Royalty Free Music Blog

Rich, full, live-orchestral music that stirs the soul and awakens emotional memories. Great for adding intensity and depth to a variety of characters in the throes of dramatic change. These lush tracks are delivered in Smartsound’s unique Multi-Layer format giving you access to the tracks' components and instruments to shape the dramatic texture precisely to your video’s needs.

» Read the entire Dark and Intense Drama: New Album article

Animation isn't an easy project to fit royalty free music into, but with the right guide and the large customization of soundtracks; your animation project can come to life.

» Read the entire Getting Cartoony article

A powerful set of tracks featuring exquisite live orchestra and vocals designed for highly dramatic sequences where audience immersion and high emotional involvement are sought. Using a variety of dramatic sonorities, these musical monuments vary from high-octane action, to heroic and more, all with a beguiling intensity. Use SmartSound's Custom Length, Mood Mapping and Timing Control technologies to match these perfectly to your dramatic visual moments.

» Read the entire Trailer Monuments - New Strata Series Album article

You’ll feel the earth move under your feet with this fanciful assortment of Earthy Music. Score your scene with an earthy soundtrack and add elements of gentleness and passion with the music. Earthy music is a cinch to score to a documentary, nature scene, biography, wedding, tribute, memorial—the options are endless.

» Read the entire Earthy Documentary Royalty Free Music article

For the typical videographer music licensing can often be viewed as a distraction to what you really love; shooting and editing good picture. Since music licensing has legal implications for you and your videos, it is important that you at least understand it sufficiently to make sure you don't wind up on the wrong side of it at some point.

» Read the entire Video Scoring Tip: Music Licensing - Part 1 article

Crisp, clean production, ringing guitars and tasteful drumming with a variety of coloristic accents create a smooth backdrop for any video or scene depicting forward momentum and progress. This strong Multi-Layer album gives you access to all of SmartSound's unique customization features for the ultimate in creative control over your music.

» Read the entire New Music - Corporate Progress article

Celtic music is a broad genre that includes various types of music that stemmed from the Celts in Western Europe. Instruments commonly used in Celtic music include the pennywhistle, flute, fiddle, harp, banjo, and the bodhran. The melodic line in this genre usually goes up and down the primary chords. If you're in need of Celtic music for a project, here are some tracks from the Celtic Music Library that you can use:

» Read the entire Celtic Music article

Over at the blog of Digital Worlds is an excellent article on creating a Game Design Document, which starts by asking, “what questions do game designers need to ask before they start work on the design of a game,” and more.

» Read the entire Music & Game Design article

Strong, pop-oriented themes ideal for presenting a positive mood, steady determination and persistence. Driven by rhythmic guitars and solid yet approachable beats, these tracks create an ambience that communicate results and achievement

» Read the entire Rocktronic: New STRATA Series Album article

Asian music is a general term that includes music from all Asian countries, such as Japan, China, and Korea. Although there are many countries in Asia, Asian music has numerous similarities. Wood flutes, silk-stringed instruments, and use of the pentatonic scale are common characteristics of Asian music.

» Read the entire Asian Music article

SmartSound's Royalty-free Music with Vocals & Lyrics section gives you that opportunity to showcase up-and-coming musical talent in your own productions

» Read the entire Royalty Free Music With Vocals article

Strong, pop-oriented themes ideal for presenting a positive mood, steady determination and persistence. Driven by rhythmic guitars and solid yet approachable beats, these tracks create an ambience that communicate results and achievement. All tracks are in SmartSound’s Multi-Layer format giving you complete control over their application to a wide variety of visual situations.

» Read the entire New STRATA Series Album: Success article

SmartShoot, which puts photographers and videographers together with clients (much like eLance), has a great article on Script Writing for Corporate Videos. If you are developing your presentation script, we think this article might be a great help, and if you have already drafted your script then it may even help improve it. (We recommend also having a copy editor go over longer scripts to correct passive voice and other structural writing errors, and make it more punchy).

» Read the entire Script Writing for Corporate Videos article

Orchestral Comedy is another outstanding album by composer Francisco Becker. The album’s tracks cover the gamut of comedic range, from screwball scenes to the tongue-in-cheek, and even suspenseful comedy is covered. Pratfalls? Check. Mockumentary? Sure thing. Whatever style of comedic score your scene requires, you’ll find it on Orchestral Comedy. Some of the many notable tracks on this royalty-free album include:

» Read the entire Album Feature: Orchestral Comedy article

There is a great interview on Digital Production Buzz with Marco Missinato, an Italian-born composer who began writing music at the age of six. He came to L.A. in the Nineties to pursue his passion. In the interview, he discusses the vital issue of adding power to your projects by choosing the right music, in addition to how music can create a sense of oneness in today’s turbulent times. The same principles apply, regardless of the emotions videographers seek to produce in their audience.

» Read the entire Marco Missinato: The Emotional Power of Music article