does anyone here do soundtrack work?

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C_R_J
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Post by C_R_J » Mon Apr 27, 2015 12:17 pm

thanks for the info drummerman. lots of good advice.

currently, im giving him stuff that i make, i think the plan is to go back later after he fits it all in, and im gonna edit what i made to have more impact in the film. subtle stuff. who knows though. ill keep you all posted on how things go.
time is money and im wasting both...

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JGriffin
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Post by JGriffin » Mon Apr 27, 2015 4:41 pm

tjcasey1 wrote:...and if there's a frame rate setting in your DAW, set it to 29.97 drop frame. Otherwise things may not stay in sync when you give him the files.

Some guys may be working at 23.98. Check with your editor before proceeding.
"Jeweller, you've failed. Jeweller."

"Lots of people are nostalgic for analog. I suspect they're people who never had to work with it." ? Brian Eno

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I'm Painting Again
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Post by I'm Painting Again » Mon Apr 27, 2015 6:54 pm

C_R_J wrote:
I'm Painting Again wrote:learn to be a fan of horror music soundtracks..watch the classic Italian stuff, Carpenter, etc.

talk to people who are really into it and listen to them..

watch berberian sound studio

I wish I was working on horror movie soundtracks rn
i love horror movies. no homework needed :)
Better communication with the people you're working with is something you can try to initiate if it's not there currently. Everyone works differently, has different expectations and ways they want you involved. Maybe that's too obvious too? Maybe ask more specific questions as well?

One thing going off something specific you mentioned is that you can use lower res video files to work off of if they're too cumbersome in your system. Then they can be put back to the full res very simply.

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Music For Picture

Post by jdk90042 » Thu Aug 20, 2015 4:36 pm

I do a lot of TV work - here are a few things I've learned on the job that would have helped up front - some have already been said in this thread but, fwiw:

I spot episodes with producers and discuss what they want. Much of the time there's temp music in place already which I have to match in feel or tempo. Making sure I have the latest locked picture is critical for that stuff. Doing things a minute or two longer than the temp is also key. Learned the hard way after a few "got any more of that?" moments. Likewise, whenever there's time, I try to do a couple of alternates, to give them choices. Whatever they don't use, you have in your library now...

I name every piece of audio recorded something that refers to the show, episode, act and instrument/group/stem. Cue names like ShowName_1m1_guitars 1m2, 1m3 for each act (or reel for film), 2m1 2m2, 2m3, etc. felt fussy initially but come time to document on cue sheets, and sort through reused cues 4-5 years in on an ongoing project, it has become indispensable.

I deliver stem mixes usually. Most often percussion and strings/etc, but I split out anything that stands out - very heavy bass, busy lead lines, pitched percussion, bells, etc. They decide what they want at the mix and I get fewer calls and have to redo stuff less. Even if I'm AT the mix, it's less hassle to help navigate stems than scramble to reprint stuff. Feels like giving up a lot of input into the music, but that's what we are there for, really. Unless it's a licensed track or featured song, we're there to create mood and not particularly stand out.

I mix music WAY quieter than I would for an album. Learned this the hard way too, after stuff was sounding almost inaudible on TV, I went to a friend who mixes for features and he showed me where the music hits on most of his stuff - MUCH lower. around dialog level, which on a lot of stuff I work on ranges from -20 to -12. When I mixed higher, they would just turn it way down, which can work ok, but if they're in a hurry and just pull down the fader, the resolution at the bottom is often much less detailed, so a tiny fader movement drops a ton. (My mixer friend keeps a bypassed EQ plugin on every track with -10 on the input, just to act as a pad if needed which will leave the fader up more or less where it is. )

Hope this helps! Good luck

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Post by C_R_J » Thu Aug 20, 2015 4:39 pm

tons of great info. thank you!
time is money and im wasting both...

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Re: Music For Picture

Post by JGriffin » Sat Aug 22, 2015 10:06 pm

jdk90042 wrote:
I mix music WAY quieter than I would for an album. Learned this the hard way too, after stuff was sounding almost inaudible on TV, I went to a friend who mixes for features and he showed me where the music hits on most of his stuff - MUCH lower. around dialog level, which on a lot of stuff I work on ranges from -20 to -12. When I mixed higher, they would just turn it way down, which can work ok, but if they're in a hurry and just pull down the fader, the resolution at the bottom is often much less detailed, so a tiny fader movement drops a ton. (My mixer friend keeps a bypassed EQ plugin on every track with -10 on the input, just to act as a pad if needed which will leave the fader up more or less where it is. )
As someone who mixes or film and TV, I have to speak up in support of this. I can't stand when I get music from a composer that's basically normalized. It leaves me nowhere to go in my mix.
"Jeweller, you've failed. Jeweller."

"Lots of people are nostalgic for analog. I suspect they're people who never had to work with it." ? Brian Eno

All the DWLB music is at http://dwlb.bandcamp.com/

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