Every track we write has to survive the cutdown. Sounds like a detail, but it isn't. Your 60 second hero film turns into a 30, a 15 and a 6, and in the 6 most music falls apart, because the hook comes way too late. So we start with the hook, put it where even the shortest version can reach it, and build the rest around that.
Studio ZK works directly with brand teams, agencies, and production companies on music composition and audio production for TV, online video, radio commercials and out of home campaigns. We can write to picture, to an animatic, or to a brief when there's nothing to look at yet.
Got an edit already? Send it over. Even a rough cut tells us if the tempo's going to work.
Custom composition
Written from nothing, for your brief. It carries the story and doesn't steal the spotlight.
Rerecordings & reworks
You cut the whole edit to that one track, and then it turns out to cost more than your production budget. Or you can't clear it for the countries you need. Happens a lot. We rebuild it from scratch, played and recorded here, so the recording is yours and you set your own usage terms.
Sound design
Textures, atmospheres, hits and whooshes made for your picture, phone screen or cinema. UX and product sounds as well.
Music supervision
Want an existing song for your campaign? We find one that fits the message and clear it within your budget.
A launch film needs different music than a performance cutdown. Not because one deserves more effort! A launch film has time to build up. A performance cutdown has about two seconds to set the mood before the offer shows up. So the music has to start right where the long film only gets after twenty seconds.
How do you get music made for an ad?
Pretty simple, really. You send us a brief with your edit or animatic and two or three reference tracks. We write one or more demos straight to picture, you pick the one that fits, and we produce the full track with all the cutdowns and stems. At Studio ZK one track usually takes one to two weeks, a whole campaign three to five.
1. Brief & reference
Send us your brief, edit or animatic, plus a few reference tracks in the direction you're thinking. Good references save everyone a lot of time. Even better: bring the music in at the rough cut.
2. Direction & demo
We write one or more demos straight to picture. That way you're reacting to actual music on your actual edit, not to a mood board.
3. Production & revisions
Once you've picked a direction we produce the full track, with session musicians or in house, and go through a couple of revision rounds until it's right. Not a musician? Here's how to give feedback on music anyway.
4. Delivery & cutdowns
You get the final masters, the stems and every cutdown you need (broadcast, social, pre-roll), delivered to spec. Drop them in and you're done.
Campaigns we have scored
For Boska we wrote an original score for a national TV campaign that ran for several weeks, with foley-style kitchen detail and a broadcast master that holds up on TV speakers, streaming and social cutdowns. For Knorr we did the post production, sound design and mix for a series of recipe videos, finished to broadcast specification.
Looking for a sound that lasts longer than one campaign? See sonic branding & music strategy.
Before you brief us
Prices, lengths, delivery specs and rights, written down so you can plan before the first call.
What does music for an ad cost?
The five things that set the price, per format.
Music that survives the cutdown
One track, four lengths: 60, 30, 15 and 6 seconds.
Audio delivery specs for TV, radio and online
−23 LUFS, −1 dBTP, −16 LUFS. The numbers, and where they come from.
What an ad music project delivers
The ten files a national spot ships with, and why.
Stock music or custom music?
Price, exclusivity, cutdowns, Content ID and rights compared.
Briefing template for ad music
One page, ten fields, free PDF.
What does a music supervisor do?
Finding the right existing song, and clearing it.
Custom music for advertising, explained
How much does custom music cost?
Depends on what you need. One social cutdown costs a lot less than an original score with ten formats. We look at your budget first and tell you what fits before we start.
Can you rerecord a song we don't have the rights to?
Yes. We make rerecordings that capture the feel of a track you love. That removes the master licence; if the melody stays the same, you still need the publisher's permission for the composition.
How long does scoring a campaign take?
A single custom track can be delivered in 1 to 2 weeks. Full campaigns with multiple cutdowns typically run 3 to 5 weeks.
Do you deliver every format we need?
Yes, full mixes, cutdowns for social and preroll, stems, and format ready masters for broadcast, streaming, and out of home.