Fitting music to the required program time
There's a song that you really like, and would love to skate to. You've tried it out at public skating or freestyle sessions, and you can do all your moves to it effortlessly. So you decide to make a competitive program for it. The problem is, the song is 3 1/2 minutes long, and your program time is 2 minutes. How do you make it fit the time without sounding awkward?
A few tips
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Every case is unique, and a good result may require some imagination and patience, as well as the right software tools.
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The actual start and finish of the song can often be used for the start and finish of the cut
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If there are repeated sections, some can be eliminated without disrupting the flow (depending on what kind of ending you have in mind for the program)
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Obviously, some material must be eliminated. What are your favorite, can't-lose parts of the song?
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Check the length of the major blocks of music (verses, choruses, etc). You generally don't want to break these up if you can avoid it.
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You are free to move sections of the song around in any order you want: no need to keep to the original sequence. However: beware of key changes!
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If your cut is close to the required time, but not close enough, music editing software can speed up or slow down the sound. Use this sparingly! Changes greater than 5% might be very noticable, and not in a good way.
Two examples
The sound files below show two examples of cutting a song to fit different time requirements. The selection of material and sequencing is a bit different in each case, but the feel of the song is preserved. These are two excellent songs to skate to, by the way!
Example 1: Lean On Me by O'Yaba (original track run time 4:41)
Example 2: El Mismo Sol by Alvaro Soler with Jennifer Lopez (original track run time 3:08)