Tag Archives: routine music

Testimonials for Squirrel Trench Audio

Normally I like to contribute many ideas and techniques for how YOU can edit your own dance routine music better, but I would be remiss if I didn’t occasionally post some of the glowing testimonials that are coming in for my Squirrel Trench Audio music editing and remixing work. It is truly a pleasure to make so many dance parents, dance teachers, and dance studio owners happy by providing solid, click-free, glitch-free, well-structured music for their superlative choreography.

Here are a couple testimonials; more can be found on the Testimonial page:

“You are a rock star! This is amazing! I can not wait to see her rock out on stage to this version!”

— a dance mom in Texas,
December 17, 2011

“Oh my goodness!  This is great! I can’t wait to have her listen when she gets home from school today.  I will have her bring it to gym and see what the coach thinks about timing.  I’m sure it will be great.  Thanks so very much! That was fast!”

— parent of a gymnastic student in Ohio,
who needed a music edit/remix for a floor routine
October 11, 2011

“It sounds great; I love your work!”

— Miss Daysha, dance teacher at
OnStage Dance Studios, Cedar City Utah
February 21, 2012

“Thank you! It’s perfect….I’ll be sending some more requests soon.”

— Miss Kimberly, dance studio owner at
Dance for Joy, Brielle, New Jersey
November 2, 2011

Mastering the loudness of your dance competition and recital music

11882514-ear-and-sound-waves-Stock-Vector-hearingMost of the time, when you are editing modern music for your dance routines, it’s already as loud as it can get. Make your edits, and you are done.

But for some type of music, especially ballads, lyrical songs, movie soundtrack songs, or older Broadway showtunes, soft passages sound too soft when played over dance competition sound systems.

What your music needs in this case is a process known as mastering.

Mastering is a delicate art, and even though the tools for mastering are now within reach of casual music editors, it takes a trained ear to use the tools effectively and deliver a result that sounds natural and smooth. Amateurs often use too much compression and limiting when trying to make music sound louder, but mastering engineers employ other techniques to avoid making the music sound squashed.

I highly recommend that you do not simply turn up the volume in your music editing software. This results in digital clipping distortion – an awful crackly noise, which I have occasionally heard in music played at dance competitions.

If you’ve got your dance routine music ready to go, but find that there are parts of the music that are too soft when played on competition sound systems, I can master the audio for you, to bring it to a place where it sounds great and is at the proper level for competition. A single song can be mastered for as little as $29, or email me for a quote on mastering a batch of songs. I will set up a private folder for you to upload your competition mixes. Then I will master it and send it back to you via the online folder.

If you are in doubt as to whether or not your music needs mastering, send me the file and I will listen to it for you at no obligation whatsoever. If it could benefit from mastering, I will let you know, and if it is already as loud as it can reasonably go, then I will let you know that too.

I do not advocate that your music ever gets pushed to a loud extreme… an ugly process that has developed in the digital age known as the Loudness Wars. However, music designed to be played over dance competition and recital sound systems should be at an adequate level so that the music is not drowned out by the audience, acrobatic landings, nor tap shoes.