Category Archives: Music for Video

Drones, Kingfishers, and Joey Cook’s Ukulele

Goa, India’s diminutive state on the west coast, enjoys a certain reputation as a party destination, full of backpackers and bikinis, in search of yoga or outdoor sports.  But it also has its wildlife – especially birds. I wrote about … Continue reading

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Free Jungle Sounds

Every now and then I come across some sounds that might be of use to other video hobbyists.  These are pretty clean, high quality recordings taken with a Rode Videomic.  Feel free to download the sounds and use them for … Continue reading

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The Right Music for a Video. But Not Quite.

Sometimes finding exactly the right ‘feel’ music for a video is the most fun part of video editing, and other times I dread it.  Because I already know that it’s going to be impossible to find music that won’t be … Continue reading

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Tired of Shelling Out Ten Grand to Sing “Happy Birthday”?

What’s that? You’re not paying Time Warner, the copyright holder, for the rights to sing “Happy Birthday to You” in a public place? You could be opening yourself up to a lawsuit! That’s apparently what they charge. It’s probably just … Continue reading

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Underwater Videography: Things I’ve Learned

If you’ve ever managed to take along a camera snorkeling, you probably had the same reaction I did when you got your finished footage home to the computer:  “It looks nothing like it did when I was actually snorkeling.”  Colors … Continue reading

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A Day in Lüderitz – Two Different Soundtracks

Recently my daughter and I took a trip to the small, somewhat odd Namibian coastal town of Lüderitz.  I say it’s odd because we arrived on a Saturday afternoon, after driving a long, winding road which seemed unable to keep … Continue reading

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“One Day on Earth” Music Video

The “One Day on Earth” project, which collected video from all over the world on 11.11.11 (and also, by the way, on 10.10.10), has stitched all their footage together into a full-length film, which is to be screened at many … Continue reading

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Best music for hanging out with giraffes

When you’re editing vacation videos, it’s always fun to come up with the best music – ideally one that conveys the right mood, maybe something that relates to the place you’re visiting.  But sometimes the best music to convey the … Continue reading

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Music mashup using video editing software

So while it may appear obvious to others, it turns out you can use video editing software to create music mashups. I had noticed the similarity between certain tunes and wanted to give this a try, but couldn’t bring myself … Continue reading

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King George Meets Ludwig Van: A Perfect Fit

I like to say that the best movie soundtrack is the one you didn’t realize was there – the music subtly intertwines with the story, toys with your emotions and enhances the mood, all just along the fringe of your … Continue reading

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Autotuning Everything

A recent phenomenon (and an unfortunate one, in my opinion) to hit the music industry is the use of Auto-Tuning software to correct pitch. For just a few hundred bucks, you can get a plug-in for your audio editing software … Continue reading

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Full-Length Album Composed on Sony PSP

That’s right, on a Sony Playstation Portable. Killing time at various airports, trains, on the beach, and during the kids’ sports practices, and using the game Beaterator, I’ve composed and recorded a full-length album. I’ve stopped short of designing cover … Continue reading

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Too much time on your hands? Try this at home!

So my kids tell me this is SO last week, but I thought this video was HILARIOUS – somehow genius and somehow disturbing that this is what some people do in their spare time: Technology has brought the internet to … Continue reading

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New Music

I created some more music.  Feel free to download it and use it for stuff (Creative Commons / Share Alike) – all I ask is to see what gets done with it, really.  Maybe eventually I’ll put this on a … Continue reading

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A Pair of Articles on Royalty-Free Music

Videomaker’s free online magazine published a couple of great articles which, in combination with my earlier post on where to get royalty-free (and other low-cost or flat-fee) music to make your videos legal, is a great resource for ensuring (a) … Continue reading

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Words Matter Too

Finally giving credit to the “lyricist” part of songwriting, an interesting article in today’s New York Times talks about growing interest in charging royalties for song lyrics.  The article points out: For decades, printed song lyrics lived in relative obscurity, … Continue reading

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Making Music on a PSP

In spite of the lengthy list of online royalty-free music sources I listed in my previous post, finding the right tune for your images can be a challenging and time-consuming process.  So I’ve recently acquired some new gadgets to help … Continue reading

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Searching for a Soundtrack

Debunking common myths about music for video editing, followed by a long list of free and / or inexpensive sources of music for your video project. Continue reading

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In search of raw materials…

Those of us who aspire to make video on a budget that is significantly less than, say $100 million have our own challenges. One of these is finding raw materials – legally – to incorporate into our work. Music is the obvious shortcoming- unless you’re also a songwriter and musician, you probably can’t afford to pay the prices you’d like in order to practice your craft. But what about sound effects? Stock video? Even with the growth of low(er) cost licensing sources, you almost have to be a copyright lawyer to navigate all the fine print! Continue reading

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Rumblefish: A possible source of music

With all the fuss nowadays about copyright infringement, it’s important to ensure you are legally using the music you incorporate into your videos. This applies even if you’re just YouTubing or making a wedding video. Check out Rumblefish.com for an inexpensive source of music with a decent selection and a great search function. Continue reading

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The importance of music

Music can be the make-or-break element in any video product. The skill with which this tool is wielded can make all the difference. If you decide to use music created by others, insure you read the “fine print”! Continue reading

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