​ICE
CUT
MUSIC

HOW WE GET THE BEST RESULT

 

There are two paths to your cut:

GUIDED CUT (I GUIDE the cut.) 
If you don't have a plan for the music, you send me the track and rely on my experience for a beautifully crafted cut.

 

DIRECTED CUT  (You direct the cut.)
Before I begin we collaborate and you explain your preferred direction. If you don't know exactly what you want, we discuss which parts you love or don't love, figure out the intro/outro lengths you need, or tell me your speed requirements. Your input is important, and I review everything and shape a cut that works with your skating level, your program choreography and the structure of the music itself.  ​If something won’t work we flag it early and adjust together. 

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REFINEMENT versus a NEW DIRECTION

 

Refinements/adjustments are a normal part of the process. For example:

• shortening or lengthening the intro/outro

• adjusting transitions, or for example, making sure a specific part of the music is the same length as your spin

• rebalancing timing or energy

 

But a request can also change the overall direction of the music.  For example, if I followed your direction then you decide to:

• use completely different sections

• change the choice of track after the work has been started/completed

• restructure large portions of the edit

• shift the concept or feel,

In those cases, your cut is best handled as a new edit so the music can be built properly from the ground up. 

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​WHY COULD PRICING CHANGE?

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It probably won't.  Some tracks are beautifully written and recorded, and the edit almost cuts itself. Some tracks have a great intro and /or nice build and even a proper finish that can be used in the final cut.

 

But editing is not always so straightforward.  ​​​If you want to understand more, here are the kinds of things that will take extra time:

 

• Good cuts include an intro and an outro (an ending.)  But if your track(s) don't have a beginning or end, sometimes we have to re-build a section of the song/piece to create the intros and outros that you need for your performance. 

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• Key changes are great. They add lift, texture, build and used well they can really lift your performance. 
  One key change in a track is almost always usable.  Some music includes several key changes (think Disney music, film music, classical music) and means editors have to find a way to flow through every change, incorporating them all into the track as we go. If we can't do that, it's usually impossible to use the written ending.
  This can increase the time spent on your cut because we either have to find a way to compact the modulations, or re-write the ending somehow - because a good cutter NEVER gives you a fade. 
  Example: Listen to Mack the Knife from beginning to end and count the key changes. Frank Sinatra had 5, so did Bobby Darin, Robbie Williams had 4 (doesn't matter - you wouldn't choose his version anyway) and Jonathon Groff has 5. This means the story starts and ends in very different keys. But you may only have 1:30 mins.
   

• Manipulation of specific musical features to match moves in your program. Sometimes you may want a feature timed to a specific place in your performance. Sometimes we find the features that will give your coach a point of choreography for you.
   

• Tempo/mood changes are loved by many judges - they often help build the emotion or intensity of your program. They can be a little tough to handle and sometimes require software and musical skills to meld them smoothly. 

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As with all professional skills, time is money.
You pay your coach by the hour, which means you pay for the actual time it takes to teach you a skill or a program, not a flat fee per skill. They don't quote $10,000  for a landed double axel because although if 100 coaching hours everyone is good, what if it takes 1000 coaching hours with you on that one jump? They can't afford to teach you for $10 per hour. 

 

Same with music cuts. We can generalize that a 1:20 min cut will cost $45, but what if you send us 4 must-have tracks that you want blending into one final program edit? What if you are asking for Bohemian Rhapsody to be condensed to one minute? We offer fair pricing and know you will want to pay fairly too. 

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