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

SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC053 January 2022 - Winners announced

Thematic Songwriting Competition - recurrence: monthly
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Mister Fox
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Re: SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC053 January 2022 - Voting until 01-FEB-2022 23:59 UTC+1/CET

#41

Post by Mister Fox »

A Future in Noise wrote:
Sat Jan 29, 2022 15:04 CET
Do you think it would be possible to change the status of my track to bonus track? As if it was posted too late? It would be much more convenient for me, at least. Maybe I could give feedback to a couple of the participants after all (or everyone), and others could feel free to comment on my track or not. (I might even finish my track.)
I understand that you might have time constraints, but what you're asking me to do is influencing the overall game (and how participants interact) - so that is a straight up "not going to do that". I can't constantly change rules and settings after the fact. By moving your track from "regular entry" to "bonus entry", this would also result in less than 9 participants and also a change to the Winners Podium.

Please stop influencing others because you might not have the time to further participate. If you got the time to give minimal feedback, then your entry is not "out of the game", but you merely loose out on bonus points. Take that as a learning experience, try again in next month.
EsteveCorbera
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Re: SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC053 January 2022 - Voting until 01-FEB-2022 23:59 UTC+1/CET

#42

Post by EsteveCorbera »

Hello,

As always, first of all congratulations on your work. And congratulations on this month's game initiative. It's a great idea to create music from the samples delivered. Too bad I haven't had enough time to experiment, but the challenge is to learn from you.

Arelem_Closure
Powerful theme. At first it grows in intensity as it progresses, which makes it interesting, but in the end the repetitions of the melody make the theme simple.
I like the explanations you give for the sounds you used and how you manipulated them. I'll get some ideas, thanks. Very good work in this part. You really knew how to take advantage of the samples delivered.
Good mix and spatial arrangement of sounds.

aFutureInNoise_EmptyCans
Too bad it’s such a short topic, I guess you didn’t have more time. Of course I want to comment. Please do not pass up the opportunity to give us your feedback.
On your subject: he needs to work harder. The initial part sounds too mechanical. It lacks space. He lacks reverberation. But you already know that.
But I really like the composition. With more dedication, you would have come up with a great topic.
I'm not sure if the challenge allows it, but you could develop some ideas on this topic for future challenges. So we could enjoy the most worked topic.

VCA-089 _-_ Continuum
Good start. This soundscape is great. To my taste, when the drums part starts, the theme becomes a little more conventional. I love the moments when you re-create these soundscapes that take you to other worlds.
Good mixing work and good work with samples. The sound of the drums is very good. I did not know how to create these sounds, in my theme there was a drum that I ended up removing because I did not like the sound it had, however, the theme is very good.
And I repeat, the better the sound adventures you give us.
Thanks for the explanations of the origin of each sound. I will learn a lot!

fajebru_Purple
Curious rhythmic proposal. I find the work with the samples original, creating a strange battery.
The sound of laughter creates a bit of a fuss (makes you a little scared).
Too bad there isn’t a prominent melodic part beyond the rhythm. But I find the rhythm interesting. I agree with one of the colleagues that he needs a little more work.
Thanks for explaining the origins of the sounds.

Tinnitus ShaneNewville_Walking
Start with sound effects to create an interesting atmosphere. To my taste, the voice part is missing a lot, it should be more in front. You did two songs, because I see the second part of the song very detached from the first.
I like the crazy rhythm of the second part because it's very original. It has a lot of strength and sticks.

J.Ruegg_ThePrism
From the very beginning, your topic is catchy. I listened to him as he tried to think of the criticism. But I was stunned and curious.
Great sound effects. Interesting panoramic view.
Amazing to do all this stuff with one sample. Looking at this work I see how many things I still have to learn.
Very good sound design. Good soundtrack.

SuC76_ITZ
Your topic needs a little more development. But I think it happens to many of us, mine is missing too. Very rhythmic theme but it lacks something more. A melody, some pads, another atmosphere.
The sound could also be worked on more. As I listen, I am left with the feeling that he is missing more.

satchboogie_ratrun
Interesting effects at the beginning. You create effects, but not music. It's not until 0:33 that things change. I like that part of the synthesizer sound. Quite vintage. But then I get the feeling that you're sticking things together without a specific purpose. It's amazing when the voice comes in because I didn't expect it, but it's like another subject.
The battery is running low.

(translated with google)
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J.Ruegg
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Re: SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC053 January 2022 - Voting until 01-FEB-2022 23:59 UTC+1/CET

#43

Post by J.Ruegg »

======
Arelem
======

* Sound design

The first build-up drums sound a bit too obvious, the second one is better.
Maybe adding more layers to the riser, or at least 2 slightly different alternating snares...
Otherwise, most of the sounds are nice, maybe the main bass could sound better when layered with a sub bass (sine, or distorted sine with a lowpass filter...)

* Mixing

I don't have clear complaints here, just maybe the guitar on the last part could have a bit more of protagonism.

* Composition

Composition & Arrangement would be not as good as the other technical aspects in your track imo, it feels a bit too repetitive, adding an additional verse could have helped a lot to keep it interesting and going on, or also more fills and slight changes after every couple of bars. Still some good melodic motifs, but the overall arrangement is a bit too repetitive, as I said.

=======
VCA-089
=======

* Sound design

Very careful crated atmosphere at the start, that sounded very good.
Also the drum sounds are great (got variety, toms, nice fills...)

* Mixing

Something sounds a bit off with the drums and the bass, I can't really tell what, maybe adding a low frequency layer to the kick drum would make it have a bit more body, and having a bit more aggresive attack on the bass.
Otherwise it sounds great.

* Composition

No complaints here, it got me engaged overall, good work.

=======
Fajebru
=======

* Sound design

That was great, very creative sound selection,

* Mixing

Sounding thight overall, good work.

* Composition

Well, not much melodic elements, but this really shines on it's percussive side.
Maybe adding a bass would have been cool (not as a main melodic element, but as a guide to the percussion).

========
Tinnitus
========

* Sound design

Good sound design on the percussion, and all the sounds blended well together.

* Mixing

It presented dirty sounds in a clean way, good job. One little thing that bothered me though: the clicking sound/percussion in the intro, I suspect it was the "rect_-6dBFS_10samples.wav" sample, maybe a quick filter sweep on the noise sample could have sounded better imo. The sound reminded me of a bad connected speaker or something like that.

* Composition

It got me engaged, but I would have liked a breakdown at 2:08, maybe a quieter section to reintroduce the "melody" from the intro.

=================
A Future in Noise
=================

* Sound design

Good sound design.

* Mixing

A good sense of space, also a rich sound overall.

* Composition

The start was great, but then it ended a bit abruptly. I understand that it was still under constrution, would have liked to hear it properly finished.

=====
SuC76
=====

* Sound design

It got a retro videogame vibe to it, probably as you used the samples right away without further processing (which isn't necessarily bad).

* Mixing

Very clean, for what it is.

* Composition

Very minimalistic in this aspect, but with enough variation to keep it interesting.

=============
EsteveCorbera
=============

* Sound design

Interesting sounds, they sound ok but I would have liked to hear a bit more variation. also adding risers and other effects could help to make the chorus more impactfull.

* Mixing

No complaints here.

* Composition

I feel like the composition was a bit weak, maybe adding a bass or another arp on top could have made it better in terms of where the melody was going. On the other side, if you where aiming for a more simple lullaby-like piece you nailed it pretty much.

===========
Satchboogie
===========

* Sound design

Very creative intro, I like how you tried to tell a story with it.
Overall, good sound selection.

* Mixing

In some parts I feel like the kick drum and the bass are alternating, that helps to not have them clashing on the same frequency range, but the kick drum sound isn't as snappy as I would have liked, it sounds more like a sub bass. Layering the kick drum with a short noise transient could have helped a bit imo.

* Composition

Very good.


Score
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Re: SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC053 January 2022 - Voting until 01-FEB-2022 23:59 UTC+1/CET

#44

Post by VCA-089 »

Here is my feedback:

1. Arelem - Closure

The overall production is quite good in this track. The drums are very punchy and works perfectly with the bass. Good work with the guitars. I really like the glockenspiel part, it is the crucial part of this track's atmosphere. It has a very chilled and dreamy vibe but still it's kinda engaging with the strong rhythm section. It also has a very cohesive set of sounds and a memorable main theme. I also like the main melody wariation that was introduced in the breakdown section. It could be used later in the track, as it gets a bit repetitive towards the end.

To me the sound design in this entry is very good. The created instruments fit well together and works for creating this track's style. It could have made it's way to a kind of Chillout/Downtempo playlist on YouTube.

2. A Future In Noise - Empty Cans

Some of the instruments in this track are very reminiscent of general MIDI sounds. It creates a feeling of some 90's fantasy videogame soundtrack. It could be played at a blacksmith's workshop, as those foley percussion is very reminiscent of hammer and anvil hits. The guitar thing feels a bit out of place in this context.

In this current state this entry is obviously unfinished. It has a great potential though.

3. fajebru - Purple

The drums are very hard hitting and groovy in this track. I certain element of minimalism and a quality of processed sounds creates a very rough character. The elemets introduced in the second half adds a trippy layer to it's vibe. The mix is very "punchy" and upfont.

This entry has some creative sound design, but it still feels like a foundation of something bigger. It may be used as a backbeat for rapping.

4. tinnitus - Walking

This entry sounds like a b-side of a very successful industrial record. Great choices of sounds that fit the overall style. It creates a very dark and psychotic atmopshere. The vocals and the way of processing them supports that vibe. Great drums and percussion with that glitchy stuttering rhythms. The overall feeling of the mix is very rough and crunchy, with a lot of high mid harshness but in a good way. A very characterful sound quality for that style of music.

This is one of the best sound design examples for sure. It has a very solid aesthetic. It's very engaging and sparks imagination. I wish it could be a bit longer, as for meny other entries this month.

5. J.Ruegg - The Prism

This is the most "commercial" sounding entry. It actually feels like a trailer music draft for some sci-fi horror movie. It has very harsh, digital quality to an overall sound. The track does bring tension and dark atmosphere, but it's kinda missing a main theme, a memorable melody.

It's no doubt that this entry has a great sound design. It actually brings the discussion about what material is enogh to make a sound. If a white noise burst is enoghn to create a whole track, why should we complain about the lack of participation in sample collection. On the other side, the sound design aspect in this entry were pushed to a degree of scientific manipulations like additive synthesis and multiple stages of resampling the original material that feels kinda gimmicky and uninspiring. It's necessary to appreciate the contestant's skills of using his favorite instruments, but I would prefer something more rough and organic in terms of overall sound quality.

6. SuC76 - ITZ

Great use of the toy keyboard sounds. A very groovy and catchy tune. It has a retro videogame soundtrack vibe for sure, something like an early 90's PC games MIDI'is sound. I really like the rhythmic parts, consisting of different proportions of a sliced beats and synthesized drums. The mix has too much high mid frequencies, probably because of lo-fi nature of the samples.

The desicion of vorking with raw samples and creating a context for them can be very rewarding. I really like how certain sounds are processed and layered together. Althrough the composition feels like a collection of sketches. Things could be done a little bit more organic and thought out. As many other entries this one feels too rough and unfinished.

7. EsteveCorbera - NoSeQue

Overall feels like a fantasy game soundtrack draft (some soft of jRPG may be). It does bring some kind of otherwordly atmosphere. The main glockenspiel thing melody is fine, but there could be workaround to make it sound more like a real instrument. The pads and ambient parts are good, but there is too much low mid freqs. Prehaps there could be some highpass filtering in the reverb. There are some bass and rhythmic elements, but they are too quiet, obviusly muffled by muddy ambiences. That "Beat Boy" thing feels kinda out of place and context. Not really sure what could it mean and how could it be processed to fit more in the main theme. There is some unnecessary repetitions of same parts and sections, the whole arrangement could be 1/3 or even twice shorter.

This entry has some interesting ideas, but there is still a lot of work to do. The main concept is there.

8. satchboogie - Ratrun

Great start with that soundscape. Very creative use of samples. This track has a very bold idea behind it. Sadly, it's only one verse and chorus long. Overall it sounds kinda late 90's electro-pop. There is some imbalance between levels in the mix, some synth riffs sounds louder that vocals in the chorus. The vocals are OK, this song isn't meant for a perfect pitch performance.

This entry is obviusly far from being finished, but I like the idea of it. I like to see some one tries to sing and write more or less meaningful lyrics. I'm pretty uncomfortable even thinking that I would do something like this myself.
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Re: SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC053 January 2022 - Voting until 01-FEB-2022 23:59 UTC+1/CET

#45

Post by Mister Fox »

A friendly reminder:
We're in the final 24 hours to submit your feedback and cast your vote.


Please don't let yourself be put at a disadvantage by not participating. The Songwriting Competition lives from the given feedback towards each other. Outside feedback is welcome, of course.
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SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC053 January 2022 - results in preparation

#46

Post by Mister Fox »

It's the 02nd February 2022, 06:00 (UTC+1/CET) - the Voting Period has officially ended.

Sadly, not all participants have submitted final feedback, we would therefore have 3 disqualifications (and only 6 votes)

I will send out another newsletter to those particular participants (@SuC76, @satchboogie and @A Future in Noise), give you until the end of Wednesday, 02-FEB-2022. If there is a feedback and a vote by the participant in question, only -5 points will be deducted from the scoresheet. Else, sadly a disqualification.


Once I have this feedback as well, I will post the results within 2-3 days and take "late feedback" into consideration.
(this is not an automated process)


Please have an eye on this thread :educate:
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Re: SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC053 January 2022 - Voting until 01-FEB-2022 23:59 UTC+1/CET

#47

Post by satchboogie »

HI !

I am sorry for being late with my voting. I messed up in my timing, still appreciate the chance that i can cast it. As a latecomer I focused on giving the vote asap. Thank you for the productions, i enjoyed listening to them. They carried me away from where i stood in sense of sound design.

Arelem - Closure
Really enjoyed the song. Catchy theme. Very creative use of samples. The main lead and drums carry the song. Liked the detuned guitar sound as well. It builds a bit statically on the main theme.

VCA-089 - Continuum
The athmosphere at the start is awesome. The transition between the intro and main theme settles down the excitement a bit. The bass theme is catchy. I really like the number of drum sounds you built in. I wish i could hear them a bit louder out of the background. On phone/tablet they are more transparent. I like the washy bass in the middle break part. Bonus cheers for the guitar solo ! Very nicely done ! The hihats were more in the distracting range.

A Future in Noise - Empty Cans
I like the main melody and also appreciate the musician approach. This composition could have become solid if you played a bit at least with the velocities, dynamics, reverb. Sounds unfinished. Guitar (harpshicord) sound is unique.

fajebru - Purple
I like the rhythmic build up. The sounds are scattered in a rhythmic field and this builds up the uniqness for me on this one. If you had more time than a more melodic part would have been a nice contrast. Talent still shows.

tinnitus - Walking
Wow ! So many creative use of sounds. I really like the robotic soundscape, and the snare is very creative too. Things are happening and I'm just walking by! Cheers for singing! I aslo like that there is a nice build-up and a lot of earcandy. The bass carries nicely. The only thing i would mention is that i felt it a bit crowded in the low-mid range. Congratulations! Original stuff.

J.Ruegg - The Prism
Very nice work ! I enjoyed the instruments very much. I wonder how you guys make these stuff in one day. Very lively drums. I like how the bass sound evolves. Pads and athmosphere also play very well. I like that besides the sound design you have serious musical understanding. Mixwise also sounds round. Thank you.

SuC76 - ITZ
I liked the clap/snare. Reminded me of Kraftwerk. A little bit less prominent bass would have taken away its repetitivity. The whole piece is a bit static that would still be a benefit with more polished sounds in this genre.

Esteve Corbera - NoSeQue
Interesting start could have carried so much more than blending into a bell theme. Nice pad sound. The snare is too much buried and there are some musical dissonances due to the sample durations that distracts from listening. Bass is a bit too boomy.
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Thank you,
satch
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Re: SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC053 January 2022 - Voting until 01-FEB-2022 23:59 UTC+1/CET

#48

Post by SuC76 »

Hello,

thanks, I agree with all the comments and suggestions.
the thing happened within two hours, I chose the sounds I would work with, I processed them a bit, nothing is particularly mixed, just a rough balance.


Arelem - Closure
Really like concept and approach to melody.

VCA-089 - Continuum
Nice intro. I like what's starts happening from 1:07 , I like the melody that runs through the whole song, like "guitar solo" too. :)

A Future in Noise - Empty Cans
An interesting approach to the song. Like it.

fajebru - Purple
Groovy.

tinnitus - Walking
Industrial feel. Like the vocals

J.Ruegg - The Prism
Nice intro. Cinematic feel. Congratulations on choosing a sample and creativity :)

satchboogie
A wonderful story in the introduction. Drums and vocals a little bit dark for me. but in the end everything is ok

Esteve Corbera - NoSeQue
Cosmic feel, glocken too loud for my taste, maybe a little more fused inside.
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Bye.
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SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC053 January 2022 - results in preparation

#49

Post by Mister Fox »

Thank you everyone that responded to the reminder.

The score sheet will arrive within the next 2-3 days.
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SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC053 January 2022 - Winners announced

#50

Post by Mister Fox »

Ladies and Gentlemen, here are the results of Songwriting Competition 51

:arrow: The winners podium consists of:
  1. @VCA-089 (81 pts)
  2. @J.Ruegg (78 pts)
  3. @tinnitus (74 pts)

Apologies for the waiting time, this is not an automated process.

<4 participant rule is not in use (staff comments and votes, my vote would count as bonus)
We have 1 disqualifications (due to lack of feedback)
We have 0 withdrawn entries
We have 2 votes after the deadline - therefore -5 points penalty
We have 0 users that tied
  • <no tied entries>
"Sole (License) Winner" rule does not apply - 3-position Winners Podium (>= 9 participants prior to the deadline)


STATISTICS SHEET:
Overview of Submissions (PDF - updated: 08-FEB-2022, full sheet)

 ! Bonus Info
Short info:
I am using Wavelab 10 for batch analysis, then I manually port the CSV export to a Microsoft Excel/Open Office Calc sheet with custom layout (this is not an automated process).

As pointed out in this post from SWC047 / July, Wavelab has different tolerances for dBTP max analysis compared to tools like iZotope RX, Youlean Loudness Meter, NUGEN Audio VisLM, etc. To find a common ground, I've implemented "allowed tolerances" (just like with the Mix Challenge). These are based upon allowed offsets mentioned in the white papers for EBU R128 and ITU-R BS.1770-4. Since no measurement tool is the same, to be on the save side, please export at -14,1 LUFS ILk max, and -1,1 dBTP max.

As usual, I did list/analyze alternative releases (MP3s and FLAC). If you've submitted your entry in multiple file formats, the statistic sheet will focus on the uncompressed material first (WAV), then FLAC, then MP3. The higher the quality, the less possible loss on bonus points for "Loudness Specs" due to offsets introduced by a used CODEC. In this case, FLAC and MP3 are merely for information purposes.



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. Selecting licenses is handled in public. Please select one license/company out of the pool (in order of the winners podium) and mention it in this thread, then (important) please get in touch with me (via PM) with your full name, email address and your license selection.

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 / not available for "sole winner" mechanic). Just let all participants/winners/the staff know in a timely manner. Once one company has been selected, it's out of the pool for the next person on the podium.



I re-open the field for talking some more about each others' productions. If things drift a bit too off-topic, please use the General Gossip thread.



See you in in the next challenge!


Songwriting Competition 054 (February 2022) is still in full swing.
Please help spread the word! :help:
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