| a |
| why is it necessary to record
my composition/arrangement? |
| Well, first and
foremost, most examining boards expect you to submit a recording
of your music along with the written score. However, even
if it isn't compulsory, it is recommended, as doing so enables
the examiner to fully appreciate your composition or arrangement.
From an examiner's point of view,
it can be difficult to judge a piece of music from simply
reading the score, especially if the music contains 3 or
more parts. Indeed, they may become fustrated at not being
able to hear what you've written down and may not give you
as many marks as you deserve. Afterall, music is very much
an aural art form.
Therefore, an examiner will find
it extremely useful to be able to listen to your music.
Make no mistake, it can really impress an examiner and often
earn you extra marks. It can make all the difference.
However, the recording needs to be 100%
accurate because it must reflect 100% what is written down
in the score. Again, examiners may get fustrated if they
are looking at a score and hearing things that aren't
supposed to be there or consequently, not hearing things
that are supposed to be written down! Therefore
a quality recording is essential. |
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| a |
| Can I record the music myself? |
If you want to record yourself, you normally
have 2 options:
|
|
There are 3 main drawbacks using this method: |
| Firstly,
getting together musicians (who are up to the standard you
require) to rehearse on a few occasions before recording
is hard enough. Then, ironing out any problems, spotting
performance errors and having to tell some of your musicians
that they're making mistakes can be awkward, time consuming
and fustrating. You may even have to tactfully ask a musician
to stop playing if they aren't up to scratch; it can be
difficult. That's before you even come to recording. When
you are finally ready, it
can be extremely difficult to get everyone playing
their part perfectly when it comes to the crunch.
Things may go ok in practice, but recording under pressure
is a different kettle of fish. Again, your recording may
not be an accurate rendoring of what is down on paper. Not
good.
Secondly, when it comes to recording,
if you don't have enough microphones put in the right place
and have someone to monitor the levels, you will get very
poor quality with some instruments sounding too loud and
out of proportion. The recording won't sound any good and
won't represent what's in the music. Not good either. It
takes someone with experience to record music properly.
Thirdly, if the musicians aren't
up to scratch, you may have to consider re-writing your
music so that it is easier to play. Again, this is no good
to you because the examiner won't know that the musicians
are having problems and instead will think your composition
or arrangement lacks complexity or imagination. You may
be unfairly penalised.
Don't get me wrong,
it's great to play live in a concert setting or just for
fun with a group of friends, but for the purposes of producing
a recording that will perfectly match a score for examination
purposes, playing live is not the best method. |
Firstly,
the sounds your school/college computer generates often sound
terrible. The violins sound like next door's cat, the piano
sounds 'tinny', and the trumpets sound, well... it's difficult
to describe what the trumpets sound like. Actually, the clarinets
sound ok as long as all the notes are below Middle C! If you've
heard your computer play music, you'll know what we're talking
about! The resulting performance will sound terrible and won't
really impress anybody. Hearing your computer play is useful
when composing or editing your score but no good for recording
purposes.
Secondly,
even if you are willing to accept poor computer generated
sounds, recording them off the computer onto tape can be tricky
if you don't have the right equipment or expertise. The end
result will sound awful and won't do you any justice. Your
efforts may not get the credit they deserve. |
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| a |
| Why ask Designer Music to record
your music? |
We have the equipment and
expertise to make your music come alive, giving you sampled
sounds that produce realism like you've never heard before.
It's your score, we just make it sound as though it's being
performed by professional musicians (at a fraction of the
price!).
We'll get the job done, efficiently and quickly. |
| Using our high-quality sound
modules, we can create the sounds to produce the kind of recording
your music deserves. Whether you want a solo violin and piano,
or an complete orchestra, we can produce the best sounds to
suit your music. |
Once we have the sounds,
we can play your composition or arrangement and record it
onto CD.
Each recording we make is 100% accurate, because the sound
modules play your music via midi.
After playing it to you over the phone, you can ask us to
make changes if necessary.
Remember, we will not change your original composition
or arrangement in any way. We are just recording it for
you.
Not only will your music sound great, but even your CD
will look good. We'll print your name and candidate number
(if required) directly onto the CD producing a professional
look. |
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| a |
| What does it cost? |
Surprisingly little really.
If you asked a professional string quartet to play and record
your string quartet composition or arrangement, it would
probably cost anything up to £400.
Now look what we charge: |
| Music Type |
No. of Pieces |
Cost |
| GCSE |
1 |
| GCSE |
2 |
| A-Level |
1 |
| A-Level |
2 |
Degree |
1 |
Degree |
2 |
If your school/college/university makes
a group order consisting of 8 or more pieces to be recorded
we'll give you a 25% discount.
Please Phone
us if you wish to make a school order.
|
| Remember these are academic
prices only. |
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| a |
| Is Designer Music allowed to
record my music for examination purposes? |
Yes, as long as you are
being marked on the composition itself and not on the recording.
Usually you have to create 2 compositions. One of these
usually has to be performed (and recorded) with you taking
part either as a player or conductor (or director). For
the other composition, you may employ professional help
to make your recording in order to enhance the written score.
When you submit your music to us, we may contact your school
just to be on the safe side. |
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| a |
| What music files do Designer
Music accept? |
| In order for us to record your
composition or arrangement, your music must be saved using
one of the following applications: |
| Application |
file types |
| Sibelius 3, 2 or 1 |
.sib |
| Sibelius 6/7 |
.s7 |
| Cubase |
.all |
| midi |
.mid |
Finalle/Allegro/Print Music |
.mus |
Finale ENIGMA |
.etf |
|
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click
here
to send us your composition/arrangement
online
and receive a no-obligation, free quotation.
We'll get back to you with a price
quote and estimated time of completion.
You may then choose to proceed with the order or not. The
choice is yours! |
