If you're editing movies on your phone, this may not be the right site for you.
Please visit from a larger device.
More than a way better music library.
A better way to search a music library.
When you're up against a deadline, losing an afternoon to a music search is a major setback. It’s easy to get lost in rabbit holes, only to emerge with the musical equivalent of stock photography. And with thousands of tracks on the big library sites, it’s hard to even know where to start. We can help.
StoryBeat groups tracks according to the types of scenes - StoryBeats - they were created to support. Is your protagonist looking back on a difficult period in her life? Go to the Storybeats page and choose Dark Recollections. Folks getting to work on a project they mapped out in the last scene? Try Rolling up the Sleeves. If your scene is working through some tricky problems, Puzzles may have something for you. Scan through Closing Time for a poignant resolution.
A nice compliment to StoryBeats, Albums are collections of tracks curated by mood, tone, or some other distinguishing feature. Most are self-explanatory, like Around the World and Voices, and they all have brief descriptions to help get you started. Oh - and tracks can appear in more than one StoryBeat or Album.
Wherever you decide to start, you'll always be able to narrow things down with the familiar filters at the top of the page - like mood, genre, tempo, and instrumentation.
As you preview tracks, you’ll understand the other cool thing about this site: the music is very good. Most of it comes from live sessions with musicians at our Austin studio, or from guest artists like Minneapolis-based Neo-soul producer MMYYKK. That languid trumpet you like? That’s Austin legend Ephraim Owens. The driving, deep-pocket beat? That’s King Crimson’s Tony Levin, playing with Seal drummer/A&F DrumCo founder Ramy Antoun. Bass harmonica? It’s Ross Garren, from Bon Iver and Ben Folds. Browse the musician roster at the bottom of each track page to read more about the artists who brought it to life.
Lastly: this is a beta release and I welcome all input. Please click through the link in the footer to submit your feedback.
Assessing the Situation
Expository and evaluative
Beginnings
Good openers
Closing Time
The Ends
Dark Recollections
Originaly written for a docuseries about wounded veterans
Epilogues
Two tracks uniquely classifiable as Epilogues
Liminal Spaces
Evoke an unasy but not entirely ominous feeling
One Hit Wonders
With clear shifts in dynamic and tone, these are built to carry a story from beginning to end.
Pace Without Progress
These create the illusion of movement in scenes that are necessary but not pivotal to the story
Puzzles
Problem solvers
Reflections
Good for penultimate scenes, where your protagonist reflects on his or her journey through the story
Rolling Up the Sleeves
Getting Things Done
Setting the Scene
Good for quickly establishing a specific sense of place
Turns for the Worse
Grim developments
BILL MURRAY COMEDY SHORT AWARD
The Guardian
how to use this site
1
Start by choosing a StoryBeat or album name that describes the scene or inflection in your story.
Is your protagonist looking back on a difficult period in her life? Start with Reflections or Dark Recollections. A montage of people getting to work on a project they mapped out in the last scene? Try Rolling up the Sleeves or Turning the Corner. Scan through Giving it a Go for a novice trying something new, or Closing Time for a poignant resolution.
Start by choosing a StoryBeat or album name that describes the scene or inflection in your story.
Is your protagonist looking back on a difficult period in her life? Start with Reflections or Dark Recollections. A montage of people getting to work on a project they mapped out in the last scene? Try Rolling up the Sleeves or Turning the Corner. Scan through Giving it a Go for a novice trying something new, or Closing Time for a poignant resolution.
