# Client's knowledge of samples...



## MikeH (Apr 26, 2010)

Now, I find it great when a client is aware of the advantage of using live musicians and pushes for it.... 

But have you ever experienced a situation where even though your production sounds flawless and convincing, if the client knows that it's sampled it affects their judgment of the piece? Sometimes I think it's purely psychological...if something sounds great and they assume it's live musicians, then it gets approved. Take the same track and tell them it's sampled and suddenly it doesn't sound real enough. 

Interested in your thoughts...

Michael


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## Dr.Quest (Apr 26, 2010)

Yes - this has always been the case for me. My "favorite" comment from a producer (that was also a friend of mine and knew better) after playing her a commercial jazzy track that the director liked said-
"Are you going to use any real musicians" while knowing full well -
A. I was a real musician
B. They had no budget to pay anyone else.
Had I given it to them telling them I had some friends play the various tracks she wouldn't have asked that question.
It is annoying.
J


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## autopilot (Apr 26, 2010)

don't ask. don't tell.


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## Hannes_F (Apr 27, 2010)

I am lately working a lot in the field of "samples music bettered by live recordings" and can tell you that there is still a big, big difference. No matter how similar samples and live recordings may sound if you only compare few-second snippets of both ... the live recording simply keeps being interesting for a much longer time span, if it is a good one. That is why my clients hire me [i:eedf916òºq   Ï35ºq   Ï36ºq   Ï37ºq   Ï38ºq   Ï39ºq   Ï3:ºq   Ï3;ºq   Ï3<ºq   Ï3=ºq   Ï3>ºq   Ï3?ºq   Ï[email protected]ºq   Ï3Aºq   Ï3Bºq   Ï3Cºq   Ï3Dºq   Ï3Eºq   Ï3Fºq   Ï3Gºq   Ï3Hºq   Ï3Iºq   Ï3Jºq   Ï3Kºq   Ï3Lºq   Ï3Mºq   Ï3Nºq   Ï3Oºq   Ï3Pºq   Ï3Qºq   Ï3Rºq   Ï3Sºq   Ï3Tºq   Ï3Uºq   Ï3Vºq   Ï3Wºq   Ï3Xºq   Ï3Yºq   Ï3Zºq   Ï3[ºq   Ï3\ºq   Ï3]ºq   Ï3^ºq   Ï3_ºq   Ï3`ºq   Ï3aºq   Ï3bºq   Ï3cºq   Ï3dºq   Ï3eºq   Ï3fºq   Ï3gºq   Ï3hºq   Ï3iºq   Ï3jºq   Ï3kºq   Ï3lºq   Ï3mºq   Ï3nºq   Ï3oºq   Ï3pºq   Ï3qºq   Ï3rºq   Ï3sºr   Ï¨ºr   Ï©ºr   Ï3tºr   Ï3uºr   Ï3vºr   Ï3wºr   Ï3xºr   Ï3yºr   Ï3zºr   Ï3{ºr   Ï3|ºr   Ï3}ºr   Ï3~ºr   Ï3ºr   Ï3€ºr   Ï3ºr   Ï3‚ºr   Ï3ƒºr   Ï3„ºr   Ï3…ºr   Ï3†ºr   Ï3‡ºr   Ï3ˆºr   Ï3‰ºr   Ï3Šºr   Ï3‹ºr   Ï3Œºr   Ï3ºr   Ï3Žºr   Ï3ºr   Ï3ºr   Ï3‘ºr   Ï3’ºr   Ï3“ºr   Ï3”ºr   Ï3•ºr   Ï3–ºr   Ï3—ºr   Ï3˜ºr   Ï3™ºr   Ï3šºr   Ï3›ºr   Ï3œºr   Ï3ºr   Ï3žºr   Ï3Ÿºr   Ï3 ºr   Ï3¡ºr   Ï3¢              òºr   Ï3¤ºr   Ï3¥ºr   Ï3¦ºr   Ï3§ºr   Ï3¨ºr   Ï3©ºr   Ï3ªºr   Ï3«ºr   Ï3¬ºr   Ï3­ºr   Ï3®ºr   Ï3¯ºr   Ï3°ºr   Ï3±ºr   Ï3²ºr   Ï3³ºr   Ï3´ºr   Ï3µºr   Ï3¶ºr   Ï3·ºr   Ï3¸ºr   Ï3¹ºr   Ï3ººr   Ï3»ºr   Ï3¼ºr   Ï3½ºr   Ï3¾ºr   Ï3¿ºr   Ï3Àºr   Ï3Áºr   Ï3Âºr   Ï3Ãºr   Ï3Äºr


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## bluejay (Apr 27, 2010)

I have had this situation and it was pretty much the fact that they knew I had no budget for an orchestra was what pointed them to the fact that it was samples. Once I mentioned that I had used live players as well they immediately fell silent because then they daren't complain about anything sounding 'obviously sampled' for fear of it being a live instrument.

In general I don't have any kind of confrontational relationship with my clients and when this happened it was more of a peripheral member of the director's team making comments but these dissenting voices can be trouble if they're given too much credibility. 

I do think that adding in live instruments helps a lot and I always try and get live players for solos.


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## Hannes_F (Apr 27, 2010)

MikeH @ Tue Apr 27 said:


> even though your production sounds flawless and convincing, if the client knows that it's sampled it affects their judgment of the piece? Sometimes I think it's purely psychological...



Actually I could tell quite some stories about the psychology also working the other way round. It has been more than once that a composer adressed me indicating that he honestly thought he was already there with samples and did not really need it but the director/client had not approved the cue and insisted on mixing in real strings, so he had no choice.

I recorded and delivered the thing .... and then they said OK, now I hear the difference, I replaced the samples with your strings entirely. Happened several times.

Everybody knows temp score love by directors but there is also a samples sound love going on ... :D


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