FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

• What sets Creating Across Continents apart from the competition?
  • A personalized approach to each track I work with - inspired by your music.  This includes musical motifs or other original content derived directly from your original thematic material whenever possible in order to create the most cohesive and organic result.
  • Professional quality sampled instruments, DAW software, reverbs* and mastering tools.  The same sounds and tools used for movies and other media worldwide.  (*Note: unless requested or truly needed, your original audio track will not be altered by reverb, EQ etc.  If you spent time mastering your sound to get it "just right" I will not change it.) 
  • Individual part writing from start to finish.  5-part contrapuntal (when appropriate) string writing for maximum realism and flexibility. Multiple solo instruments used for ensemble sections for the highest level of realism.   ("Ensemble patches" are used only for support in limited situations.) This approach applies to all instrument families.  
  • As a conservatory trained composer and conductor, I am ideally suited to follow your musical lead when creating my arrangements.  This allows me to both allow your performance to shine on its own and also to offer tasteful, instrumental support as dictated by your composition.

• Do I retain all rights to my original composition and recording if I do an "Orchestral Wrap"?  YES! You retain all rights to your solo performance / recording and are given 100% credit as the original Composer in the track metadata of the completed collaboration.  I will claim the rights and ownership of the arranged track only.  

• How much does and "Orchestral Wrap" cost?  The cost varies by the length and complexity of your original composition / performance and the anticipated amount of orchestration work that will be appropriate.  Typically, if your track is a good match for my services, you will receive at least two different pricing options. 

• What do you need from me?  In most cases, the sound recording is all I need, although having a written score usually helps speed up the process (and lower the cost) if one is available.  Just fill out the submission form on the "Get Wrapped" page to get started.   

• Do you accept every track for an "Orchestral Wrap"? Sadly, I cannot always accept tracks, even though the written music or performance might be truly outstanding.  In order for this type of collaboration to be successful, I look at the following:

  • Recording quality.  There must be little to no background noise and the instrument must be in tune. 

  • Density of the music.  Sometimes a composition is filled with so much going on that there is simply not enough "room" to create an "Orchestral Wrap" around it. Therefore, not all tracks will be good candidates for "wrapping".

  • Intangibles.  If there is a particular element (musical style, unrealistic deadline or other time limitations, unexpected technical issues, etc.) that I feel is not a good fit for the way I work, I will simply pass on the track. 

  • If you are undecided about your track's compatibility, be sure to go to the "Listen" page to hear more samples of my work.  Is there a track there similar to your style? If not, remember, there is NEVER a fee for me to listen to your performance to determine if it can be successfully "wrapped", so feel free to submit your track with no risk :-)  

•  What instruments will you work with?  Piano is by far the primary instrument of my collaborators, but guitar, or even piano and voice can also work exceptionally well.  There really is no limitation.