit.
Do I think it’s work it? Yes. I have tracks that are still making money afer 30 years!
Thanks!
96 tracks… That’s insane. My tracks go anywhere from 25-40 separate audio tracks.
I think they key for me at least is to make a plethora of music that will get used now and 5-10 years down the line, and trendy music that will probably be used for the next 3-4 years and fizzle out, and to just keep cranking both out. Signing with different publishers and making diverse music also helps me out.You’re not far off GM. On a good day i can complete about 10-20 simpler tracks. However, my family circumstances keep me from being able to work as much as I’d like to on music. For complex arrangements it takes about 1-3 days. My track withe most likes took me about 10 minutes to complete from start to finish -ironically. It helps having a full sized keyboard, a midi keyboard, and separate sustain pedal for both. Just layered several drones and keyboard instruments and controlled the pedals as i made up stuff playing on both keyboards It‘s funny it doesnt have a lot of sales on RF sites, but by far my most well like piece.
@Jerry
I am mostly (but not exclusively) with RF sites, I just started about 3-4 years ago with production music. I’ve been a musician for 30 years though, so only about 1/3 or 1/4 (depending on months) of my income right now comes from production music. But it’s been increasing relatively fast.
I am sure that quantity is important in this business. That’s why I’m very curious about people who can do this much faster than I do. But yes, I have a feeling that if this was my only source of income, I would probably have to increase the number of tracks, and invest more heavily in non-RF productions.
I can see how Erick can do it, because of his genre.
But you make one cue per day with 25 to 40 separate audio tracks each. That’s truly amazing for me 🙂96 tracks… That’s insane.
When you put each orchestral instrument with various mic positions on sepearte tracks and then blend different libraries like East West, VSL, and Symphobia it chews up tracks quickly. I had a bassoon melody in a recent cue that was a comp of two-differnt libs because neither had all of the articulations necessary.
If you give individual tracks to the first chair and each bank of LASS that 20 tracks!
Add in auxes for groups and FX — it gets nuts! But, I love the mixing, mastering, and sculpting the sound almost as much as composing.
Wow!
Some of you guys have hundreds of tracks! That’s very impressive.
I have been a musician and writer since I was 12 and went to school for music. Unfortunately, like many of my fellow musicians, we needed a “Day job” to pay our mortgages and take care of families.
Even if I was a full time “Composer”, doing this for Libs all day, I would not be able to belt out hundreds of tracks due to my own quality standards. I have a problem with writing songs just to get songs written. I write from my heart first, then submit to Libs if I feel the songs should be in there. This is just me and I am not judging anyone else. I can understand how I can up the number of tunes by just muting a melody track, doing another melody, then presto, another track.
I have only been doing the Lib game for a year or so. My Cousin is an entertainment Attorney and helped me out with the contract process. You guys are also an invaluable help to me. Not all Attorneys write songs for Libs 🙂
Since my time is limited, I will only place songs in Libs that show a track records of placements. For Instance, I personally consider getting my tracks into Crucial an accomplishment so I aim for that bar. Again, that’s just my opinion. They have a proven placement record. I also am signed with 6 other Libs but that’s enough work for someone who spends 50-60 hours at a “Day job”.
I also write from the heart, but maybe my hearts a little more shallow lol. I have always been a perfectionist, and rarely am happy with what I do. However, this is the only source of my income at the moment. Monday (tomorrow) i will be officially starting on music from a new location. My resolve and drive is coming from a very different place though. Just lost a brother to suicide one week before my second daughter was born, then moved a few weeks later. He was a talented artist too (visual). I cant help but feel like I’m doing this for him now too, not just myself and my family. I’m working from his computer now too. Sorry to bring this stuff up, but as sad and difficult as it’s been, im still overall positive because i will see him again. I don’t want to be a downer.
Erick,
Very sorry to hear about your loss. It must be very difficult.
I guess you are like me in a way, a perfectionist. If I am not moved by my song, I am certainly not going to give to other people. Hope that doesn’t come across snobby sounding but I can’t imagine “Mass production” song writting, unless I emotionally approve of each one.
BTW, I also tend to record “Real” instruments in my tunes with quality players. This CERTAINLY takes time….
Thanks Daniel.
And don’t worry. I’m not easily offended. Though im not sure you ever said anything worth being offended over.Ohh, I meant the people who belt out hundreds of tracks. I can’t see personally accepting that amount for MYSELF, let alone giving it to others to use. Again, that was just me and no offense to anyone else on the board. I also don’t know if that is yearly, 2 years, etc, so I can’t really comment too much on it.
Although I have been in this biz a very short time, I shop the Libs for my approval. If our tracks have to go through an approval process then we should be seeing placements in the blog, main page , etc.
I have a problem with writing an polyrhythmic Orchestrial Action Score for a 14 year old kid to buy it for 40 bucks and use it for his school film. This is not a problem with my ego but a problem with the industry which has gone to crap for musicians.
I remember when I could play a gig in a Straight Ahead Quartet or Wedding band and pull in a few grand for the boys.
Now, there are guys with laptops and Mics doing the same venues for 400 bucks. I also blame musicians for undercutting eachother for “Exposure”.
I’m sorry for your loss Erick.
96 tracks per project does not sound that insane to me. i also do orchestral hybrid stuff and would average around 40 tracks per cue at the moment. the only reason i dont have alot more is my CPU/RAM does be on its knees trying to play back any projects bigger than 30 or 40 tracks. i’m just surprised that tracks with as few tracks as 25 can get into the big exclusive libraries like killer tracks, megatrax, APM etc. i just dont think the samples have the big sound unless you layer big time. i could easily have 15 tracks alone just for percussion.
what style do you write in Jerry?