Broadjam Artist: Stanford
Song: Promised Land
Broadjam Pro Reviewer:
Doug Diamond (Music Supervisor, Engineer, Producer, Composer )
Pro General Comments: Hi Stanford -Greetings from Nashville. Hope you are doing well. Thanks for letting me know about you and what you're doing, as well as your tune. Yes, I would agree that "Promised Land" is Low-Fi/Indie/Alternative Rock. I think that's an accurate description. Some bands and artists have a hard time describing their type of music/genre, so I think it's great that you have.I would call "Promised Land" *unique* (versus "different" - which it is that too). I sort of like the low-fi recording technique and overall sound it has. However, in the world of sync for TV, film, commercials, games, etc., the quality or sound of the recording itself is very important as most of the time it is not recut or re-recorded, so the original recording is used. What you have here is unique-sounding by itself and could lend itself to a particular type of sync placement that not everybody would be capable of pulling off. I think you do so in a very original type of way. I think with further development and work, your song and you as an artist/producer show a lot of promise and talent, so keep up the good work.On the low-fi aspect, I am not clear if that is purposeful (having a unique sound is what you're going for) or if that is more of an outcome of the way you work, your gear, and your experience/know-how. Either way, it does have a certain charm to it. Admittedly, from a sync and music supervisor standpoint, it is original-sounding, however the projects I could pitch it for would be few and far between based on the quality of the recording, primarily.Ideally for sync or pro applications, you would use low-fi as an effect versus a main/overall sound that you don't deviate from. Does that make sense?If you want to stay low-fi, you're there. If you want to bump up your game a bit and are working on getting to the point where crystal-clear, pro-sounding recordings are what you are after, you still have some work to do of course, but that doesn't mean it will take forever to get there. Practice will certainly give you more ideas and make you better at doing whatever you are trying to do (that goes for anything in life).I like the vocal performance and instrumental performances overall. Are there small things to fix? Yes, but it certainly is manageable. Same for the recording itself.To me, I listen first with an ear for what I call the production value - the technical aspects of the recording, mix, and master. I do this because, for the projects I work on as a music supervisor, we're using your original recording, so it has to be stellar, sound professional, and top-notch. None of my clients have the time or budget to take a really great song with a horrible recording and re-record/mix/master it - so therefore, it has to sound great out of the box. If it doesn't, I typically pass on it because I know my clients will as well.In the case of "Promised Land", I can hear the potential of the song. I like the melody/hook you have come up with and I do like your performances - the vocals and instrumentation. I do think there are things you can fix and make better, but in general, you are definitely heading in the right direction.Hopefully that helps. I'll address your other comments below.Sincerely,Doug
Quote From Pro: "Promised Land" by Stanford shows promise indeed. His low-fi recording technique is very interesting - and when combined with good songwriting and melodies, it makes for a nice combination of originality and uniqueness that I haven't really heard before.