Using Classical Instrumentalists in my compositions

[chillowack]

Originally Posted by Couper

Hey Guys,

Thanks for your post and making me feel very welcome to the forum.

When at University everything was very simple when it came to performing and recording my works. All I had to do was negotiate a fee for the perfomers, write a small (basic) contract stating that I Pay'ed "daves quartet" to record "g minor adagio for string quartet". literally I pay'ed for their time and gave them lunch etc.

But working with professional performers (and not students) is quite different. They dont just play the music, they add their own human flare which adds to the emotional content of the composition. I suppose it depends on the quartet and how they feel about what they want from the project.

Hey Chillowack - This is the first time for me (out of university) to record using professional performers so I'm kind of feeling in the dark. I've managed to find a good recording studio and lucky enough to get an engineer that knows how to record classical instruments. This is a real bonus.

Regarding paying for musicians - I suppose it depends on the project. If I was recording for an animation, I would state to the director if he wanted live performers or sampled instruments and also provide the cost for these. I would never pay out of my own pocket.

I'll answer the other questions for you when the project is completed. Also the website should be ready in October so I'll post a link then.

Couper

Thanks Couper, this is very interesting and I look forward to hearing more about this project. Good luck!

[Couper]

Hey Everyone,

Its been a while but I thought I should let you know how I got on.

The animation was finished but unfortunately (due to cost) the director decided to use sampled sounds instead so I never got the chance to use real players which was a bit of a let down.

Anyway, I have a new project in the making which has got me all excited so I'll let you know how I get on.

Thank you to all who contributed to this post.

Coup