Thea Robinson, Sunset + Vine

What are the challenges in sourcing music tracks for TV?
It is harder than it sounds. There are hundreds of websites to trawl through. Music can make or break your programme so the choice shouldn’t be hurried. Too many programmes now are using the same production libraries to the point where as a viewer, you start to recognise the music playing in the background and sing along.

What technology developments are addressing this?
There is a growth in portable hard drives such as MyDrive. MyDrive plugs into your computer, enabling you to sample and download music tracks from a wide range of production libraries. It is relatively fast and easy to use and you can save your choices into a playlist that plugs directly into your edit. MyDrive acts as a one-stop search engine dedicated to finding the precise genre and duration you want.

How does this affect workflow?
MyDrive is a small device so it’s easily portable. Once you have created your playlist, it can be directly imported into the Avid or Final Cut Pro. It’s meant an end to fumbling around with CD cases and trying to remember which track was which when writing your music cue sheets. The drive saves all details, which helps when it comes to declaring music usage.

Does it encourage you to use MCPS production music?
Yes. MyDrive is free for a start. It has access to 15 independent music libraries on a portable search engine; this means music can be licensed directly with MCPS. You can save your music cue details as you go along, which in turn saves valuable time.