2024-MAR-01 Info: Check out Songwriting Competition 079 if you're into "Synthwave" music making.

SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC09 May 2018 - Winners announced

Thematic Songwriting Competition - recurrence: monthly
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Mister Fox
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Re: SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC09 May 2018 - Voting until 01-06-2018 11:59pm GMT+2/CEST

#11

Post by Mister Fox »

Let us kick off the VOTING PROCESS, which will end on Friday, 01-JUN-2018 11:59pm GMT+2/CEST latest


There is a GLOBAL COUNTDOWN to check for deadlines.
Just follow this link: Global Countdown (on homepage)



Here is the collection of productions from all participants:


OctopusOnFire wrote:
Sun May 20, 2018 13:38 CEST
"Russian Robots"

MP3: https://mega.nz/#!ECJThSoJ!TuUP82z05RP_ ... VI8zui7Eic
Mister Natural wrote:
Mon May 21, 2018 19:14 CEST
Waterboys "Whole of the Moon" - Cover version

WAV: https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/44716 ... ACspQlXg2P
note : not for re-redistribution
Beeble wrote:
Thu May 24, 2018 23:48 CEST
"The Great Escape"

MP3: https://www.dropbox.com/s/f1toymslqzlxv ... e.mp3?dl=0


Please consult this post of how your vote could look like.

Good luck to all participants! :tu:
OctopusOnFire

Re: SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC09 May 2018 - Voting until 01-06-2018 11:59pm GMT+2/CEST

#12

Post by OctopusOnFire »

I gotta go with Beeble on this one, it fits the theme better and he creates an interesting atmosphere with all the samples and textures.

Beeble: 10 p
Mr. Natural: 9 p


FB:

Beeble: While the track has interesting beats, atmospheres and sound clips, I couldn't feel some kind of thread to follow through the production. Not necessarily story-wise, but more related to mood, emotion and intensity.

Mr. Natural: Can't really think of what to say about the arrangement, since it's based from an existing song, which I don't really know. Production-wise, I find it very dark, small and very, very sparse at some points which makes it kinda unappealing to my ears. The abundant use of modulation makes up for it, gives it some interest. My problem with this production is that I can't feel a purpose. For example, Bebble's entry and mine are totally different, but both are clearly aiming for something (we may have more or less success getting there :D). I can't feel that in this case, and if the production doesn't feel like going somewhere, it's not going to carry me away with it.
Last edited by OctopusOnFire on Sun Jun 03, 2018 12:54 CEST, edited 2 times in total.
Beeble

Re: SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC09 May 2018 - Voting until 01-06-2018 11:59pm GMT+2/CEST

#13

Post by Beeble »

Mister Natural did a cover/remix of a Waterboys song.
It is a very indiviual interpretation of the famous "whole of the moon" The sound reminds me to David Bowie.
Partly because of the low pitched vocals. you hit a nice dark atmosphere in this one.
Maybe the upfront drum sound does not fit in the atmosphere for me.
But I miss some "Spies among us" in your cover. I have nothing to criticize on the mix.
No words to your arangement because it is predetermined.

OctopussOnFire has a russian bot singing some vocaloid lyrics sounding like those Manga holograms from Hatsune Miku.
Great production. I must confess that I hardly understand what this AI is singing about but it sounds like a perfect arangement with nice sounds.
The arangement fits the genre (is there a name for it?) and I would call your mix radio ready. Because I can´t follow the lyrics I found the only "spies among us" in the song title.
But I really miss the video to your song.

10 points for OctopusOnFire
9 points to Mister Natural
Last edited by Beeble on Mon May 28, 2018 14:20 CEST, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC09 May 2018 - Voting until 01-06-2018 11:59pm GMT+2/CEST

#14

Post by Mister Fox »

Folks - we have THREE entries, so...

1) suitable feedback for everyone (mandatory)
2) top 2 positions regardless

Even if we have just one sole winner, I want to do this right according to the rule book. So please update your posts.
The quality of the challenge doesn't need to drop, even if we have that less participants for the time being.
Mister Natural

Re: SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC09 May 2018 - Voting until 01-06-2018 11:59pm GMT+2/CEST

#15

Post by Mister Natural »

Octupus on Fire - Very standard 4 to the floor texture complete with the requisite building rapid snare. Amusing words and cool vocal treatment inside a straight-forward pop arrangement. Wait for it . . . a drop is coming . . . and there it (predictably) is. I always like a "half-time" bit and there that is as well. Nice arrangement - very busy mix - 10 points

Beeble - Spoken word with interesting FM percussion that creates tension throughout the piece. I find the background noises and voices distracting from what this piece might have been. I get the "story" that's being told, I get that we're moving through the elements of being on the run but I don't get any song form here. Clever sound EFX and tense drums together don't add up to a song - 9 points
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Re: SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC09 May 2018 - Voting until 01-06-2018 11:59pm GMT+2/CEST

#16

Post by Mister Fox »

A friendly remider:
Incl. today, 24 hours left to submit your vote
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Re: SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC09 May 2018 - Voting until 01-06-2018 11:59pm GMT+2/CEST

#17

Post by Mister Fox »

Sorry, it took me a bit to get to the feedback - the BTS work and weather related health issues have been really taxing.
Anyway - my "balance vote" - although after listening to all entries, I am unsure if I'll even add a "random number modifier"



:arrow: Octopus on Fire - Russian Robot

Very interesting production to totally comes out of left field. Heavily reminds me of the "Bemani" game series or even the "Touhou" Dojin Music scene. Vocaloid just gives that vibe. Sadly, Vocaloid also has one major problem - the understandably (which takes a lot of editing time). I really have to listen to that production on repeat again to fully understand the vocals - because as of this moment, I am not sure if this is a "spy theme" or a "hacker theme". Not your fault.

I definitely like the sound design of the production - although I can not confirm that it's strongly compressed (just... doesn't feel like that for this genre). I think the arpeggios are from Waves Codex (I should look into that synth, it seems to have Wavetable capability as well), while the main synths come from SynthMaster. A bit un-fitting IMO is the kick drum - but overall it works really well and i like the syncopated beats in the transitions (I assume it's an Addictive Drums electronic drum kit preset).

And I have to admit, I'm having this on repeat. Not only that - I'd love to hear you get back to that production, change the one or another thing, make the vocals more pronounced, then maybe get this into the "Mix Challenge" for the future.

TECHNICAL BONUS INFO:
- production was in 44kHz ???bit
- Loudness was -7,4LUFS ILk, -5,5LUFS SLk max
- track was +0,65dBTP max (clipping - no WAV provided so I can only go by MP3 limitations)
- mixdown had a DC Offset of about -80,05dB




:arrow: Mister Natural - Whole of the Moon (Cover Version)

I had to get re-acquainted with the original version of this production. Not to make a comparison per se, but to understand your spin on it (it's been a while since I heard this song). The Waterboys original from 1985 was definitely classic rock, while your production went towards 80's minimalist synth pop (think "The Man who sold the world" cover by Midge Ure). Very interesting spin indeed - however, I do not consider this spy themed - unless you take the songwriters original idea of "there is so much more to understand" (see Songfacts) into consideration - which you did in your submission post. So, point taken.

Production wise, it's definitely an interesting spin on the song - you cut half of the lyrics and left out parts intentionally as well. I definitely do like the 80s type rhythm, but it sounds a bit "dulled out" overall. It feels more lofi (Vaporwave-ish) than 80s "hifi". The vocals are a bit irritating however. I wouldn't say they're bad, but they sound like as if they're pitched ever so often. They're also very "VHS" sounding (or as if you'd sing through a TV - like an AI) - which is a pity, because I'd actually feature them more in the production. The random delay effects are also not always working - they're honestly distracting.

Else I'm liking the E-Piano and Synth work, I also like the vocoder additions. Build upon that! Overall - as I said, an interesting production, even if it's a cover version. But mix wise, there is definitely room for more.

TECHNICAL BONUS INFO:
- production was in 44kHz 24bit (WAV)
- Loudness was -21,9LUFS ILk, -18LUFS SLk max
- track was -5,86dBTP max
- mixdown had a DC Offset of about -inf dB




:arrow: Beeble - The Great Escape

Right off the bat - I am happy that you started/finished this project after all. Because it is some really outstanding work in my opinion. The music might be simplistic, but sound FX and voice sample usage really shines in this production. "Computer Game Cutscene"?! Definitely... heavily reminds me of the old-school "Syndicate" (1993) blended with Point and Click adventures and some System Shock. I can only imagine how much work was put into it. You should post some screenshots for sure.

As mentioned, music wise it's simplistic - I wouldn't be surprised if this were really just loops from Uberschall Elastik - but the "whole picture" is important. And there was no rule on "create music only" this month around. So definitely great work. Would have loved to have a bit more "Background chatter" or "story", but this is hard to pull off with limited given samples.

I can't really add much more. Other than that the majority of this "radio play" fells like it's coming from center and isn't placed in the stereo field as much. Even with headphones it doesn't feel that spacious (only the music is). Maybe that is worth revisiting - even with modern day "headphone surround" techniques.

TECHNICAL BONUS INFO:
- production was in 44kHz ???bit
- Loudness was -18,3LUFS ILk, -10,4LUFS SLk max
- track was +0,01dBTP max (clipping - no WAV provided so I can only go by MP3 limitations)
- mixdown had a DC Offset of about -62,00dB





:!: SUMMARY:

This month, albeit very low in participation again, was once more very interesting. To see an electronic production, an 80s synth pop production and a very cool radio play - that is definitely something different compared to what we usually hear on this game. Outstanding entries for sure. I have to admit, I initially had a clear winner, until I heard the radio play.

:arrow: My votes (<4 participant rule applies)

10pts - Beeble
9pts - OctopusOnFire
8pts - Mister Natural



See you in Songwriting Competition 10
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Re: SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC09 May 2018 - Winners announced

#18

Post by Mister Fox »

Ladies and Gentlemen, apologies for the wait. Here are the results of Songwriting Competition 09

:arrow: The winners podium consists of:
  1. Beeble
  2. OctopusOnFire
  3. Mister Natural
Everyone voted, we had ties, <4 participant rule not in use (staff comments and votes), "random number generator" used as additional "balance vote"
We have no disqualifications
"Sole (License) Winner" rule applies

I once more had to utilize a Random Number Generator, because we actually had a tie vote between Beeble and OctopusOnFire. From the overall feedback, it was fairly clear who would be the defacto winner of this month. However even with all votes in, and the staff balance vote, we still had a tie. So the additional RNG seeds settled the game.

Bonus Fact: If the SWC has more than 5 participants per month, then there are no need for Random Number Generators



Here are the results as chart in image form:
Image



Thank you so much for your participation. :clap:



:arrow: License selection:

We'll now perform with the usual. Since the "Sole (License) Winner" rule applies, only the top spot can select something from the license pool. Selecting licenses is handled in public, please. After that, please get in touch with me (via PM) with your contact data. In case of the "Bjulin Waves" sponsorship - the winners podium can additionally select one "Inspire Me" package on top of the license selection (please mention that in the PM).

As usual - you're not forced to pick up anything. You can pass and therefore offer more to select for the next person in line (if there is a spot existing). Just let all participants/winners/the staff know in a timely manner.



Feedback about the "Songwriting Competition" is welcome (please do so here).

See you in in the next Challenge!
Beeble

Re: SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC09 May 2018 - Winners announced

#19

Post by Beeble »

Thank you for your comments. Ok to be one out of three is nothing to be proud of.

I took the chance for this month theme to do somthing completly different. :hmmm:
I have lots of railstation and ambience samples from an earlier project and so I build up the story.
What I don´t had in mind was, that it would be real hard to find exact those samples that are needed to
build up a story that everyone could follow.
So I had to change the story to what samples are available.
Editing the sample from different sources and quality was another big time killer.
I would say that this was 90% including positioning and automation.
So there was too few time left to spend more time on the music.
The "music" was mostly quick programmed midi percussion, loops from cubase and presets from some kontakt instruments
with very few editing. I would not call this a finished production.

I had around 45 tracks of audio + some automations..and my sample library is 3GB bigger now :exhausted:
Anyhow,this kind of work is fun and and taught me that time is allways short :phew:
Beeble

Re: SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC09 May 2018 - Winners announced

#20

Post by Beeble »

So I would pick the HORNET Songkey mk2 plugin.
Might be usefull for a drummer with less harmony skills.
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