Does anyone have any experience with commercial composing or anything like that?

[soma89]

Hey,
I'm taking a marketing program and hoping to get into music after that. I wanted to know if anyone here is doing any commercial composing? Any tips/advice on how to get into this field or fields like it?

Thanks a lot :)

[soma89]

Bump..anyone?

[Zelmo]

Splatt.

[lettucecheese]

When I first looked at the title of your thread, I thought you wrote commercial composting. I guess I won't be much help.

[Bob Womack]

I've worked both sides, as a scoring composer but mostly as a recording engineer and sound designer for video and film. To get into the industry, you need a break. You need to come across someone who produces video and needs a score. You write and execute your first score on time, under budget, with flexibility, and then begin networking off the person who hired you. Geographical proximity to some production houses or companies is excellent, but you can meet and greet and then work from afar. Exactly how you meet and greet is tough. They have to want you. If they don't, there's a pretty good chance a resume' reel will end up in the trash like another can of beans. We have a team of four composers who write for us from a continent away. We found one and he led us to the rest.

Here are some hints for the music business of scoring:
1. Time is money is time is money is time...
a. Learn the business of "agency length." A score for :60 spot is actually fifty-nine seconds and fifteen frames (1/2 second). The idea is for the spot to end before the purchased time slot does. A :30 spot is likewise :29 and 15 frames. It doesn't matter if your music is LOVELY if it doesn't hit the mark. If you are a half second over or under, some engineer or producer will have to adjust it and will end up growling under his breath about YOU. Not good for your next hire.
b. Delivery time is sacrosanct. Beating the deadlines with good work is much better that missing the deadlines with excellent work.
2. If your score is going to be spoken over, write as if it were a vocal song and then subtract the vocal melody. There needs to be a "hole" in the arrangement for spoken word. Avoid "Tide Stain" music. Remember the Superbowl ad where the guy has a stain on his shirt that talks and drowns out the guy at an interview? Look HERE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGghswQgAzE). A busy score with no hole for the voice forces the mixer to mix the music lower and it has less impact. What is "Tide stain" music? Music with a strong melody. Music with strong solo instruments. Avoid saxophone, solo violin lead, and piano lead because they compete with voice. However, string sections are great. By the way, are you pretty good at composing without melody?

Well, it's a start. I hope it helps.

Bob

[soma89]

I've worked both sides, as a scoring composer but mostly as a recording engineer and sound designer for video and film. To get into the industry, you need a break. You need to come across someone who produces video and needs a score. You write and execute your first score on time, under budget, with flexibility, and then begin networking off the person who hired you. Geographical proximity to some production houses or companies is excellent, but you can meet and greet and then work from afar. Exactly how you meet and greet is tough. They have to want you. If they don't, there's a pretty good chance a resume' reel will end up in the trash like another can of beans. We have a team of four composers who write for us from a continent away. We found one and he led us to the rest.

Here are some hints for the music business of scoring:
1. Time is money is time is money is time...
a. Learn the business of "agency length." A score for :60 spot is actually fifty-nine seconds and fifteen frames (1/2 second). The idea is for the spot to end before the purchased time slot does. A :30 spot is likewise :29 and 15 frames. It doesn't matter if your music is LOVELY if it doesn't hit the mark. If you are a half second over or under, some engineer or producer will have to adjust it and will end up growling under his breath about YOU. Not good for your next hire.
b. Delivery time is sacrosanct. Beating the deadlines with good work is much better that missing the deadlines with excellent work.
2. If your score is going to be spoken over, write as if it were a vocal song and then subtract the vocal melody. There needs to be a "hole" in the arrangement for spoken word. Avoid "Tide Stain" music. Remember the Superbowl ad where the guy has a stain on his shirt that talks and drowns out the guy at an interview? Look HERE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGghswQgAzE). A busy score with no hole for the voice forces the mixer to mix the music lower and it has less impact. What is "Tide stain" music? Music with a strong melody. Music with strong solo instruments. Avoid saxophone, solo violin lead, and piano lead because they compete with voice. However, string sections are great. By the way, are you pretty good at composing without melody?

Well, it's a start. I hope it helps.

Bob

First of all, thank you so much for posting.
Yes, I believe I can compose without melody. I have worries though when it comes to 2 things...how I record the music, and what programs/courses I should be taking to help me get there (I'm already taking marketing..hopefully that's a plus).
I want to study either music or some sort of sound engineering program after marketing but don't know which one to choose. Another thing is what tools I need to get this music to a prospect. Do i record it myself using some sort of computer technology like pro tools? Should i invest in keyboards and samplers? Or should i somehow bring session musicians to partake?
This is something I really want to do, so, now at 21, I want to start clearing things up to make my goal easier to grasp. Thanks again!

[Mr. New Dilemma]

Sorry to get off topic but...thanks for the Tide stain commercial link, I laughed my ass off!