Question about "Epic" Album budgets

[abellboy]

I’ve been looking on line at some of my “Heros”: BrandX, Two Steps From Hell, Immediate Music… all the usual suspects, and there is something I just can’t figure out.

On one hand, I see these guys in front of massive orchestras and choirs, big mixers, huge studios, all of the mega bucks trappings of big-time production. On the other hand, I hear that budgets and licensing fees are dwindling…

So my question is, Is there a way they are “doing it on the cheap” (ie, sharing time, bulk purchases of time) or are they getting 50-100k per placement?

I admit I am new to this, and have a lot to learn, but I can’t see supporting the sessions, staff, office space, etc that they do when it costs soo much to produce the product.

Any insight the group can provide would be greatly appreciated

[Desire_Inspires]

They have connections to the right people.

[Mark Lewis]

Is there a way they are “doing it on the cheap”

A composer friend of mine just did exactly what you are describing.
He hooked up with a music library in France. They asked him to write in a certain style and to do all the orchestral arrangements as well.
He did the arrangements and the library flew him and a producer to a country in Eastern Europe (I forget which one) where they have super-cheap orchestras and they got it all done in a couple of days for a great price.
So far one of those tracks was placed in one movie for nowhere near the 50k-100k you mentioned above.
I also have a few composers submitting tracks to ML that are obviously live orchestral performances. One guy seems to just crank them out.
There’s got to be a way to do it for cheap. I’m just not sure what it is exactly.

[abellboy]

They have connections to the right people.

I’m sure they do, but the money has to be made back no matter who you know.

Are their placement fees and PRO royalties really that high?

I have seen services that “create” string sections and horn sections cheaply over the internet, and have used those myself. They work out pretty well, but these people have legit orchestras and choirs.

[Mark Lewis]

This is the orchestra in Prague my friend used.

http://www.orchestra.net/
“fifty piece orchestra is only $2250 per hour (booked as 3-hour session) including conductor, studio, engineers, and music printing.”

[Desire_Inspires]

This is the orchestra in Prague my friend used.

http://www.orchestra.net/

“fifty piece orchestra is only $2250 per hour (booked as 3-hour session) including conductor, studio, engineers, and music printing.”

Man, that is awesome!

[Mark_Petrie]

The way to do it cheap is to not record an orchestra : )
I’ve had a couple of great sessions with Dynamedion, who are composers/producers who travel to places like Prague, but bring their own mics and supervise the sessions in person. It makes a big difference!
Trailer music doesn’t usually call for winds, and you can get away with cutting corners, like focusing on the parts that need live instruments the most. I’ve found that for my tracks, the legato strings and brass lines are the best use of the recording budget.

[MichaelL]

In at least one instance, there are new allegations on another forum, that at one individual is modifying others’ work, mostly film scores, and calling it his own. That would certainly be one way of getting a cheap orchestra, although not a good one.

Because another recent thread on that forum clearly wrongfully accused someone of plagiarism, I’m leaving it at that.

[abellboy]

In the opening cue of an indie short I used an internet String recording service, and it really made a difference.

I actually stumbled across an interesting effect:

I recorded a “20 piece section” (all overdubs). I then used two instances of QL Spaces, one of the “Warehouse” patches (or something like that, basically reflections) and then a “So-Cal string section” verb.

The strings were recorded fairly dry, but the two verbs acted like a pseudo “tree” and “outrigger” and it ended up needing no support from samples and sounded really natural and big.

Don’t know if this is common or even useful, but I figured I’d mention it.

[MichaelL]

Georgian Sinfonietta String Recordings at Bravo Records

[Author]

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