Greetings, Music Makers!
Does my song get to the point
Sync music songwriting differs from traditional songwriting in several ways. We’ll discuss those today. In our discussion, ” songwriting ” refers to songs with lyrics and vocals. We will do a separate article on instrumentals in one of our following blogs.
Deliverables
Let’s start with the deliverables. What does the client expect when they accept a song for licensing? Here is a comprehensive list of deliverables. Different music libraries, publishers, sync agents, editors, music supervisors, and producers will ask for at least some variations of your song.
Full mix – high resolution (WAV or AIFF)
Full mix – low resolution (mp3)
Music-only mix – high resolution
Music-only mix – low resolution
Vocals only – high resolution
Backing vocals only – high resolution
Drums and bass only – high resolution
Other specific instruments only – high resolution (Perhaps :15, :30 or :60 second cues)
Another important consideration is that these versions should begin from the same starting point and be from the same mix. Do not enhance the instrumental version for any reason! The editor or producer needs the mixes to be lined up and sound the same because they may merge a part of one mix with another.
Song Structure Arrangement
In traditional songwriting, you might have an instrumental intro of eight to sixteen measures to set the mood of your song. There is no time for that in sync. Four measures is the maximum in most cases. If the editor or producer wants less vocals and more of the instrumental version of your song, they will use your instrumental version.
After the short intro, dividing each section into a set number of measures is best. The most common is eight measures for the first verse, four for the pre-chorus, and eight for the chorus. Here are some other variations (these are only examples):
Example A
8 – verse 1
8 – chorus 1
8 – verse 2
8 – chorus 2
8 – bridge
8 – chorus 3
8 – chorus 4
Example B
8 – chorus 1
8 – verse 1
4 – pre-chorus 1
8 – chorus 2
8 – verse 2
4 – pre-chorus 2
8 – chorus 3
8 – bridge
8 – chorus 4
It is important to keep the length of the sections the same. Here is why.
1. It is easier for the editor or producer to make cuts when they are certain that the lengths of the sections are the same, i.e., the lengths of the verses are the same, the lengths of the pre-choruses are the same, and so on.
2. Each time any section is repeated, additional elements should be added, e.g., percussion, pad, counter melody, whatever.
In our next blog post, we’ll explore the structure and lyrical elements that can make or break a sync opportunity.
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Until next time—let the music move you
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