Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
I bought the previous version. I like it for mixing, but it didn’t work for me workflow wise. Didn’t want to learn a new daw, and at that time there was no midi. I see the new version has midi capabilities. I loved the analog sound and feel. It’s just an extra step for me to bounce down all my tracks, then import them into Mixbus. If I could do it all within Mixbus, it’d be worth it. ope that helps.
Acoustic stuff is my bread and butter, and I think the most important parts are the player and the instrument. Acoustic string instruments for me are cake, but drums are a curse! Think less is more. Try just a low cut at different frequencies. They help tremendously, especially in the mix.
Also you can get closer to the mic to capture more guitar and less room. I use some homemade baffles made from semi rigid rock wool covered in cloth. I put the gobo behind the mic and play into it. Works great. Good luck!
I shoot for (and usually complete) 5 a week. If I was writing full time I’d be shooting for at least 15 a week.
The trackpad on my macbook, made my tendinitis worse. I’m thinking of trying a track ball.
Have to agree with guscave. My check was up 10% from last quarter, but no where near enough to live off of. Been doing this for over 4 years with around 300 cues floating out there, really thought it’d be better than this by now. I had better checks the year after I started! Going to have to try a new plan. Maybe more RF is either the answer or the nail in the coffin, haven’t decided yet!
“My guess is that if you make 1 or 2 or 4 tracks per day, chances are that your track is unpolished to say the least.” GM
Like I asked earlier. Are you (GM or the people bashing/not comprehending 1-4 cues a day) making a living (or most of it) writing production music? If you are making a living off 50 cues a year, I’d love to see it. Not to sound rude, but just because you can’t do a killer track in 2-4 hours, doesn’t mean no one else can. My “unpolished” tracks have been used by American Express, Heineken, Kmart, NBC, Honda, and tons of reality shows, etc. They are pro on every level. One of best sync fees so far was from a cue that took literally 30 mins to write, record, and mix. No loops, 2 live instruments. TV composers who write for a specific show sometime do 40 plus cues a week, it’s not like I’m some amazing fast composer/mixer. I think either you have no concept of writing production music for a living, or you have a killer gig writing a cue or 2 a week for $1000. If the later is the case, good for you!
I agree with AlpacaRoom that there are libraries out there like that, and yes, that’s a different level. But the majority of composers are not able to do that, or don’t write in those genres. There just aren’t enough of those high paying upfront companies around, and those companies usually are going after ads rather than TV placements. I have gotten about 10% of my catalog in ex upfronts, because I do certain genres better than many others. They pay good, but you do lose any chance of any sync fees, which can add up. It’s a gamble, but what in life isn’t. One thing to keep in mind as well is, if it takes you a week to write a song with an $800 upfront, you can also write 8 cues in that week that might make you alot more in a sync fee or even RF. Everyone has a different goal, and a different plan for sure. In the end it’s all theory, until you make money! Best to all.
I would like to know if any of the folks that think 1-2 cues a day are a lot, actually make a living with TV or production music. It’s been said a ton on these forums, that you need AT LEAST 500 unique cues (not stems) to get close to making a living. I think these days it’s more like 1000. If you need 500, at 2 a week, it’d take you 5 years! If you are doing trailer music, maybe you can get away with 1-2 a day. I heard that a certain productiom music house had their staff composers doing 8 cues a day! I wouldn’t want to do that either! I’m not a full time composer (I am a full time musician though) and I shoot for a minimum of 5 cues a week. We are not talking about huge orchestrated pieces, we are talking about music for background use. If it takes you a day to write a piece of music that makes less than a dollar every time it’s played, you’ll never make any money. If I was writing full time, I would shoot for 3-4 a day. It takes me about 2-3 hours to write, record, and mix a cue, in genres like, rock, folk, acoustic, country, etc. That is with all live instruments, no loops, or pre-recorded material. If it took me days to do the same cue, I’d never make any money, and I would drive myself crazy working on one rock tune. As practice, I write some royalty free music, with the same all live instruments, and I give myself an hour deadline! The results aren’t mind blowing, but they are professional quality (better than most), and I make money selling them. To each their own, but I think Trackmaster is on target. In this biz you have to be great, AND fast!
I switched to Presonus S1 a few years ago from PT, which I had used for 10 years. I needed to upgrade at that time, but didn’t want to spend the money on PT. I always sort of missed PT, but I find my workflow is faster on S1, and it sounds great. I never had Logic 9, but I bought Logic Pro X for kicks. I can use it, and I like the look of it, and it has some cool plugins and instruments, but for me it’s sluggish at times, and I can’t get used to editing in it. If I have to do a subscription, I’ll keep what I have permanently! Just my POV.
Hi Ulla, BMI doesn’t send a payment unless you hit $250 worth of royalties for the quarter. It will pay out once a year though, I think in January if you never meet the threshold. Also, were the placements you are looking at from the 4th quarter of 2014? That’s the quarter that just paid out. Remember it takes AT LEAST 6-9 months to get paid for a placement.