# Hi and shalom-website feedback anyone?



## impressions (Aug 21, 2011)

hey gang of thugs,
sorry for not introducing myself earlier on the forum, done lots of revisions for my website before i'd feel comfortable to present it here.
to cut to the chase, i've been a guitarist most of my musician career, been composing "professionally" for the past 2 years(by professionally meaning, getting payed o=< ).

i'm still thinking of revising my website since most composer websites are fast loading, html/wordpress type thing because of the "crowd control" management by directors/devs,
so i'll probably be replacing that "fancy" flash site of mine for something more...fast.

if something popped up for you as wrong or bad, i'll be very thankful for your feedback.

peace sells, but who's buying.


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## JohnG (Aug 21, 2011)

Hi and shalom Ariel

Your music is good, which is an excellent start for any website, naturally. Also, it's great that you are getting paid to work; without money, sooner or later one has to do something else, so getting jobs is very important. Congratulations!

Nevertheless, I will barge in and offer a number of suggestions. I apologise if they are impractical or you don't like them -- I am not intending to offend, but I'm giving blunt reactions.

1. Your website should show who you are and what you want to do. If you want to write for movies, show that. If you want to do games, show that (really liked the "console sewer"). But I would not segregate the "style" demo and would be cautious to separate the iPhone / console thingy. You risk seeming like you are looking, at the same time, for games, movies, ring-tone, and even source music gigs. That makes you seem not terribly established and that you are all over the place. Even though you show plenty of talent in all these areas, I personally think one needs...

...focus

2. Overall, I have three observations:

a. Personality -- Show first your most personal stuff. For me that translates to the more emotional and cinematic music -- some big, some small -- but for you it might be something totally different. Having a prominent separate section with the flamenco and bluegrass is, in my view, not a good idea. It makes you come off as "I can do anything!" Maybe you can, but it dilutes your personality. Put your personality on your music and showcase that. Otherwise you sound like anybody. That typically does not lead to prestigious, high-paying jobs (though of course it can sometimes).

b. Lead with pieces that are played all live or that have at least some live elements. This makes one sound more like a "real" composer. Mockups are mockups. Even though final products for many media are in fact mockups, the bigger budget stuff always has some live players, even if only as as overdubs. I liked the accordion thing (third or fourth in the "drama" reel) because it sounds real. The piano stuff is cool too, but one of those is enough. 

c. Length could be a little longer -- You are smart to keep the demos short on a CD, but you might consider putting slightly longer versions on the website. If someone is checking you out he or she can skip through the site and listen to 20 second bursts. If someone likes a piece, though, on the website it's fine to play it longer. (Not on a CD. Painfully, people often audition little more than 10-20 seconds anyway. And may be on the phone or holding a meeting at the same time. Tragic but true.) 

3. Specific tracks -- The very first piece on the "film and tv" is -- terrible. Not that it's a bad piece but, as a first piece someone hears, it is exactly the same piece everyone has on early demos. Besides, it sounds like a mockup, rather than real instruments. By contrast, I liked much better the second one. Not only the metre being less done-to-death, but it just sounds a bit different. Also, track 5, the hero theme, is such a clear lift of Superman that I would not put it out to the public.

4. Show you are working -- Perhaps use the titles of pieces to show it's "real" work, viz. "A Planet's Mind" (trailer for feature)

Anyway, I know this is very blunt, but I think you have a lot that's good here musically, and your commercial "muscle" is working too. That is a very good combination. I am sorry if I trod too harshly, which maybe I did.

Good luck and thanks for posting your music.


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## impressions (Aug 21, 2011)

hey john,
thank you for taking the time and listening! 
it's hard to get criticized but it might be for the best, so again thank you for pointing out.


i do have some disagreements regarding displaying skills and spreading yourself on various platforms(lots of composers work on different platforms simultaneously to make a living).
maybe if i was a hollywood composer i would limit myself to film to be accounted as a serious one. 
perhaps a more professional way will be to put different pages for each market i'm pitching for. so that i won't be looked down as medicore "jack of all trades". then again, game devs might like my film music more than my game music or vice versa...so i'm not sure what's really better.

2b: there's some limitation of live composition(i don't really have besides that accordion).

2c+3- should be fixed, i agree.
4. it's on my news or credits, but usually i write what's it for if it was for a project, which those first 2 aren't.
it's funny that people tells me opposite stuff, they thought that first track(planet's mind) was actually ways better than that 2nd track..so i just picked what i liked.. might be it's a really bad mock up with bad samples which gave you that yuck feeling. on that mixing side i have major work.

by the way, where did you hear stuff like that first track? i went through quite a few websites and i didn't hear that kind of music. i'd love some references to that corny music.


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## JohnG (Aug 21, 2011)

sent a private message


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## impressions (Oct 19, 2012)

Hi again to whomever wants to review my new
Website is online:
http://arielguez.weebly.com/index.html

Feedback much appreciated


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## kfirpr (Dec 13, 2012)

Hi
I liked your Action & Epic tracks, hello from Israel!


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