By Michael Laskow
You might be missing some great opportunities because you think your recordings/demos aren’t good enough.
Many people think that “Master Quality” requires a professional studio with 24 or more “digital” tracks, and the final mix has been “mastered”.
TRUE if you were making a record for a major label, it’s NOT true for what Film and TV people need. They simply need a good, clean recording. You DO NOT need to go to a pro studio, have a live string section, tons of bells and whistles, or a mastering session for your songs.
The majority of songs that are placed in film and TV projects through TAXI have been recorded in home studios on 8-tracks some even on 4 tracks!
Here are some examples!
BZ Lewis Builds Lucrative TV and Film Career From 8 Track Home Demo
“Armed with nothing more than a computer, some software with a computer I/O and a nice mic, there’s no reason not to get a good sounding mix.” says BZ Lewis.
It all started back in 1997 when “Wide Open” (a song by his band, Sugar Danks) began to get placed in films and TV. A simple but well-recorded demo, ‘Wide Open’ was done with 8 tracks on a 75 MHz computer — 6 years ago when computer recording was still in its infancy.
“Even though my setup was very simple,” say B.Z., “I was able to get a great song and a great recording out of it. As I listen back to the song I realize how much I’ve grown as an engineer, but I think the mix still holds up today. That song has been in more than 10 films and platinum selling video game titles, and it was the song that launched my career.”
His music has now been placed on all the major networks, platinum selling video game titles, 15 independent films, regional and local ad campaigns — all from contacts made through TAXI. In fact, B.Z. Lewis has used the benefits of his TAXI membership to build a lucrative career.
4-Track Demos Score TAXI Member Two “Holds” by Diamond Rio
Think you need to have elaborate demos and state-of-the-art equipment to compete in today’s music business? TAXI member Elliott Park proves the time-honored adage that ‘it’s all about the song’ by getting two of his home-recorded, 4-track demos on “hold” for superstar country act Diamond Rio.
We asked Elliott (from his home in the tiny town of Baird, TX — population 1623) to shed some light on his approach to writing and recording.
“I use a Technics Digital Piano hooked up to a Boss 4-track Digital Recorder. I usually do my own vocals, including harmony. When I need a female vocalist I have a couple of very talented friends who help me out.”
“I don’t really have an acoustically controlled environment. I mean, I’ve seriously had to redo vocal takes because my dogs started barking at a skunk outside. But a good mic and a little reverb added (on my 4-track) makes a good demo. I never worry about padded walls and all that — a room with a carpet works fine for me. The main thing is the song.”
Electronica Duo PB&J Get Dozens of Film and TV Placements With Home Demos
As we often discover, PB&J’s professional-caliber recordings were done at home. When asked what they use to record their material, James and Phil succinctly say: ‘Sonic Foundry and a computer.’ It doesn’t get a lot more simple than that, does it?
“We have charted in the top 40 in over 20 countries in Dance/Electronica via Internet Radio, and have licensed more than 60 tracks for use in MTV’s ‘The Real World’ television series.”
“TAXI works. Plain and simple,” asserts four-year member TAXI Phil Francis, when asked to describe his TAXI experience.
“I know — because since 1999, my partner James Kernick and I have had numerous deals and placements, including 5 independent films, a 20-song publishing deal, placements on E! Entertainment’s Style, a featured minute-long usage on ‘Malcolm In The Middle,’ and a national Verizon commercial — among other things.”
“All of these accomplishments came about as a direct or indirect result of our relationship with TAXI.”
Trying to get your Song Demos to major artists? Or your band’s Demo Tape/CD, to a Record Label? Then check out TAXI The World’s Leading Independent A&R Company.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Creative Space – Does Your Writing Space Help or Hinder?
By Tiffany Brooks
Ask yourself the following questions:
1. What method do you use to compose? (i.e. pen and paper, on a computer or writing on an instrument?)
2. Where do you write music?
3. Do you write music in the same place or do you often change places?
4. If you have dedicated a space, does that space inspire you?
These are important questions to ask because it brings insight into why you may or may not be writing and what you need in order to feel inspired. For example, I write in a room that I’ve made into my studio. I call it tdbstudio and I’ve decorated it to inspire me to write. I believe that when I’m writing that I have help from other sources (i.e. spiritual) and I want to make sure that I don’t hinder the flow of creativity that is making its way to me. But that’s just me. I’m a stationary writer that composes on the computer as well as on the piano. My studio accommodates both methods of writing.
You need to find out what method works best for you to compose music. Do you naturally write with pen and paper? Do you compose on an instrument? Or do you sit in front of a computer using a notation program or a music sequencer? Your writing method is one part of determining your creative space needs.
Does a new environment stimulate your creativity and inspire you to write? Or are you more comfortable being in a dedicated space in which you’ve created? Some writers just need to be in a quiet place with beautiful and inspirational surroundings. They may be the pen and paper type that becomes motivated to write in different places. Others may prefer to remain stationary and have a dedicated space in which they can write. With technology allowing us to be mobile, we can take our laptops and PDA’s and have instant access to tools to help us write anywhere. Or we can dedicate a space and gain inspiration from what we put into the space.
In my article entitled “Make a Commitment to Write Music Everyday” I talked about ways in which you could form the habit of writing everyday. One of the reasons some have a hard time forming this habit may be because they do not know enough about themselves as writers. They have not explored whether they are nomadic or stationary writers. They don’t know what inspires them to write. I want you to examine this subject and see whether or not your surroundings could hinder you from performing at peak level. Your writing environment may have a lot to do with this and it is worth exploring.
In the future, be more cognizant of your nature and accommodate it by providing the right in environment to create. Remember, your surroundings do make a difference so please do not take it for granted.
Ask yourself the following questions:
1. What method do you use to compose? (i.e. pen and paper, on a computer or writing on an instrument?)
2. Where do you write music?
3. Do you write music in the same place or do you often change places?
4. If you have dedicated a space, does that space inspire you?
These are important questions to ask because it brings insight into why you may or may not be writing and what you need in order to feel inspired. For example, I write in a room that I’ve made into my studio. I call it tdbstudio and I’ve decorated it to inspire me to write. I believe that when I’m writing that I have help from other sources (i.e. spiritual) and I want to make sure that I don’t hinder the flow of creativity that is making its way to me. But that’s just me. I’m a stationary writer that composes on the computer as well as on the piano. My studio accommodates both methods of writing.
You need to find out what method works best for you to compose music. Do you naturally write with pen and paper? Do you compose on an instrument? Or do you sit in front of a computer using a notation program or a music sequencer? Your writing method is one part of determining your creative space needs.
Does a new environment stimulate your creativity and inspire you to write? Or are you more comfortable being in a dedicated space in which you’ve created? Some writers just need to be in a quiet place with beautiful and inspirational surroundings. They may be the pen and paper type that becomes motivated to write in different places. Others may prefer to remain stationary and have a dedicated space in which they can write. With technology allowing us to be mobile, we can take our laptops and PDA’s and have instant access to tools to help us write anywhere. Or we can dedicate a space and gain inspiration from what we put into the space.
In my article entitled “Make a Commitment to Write Music Everyday” I talked about ways in which you could form the habit of writing everyday. One of the reasons some have a hard time forming this habit may be because they do not know enough about themselves as writers. They have not explored whether they are nomadic or stationary writers. They don’t know what inspires them to write. I want you to examine this subject and see whether or not your surroundings could hinder you from performing at peak level. Your writing environment may have a lot to do with this and it is worth exploring.
In the future, be more cognizant of your nature and accommodate it by providing the right in environment to create. Remember, your surroundings do make a difference so please do not take it for granted.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Make a Commitment to Write Music Everyday
Are you an aspiring songwriter or a composer? Do you want to be a professional in the music business? The only way to become a professional is to do what professionals do. Pros develop good habits and they make no excuses. As a songwriter/composer, music is your product to market and the only way you are going develop a decent music library is to write everyday.
Tip#1: Create a symbol to remind you of the promise you made to compose for at least 10 minutes everyday.
Making the commitment to write music everyday is not easy. There are so many distractions in life that make it hard to commit, but there are ways to get around these obstacles. You can start by creating a symbol that represents the promise you made to yourself to write music everyday. For example, I chose a red ribbon as my symbol that I look at everyday. It helps me to focus, and it reminds me of the promise that I’ve made to form good habits.
Tip#2: Communicate your commitment to write everyday to your subconscious mind.
In order to make this habit stick, you must involve your subconscious mind. Your subconscious mind is always working. For most of us, the subconscious mind is working against us. It is like a computer hard drive in which programs are loaded on to it, and it performs the functions of those commands. The commands, in this analogy, represent the internal self-talk that you have with yourself everyday. If you repeatedly tell yourself that you don’t have the time or energy to write music everyday, then your subconscious mind will make sure that you don’t have any time or energy to write. It’s that simple.
Once you start sending the message to your subconscious mind that you do have the time and energy to write, it will stop working against you and start working with you. You will notice that your energy level will increase and you will have the energy to write everyday. You’ll also become more aware of the time that you have throughout the day to jot down your ideas. Musical ideas will flow to your mind with ease. It’s amazing how brilliant your subconscious mind really is.
To find out more about how to communicate with your subconscious mind, I recommend going to Steve Pavlina’s website and listening to his podcast entitled “Consulting your Intuition”:
http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/09/stevepavlinacom-podcast-003-consulting-your-intuition/
Another great resource to check out is the book, “What to Say When You Talk to Yourself” by Shad Helmstetter.
Tip#3: Reward yourself for reaching your goal to write music everyday.
It is important when forming the habit of writing music everyday that you set up a goal to use as a measurement of success. Once you reach your goal, reward yourself so that you will look favorably on this habit. This will encourage your subconscious mind to continue helping you. When I first starting forming this habit, I told myself that if I did this for the first month, that I would reward myself by going out to see a musical performance. I saw a performance of the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC.
Your goal can be defined as a period of time in which you perform the habit, or as a completed piece of music. It’s up to you. It is very important that if you reach your goal, that you go through with the reward. If you don’t, you may find it harder the next time you attempt to form another good habit.
Tip#4: Use a voice recorder and a PDA notation program to help you write music on the go!
One way to make sure you write everyday is to set up ways to write while you are on the go. I know that many aspiring songwriters and composers are working day jobs and don’t have time to sit in front of their computers or to jot down their ideas on paper whenever an idea comes to them. Sometimes ideas come to me while I’m out and I have created a few ways that I can capture those ideas. I use the voice recorder on my cell phone to sing and record musical ideas as they come to me. Then I transfer those ideas over to my PDA and use a musical notation program to make it more of a solid idea. Then later on I can transfer the data from my PDA to my computer-sequencing program. If you don’t have a voice recorder on your cell phone, you can always go out and buy a voice recorder and carry it around with you. These technological devices can be a lifesaver when catching those brilliant ideas that come to you in the middle of the day.
If you have a PDA, a great music notation program to buy is NotePad by Mini Music:
http://www.minimusic.com/notepad.html
Tip#5: Decide which days are music-light and which are music-heavy and plan accordingly.
I know many of you have day jobs, which means you have days in which you have to work and days in which you don’t. Recognizing this means that you can plan what kind of composing day you will have. On the days that you work, these will be what I call music-light days, in which you compose for at least 10 minutes. On the days you don’t have to work, you have more time to devote to writing and this is what I call a music-heavy day. On this day, you can take all of the music ideas that you wrote on your music-light days and develop these ideas into completed songs. These are the days in which most of your music construction will take place. By having music-light days, you make it easy to get down to business on your music-heavy days because you already have material to work with.
Tip#6: Break up your day with a nap or a walk.
For those who want to compose music when you come home from work, it may be a challenge because of the lack of energy. One way to get past this is to break up your day with a nap or walk. You need a barrier to separate your workday from your music writing evening. Taking a nap will make you feel rested and will give you enough mental stamina to write for a few hours before resting for the evening.
Walking or performing other forms of exercise before you write is another way to break up your day. It helps to relieve stress and helps you to focus. It also helps to improve your mood by increasing the production of endorphins. Once you are able shake off the stress of the day and improve your mood, you will be ready to sit down and focus on composing for the evening.
So there you have it! Six tips that will help you form the habit of writing every day. Once you successfully form this habit, you will crave writing music. Making it a part of your daily routine will help you become more productive and it will feel good to get those musical ideas out of your head. Once your see your music library growing, you will feel so good and you will be more confident when networking with industry professionals. So don’t delay! Start writing every day. No excuses!
Tiffany Brooks is a songwriter/composer on a musical journey. She has a love for film music and aspires to compose for film and TV. Join her on her journey as she explores the world of the professional songwriter/composer. Visit her website at http://www.tdbstudio.com.
Tip#1: Create a symbol to remind you of the promise you made to compose for at least 10 minutes everyday.
Making the commitment to write music everyday is not easy. There are so many distractions in life that make it hard to commit, but there are ways to get around these obstacles. You can start by creating a symbol that represents the promise you made to yourself to write music everyday. For example, I chose a red ribbon as my symbol that I look at everyday. It helps me to focus, and it reminds me of the promise that I’ve made to form good habits.
Tip#2: Communicate your commitment to write everyday to your subconscious mind.
In order to make this habit stick, you must involve your subconscious mind. Your subconscious mind is always working. For most of us, the subconscious mind is working against us. It is like a computer hard drive in which programs are loaded on to it, and it performs the functions of those commands. The commands, in this analogy, represent the internal self-talk that you have with yourself everyday. If you repeatedly tell yourself that you don’t have the time or energy to write music everyday, then your subconscious mind will make sure that you don’t have any time or energy to write. It’s that simple.
Once you start sending the message to your subconscious mind that you do have the time and energy to write, it will stop working against you and start working with you. You will notice that your energy level will increase and you will have the energy to write everyday. You’ll also become more aware of the time that you have throughout the day to jot down your ideas. Musical ideas will flow to your mind with ease. It’s amazing how brilliant your subconscious mind really is.
To find out more about how to communicate with your subconscious mind, I recommend going to Steve Pavlina’s website and listening to his podcast entitled “Consulting your Intuition”:
http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/09/stevepavlinacom-podcast-003-consulting-your-intuition/
Another great resource to check out is the book, “What to Say When You Talk to Yourself” by Shad Helmstetter.
Tip#3: Reward yourself for reaching your goal to write music everyday.
It is important when forming the habit of writing music everyday that you set up a goal to use as a measurement of success. Once you reach your goal, reward yourself so that you will look favorably on this habit. This will encourage your subconscious mind to continue helping you. When I first starting forming this habit, I told myself that if I did this for the first month, that I would reward myself by going out to see a musical performance. I saw a performance of the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC.
Your goal can be defined as a period of time in which you perform the habit, or as a completed piece of music. It’s up to you. It is very important that if you reach your goal, that you go through with the reward. If you don’t, you may find it harder the next time you attempt to form another good habit.
Tip#4: Use a voice recorder and a PDA notation program to help you write music on the go!
One way to make sure you write everyday is to set up ways to write while you are on the go. I know that many aspiring songwriters and composers are working day jobs and don’t have time to sit in front of their computers or to jot down their ideas on paper whenever an idea comes to them. Sometimes ideas come to me while I’m out and I have created a few ways that I can capture those ideas. I use the voice recorder on my cell phone to sing and record musical ideas as they come to me. Then I transfer those ideas over to my PDA and use a musical notation program to make it more of a solid idea. Then later on I can transfer the data from my PDA to my computer-sequencing program. If you don’t have a voice recorder on your cell phone, you can always go out and buy a voice recorder and carry it around with you. These technological devices can be a lifesaver when catching those brilliant ideas that come to you in the middle of the day.
If you have a PDA, a great music notation program to buy is NotePad by Mini Music:
http://www.minimusic.com/notepad.html
Tip#5: Decide which days are music-light and which are music-heavy and plan accordingly.
I know many of you have day jobs, which means you have days in which you have to work and days in which you don’t. Recognizing this means that you can plan what kind of composing day you will have. On the days that you work, these will be what I call music-light days, in which you compose for at least 10 minutes. On the days you don’t have to work, you have more time to devote to writing and this is what I call a music-heavy day. On this day, you can take all of the music ideas that you wrote on your music-light days and develop these ideas into completed songs. These are the days in which most of your music construction will take place. By having music-light days, you make it easy to get down to business on your music-heavy days because you already have material to work with.
Tip#6: Break up your day with a nap or a walk.
For those who want to compose music when you come home from work, it may be a challenge because of the lack of energy. One way to get past this is to break up your day with a nap or walk. You need a barrier to separate your workday from your music writing evening. Taking a nap will make you feel rested and will give you enough mental stamina to write for a few hours before resting for the evening.
Walking or performing other forms of exercise before you write is another way to break up your day. It helps to relieve stress and helps you to focus. It also helps to improve your mood by increasing the production of endorphins. Once you are able shake off the stress of the day and improve your mood, you will be ready to sit down and focus on composing for the evening.
So there you have it! Six tips that will help you form the habit of writing every day. Once you successfully form this habit, you will crave writing music. Making it a part of your daily routine will help you become more productive and it will feel good to get those musical ideas out of your head. Once your see your music library growing, you will feel so good and you will be more confident when networking with industry professionals. So don’t delay! Start writing every day. No excuses!
Tiffany Brooks is a songwriter/composer on a musical journey. She has a love for film music and aspires to compose for film and TV. Join her on her journey as she explores the world of the professional songwriter/composer. Visit her website at http://www.tdbstudio.com.
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Manifest Destiny
So I've been reading a lot about the laws of nature. I was introduced to something called the Law of Attraction. It explains how your thoughts can become things. What you think about, if you mix in emotion and a clear understand of what you want, you'll manifest it. I know to some this sounds insane, but I keep looking at example after example of people whom this has worked for. Some I've read about and some I know personally. I really do believe that people , places and things are energy and that we can attract like energy with our thoughs.
This brings me back to my music career. For years I have been saying that I want to score for film, I want to have an artist sing my songs...blah...blah..blah. But I've never focused on it. See, when you focus on something, it gets your mind going. You start collecting data about the subject. All of a sudden, opportunities will be presented to you. You'll be shown the way to make things happen.
Ever since I became serious about composing again, I've joined a composer forum with my music friends, have written more music than I have in a long time, have meet some wonderful musical contacts and I'm learning more than ever about music technology and music business. It's just a matter of time before I will be getting gigs to write. I know it :)
This brings me back to my music career. For years I have been saying that I want to score for film, I want to have an artist sing my songs...blah...blah..blah. But I've never focused on it. See, when you focus on something, it gets your mind going. You start collecting data about the subject. All of a sudden, opportunities will be presented to you. You'll be shown the way to make things happen.
Ever since I became serious about composing again, I've joined a composer forum with my music friends, have written more music than I have in a long time, have meet some wonderful musical contacts and I'm learning more than ever about music technology and music business. It's just a matter of time before I will be getting gigs to write. I know it :)
Monday, November 20, 2006
My next steps...
So...
This is my first post to my blog. I've been gathering information for the last couple of days about how to properly prepare my demo for music publishers. It's such a head trip. I've read all kinds of articles about how music publishers and music supervisors are bombarded with requests from songwriters and composers. I definitely wouldn't want to upset the ones who can make or break my career. I want to do this right the first time.
I read an article about Jonathan Wolff, Seinfeld TV composer. It's a really good article about how he got into the business and how he ended up with the Seinfeld gig. I love the Seinfeld theme, and he talks about how he wanted to create something that wouldn't overpower Jerry's monologue.
Speaking of Seinfeld, what is up with Michael Richards (AKA. Kramer)? Kramer would never go on a racial tirade like that. Now whenever I watch an episode of Seinfeld, I will have to separate the character from the actor. It's sad thing to let yourself become a hasbeen.
This is my first post to my blog. I've been gathering information for the last couple of days about how to properly prepare my demo for music publishers. It's such a head trip. I've read all kinds of articles about how music publishers and music supervisors are bombarded with requests from songwriters and composers. I definitely wouldn't want to upset the ones who can make or break my career. I want to do this right the first time.
I read an article about Jonathan Wolff, Seinfeld TV composer. It's a really good article about how he got into the business and how he ended up with the Seinfeld gig. I love the Seinfeld theme, and he talks about how he wanted to create something that wouldn't overpower Jerry's monologue.
Speaking of Seinfeld, what is up with Michael Richards (AKA. Kramer)? Kramer would never go on a racial tirade like that. Now whenever I watch an episode of Seinfeld, I will have to separate the character from the actor. It's sad thing to let yourself become a hasbeen.
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