Quick Tips – Shie Rozow – Composer, Music Editor

Quick Tip: When to Address Changes Using Audio Instead of MIDI

It’s not uncommon to get last minute change requests when working on a score. Often these last minute changes come after you’ve already printed your audio stems. I found that some composers, especially young composers have a tendency to go back to the MIDI, do a rewrite and then re-print the audio. There’s nothing wrong with doing that, but it’s quite time consuming and often isn’t necessary. Here’s an example:

When I delivered my score to #FollowFriday the director informed me that a scene that we spotted to have a song in it won’t have a song after all and asked me if I extend my preceding cue to cover the scene? I was at the film studio and the dub was underway. I could have gone home, opened up the cue and written a quick extension, but I realized what I would likely do is essentially copy/paste the groove a few more bars and make some adjustments here and there so it doesn’t sound loopy. I could do that in ProTools on the spot using the stems in a matter of minutes, which is what I did and the director was thrilled not only with the result, but also with the immediacy of the solution.

Before going back to your MIDI, consider editing your stems to address last minute changes. Think like a music editor and figure out what can you move around, lower, raise, mute, etc. to address the notes. As music editor I do this all the time on dub stages since there is no other choice. But often even if you can go back to the MIDI, working with the audio stems is the fastest and most efficient way to handle last minute compositional changes, so don’t rule it out as an option.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

Quick Tip: Start Your Music at Bar 5

When writing music it seems perfectly natural to start at bar 1. But when writing music to picture, I prefer to have 4 empty bars at the beginning and start the music at bar 5 for a few reasons.

One reason is technical. Most of us write using a DAW (Logic, Digital Performer, Cubase, ProTools, Ableton Live, Reaper, etc.) and then export a MIDI file that is subsequently imported into our favorite notation software (Finale, Sibelius, Dorico, etc.) for orchestration as well as into ProTools for live recording. As we go from cue to cue we write automation to our MIDI controllers, and the controllers stay where they last were when going back to the top or to a new file. By starting at bar 5 you can write controller data in bar 1 that resets all your controllers.

Some DAWs (like Digital Performer) allow for zero and negative bars, which can be used for that purpose. But if we use a zero bar or negative bars it complicates matters down the road. MIDI files don’t understand negative bars, and so when we export a sequence that starts at bar zero for example, the MIDI file will see bar zero as bar 1 and all of our bar numbers will be off by one. We could manually make the adjustments after importing into our other software, renumbering the bars to fix this offset, but if the music starts at bar 5 and we never use bar zero or negative bars to begin with that’s a non-issue. It keeps things a little simpler and minimizes the potential for mistakes.

Another reason is that it’s not uncommon to get notes while writing that require us to start the cue a little earlier “can you sneak the cue in before that moment rather than coming in right on the moment?” If our music started at bar 1, we now have to insert bars at the top of our sequence moving everything. If our music started at bar 5, we have some empty bars and we can simply start the cue at bar 3 or 4 or whatever works without having to change anything else. This may not sound like a big deal, but when you’re under a tight deadline every little thing adds up. And if a cue already went out for orchestration or prep and then you had to make the change, it’s a simpler and faster change to make everywhere than adding and renumbering bars would be.

There are other reasons for starting at bar 5 instead of bar 1, too. Historically we needed a decent amount of pre-roll for the recorders to sync up, and having those 4 empty bars was usually enough. This isn’t really an issue these days, but I’ve been doing this long enough to remember when it was.

I generally find that starting at bar 5 (which has become pretty standard in film/TV scoring) keeps things a little simpler, which means less room for errors and less time spent on making adjustments.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

Quick Tip: Layering Existing Sounds to Create New Ones

When I was at school I took classes in music synthesis. I learned what oscillators do, how to manipulate the envelope, LFO and on and on. If pressed to do so I could come up with custom and unique sounds, but I don’t enjoy it. I only do it if I have no other way to achieve what I’m looking for. So here’s what I do to quickly create unique sounds.

I’ve found that when I’m looking to create a new sound it’s because I can’t quite find that perfect sound with the right combination of elements – maybe I want some cool sizzle at the top, a smooth mid range and a really fat and aggressive low end, or maybe I want it to evolve and develop in a certain way. Whatever the case I have found that often I can achieve what I’m looking for by layering existing patches together and manipulating them with EQ and sometimes other plug-ins.

For example, to create what I just described I may find a sound that has a great sizzle in the high frequencies, so I’ll put a very aggressive hi-pass filter on it to chop off everything other than that sizzle. Then I’ll find a patch that’s a really smooth pad, and put a bell curve on it, chopping off the top and the bottom frequencies. I may even find two or three patches I like for various colors and get even more specific with the EQing so as they blend they become something new. And finally, I’ll find a great aggressive, fat low-end patch and put a low pass filter on it to chop of everything in the middle and high frequencies. I then mix all these sounds together and voila, new rich sound super-fast.

If I’m creating a pad, like the above example, I like my pads to have a sense of movement and development and texture, so I’ll automate the EQ to change over time so it changes the way they blend. I’ll do the same with panning, moving them around in different ways, which creates a sense of development and movement. Many sounds have plenty of controllers affecting their resonance and other parameters, so I can automate those to create even more texture and development. And finally, simply manipulating the volume of each layer, having different layers rise and dip either together or against each other can contribute to creating very rich and unique sounds. I find I can do this much faster and easier than programing a new sound from scratch.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me, or add a comment.

Quick Tip: Save Standard MIDI Files

No matter what sequencing program you use, you either have in the past or will at some time in the future use other software. Whether you’re switching from one DAW to another, or simply upgrading to the latest version, or changing your template, your plug-ins and/or your outboard gear, at some point between upgrades and other system changes you will no longer be able to open your files using the original software with which they were created.

That’s why I recommend always saving a standard MIDI file whenever you’re done with a cue. When you save a standard MIDI file, you’re ensuring you’ll always be able to go back to your project even if you’re using different software. You’ll always be able to import that standard MIDI file into whatever DAW you’re currently using and make it work again.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me, or add a comment.

5 Tips for Success

Quick Tips

I usually offer my personal advice, but this short article echoes my thoughts perfectly, so click here for today’s quick tips.

Quick Tip: Email Signatures

Quick Tips

If you’re like me, you send out countless work-related emails a day. That means signing off on countless emails, which typically means ending with “Sincerely” or “All the best” or “Thanks” – whichever you like to use – followed by your name. Or maybe you’re a minimalist and you just like to use your initials.

Whatever the case, I recommend creating a signature that’s assigned to your email account, which has the sign-off of your choice. It’ll save you just a second or two per email, but it all adds up over time.

And one more tip – include your phone number in your signature. Including your number makes it convenient for your clients, if they want to call you to discuss something in an email they don’t have to go looking for your number, it’s right there.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me, or add a comment.

Quick Tip: Plug-In Old Drives To Keep Them Functioning

Quick Tips

I have lots of hard drives. I use external drives for projects. I use internal drives that I plug-in using a SATA hard drive dock for backups. I currently own about 30 drives, most of them are used for project backups…

Quick Tip: Backups

Quick Tips

Backing projects up is extremely important. If you’re not already regularly backing up your projects, you need to start right away. In my experience the best way to run backups is to use a program that can run in the background and automatically run backups for you. That way you can set it and forget it.

I like & use Synk by Decimus. It’s very reasonably priced and full of great options. There are other good backup programs, and as long as it gets the job done, it really doesn’t matter which program you use, as long as you’re consistently running. it.

Typically when setting up a backup, you have the option to mirror your source, which will often delete files in the backup when you delete them at your source, or you can archive everything. Make sure you’re archiving everything!

I like to use a hard drive dock (there are lots of options) and backup my projects to external drives. I simply label them backup-1, backup 2 etc. and store them in anti static bags in my closet. I have a simple Filemaker database where I list what is backup up where, so if I have to bring up an old backup, I can look up what drive it’s on in my database and know which drive to plug-in.

Finally, don’t forget to backup you system drive. Start with a bootable clone of your system drive, and then update the backup so as you create new files, update software etc. the backup is updated, too.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me, or add a comment.

Quick Tip: Renaming Files Using Automator

Quick Tips

Every once in a while, I find myself in a situation where I need to rename a lot of files. For example, if I receive a poorly labeled session with poorly labeled audio files and I want to add some information like a cue number, or the project name. Dong it manually is a pain and very time consuming. Thankfully Mac OS has an app called Automator, which is very easy to setup and does the job perfectly and super-quickly. Here’s how:

Step 1.
Open Automator, which you will find in you Applications folder and select Service.

Step 2.
From the list of actions, select Rename Finder Items (you can type in “rename” in the search box to quickly find it). You can choose to add a Copy Finder Items action if you want to make a copy of the files you’re renaming. I don’t usually do this since the whole point is to rename the files, and I generally have a backup of the original materials I’m sent already.

Step 3.
Adjust the following settings:

Service receives selected: files or folders in Finder
From the next dropdown select Add Text
Add: Enter the text you want to add here, then select before name or after name or as extension
Click the Options tab at the bottom and check Show this action when the workflow runs

Step 4.
Hit Command S to save your automator script and name it

Step 5.
Go to the folder that contains the files you want to rename. Select them and right click (or hold down Control then click) to open the contextual menu, select Services at the bottom and then your script.

Step 5.
A window will appear where you can adjust the renaming settings. If you’re happy with your settings, click Continue. Or do what I do – I created a script and then I just tweak it whenever I use it to the specifics I want.

Tada!
That’s it – here’s what the folder looks like with the renamed files. Create this script once, then modify how you want it to behave and speed up your file management.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me, or add a comment.

Quick Tip: Numbering Cues

Quick Tips

There are several conventions when numbering cues for your project. The oldest was simply keeping a running tally of each cue i.e. M001, M002, M003 and so on. The M stands for Music, so this would indicate music cue 1, music cue 2, music cue 3 etc.

At some point a new convention became popular, starting with the reel or act number, then the letter M, then the cue number within that reel or act, for example 1m01, 1m02, 1m03, 2m01, 2m02, 2m03 etc. This system is still very popular and effective. It’s easy to see how many cues are in each reel or act using this system.

Finally, a variation on this system became popular, combining both of the above conventions. In this system the reel or act number is first, then M for music and then a continually escalating number for each cue like so: 1m01, 1m02, 1m03, 2m04, 2m05, 2m06 and so on.

In my entire career I haven’t seen the old serial system in use except when looking up old cue sheets for Bride of Frankenstein (1935) & The Wolf Man (1941). So I think it’s safe to say nobody uses it anymore.

I prefer the latter method for two main reasons. First, it makes it impossible to have 1m2 and 2m1, which can be easily confused, especially when it’s late and you’re tired and trying to beat a deadline, or if you’re dyslexic. Second, it’s not uncommon to re-balance reels after cue numbers have been assigned and using the latter system you can simply change 1m07 to 2m07 to indicate the cue that used to be at the end of reel 1 is now at the top of reel 2. It’s still cue 07, and always will be.

I also like using leading zeros when numbering cues (i.e. 1m01 not 1m1). This makes sure things are always sorted properly when looking at file names on my computer or using any database system I may be using to help manage my projects.

A few more conventions I like:

If a cue is added between cues, I will number it as the cue that precedes it and add a letter to the cue number. For example, if a cue is added between 2m04 & 2m05 I’ll call it 2m04A. If another is added between 2m04A & 2m05 I’ll call it 2m04B and so on. If a cue is added between 2m04A & 2m04B it can be 2m04AA or 2m04A2 – thankfully that’s an extremely rare occurrence.

If a composer choses to split up a cue into parts, I use the same convention. For example if 3m24 is split up into 3 distinct cues they will become 3m24A, 3m24B and 3m24C.

Finally, I like to have a quick visual in the cue number that lets me know if it is underscore for the composer to write, a needle-drop (source or song) or on-camera production (i.e. someone singing on camera). I don’t do anything for score cues. I add an “s” for needle-drop to indicate it is a song or source cue (i.e. 4m43s) and I add a “p” for production cues (i.e. 6m72p).

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me, or add a comment.

Quick Tip: Kontakt Quick-Load

Quick Tips

Over the years I’ve acquired quite a few sample libraries. I have a lot of libraries that are powered by Kontakt. Some come with built-in-libraries that you can load into Kontakt. Many don’t.

What I’ve found is that you really need to get to know all your libraries well and remember what you have and where in order to take advantage of them. And as your collection of libraries grows, that becomes harder and harder to keep track of.

Kontakt’s database is pretty good, but again limited to libraries that support it. However, Kontakt has a wonderful feature – the Quick-Load menu, which is completely customizable.

I’ve found it was well worth my time to spend a day or so building my custom Quick-Load menu system. Finding any sound from any library is a snap thanks to my well organized Quick-Load menus. Whenever I get a new sample library, I spend a few minutes adding its instruments & multis to my Quick-Load menu – those extra few minutes save me countless minutes later.

Here’s a screen-shot of my Quick-Load menu system. This works well for me. To keep things ordered the way I want them I use numbers in front of the folder names. I like to have things organized in score order with synths & other at the end. If you like it feel free to copy this structure and add your own instruments. Or make your own that suites your needs. Whatever you do, I think it’s wroth the effort and saves a lot of time when working. I never have to dig around for instruments, I know exactly where to go find them.

Kontakt 5 – Quick-Load

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me, or add a comment.

Quick Tip: Audio Demos

Quick Tips

When sending demos, consider these few quick tips to make sure your material is presented well:

1. Trim your audio files. Nobody likes a second or two of silence before the music begins when they hit play. Trim your audio so it plays immediately like every professional track you hear on every album you’ve ever owned. If it feels too abrupt, you can add a few milliseconds of silence, but don’t have long silences either before or after the music plays. And make sure when you trim the end of your audio files that yo do not accidentally crop the audio – make sure the endings sound nice and natural and ring out properly.

2. Manage your levels. Nobody likes to turn up the volume for one song, only to reach for the volume again because the next song is much too loud, or vice versa. If your tracks are unmastered, do a bit of self-mastering by adjusting levels so all your tracks play at relatively the same level.

3. Personalize your demos. If you’re pitching your music for a dramatic project, they don’t care about your comedic chops. Choose tracks that are relevant to what they are looking for.

4. Make custom demos if you can. If you are able, write custom cues just for the specific pitch. Create music that you think would be the perfect fit and place that music at the top of your demo.

5. Assign a cue order. If you want people to listen to your tracks in a certain order, but are just sending a link to files, or attaching MP3s to an email, start your filenames with a track number (i.e. 1 My first track.mp3, 2 My second track.mp3). That way when they save the tracks to their hard drive and listen, they will come up in order and the listener is more likely to listen in that order. If they’re streaming your music via an online player, set the order of the playlist to what you want them to hear.

6. Make your tracks downloadable. If you’re linking to an online player with your playlist, have a download option. Most producers, directors & music supervisors I know like to have the audio files on their computer. If they like what they hear, they may send a particular track to colleagues or even to a picture editor to try and cut it in as temp. Make sure they have the files and can do so.

7. Create clear and consistent file names. Make sure your track names are consistent. Don’t do this:

1m1 Main Titles.mp3
TD_M05_Chase.mp3
The beginning.mp3

Do this instead:

1 The Beginning.mp3
2 Jasmine Main Titles.mp3
3 Chase.mp3

Notice in the first example there are different extraneous things vs. the 2nd example where the titles look consistent, and the numbers also put things in order as described above in paragraph 5.

8. Clean up your metadata. Make sure your MP3 has proper ID3 tags. At a minimum have the track name & your name. As above, make sure the ID3 metadata is consistent throughout your tracks.

How you present your work is probably equally as important as the quality of your work. If you stuff sounds good but is a mess, you’ll probably make less of an impression than if your stuff sounds OK but is beautifully organized and presented.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me, or add a comment.