So, i got a meeting with an A&R from Capitol Records coming soon

  • warzone round 1 voting begins in...

Lex

ILLIEN
ill o.g.
Congratulations Truth, I hope to hear your stuff on the next Dilated Peoples LP.

Like you said, it really sounds like all your hard work is paying off, so good luck with all that stuff.
 

FuzE

i make beatz
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 99
Thats big homie. Thats got to be a great feeling. Even if the immediate event doesn't pan out like you want the experience and connection will do you great. Don't slow your grind down but I know you wont.
 

O-H-TEN

aka Tha' NVZABLE DRAGON
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 3
Hell Yeah Truth! Glad to see that things are workin' out for you. I got goose pimples just readin' about it! LOL! Good luck! To get a chance to work with a group like Dilated Peoples is like a dream come true. I'll keep my fingers crossed for ya' bro'.
ONE
 

Producer_GyaL

IllMuzik First Lady
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 182
nice Truth, thanks for the shout out LOL. well, i just hope you will hold on to that hapiness cause you truly deserve it. And if it dosent pay off, continue to hustle, LEaRNNNNN the feed back that he gave you and use ittttt!!!! Continue to make them bangers. If you fall we will be there to support you (unless if i decide to leave the forum because of some creep! LOL)

Seriously, Good Luck Cold!!
 

sYgMa

Making head bangers!!!
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 26
wow! Truth!!! Nice moves man!

Hope everything works...
 

pancakebunnny

needs more fartnoise
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 25
You're definately one of the few on this site that hustle enough to earn an opportunity like this one. Good luck with it, man. You'll get this.



Oh, wanna buy a new Dell? HAHAHAHAhahahah ha ha h.... *sniff*
 
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 3
Truth, welll done and keep up the good work! You've proven yourself as a first rate producer, and i'm glad to see that your hard work pays off! GOOD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE!
You're - without a single doubt - one of the most talented, versatile and prolific producers i've come to know :thumb:

Best Of Luck,
Wings
 

Cold Truth

IllMuzik Moderator
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 25
ok well meeting 2 came and went

this is getting... i dunno

im part frustrated and part excited

this dudes job is to be criticial and i get that. he likes these beats but wants things tweaked and added and removed....and im cool with that. however, he has been askin me to remove pieces that make the beat what it is- one beat has some seriously dramatic strings on the hook that MAKE the hook what it is.... its the part that stands out, the catchy part, the HOOK. he wants the turned down in the mix. ok fine.... "the shining"- my lone beat this victory-has been cleaned up dramatically. he wants the strings in the verse gone.... those are vital to the beat... he says too many strings. ok fine.. the problem here is that strings are an essential part of my sound...... sometimes they dominate, sometimes they accent whats already there... but hes usually telling me to remove them all together. thus far he has only told me to remove them from one track where i felt it was the right move. its cool, im not complaining here just venting.

plus, he wants certain beats to be "the same, only grimier". he said it about one of my grimiest..... so i said, "basically.... you want me to drop some evil shit" he said EXACTLY. so i said, "im going to go study my alchemist instrumentals" he said, "exactly- just dont get too caught up that you arent doing you." that was a major relief.

now he also wants an 808 under EVERYTHING it seems..... he wants that thump, which is cool- but my basslines are another trademark. i am usually told that my basslines are catchy and memorable. i agree with that, i think thats a strong point of mine. thing is i have had little success combining an 808 with bass layered over each other without it getting muddy. so if anyone has tips for that, id appreciate it. he says "man in the club or the ridee, people want that shit to bump".. he wants mixes altered, organs to dominate the mix more, etc... which would be fine if we were listening in quality speakers, but my shitty old stock car speakers sound horrible. the kicks are punchy, the snares are punchy. the bass is thick.. everything is reasonably well mixed. ONE track has a shoddy mix that i would redo-and thats really due only to two things in the track, and one part that needs to be removed alltogether.

hes not trying to change my steeze at all, so thats a plus..... and if i am choosing to go this route to discovery, well then this is part of the deal, learning how to give these dudes EXACTLY what they want. its great for growth and i expect to be up a few notches in terms of skill and developing a critical ear even moreso because of it.

the most encouraging thing though, is he said... during the grimey conversation- "your good, i'll tell you that much. it aint like these arent dope. now its just minor things. i think your holding back. why are you holding back? man it feels like you are holding back. im giving you a chance here, you cant be holding back" also, he said hes been through 60 demo tapes worth of hot garbage... and found 2 that are nice. he asked me to bring him these beats back with the said changes and whatever else i want him to hear. thats meeting three, and hes been putting in a lot of time scouting lately, so if hes asking me back for a third go round, then i assume i am one fo the two... or at the very least coming up on three. i cant see dude waisting his time like that if he didnt think i had something to bring to the table.

so now....... basically i guess i got to start hittin me some homeruns. apparantly im hittin doubles and triples, but he thinks i am not swinging for the fences like i should be. that analogy make sense? i got to figure out how to go up a few levels. this is an oppurtunity taht most people dont get-remember, i have HIS number. i have two weeks till the next one. i plan on making the absolute best of that time, and hopefully i can make this meeting the one that says "ok its time for a meeting at the office"

anyhow thats the latest.
 

Producer_GyaL

IllMuzik First Lady
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 182
wow.. sound like you are slowly getting ripped off... I hope not. But hey, FOCUS and see exactly how is working with you. Yes it is a good opportunity, but dont look at it like it would be your last chance. Maybe he plan to redo the string in question? Well, keep us posted about that.
 

Cold Truth

IllMuzik Moderator
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 25
no offense p gyal but i fail to see how i am being ripped off here. he is giving me the same feedback that anyone else would, just from his own perspective. he isnt taking anything from me. for one, he doesnt keep the cd's- its just listening sessions. he isnt trying to rip me off; his job is to develop talent. he likes things and he doesnt like others as much, same as anyone here would.

did i misunderstand your comment?
 

Producer_GyaL

IllMuzik First Lady
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 182
Cold Truth said:
no offense p gyal but i fail to see how i am being ripped off here. he is giving me the same feedback that anyone else would, just from his own perspective. he isnt taking anything from me. for one, he doesnt keep the cd's- its just listening sessions. he isnt trying to rip me off; his job is to develop talent. he likes things and he doesnt like others as much, same as anyone here would.

did i misunderstand your comment?

Yes maybe you misunderstood my comment cause im french. LOL But on the real, i have a negative vibe from the fact that he is really trying to modify your song. I dont remember if you said that he was a producer himself, but anyways, yeah, you have nothing to loose. I hope he is telling you valuable feedback for you own good and not for his pocket. And because he KNOWs that you are griding, he knows that you will accept anything that he tells you. For now he dont have your cd's, but eventually he will. anyways i pray he wont do any bad move. you deserve that luck!
 

Cold Truth

IllMuzik Moderator
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 25
^^^^well its like this

he is an A&R rep

his job is to develop talent, and there are upcoming projects that he is looking for production for. this isnt "lining his pockets"- allthough i am sure that he prfits off o me in some wy at some point. thats the nature fo the industry.

he does EXACTLY what i do when i give feedback here- i tell people what i think works, what i think doesnt, and what i think will make the overall product better. Wether or not people actually take that feedback is another thing. This is the same thing. He hears what he thinks works, what he thinks doesn’t, and what he thinks would be the best for the overall product-ecpet the overall product includes name artists that he is looking for beats for. this is basically dilated and defari, plus another cat he hasnt named and mentioned only in passing. thats his job and thats what these guys do. i am sure Big D can cosign this; it can be hot but if it isnt what they want for the project, it doesnt really matter. he is looking for a particular sound. he likes my current sound, and thinks i am worth his time. otherwise he wouldnt be messing with me to begin with.

that being said, this only helps me- A. it gives me valuable experience working with deadlines and doing specifics "i want THIS type of track and THIS type of sound". it helps me by being open to the same type of feedback and likes/dislikes an artist would have. its also an oppurtunity to make my mark in the professional realm. in no way am i being ripped off here.
 

pancakebunnny

needs more fartnoise
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 25
Man... He's not wanting to turn you into ________(insert hot producer's name here), so that gives you the opportunity to get your style out there, instead of getting a specific style out there. Looks like you'll have to take a deep breath, have patience, and do what it takes to get your foot AND leg in the door. Once you've done what it takes to get that far, you can start making moves on the strength of your name. No matter how good you are, though, unless you have someone in his position endorsing you, the powers-that-be aren't listening.

So, hey man, you're not very far. Don't forget that one of the things that typically keeps the majority of artists underpaid is the unwillingness to modify their product to commercial demands. I KNOW you aren't a commercial-sounding producer, but if it's gonna be a source of income for you, you've GOT to make certain changes, just like in any job.

Good luck...
 

shadeed

Go Digital or Go Home
ill o.g.
Give him the sounds that he wants, oftentimes when you have to tweak your sounds, get rid of stuff, and make beats for the approval of other people, you learn more about your sound and how to get the most out of it.
Keep it mind that you're in the business of selling beats, and in any business the customer is always right--the trick is to get a sound that your A&R contact is happy w/ and that YOU are satisfied with also. And also remember that his opinion (although its important becuz you wanna get in the door) is just HIS opinion. You can shop those same tracks (w/all the strings) to another A&R and he might love it, so just keep your music getting heard and in the hands of the right people. I wish you nothing but the best of luck!
 

bigdmakintrax

BeatKreatoR
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 123
Hey man I don't know how to tell you or how many times I heard it, I am just getting to the point of being more consistent, consistency is a big deal and also have universally acceptable tracks, the way to break with your own sound is to get your own artists a label and a following......I have gotten to the point where my music is not getting the thumbs down as much from the people that are helping me get the music acceptable, they have go so far as to give me examples of what they want or something close, is this selling out??? hmmmm I don't know, but if you apply for a job how many times do you get to dictate what you will do for that company? not much....so bottom line is practice for the part you want in the movie.....for some that is a big deal, for me it is a learning experience because 95% of major labels want familiar sounding commercial music bottom line, they have to ask themselves.....will we make money off of this? in combination.....does it fit the artists style or project.....I keep hearing it from people that get their songs placed......a hot beat or hot music does not equate to a placement on a project......so it must be completely true.....that is why you hear some really left field or lukewarm music making projects.....at a certain point it becomes business decisions and politics.....I am conforming to what they want if thats what I have to do to get on some projects and move to the big leaugues.....that's what I do....I have heard way harsher criticisms on my music recently but also with a wealth of information to assist me to get the music better......I do believe you can be born with skills but its not the only factor in making good music, practice, practice, practice and listen to what people are saying about your music....both good and bad....move it to the next level.....as I always say never let anyone tell you that your music cannot improve....it can and will if you apply yourself...study other music and listen to feedback and try to apply what the people are saying about your music.....Good Luck Cold....your music is dope man.
 
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