The Blog from....www.bigdogmusicdesign.com

Music to make Marinara By

noreply@blogger.com (Leroy Bocchieri) — Mon, 7 Jul 2008 09:35:00 -0700

Need an Italian Trio for your next Italian restuarant scene?

Here is a link to just the piece.

Italian Strolling Band

http://www.bigdogmusicdesign.com/ specializes in ethnic sounds.

We are not only a music library but also a custom music producer.

Call us with your music needs at 630-693-0719

Hangin' Jazzy with Duke

noreply@blogger.com (Leroy Bocchieri) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 08:50:00 -0700

Jazz is often a genre that is in shorter supply in the cool libraries. Here is a link to a piece called Duke's Hang that combines hip-hop and jazz mediums.

www.Bigdogmusicdesign.com is here to combine anything that is combine-able!

Call or email us with your music needs. We are here.
630-693-0719
leroy@bigdogmusicdesign.com

Blues You Can Use

noreply@blogger.com (Leroy Bocchieri) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 09:06:00 -0700

Having just attended the Chicago Blues Festival, which is literally a short car ride straight east of my studio, inspired me feature some blues that BigDogMusicDesign.com offers. This song, Electric Jumpin' Blues is a fun 2 beat romp with a cool bluesy guitar.

While so many blues songs are old and perhaps in the public domain, the performances that are available as recordings are still often hard or expensive to license.

Below is a picture of myself (Leroy Bocchieri) with my good friend Mark DeCarlo and Queen of the Blues, KoKo Taylor, at a charity event in LA.

We had the honor of being KoKo's backing band for the evening and were rightly schooled:)

www.bigdogmusicdesign.com is a source for boutique, handmade, music for productions. Call us for a free music search at 630-693-0719

Featured Music Cue

noreply@blogger.com (Leroy Bocchieri) — Sun, 8 Jun 2008 08:25:00 -0700

One of our specialties at www.bigdogmusicdesign.com is ethnic music. Here is an example of a far eastern vibe mixed with a hip-hop groove. It is called Bali Funk. Check it out....
Click here....

Big Dog Labels "Miami Ink" Cajun Style

noreply@blogger.com (Leroy Bocchieri) — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 08:30:00 -0800

Big Dog recently delivered cajun/zydeco style cues for TLC's hot show, "Miami Ink"

Among the pieces delivered were Cajun Stew and Cajun Sauce. Featuring a live rhythm section including a cajun rubboard (frattoir) and Louisiana style accordian playing., the downhome tone was set for the show's location setting. These and other authentic ethnic style cues are available for download on our website at bigdog-musicdesign.com

Win a Custom Theme or Score

noreply@blogger.com (Leroy Bocchieri) — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 10:39:00 -0700

Revostock.com has proven to be a great source for producers to obtain stock footage, effects, and music via download. Revo has been a great broker for the Big Dog Music Design library. This month we are taking it a step further and offering the grand prize for their Monthly Producer's Challenge Contest for September. The prize consists of a FREE 30 second custom music rock genre theme, bed or score. All you need to do is upload stock assets on their site to sell and the most approved files wins!

BIg Dog Takes Bite out of Anchorwoman

noreply@blogger.com (Leroy Bocchieri) — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 18:16:00 -0700

Big Dog Music Design (Los Angeles / Chicago) has inked a deal to provide music for the new FOX TV series, ANCHORWOMAN.

Composer/Artist Leroy Bocchieri, who enjoyed critical acclaim and heavy video rotation on MTV Europe with his 3 previous CD releases (Day One: Figurehead, Day One: Hallowed Ground, LEROY: Electric) returns his focus to America and the mixing board to provide original, custom music design for FOX's newest reality/comedy hybrid.

"We create fresh music for TV, Film, Corporate and any other medium that uses recorded aural content as an asset," says Bocchieri.

With offices in Los Angeles and Chicago, Big Dog also provides original music for "The Surreal Life" on VH-1, "TV's Greatest..." series on TV Land, and "Focus on the Family" and other issue-oriented series on Lifetime. Last year, Bocchieri, an Italian-American from Chicago's rich indie-rock scene, was thrilled when one of his compositions was used as a theme on NBC's 2006 Torino Olympics. But even with his worldwide exposure, weekly American television continues to be his mainstay.

"Anchorwoman is an edgy comedy with a strong focus on music. We are gratified to be a part of one of the most anticipated shows on Fox's new fall schedule," Bocchieri added.

ANCHORWOMAN premiers August 22nd on the FOX Television Network.

Library on DVD

noreply@blogger.com (Leroy Bocchieri) — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 14:44:00 -0700

We have recently cataloged our entire library in wav files onto a single data DVD. This has proven helpful for many producers. If you would like to receive our 372 piece library on DVD for your perusal, please let us know. We'd be happy to send it.

Why we are Different....

noreply@blogger.com (Leroy Bocchieri) — Wed, 7 Mar 2007 18:51:00 -0800

We don’t use MIDI, we use MUSICIAN.

We don’t TELL you, we ASK you.

A SAMPLE to us is NOT an instrument…
it is a FREE demonstration of our services.

A CLIENT is a CREATIVE PARTNER.

A REVISION is a further step toward CUSTOMER SATISFACTION.

We don’t ENGINEER music, we CREATE aural pictures.

A DEADLINE is a DEADLINE….Period.

We can help your visuals....ask us how.

Music and the Mind

noreply@blogger.com (Leroy Bocchieri) — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 15:48:00 -0800

Daniel Levitin was a music producer and is now an expert in the neuroscience of music; how humans relate to and perceive music and sounds. Here is an article that explains it very well and can perhaps help when picking cues to marry to visual scenes.
Click Here

Big Dog on a Stick

noreply@blogger.com (Leroy Bocchieri) — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 19:49:00 -0800

Shortly we will be offering our complete library on a flash drive. While we are organinzing the files, we could use your help. Please tell us what you prefer:
1. mp3's or Wav files?
2. File info via id3 tags and metadata or spreadsheets with all the data logged?
3. mp3's at 192 or higher?
4. wavs at 44 or 48
5. Anything else?

Please email us your thoughts....we will discount your order 50% for any good suggestions.

The Perfect Voiceover

noreply@blogger.com (Leroy Bocchieri) — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 14:29:00 -0800

While we supply alot of music and sounds to productions, we are often asked for tips on recording the spoken word effectivily. Here are a few suggestions that have worked for many:

• Have the speaker warm up his or her body to raise energy and awareness.
• Provide vocal exercises such as humming, yawning, sighing and tongue-twisters to loosen and warm up vocal cords.
• Talk ahead of time about what to expect in the studio or on the set.
• Offer suggestions on how to keep a consistent distance from the mic.
• Help the speaker find a suitable vibe to fit the copy.
• Loosen them up from the beginning; help them laugh and feel comfortable – encouragement goes a long way.
• Get multiple retakes while saving the original keepers. Knowing they already "nailed it" often brings a more relaxed performance.
• Know when you have gotten the most from the subject.

A Transition Cue

noreply@blogger.com (Leroy Bocchieri) — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 12:49:00 -0800

Transitions in video can be a sweep, wipe, fade, effect, or blackout etc. Here is a complimentary audio transition cue done in an acoustic tambre. We have found it to be very useful in a number of ways. It comes from our Acoustic collection.
Click here for the cue.

Smaller is Bigger

noreply@blogger.com (Leroy Bocchieri) — Wed, 8 Nov 2006 09:39:00 -0800

Why are so many people excited about viewing and listening to programs through handheld devices? Control. Control to watch what they want when they want. But the product is often not ready for the small venue. Creating top level programming that feels like it belongs in this format takes a special level of care. This market is being touted by experts as a new, vast frontier. This is a great opportunity for the indie producer to wedge into a niche. On the audio front, attention is being paid to producing extra mixes in mono (for cellphones) and optimized for a small speaker. There is also a need to different stings, bumpers, and sound design to assist the video producer to tailor the product for the intended medium. It is definitely time to start looking to this medium as another necessary venue. YouTube, Google Video, and the like are great places to get a feel for this new vibe. This could be a great way to leave your mark.

A Jazzed Up Ending

noreply@blogger.com (Leroy Bocchieri) — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 19:05:00 -0700

One of the favorite sessions I was involved in was with a live jazz trio. The musical results of this 2 day session is documented in the Big Dog Music Design Jazz Collection. Here is a cue, for your use, with our compliments. We call it "Jazz Ending". As always, please send us clips of your work with our music.

"Inspired by Themes"

noreply@blogger.com (Leroy Bocchieri) — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 11:49:00 -0700

Big Dog Music Design has had alot of requests for what we call "Inspired by Themes".What we mean by "Inspired by Themes" is that we create a piece of music that is very reminisient of a certain requested piece that is well known. It needs to be a piece of music that the listener is caused to think of the "inspiried by theme" or recalls an era or mood but is not that piece of music and cannot in any way be labeled as a copy. This allows the production company to create a mood in line with what the original piece of music would invoke but not have to pay the license fee associated with a 40 year old classic song from a tv show etc. We have been very successful for many clients with this type of product creation and invite you all to give us a try if your piece dictates such as need.

Using "Comp" Tracks

noreply@blogger.com (Leroy Bocchieri) — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 14:57:00 -0700

Video images seem to come even more alive when they are married to music. Sometimes what seems to work conceptually, does not work in the editing bay. Hence, "comp" tracks can save alot of re-working before a final client review. So many times, the first track in becomes such a part of the edit that the intended final music just doesn't work as well.

We are happy to supply you with samples of our music, at no charge, to try against your footage.

Check out some samples online by clicking here.

If it works, simply purchase the disc or we can search our archives for something more suitable.

Email us your musical needs wishlist...

The 2006 Olympics, NBC, and Big Dog

noreply@blogger.com (Leroy Bocchieri) — Sun, 1 Oct 2006 18:19:00 -0700

This past winter Olympics held in Torino Italy was broadcast around the clock by NBC and The USA Network. A number of Big Dog Music pieces were used throughout the broadcast on both networks. We are happy to have been a part of such a universally historic event and look to supply more music in 2008.

Christmas in September

noreply@blogger.com (Leroy Bocchieri) — Fri, 22 Sep 2006 13:22:00 -0700

As I sit here in the '00's version of a library i.e. Panera Bread, I see the leaves falling and the sky get darker faster. It reminds me that projects in post right now probably need Holiday music. That is one of our favorite things to do. We compose original Holiday-sounding music as well as re-makes in various genres of public domain Holiday songs. Recently we did a version of O'Christmas Tree in a Surf guitar/Dick Dale vibe. It was fun! Soon we will post it for your listening pleasure. In the meantime, please let us know what you need in holiday sounds. We might have it or we can create it. Talk to you soon. leroy@bigdogmusicdesign.com

Need a Reggae Vocalist

noreply@blogger.com (Leroy Bocchieri) — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 20:09:00 -0700

We are currently working on a project that requires a reggae tinged male vocalist. If you know anybody in Chicago, please contact me at: leroy@bigdogmusicdesign.com
Thanks

Bob Parsons 16 Rules

noreply@blogger.com (Leroy Bocchieri) — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 14:04:00 -0700

I won't often use other peoples' material for the Big Dog Blog, Bob Parsons' blog contained this post recently and I felt compelled to lift it for those who have not read it yet. Enjoy!

Here are the 16 rules I (i.e. Bob Parsons) try to live by:

1. Get and stay out of your comfort zone. I believe that not much happens of any significance when we're in our comfort zone. I hear people say, "But I'm concerned about security." My response to that is simple: "Security is for cadavers."
2. Never give up. Almost nothing works the first time it's attempted. Just because what you're doing does not seem to be working, doesn't mean it won't work. It just means that it might not work the way you're doing it. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it, and you wouldn't have an opportunity.
3. When you're ready to quit, you're closer than you think. There's an old Chinese saying that I just love, and I believe it is so true. It goes like this: "The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed."
4. With regard to whatever worries you, not only accept the worst thing that could happen, but make it a point to quantify what the worst thing could be. Very seldom will the worst consequence be anywhere near as bad as a cloud of "undefined consequences." My father would tell me early on, when I was struggling and losing my shirt trying to get Parsons Technology going, "Well, Robert, if it doesn't work, they can't eat you."
5. Focus on what you want to have happen. Remember that old saying, "As you think, so shall you be."
6. Take things a day at a time. No matter how difficult your situation is, you can get through it if you don't look too far into the future, and focus on the present moment. You can get through anything one day at a time.
7. Always be moving forward. Never stop investing. Never stop improving. Never stop doing something new. The moment you stop improving your organization, it starts to die. Make it your goal to be better each and every day, in some small way. Remember the Japanese concept of Kaizen. Small daily improvements eventually result in huge advantages.
8. Be quick to decide. Remember what the Union Civil War general, Tecumseh Sherman said: "A good plan violently executed today is far and away better than a perfect plan tomorrow."
9. Measure everything of significance. I swear this is true. Anything that is measured and watched, improves.
10. Anything that is not managed will deteriorate. If you want to uncover problems you don't know about, take a few moments and look closely at the areas you haven't examined for a while. I guarantee you problems will be there.
11. Pay attention to your competitors, but pay more attention to what you're doing. When you look at your competitors, remember that everything looks perfect at a distance. Even the planet Earth, if you get far enough into space, looks like a peaceful place.
12. Never let anybody push you around. In our society, with our laws and even playing field, you have just as much right to what you're doing as anyone else, provided that what you're doing is legal.
13. Never expect life to be fair. Life isn't fair. You make your own breaks. You'll be doing good if the only meaning fair has to you, is something that you pay when you get on a bus (i.e., fare).
14. Solve your own problems. You'll find that by coming up with your own solutions, you'll develop a competitive edge. Masura Ibuka, the co-founder of SONY, said it best: "You never succeed in technology, business, or anything by following the others." There's also an old Asian saying that I remind myself of frequently. It goes like this: "A wise man keeps his own counsel."
15. Don't take yourself too seriously. Lighten up. Often, at least half of what we accomplish is due to luck. None of us are in control as much as we like to think we are.
16. There's always a reason to smile. Find it. After all, you're really lucky just to be alive. Life is short. More and more, I agree with my little brother. He always reminds me: "We're not here for a long time; we're here for a good time."
used by permission of Bob Parsons (http://www.bobparsons.com) and is Copyright 2005 by Bob Parsons. All rights reserved."Copyright © 2004 - 2005 Bob Parsons All rights reserved.

Beethoven on Business

noreply@blogger.com (Leroy Bocchieri) — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 13:08:00 -0700

I stumbled upon into this quote recently... Thought it was interesting that artists through time have faced the same occupational hazards.

"No one should drive a hard bargain with an artist."
--- Ludwig Van Beethoven

Film Credit in "Hunting Humans"

noreply@blogger.com (Leroy Bocchieri) — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 11:28:00 -0700

Hunting Humans is an indie film that has a life of its' own. I first met Kevin Kangas through a purchase he made from me on Ebay. He told me he was a filmmaker and needed a mixer for sound. He bought my mixer and when I shipped it I slipped a cd into the box. Years later he calls me to ask if he can use a few songs in his film. Yes, of course! A year or more later he announces that he secured distribution and festival appearances. A year after that the film appears on Amazon and in major rental outlets.
We love that! If you have a creative project, let's talk. We are here to work with you and be part of the production...no matter how large or small.

Pump Audio and Big Dog

noreply@blogger.com (Leroy Bocchieri) — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 19:19:00 -0700

Big Dog Music Design is proud to announce that we are now a content provider for Pump Audio.
Pump Audio boasts over 10,000 royalty free cues by independent artists and composers. Their customer base includes many notable TV shows and production companies.

What's a Blish?

noreply@blogger.com (Leroy Bocchieri) — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 13:20:00 -0700

Big Dog Music Design is now an audio content provider for Blish. Blish is a digital content provider. They offer downloadable content such as graphics, audio, programs, photos, video etc.
Their selection is growing and has some eclectic choices! Check it out. Tell 'em Big Dog sent ya.