"We provide musical solutions to problems," says composer Sherman Foote, co-owner of Big Foote Music in New York City. He’s trying to explain a value proposition that goes beyond just beats, tunes and jingles for TV spots. Big Foote is a musical hothouse with a crew of writers who need to be able to work fast and turn on a dime. The company’s six composers all pitch in with their own take on each project; the idea is that the ideal approach to a spot will bubble to the top. "From mix to idea to finish is about three days," Foote explains. "Everyone writes on everything all the time. That enables us to keep everybody flexible and to keep track writing at a high level — and fast."
Big Foote’s technology helps writers exploit what Foote calls a "palette of color," giving each writer the ability to sound like a whole group of musicians. They work on Macs and Pentium G4s with Digidesign 192 and 96i HD 3 Accel systems and Yamaha 02R mixers, as well as a raft of software: Logic Platinum, Tascam Gigasampler (for PC) and the Soundminer library management system. Also on board is an assortment of software synths (Native Instruments Komplete 2, Spectrasonics Stylus, Trilogy and Atmosphere, and Reason) and plug-ins (Waves Diamond Bundle and Native Instruments Guitar Rig). "The physical space is one-fifth the effort of the technology space," Foote says. "If you’re in the know about technological space, it’s more exciting."
Post your comments below
