Skating Music

[deannathegeek]

Every level of skating has its own time limits-at ISI Freestyle 1 a
program is 1.5 minutes +/- 10 seconds, while the spotlight event is a
minute. I think USFS Adult Bronze is 1:40. Anyways, there's a lot of
good music to skate to, but hard to find anything at the specified
lengths for a skating program.

I've taken it upon myself to cut my own music using audio editing
software, but (no offense to anyone) not everyone's computer savvy
enough to do this themselves. So out of curiosity, where does everyone
get their skating music from?

ps-I'm willing to help cut music for anyone if there's something you'd
like to skate to but can't find.

[SkatingOnClouds]

My coach does mine. I am computer savvy, and can use Audacity pretty well to edit music, and would happily do it myself, but she does it much better.

She moves pieces of the music around, adjusts the volumes for smooth transitions between edits, and even ensures that the starting notes are at the right pitch for the key of the piece. She is a musician as well as skating coach, so she combines those skills to create really good skating programs.

[patatty]

I do my own using a wave editing program on my computer. I like to have all my music saved on the computer - this way I can burn new discs whenever I need to. I actually enjoy playing around with the audio files to find just the right cuts.

[tidesong]

I've gotten pretty good at using windows movie maker to do my music! It comes with all my computers and it does the job, it lets you change audio levels and fade in and out :)

[Clarice]

I do my own and my daughter's, using Cakewalk Home Studio. I'm a musician, too, and am pretty picky about my cuts so that the finished product is not only the right length, but makes musical sense. One I was very proud of was her Junior freeskate - it was to a movie soundtrack, and we used 9 tracks with 11 separate cuts. By the time I was finished, you would have thought it had been composed that way. :)

Most of our coaches will do music cutting for their students, and a few parents take CDs to a local recording studio and pay to have them cut the music.

[jskater49]

We've been lucky to have coaches who are very good at editing. I listen to some cuts at competitions and cringe.

We just had a mini-controversy with our spring ice show - we chose Nat King Cole's "Lazy Crazy Hazy Days of Summer", then decided against it because he sings "pretzels and beer" like a million times and didn't think parents would appreciate their kids singing along and because it was so repetitive we didn't think it could be edited out. Our coach, also the show director, said to use it, it was a cute song and she could edit it. Then the coach who was assigned to choreograph it listened to it and was sure it could not be edited and wanted a different song. This is after the costumes have been ordered. So our coach edits the song and you would never know there ever was any beer in it ;-)

j

[singerskates]

I edit and remaster my own music. But I also edit and remaster for some of the coaches who coach at my rink. One of those coaches is also having me do music for the skaters she teaches at the other clubs. Plus I've done editing and remastering for skaters who have contacted me via the internet.
I'm not just a skater/FS music editor & remaster but I'm also a singer songwriter/musician.

Earlier today I just made a quick $60 for less than 3 hours work and that's a discounted rates. I brought my laptop and external DVD/CD recordable light scribe directly to the rink where the coach was coaching (was not at my home club rink nor was it a skate day for me). The coach said that I should go from rink to rink with my services.

[sk8tmum]

We have a coach who is also a choreographer, and she cuts the music AND does the choreography for a lot of our skaters. She's amazingly able to cut and edit the music so that the joins are a)seamless; b) at the same volume level c) work with the choreography. I've seen her take an entire musical score and by pulling bits and pieces from a number of items, create something entirely new and unique that is coherent, cohesive and great to skate to. But, apparently, she's something quite special and unique in the skating world.

My two cents: I play music for many sessions, so am "closer" to the music than a lot of other parents. I find that in many cases the music editing detracts from the skate (fluctuating volumes, abrupt joins, too many switches in styles in a short program); and, some of our music editors don't master to a standard volume level. Now, I, as long suffering parent, know to "turn up" and "turn down" before a kid's solo, however, at competition, that little finesse gets lost.

BTW: I also teach music editing in my real life; however, I won't cut my kid's music because I don't know enough about how to put together an effective SKATING program with the bits and pieces flowing at the right time, tempo, etc, and getting the builds and pacing right. But, then again, I'm the one who was too terrified for a long time to express an opinion on a dress - !

[Sessy]

try cutting it with goldwave. love the programme!!!

and I think you could with windows movie maker too, which also had fade-in and fade-out and cutting functions, but nothing else, but is entirely free on all pc's with xp on them.

[NickiT]

I cut my own using Nero Wave Editor.

Nicki

[Mrs Redboots]

I cut mine and Husband's using Audacity.

[deannathegeek]

Yeah, I use Audacity too and I love it. I just did a really neat cut of Witch Doctor from the Chipmunks movie for my girls & I to skate to for the Family Spotlight event at an ISI competition at our home rink this summer.

It's great to see so many musicians (and computer geeks!) are skating as well. I used to play drums in marching band, and found that the rhythm I learned then is easily applied to skating now.

[littlekateskate]

IF you are doing very simple cuts just for timing. Itunes will let you choose start and stop times under get info. Our coach does our cutting for a fee of course.

[SkatingOnClouds]

How easy is it to edit out vocals using Audacity? Can you just edit it out or do you have to cut it out? Or is another (free) program better for that?

My daughter gets to choose her music for a technical comp for the first time, and of course is only interested in pop music with lyrics.

I am getting a karaoke CD with some of her fave songs on, rather than try editing the vocals out, but don't know how good these are.

[deannathegeek]

How easy is it to edit out vocals using Audacity? Can you just edit it out or do you have to cut it out? Or is another (free) program better for that?

My daughter gets to choose her music for a technical comp for the first time, and of course is only interested in pop music with lyrics.

I am getting a karaoke CD with some of her fave songs on, rather than try editing the vocals out, but don't know how good these are.

I haven't been able to edit vocals out of a piece, but since she likes skating to music with vocals maybe she should try an ISI competition, which allows vocal music. If she wants to stick with USFS, I like going with movie soundtracks. My daughter prefers music with vocals, too, but likes soundtrack music from movies like Underdog and Harry Potter.

[Kim to the Max]

If she wants to stick with USFS, I like going with movie soundtracks. My daughter prefers music with vocals, too, but likes soundtrack music from movies like Underdog and Harry Potter.

Just a thought...sometimes popular movie soundtracks are very common at competitions and music from some Disney movies are EXTREMELY common. Not saying that you shouldn't go that route, but sometimes the music doesn't seem that special if everyone is skating to it...my personal suggestion is going with music that is fun, but that is not as common...but, that's just my $.02

[Skittl1321]

How easy is it to edit out vocals using Audacity? Can you just edit it out or do you have to cut it out? Or is another (free) program better for that?

My daughter gets to choose her music for a technical comp for the first time, and of course is only interested in pop music with lyrics.

I am getting a karaoke CD with some of her fave songs on, rather than try editing the vocals out, but don't know how good these are.

I was able to edit vocal out on audacity fairly easily, but it wasn't perfect. Basically you have to split the track, then invert the part that has the vocals, so it cancels it out. Because (the free version) only splits into 2 parts, you also cancel out a few other sounds too- some songs canceled the vocals out better than others. If you could find another program, or use the karaoke CD (which sometimes has background vocals) it would probably be less frustrating.

[Mrs Redboots]

I am getting a karaoke CD with some of her fave songs on, rather than try editing the vocals out, but don't know how good these are.I've never tried editing out vocals, and wouldn't know where to start (thanks, Jessi, for those tips - must try, sometime!).

I found I had a karaoke CD that I'd bought as part of a 3-CD set (I'd wanted the other two!), and I used part of that to cut Husband's music when he skated to Bohemian Rhapsody - and got a lot of comments on how nice the music was, too!

[twokidsskatemom]

I haven't been able to edit vocals out of a piece, but since she likes skating to music with vocals maybe she should try an ISI competition, which allows vocal music. If she wants to stick with USFS, I like going with movie soundtracks. My daughter prefers music with vocals, too, but likes soundtrack music from movies like Underdog and Harry Potter.

Isi doesnt allow vocals for fs programs, just like USFSA. They only allow them for showcase/spotlight or artistic.
We also try to use music that isnt overused :}

[Skittl1321]

Isi doesnt allow vocals for fs programs, just like USFSA. They only allow them for showcase/spotlight or artistic.
We also try to use music that isnt overused :}


Does this vary by competition? i've always heard ISI did allow vocal music for freestyle programs.

[twokidsskatemom]

Does this vary by competition? i've always heard ISI did allow vocal music for freestyle programs.
I dont think so, we have done ISI for almost 5 years and its never been allowed.I would assume its in the rulebook.
Edited to add... I do have a rulebook but off to rink :P will check when we get home
edited to add.... now that I think about it, I am wrong. My daughters first program when she was 4 was For the Girls at pre alpha.
Since they skate both ISI and USFA, we use non vocal music since USFSA is non vocal for fs.We just add 30 seconds to her USFSA program since in ISI 5 its 2 min.
Sorry for the wrong information!!

[SkatingOnClouds]

If she wants to stick with USFS, I like going with movie soundtracks.

We are in Australia, so things are different here. For our technical comps, no recognisable lyrics, so really no vocals. For artistic comps, vocals are fine.

After my forking out for the karaoke cd she decided she likes classical music if jazzed up. Guess who just bought "Hooked on Classics" - she loves it!!!

Thanks Skittl1321 for the Audacity tips, I'll definitely try that !!!

[Skate@Delaware]

Mostly my coach cuts my music if I can't get it. If I do it, I use Audacity. I try to find cuts that are strictly instrumentals (split tracks, karaoke, sing-along style etc).

This year I am using vocals...and skating spotlight. I don't know what program my coach uses but it's a very good cut!

[Rusty Blades]

How easy is it to edit out vocals

Last time I looked at that you needed a Sun workstation and some $15,000 software to identify and remove unwanted sounds embedded in the recording.

I cut my own music with Audacity - I am VERY fussy and wouldn't want to be b@#ching at somebody else. I have done a few others for my coach but because I am so fussy, it can take a LONG time to get it the way I want it so I don't cut for others.

[GordonSk8erBoi]

My coach did mine.