Facts about Presentation Music

There is more to a presentation than words, and the nonverbal content needs as much consideration as the verbal. The right presentation music can create an atmosphere for your piece that helps convey your message. Deciding which music to use is one of the most important decisions facing a presentation producer. Some production designers choose their music in an almost offhand manner. This is usually a mistake. The same designer would never choose presentation graphics at random; the visual elements of a project as carefully selected to enhance and elaborate on the message of each slide and of the work as a whole. Slapping a random track onto the result of weeks of design is risky and unprofessional at best and self-defeating at worst. Music, like every other part of the endeavour, should be chosen as part of the overall effect. While selecting presentation music it is important to consider the responsiveness of the audience you are targeting. You do not want the audience viewing your creation and taking it to be of poor taste. A project which is aimed at educational or religious audiences should not even remotely allude to rock or rap music. If you are making a funeral home sales presentation you would not include upbeat music. Music should be carefully selected, just like images which are carefully screened so that they do not offend the audience. Music causes varied reactions from different people. It is important to choose music which will have the desired effect. If the idea behind the presentation is to attract viewers to a booth in a trade show then select a style which is happy and bright. At the same time people should not be induced to move right past the intended place as that will work to the contrary. Similarly if you presenting a video which is supposed to educate people about conflict resolution you cannot include music which has an aggressive beat. The loops should form an integral part of the whole package. Many production designers tend to select music in sort of an offhand manner. This is a very common mistake. Designers should never select presentation graphics randomly. Visual elements that are included in a project should also be carefully chosen to strengthen and enhance the message of each particular slide and contribute to the entire work. Adding a track randomly onto a design that has taken weeks to create is very risky, unprofessional, and defeats the purpose of the work. Selecting the right music is just as important as any other element that creates a desired overall effect. One important thing to consider in presentation music selection is the responsiveness of the target audience. You do not want your audience to think that your project was done poorly. Work targeted at specific religious or academic venues do not mix well with anything that refers to rap or rock music. A funeral home salesman would never use upbeat music to sell his products. Just as images must be selected well so as to not offend anyone, music should be treated in the same respect. This is by far the safest route as far as the law goes. If pre-recorded tracks are used for a presentation, the next question is where to get them. Commercial music is likely way beyond the budget, and amateur work probably will not achieve any desirable effect. Appropriate affordable music is widely available for download from specialty websites. The free stuff may be of questionable quality, but the many composers working in the field can supply anything from a single loop to an entire CD or music to dovetail precisely with your needs. Ideally every presentation should have its own soundtrack, composed to emphasize the points it makes and evoke the mood its designers envision. While commissioned music is not practical for most applications, the use of carefully selected tracks can provide a very close substitute. This sort of presentation music makes for great impact without breaking the budget. For great music loop go to: www.musicalvibe.net.