Got a question? The answer may be here:
A: Audio Graffiti runs as a part-time business. All work requests must fit around our "real" jobs and familiy commitments. As a result, we can not provide rapid turn-arounds like a few hours or a day (except in special circumstances). Our reputation has spread rapidly, and we often find ourselves snowed under with requests for work. All work is handled on a first-come, first-served basis.
So, when it comes to the answer of how quickly can we do your work, it is really a case of how many other jobs are on the waiting list, and how long each of those other jobs is likely to take.
When you request a quote, we will usually give you a rough estimate of when we should be able to commence work on your job, and how long it is likely to take. The length of time varies depending on the type of work (transcription, engraving, sequencing), and how complex it is.
A: We've discussed this with some of our regular customers, and they have said they would prefer us to stick with our first-come, first-served policy. This seems fair. Besides, we'd have to run an auction because everyone would want to get their job done sooner!
A: If you are a new customer, we prefer you to pay in advance (for small jobs) or pay a non-refundable deposit (for large jobs)! It's not that we don't trust you, it's just that too many people have taken advantage of our trusting nature in the past! In certain situations, we will waive the need for a deposit. However, if we do this and you cancel the job any time after we commence, you will be liable to pay for the work.
A: No. We are a very small (though rapidly growing) part-time business. At this stage, we do not have sufficient work to go full time, let alone employ people to help out. Maybe we will one day. That's our aim. But for the present, we have no employment opportunities.
A: Absolutely! No problem at all, just ask when you place your order. In fact, if your realise that you need the Sibelius files some time after your order is complete, send us an email and we'll extract a copy from our archives.
A: Sorry, but no. Transcription is an expensive service. It's not fair for one person to spend a considerable amount to have a piece transcribed, and then have another person get the exact same thing for a fraction of the price. We wouldn't feel right about doing that.
Also, in order to sell the music, we'd need to get permission from the appropriate licensing body. Our experience has shown this is a difficult and time-consuming process.
A: If you want a piece of music transcribed and do not control the copyright, then you need to obtain the permission of the person or body that does control the copyright. As far as we are concerned, if you submit a job to us, you warrant that you have obtained the necessary permission or have control of the copyright, and indemnifying us from any fall out, should that occur. Ideally, we'd like to see this in writing.
That said, we don't have the capacity, resources or desire to check up on you! It's not our job to ensure that you really have obtained permission. Jobs are submitted to us in accordance with our terms and conditions which require you to take full responsibility for obtaining the necessary approvals.
Further, the copyright laws in some countries allow copying of small amount af material if it is for study or other personal "fair use". Therefore, if you require a piece transcribed and it is for your own personal study, then it's possible you won't need to obtain permission.
Of course, if you control the copyright yourself, it's a moot point!
A: We generally do not transcribe music that isavailable as a commerical publication (electronic or hard-copy). If the music your require is available commerically, you are better off buying from the licensed publisher, because it will (1) be cheaper, (2) save you the bother of obtaining permission, and (3) you are likely to get it quicker.
When we receive a request for transcription of a song not owned by the customer, we do a quick search to see if a piece of music has been published commercially before we commence work on transcription, and will recommend the customer buy the commercial version if one exists.
There are situations where commercially published music may not be suitable to your needs. For example, your favourite song may be published as an overly-simplified piano-vocal edition, but you require the precise piano accompaniment. Or maybe you need the guitar solo. Maybe the published version is based on the studio version but you want music for the latest live version. In this case, we will consider transcribing the parts you require.
A: You'd need to ask our customers to get an objective opinion, but we believe they are as good as commercial publications, and sometimes better.
While there are some excellent comercial transcribers out there, commercially published music is sometimes "dumbed down" to make it playable by the average hobbyist music. As a result, a lot of detail gets thrown away or overlooked. Others use repeated sections to reduce the number of pages (which is completely reasonable), however, the repeats very often don't incorporate the nuances and variations of the original performance. We've even seen the odd piece of sheet music that contains glaring errors.
We take great pride in getting our transcriptions as accurate as is humanly possible. If you want exceptional accuracy, then we can do what few only a few music publishers are prepared to do.
A: The quality of free text-based TAB varies considerably. You get what you pay for, and TAB costs you nothing. Most TAB is produced by hobbyists for their own use and to share with friends. How good the TAB is depends on how experienced the transcriber is, their skills as a musician, how much they understand about music theory (and communicating music), and how much effort they've put into it.
In our experience, free text-based TAB can be a very useful starting point for learning a song, but it is rarely accurate. So you'll find our transcriptions to be significantly better than the free TAB. More readable, more accurate, more detailed.
