​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.)
You collaborate with me before I begin, and 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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REFINEMENTS vs NEW DIRECTION

 

Refinements/adjustments are a normal part of the process.

This might include:

• 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

 

Occasionally however, a request changes the overall direction of the music.
For example, imagine I have followed the direction and you decide on:

• using completely different sections

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

• restructuring large portions of the edit

• shifting the concept or feel
   

In those cases, it’s best handled as a new edit so the music can be built properly from the ground up.

I’ll always talk this through with you first.

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WHEN AND WHY WOULD PRICING CHANGE?

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Some tracks are beautifully written and recorded, and the edit almost cuts itself. These tracks have a great intro, nice build and a proper finish that can be used in the final cut. But editing is not always so straightforward.

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There are many ways to musically enhance your skating performance, which in turn can raise your points score, and help you become the winner you want to be.

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Here are the kinds of things that will take extra time:

 

• Good cuts include an intro and an outro (an ending.)  When the track(s) you send don't have parts we can use for beginnings and ends 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 right they can really lift your performance. 
  One key change in a track is almost always usable.  However music that includes several key changes (think Disney music, film music, classical music) 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 Darren, 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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So what does this mean? As with all professional skills, time equals money. Think of it like this: 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. So what if they quoted you $10,000  for a landed double axel? Fine if you do it in 100 coaching hours, but 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 8 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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