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I been composing for music library’s now for almost a year and is close to my 50 song a year target so this next year I plan on increasing the quality of my music best I can with what I got.
Iv found I most enjoy trailer and underscore music the most but as my pc is pretty lame im limited in what I can use plug-in wise
My question is if anybody knows of any video tutorials or good tips that helped you in the past to improve these types of music.
I put a link to my current best examples of trailer and underscore music iv composed if anybody can pick away at what you think could be improved and suggestions I would be very gratefulHi Jesse. These days I write trailer music full time. Your tracks are really nice, there are nice chord progressions and overall have a lot of potential. However, as you probably know, if these were to be pitched for trailers, they’d need a bit more intensity in the beginning, a 2nd act build and a much, much bigger 3rd act.
Trailer music is a completely different beat from ‘disposable’ reality TV / standard library music (which I wrote for 8+ years). The expected high level of production and size (and then the challenges of mixing all that) doesn’t lend itself to a quota of 50 per year. I usually manage one finished track every week to 10 days.
Trailer music practically demands a super fast computer (or multi computer set up). You can be resourceful with an older computer, perhaps one way to get a great sound would be to actually record some of the parts live. Remote recording has become a lot more affordable. Still pricey, but one trailer license can cover that.
As far as tutorials go, there are some useful youtube videos to get you started, but nothing replaces hard work and doing regular comparison of your music to the top level stuff out there (TSFH, Audiomachine, Sencit, Methodic Doubt, Immediate Music etc).
Trailer music is a completely different beat from ‘disposable’ reality TV / standard library music (which I wrote for 8+ years). The expected high level of production and size (and then the challenges of mixing all that) doesn’t lend itself to a quota of 50 per year. I usually manage one finished track every week to 10 days.
Definitely!
I am not ready to start making trailer music. I am still on the ‘disposable’ music track for now. I will probably be ready to move up to more labor-intensive music several years from now.
At the moment I am moving my focus from producing standard library music to orchestral trailer music and it is far more rewarding to take the time to work on a production.
I am focusing myself now on the mockup quality and that is really a challenge, but I think the most important thing is to start thinking as a musician again.
The track I am working on now I made first completely in Finale as orchestral score without listening to any midi just like I did in the good old days as classical composer and my mindset completely changed again and you start to think again on all the orchestration issues, instrument range, breath etc.
If you create a score with all those things in mind and play it later into your sequencer you will start to notice that even with lesser setups you can achieve far more realism.Regarding structure I used this setup for myself:
Act 1: 30 or 45 sec first introduction
Act 2: 45 or 1 min exposure of basically the main story/introduce some twists etc
Act 3: Final episode, even in non epic, everything comes together and it’s or 30 seconds long or 1 min
A small ending (mostly around 15 seconds)Total duration is mostly around 2:15 or 2:30 minutes long
Though you see of course also shorter pieces (and I did also with the one I am working on now), but to keep that structure in mind will bring you on the road I think.Regarding midi this video from Mike Verta that I discovered yesterday can bring also some nice ideas
Good luck!
i was listening to marks song ” the chosen” realy like that song so i tryed to make a war time song too but just cant seem to get the rich and polished tone you create.
That’s an old track (2007 I think), and actually a great example that proves my point. I wrote that on an old G5, but had the strings and brass recorded live in Prague (Killer Tracks picked up the tab). It’s not super pricey these days – I recently had 2 minutes of legato strings and brass recorded (remotely) in Germany for under $2000. That sounds like a lot, but in the licensing business a good track can recover that very quickly.
I personally don’t think it makes much sense to record live piano anymore. I could get shot down here, but as a percussive instrument, I don’t think there’s a whole lot that’s going to change nuance-wise depending on the room or player (on a purely note to note comparison). I’m a piano player by the way!
There are amazing piano sample libraries these days, and to get a recording that exceeds the sound you’ll get from them requires a world class studio with the best mics and engineer. The only problem is that these new, amazing piano libraries are massive, so they will definitely require a fast computer!
One last thing on piano – be aware that it doesn’t lend itself to epic music. A subtle line here and there is still very much in fashion, but sweeping, piano based trailer music is rare, even for period pieces, dramas etc. Make sure you’re watching lots of trailers and keeping up with the latest trends if you want to get into this business.
would you say its a good idea to make good connections with a desent library before i invest in live recordings
I actually think you need to present them finished, high quality music first. You might only have one chance to make a good impression. Sorry to be a bit of to be a downer here, but the reality is that you’re competing with many other talented composers who can do everything within the box.
what type of ‘disposable’ music did you both make that leads you into trailer music ?
I worked a lot in reality TV (still do occasionally) and sometimes that work pushed me into suspenseful, small versions of trailer music. The key to getting out of the ‘disposable’ mindset for me was to focus a lot more time and energy on at least one track a week. If most of them took me just three or fours hours, I’d try to make one really count, spending at least a day on it.
If you rush through everything you write, it’s tough to break out of musical habits – to go beyond the sounds that are easily within reach, and to grow from it. One of the ways I force myself to do this now is to collaborate with other composers and musicians.
@Mark….this thread kind of lends itself to a segue into a discussion of “quality” in general. “Quality” vs. disposable is loaded language that presses a lot of people’s buttons, like Pro v.s non-pro.
I think we know what is meant by disposable music, those cues that show up for 10 or 15 seconds in a cable show. Maybe some writers don’t know what high-end music is…other than trailers.
You’re welcome! Just trying to help you avoid some of the mistakes I’ve made over the years.
when u compose your music do you play piano with a string/brass patch
or compose the song on piano and then transfer the correct notes to the right instrument patch.I used to work that way to be super efficient, but I find it’s better compositionally – it sounds more believable too – if you play in the notes with the samples of the instrument you’re writing for. Things don’t always translate from piano to say, strings, brass or woodwinds. There’s phrasing (the piano doesn’t have to take breaths) and the fact that the piano is a percussive instrument, so short grace notes played on a piano cut through a mix a lot more easily than if they’re played by horns or even strings.