In need of other ears for a step in the right direction…

[Edouardo]

Hi All,

I really need help in stepping back on what I do and getting some feedback!

Two years of experience writing for Non-Excl and RF libraries doesn’t make me a full blown composer yet even if I meet an honorable success. I actually started doing that when I discovered MLR (Thanks Art!)

I have been proposed exclusive deals. I rejected them all as they are either in perpetuity and/or from smaller libraries. If I commit to sign exclusive in perpetuity, it will only be with the major players, or eventually medium players with a reversal clause.

Tough to step in that world even with good music. Yet, without good enough music, chances are zero. So, is my music good enough, and relevant?

I selected the five pieces I believe to be the best out of my latest batch (un-released tracks), and placed them in an “Exclusive Vault” until I decide what to do with them. They are all in different genres (World, Jazzy Lounge, non-cinematic Classical, Goa-Trance (i.e. techno) and Ambient)

If any of you well implanted professional composers or library owners could kindly spare a few minutes, it would be amazing to get your feedback.
Here is a private link to the playlist:
Click here to open the playlist in another window

Am I dreaming when envisaging playing with the big guys, or do I have my chances (in terms of music quality I mean) to put a foot in the door of one of these high-end exclusives?

[Paolo]

I have been proposed exclusive deals. I rejected them all as they are either in perpetuity and/or from smaller libraries

I hear you Edouardo – offers for “in perpetuity” were also causing me to pause. But last year I decided to green-light any exclusive deal sharing sync licensing at least 50-50 and 100% writer PRO – that’s my criteria.

If you can come up with a criteria you feel good about and makes good money-sense then why not go for it? Write a handful for each exclusive library and see who’s making you money.

Am I dreaming when envisaging playing with the big guys, or do I have my chances

Better than my feedback – check out tracks APM; Killer Tracks, megatrax etc and you will no doubt hear where you are…and hear what they’re doing that you’re not (or what you’re already doing 🙂

[GM]

Hi Edouardo
I loved your tracks, all of them. They seem very high quality to me.
I can’t offer any advice on the cinematic and the electronic tracks, as they are not my “area” (but they sound good to me anyway).
I loved “Ethnic Revolt”. The only detail that I think it could be improved is that the wind instrument playing the main melody (not sure what it is) seems to be a bit “loopish”, a bit repetitive. Not sure it’s a loop, but it’s either that, or very, very similar performances throughout. I would “humanize” the performance a little bit, if possible.
Same thing for “Feel the Brass” (nice track), this time about the double bass. Same feeling of “loopishness” (great riff though!!). Also, I’m not sure I love the delays throws on the brass, they seem a bit too obvious to me, but it’s just a matter of taste.
But these are small details. The tracks sound awesome to me.

[Edouardo]

Thank you GM to have checked them out. I am happy to feel the approval from an established composer.

No loops in the melodies (only the percs). It might give this impression because the melody is simple and repetitive, although all is played (and edited). No automatic quantisation either, manual quantisation only (I like to create waves of differences related to the bar to give the playing movement… but I might have been a little conservative here).

Same thing for the bass (played), yet, it is then copy pasted, and the side chain compression (a manual one also…) might give the impression that the bass always arrives at the same time after the kick, (which consequently it does…)

Nonetheless, you are right, what is important is what is perceived when listened too by others, I will take your advice and reflect on it for my future works (I really enjoyed composing the Ethnic piece, and want to make more).

For now, the tracks are still in the Exclusive Vault… Any other opinions?

[GM]

You’re welcome Eduoardo. However, I am NOT an “established composer” 🙂 So please take my observations with a grain of salt …
By the way, I think it’s quite clear that the instruments I mentioned are actually played by a musician in your tracks – when I said “loopish” I meant to say “repetitive”, like copy and paste, as you said. All your instruments sound very “human” and “live”. Love it! Indeed, it’s nice to hear that you do quantization manually, I do the same, and only when necessary. I’m a big supporter of that approach … it is a giant pain in the butt though, but I really think that it makes a difference in certain genres. Let’s keep it human! 🙂

[Author]

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