Here are 5 tips on how to edit your music and increase your chances of landing sync. These aren’t steadfast rules, but it’s what has worked for me. 

1. Simplicity

There’s an art in making memorable music that isn’t overly complicated. Not all of the music you license will have dialog over it, but a lot of mine does so I try to keep the lead melodies to a minimum and create a vibe with the rhythm and tonal qualities.

Sound selection is the most important aspect to pull off simplicity. If you are using MIDI instruments, make sure they sound believable and don’t let your mix dominate where vocals reside in the frequency spectrum.

2. Ear Candy

Focus on all the parts in the song that a video editor can cut to while keeping the music engaging. Think of interesting mutes, reversing a section, adding a drum fill before a new phrase, sound FX, and anything quick and rhythmic.  These special moments will help drive the picture and tell the story.

3. 7/30/60

These are three different cut down lengths for music editors. Video creators are making different clips for their clients’ needs, but I find most of them are locked into these lengths from the television advertising days and people’s attention spans.

You’re probably thinking what the hell do I need a 7-second version for?

That’s the length of a YouTube commercial and I find that if I create a 7-second version separate from my main music piece it’s easier than trying to cut down from a 15 or 30 to make it work.

What tempo you create your music at is going to decide how easy this is to pull off. 102 beats per minute will get you just about 12 (11.9) beats in 7 seconds.

4. Song Flow

Build bridges between your sections so they tell a story. Think of your music as having a beginning, middle, and ending. The middle is where things tend to linger the longest, so building transitions within the middle part will help it keep flowing. Your Intro and Outro are very important here. Build suspense and hook people fast.

5. Endings

Fades are almost a thing of the past in modern music and in licensing music they are rarely wanted. A stinger is ending your music on the 1 count with a hit. Think crash cymbal, kick, impact, etc. 

If you have any questions about this feel free to reach out and book a free consulting session at info [at] kyledevine.com