SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC073 September 2023 - Winners announced

[BenjiRage]

Very kind of you to comment on my submission, even though I'm not entering the contest this month. As for Above the Clouds, my first impression is that it is a very well mixed song. But maybe too long for being a song without a bridge or other things that stand out. Admittedly, there is a part between 2:48 – 3:52 that is instrumental. But as I judge it, without having analyzed meticulously, the chord progression behind is exactly the same here. Also: aside from what I said about "well-mixed", I thought the overall impression is that everything is a little too smooth. Part of that is due, I guess, to the super-smooth synthetic vocals. But also the super hard compression. I imported your wav.file into REAPER, to be able to listen with extra EQ with my earbuds, which I carry with me when I'm not at home. When I saw the graph on the display of my laptop, it occurred to me that the lack of roughness may be due to the fact that the truepeak never exceeds -5 dB. I will try to attach a screenshot of that graph. Then I will return, when/if time permits, with further observations.

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I can't really see why you wanted to compress like this (and I haven't checked iLUFS, but still a good song! Keep up the good work.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bQKgDs ... sp=sharing

Many thanks for having a listen to my track and for your comments, much appreciated. With regard to the true peak value, you're correct that it's a lot lower than you might usually expect. The "smoothness" too is due in part to this and the process I undertook to satisfy the -14 LUFS requirement of the competition. I'll try and explain what I did...

I usually still master things to a typical CD loudness level, so I initially had my mastering limiter set quite agressively and had to relax the threshold a large amount to attain the required competition specs. However, after listening back to the first master bounce I didn't like the way all the reverb and effects that had been previously been compressed and brought up had suddenly dropped down quite significantly. Admittedly the transients were more audible and things were generally a bit crisper, but I much preferred the intensly limited sound as the choruses in particular had an enhanced stereo thickness from everything being squeezed. Therefore what I did in the end was bounce the master at full squash then reduce the level of the bounced file so it was within spec (a reduction of around -7.5dB was required). This is why the true peak is a lot lower than expected, since the material has already been heavily limited. Ultimately though it was all in pursuit of what (to my funny ears at least) was a more pleasing sound in this case.

Un-cryptisize activities is a crusial thing when it comes to interpret lyrics, I believe. But I cannot judge my own talent as a writer, of course. I hesitated about the line " ... rid of ancient affairs ..." before I posted. I wish I had found a better way to express it, but I didn't. English isn't my native language, but everybody is so used to hear that language accompany contemporary music.

Sorry, yes of course, I should've appreciated that English isn't your first language!

[A Future in Noise]

I'll try and explain what I did...

I think I understand your long explanation, but I had to read it at least five times. Anyway, you are a very talented musician. You somehow manage to get the synths to be heard relatively clearly, despite the fact that the drums and deep bass (and the vocals) completely dominate. I find it difficult to go into any more detailed criticism here. There is not much to comment on beyond what I have already said. The rest of the song is excellent “craftsmanship”. (I haven't analyzed the lyrics yet, though... I might do that a little later, after all.) The 80s sound is very easy to identify, by the way, and I assume this is deliberate.

[A Future in Noise]

I wrote like this last night: "Un-cryptisize activities is a crucial thing...". I'm not at all sure this is comprehensible English ???

It would probably have been better to put it this way:

Lyrics that are written straight to the point, with wording reminiscent of those in a technical manual, are unlikely to be particularly exciting. (And then I assume that technical manuals are always written in a language that is as easy to understand as possible and that the writer constantly avoids wording that can have more than one meaning.)

This is a made up short poem that does not need to be deciphered: “Last night my girlfriend said I don't understand anything. But she is the one who doesn't understand. I actually think she's crazy, because she's a believer.”

I think that poets (real poets!) almost always try to write in such a way that the reader is forced to sit and try to analyze the poem, and eventually perhaps begin to guess what it might be about.

But that's just what I think.

Translated from Swedish by Google translate and myself.

[A Future in Noise]

@Doc Jon Seen from a rhythmic point of view, your submission is appealing. Also, there's a very melancholic feel to the chorus, which goes well with the sadness of AI and therapy. But there is one thing that makes it very difficult to judge your entry: I can hardly hear your vocal job at all. Even if I read the text, while listening, I perceive less than fifty percent of the words. Perhaps you would consider posting an alternative version - completely outside the contest - where your voice is possible to hear?

[BenjiRage]

I think I understand your long explanation, but I had to read it at least five times. Anyway, you are a very talented musician. You somehow manage to get the synths to be heard relatively clearly, despite the fact that the drums and deep bass (and the vocals) completely dominate. I find it difficult to go into any more detailed criticism here. There is not much to comment on beyond what I have already said. The rest of the song is excellent “craftsmanship”. (I haven't analyzed the lyrics yet, though... I might do that a little later, after all.) The 80s sound is very easy to identify, by the way, and I assume this is deliberate.

I did waffle on a bit! But thank you for your kind words, and yes the 80s sound was very deliberate - it's a sound I grew up with and always makes me feel happy and nostalgic.

I think that poets (real poets!) almost always try to write in such a way that the reader is forced to sit and try to analyze the poem, and eventually perhaps begin to guess what it might be about.

I'm relatively inexperienced when it comes to lyrics and songwriting so I hadn't really considered this, but I think you're right. My initial comments about cryptic lyrics now seem quite narrow-minded, I might try and be a little more poetic with my next song. Thank you for the eye-opener

[EsteveCorbera]

Good night,

Is it mandatory to ask yourself how you are doing this month?
We have presented a wide variety of styles. Each from a different and original point of view.
As always very good level. Good job everyone.

Reflections: Making music (or at least trying to) helps my mood. Without it my life would be very empty. I'm thinking all day what I can learn, what I can improve.

Sad Mood Comment: I've taken part in this challenge 32 times and I've only been in the top 3 once.
Happy Mood Comment: I have to thank you all, because your comments have made me grow. Every time I do things better thanks to you.

I will give you some brief comments.

Arelem - Anxiety
Very well worked song. Good start Lo-Fi, maybe you could have also used this resource for the final part, when the voices are no longer heard. The voices are very well interpreted. The lyrics of the song are good.
The chords maybe a bit tiring, in the end they are too repetitive.


BenjiRage - Above_the_Cloud
I like this aspect of the 80s. I find the voices very good. I wouldn't be able to distinguish that they are not real. I like hearts, they transport me to my youth.
To listen to your tracks, I drag them into my DAW. This way I can control several parameters that other player programs do not allow me to control. I saw that you compressed/limited your topic so much that you didn't leave much dynamic.


KukoBass - Shattered3
I like the general tone of your topic. Calming, calm, he is advancing little by little. Very appropriate to the topic of the month. I agree with the colleague that perhaps the mixture can be adjusted. The sound of the synthesizer is too loud and the vocals need some distance.


Jinjer93 - VirtueSignalsDemo
Good job. good voices And good mix. The truth is I don't have much more to say, I wouldn't know what to say to you to improve.


VCA-089 - BrokenMirror
Good experimentation. The overall sound is very separate from the vocals, which have a very original delay effect. What I like most is this worked part of the low-quality sound, distant in contrast to the nearby but full of echo voices.

Doc Jon - Happy
good song Super retentive. Bon works in production or mixing. And great work on the part of the effects or sounds you put here and there. Very well worked.

A Future In Noise - MyFriendThePriest
It depends a lot on your style. Good job. Sorry for the lack of time.
As a criticism, I might notice the vocals trampled by the guitar. Maybe you should automate the level of the guitar when the vocals are playing. But maybe that's just my point of view.

(translated with google)

► Show Spoiler

01 BenjiRage
02 VCA-089
03 KukoBass

[KukoBass]

Hello everyone,

first of all thanks to Mr. Fox for organizing the competition and choosing such an inspiring photo and theme for this month's competition. I had a lot of different ideas based on picture and theme.

My experience this month:
I had trouble starting writing this month. The theme of this month's contest is for personal reasons very important to me (see last year's entry), so I wanted too much and promptly fell into writer's block. Then unforeseen circumstances kept me from writing, and at the end I had only about half of the time left for writing and producing something. What I learned is that I can trust my process of working, which is to write chord progressions first and then add a melody and lyrics.


Feedback:
As always, take my feedback with a grain of salt as I still am a hobby musician, not a producer or mixer.


Arelem - Anxiety
I think the music illustrates the theme of the song and the lyrics very well. The string stabs remind me a little of the "Psycho" film score; together with the bass they raise an uneasy feeling (in a good way, fitting the theme).
I also like the lyrics as they describe the feeling of anxiety very well and yet keep a positive outlook.
In terms of production and mixing, I would not know what to improve.


BenjiRage - Above the Clouds
This song has a very full, spacious sound. It is not what I'd expect from the "mental health awareness" theme, but it does very well portray the reflection on better and happier times. It is a perfect little gem of pop music, and I have no suggestions at all what could be improved.
I like especially the increased intensity from the verse to the chorus and the stereo effect on the drum fill.
Just wow!


Doc John - Happy
This song reminds me a little of video games soundtracks and a lot of nights spend dancing in local clubs. It feels little darker and more EDM than your previous entries; I like it a lot.
The mix of the vocal loops and your voice sounds very good. I also like the vocoder and the glitch effects. From a writer's perspective, I especially dig how you ended the song. Again, I find nothing that had to be improved.


Esteve Cobera - Tres Fases De La Ment
The song has a very cinematic and slowly beginning, but then gets combined with a rhythm that sounds like Europop, and synths that remind me of video game soundtracks. The harmonies sometimes clash with the cinematic drones in the background. I would stop the drones for the middle part and make the middle part shorter. All in all, the composition of the three parts does not work for me, it feels a little aimless. I could imagine that the song would have scored better if you'd stick to one type of music, ambient or the more energetic type. I personally am a fan of your more ambient songs.


jinjer93 - Virtual Signals Demo
I like that this song keeps a good balance between "handmade" and "virtual", guitars and synths.
I like especially the harmonies between the voice and the synths starting around 0:29.
The production sounds pretty professional to me. From a writer's perspective, I feel that the song could use some pauses from the vocals, a little more time to breathe, perhaps with a solo, as others suggested. I also think that the ending could be improved. Right now, the song just seems to stop without bringing it to a specific ending. It's difficult to explain, but maybe if you compare your ending to the ones of BenjiRage or Arelem, you'll understand what I'm trying to suggest here.


VCA-089 aka InfraVolt - Broken Mirror
Very good postpunk or darkwave production. The overall sound and the lyrics fit the theme of the month very well.
I think the delayed voice is a good effect for the message of the song, but the tuned down vocals are difficult to understand behind the music in the chorus part. Maybe some delay ducking could improve this (though that wouldn't be very authentical for the genre). The dissonant guitar solo works well for the theme of the song, though the guitar gets a little repetitive.
I especially like the drum parts of the song.


Bonus feedback:
A Future in Noise - My Friend The Priest
Good old handmade music! I like the dirty guitars, especially the call and response at the beginning and the solo. The vocals sound a little too clean in comparison to the guitars. Have you ever experimented with saturation or distortion on the vocal track?
And if you hadn't told us that the song isn't finished, I would not have known; I'd thought the recital was meant to be the end of the song.


My top 3:
It was difficult to decide which songs to put in my top 3. In the end, I decided from a writer's perspective what I considered fitting best this month's theme.

► Show Spoiler

1. Doc John - Happy
2. Arelem - Anxiety
3. VCA-089 aka InfraVolt - Broken Mirror

[EsteveCorbera]

Esteve Cobera - Tres Fases De La Ment
[...]. I personally am a fan of your more ambient songs.

The truth is, me too!!
In this track I wanted to do something more animated so as not to repeat myself so much, but I can see that you didn't like it.
Thanks

Esteve

[A Future in Noise]

[EDIT:] It's now possible to download a document directly from the website. It's a shorter version, however, 31 pages instead of 62. [/EDIT]

I received an email from a company/site called Mastering The Mix a week or so ago. It concerns a competition that deals with "stem mastering". In addition to the plugins - trial for 15 days - an extremely informative PDF document of 62 pages is included. For me, who has not yet fully managed to understand the point of a compressor, for example, and how to handle one, that PDF document is a pure goldmine. It also covers side-chaining and much, much more. Now, admittedly, I am only halfway through the manual, but I think I can promise that it is an unusually educational publication.

Now, I don't know how many of you guys here are already full-fledged sound designers. But maybe there is someone else who would appreciate taking part in the package? The deadline for the competition is indeed tonight at 23.59 CEST, but you can keep the PDF document as long as you want. (First prize $250.)

The only problem is that it is not enough that I give the URL to the website. You must read the email. And how can I forward an email?

I can't see any legal or moral issues here. The guy behind Mastering The Mix sure doesn't mind a little extra advertising... I don't know if there are any rules here on the Mix-Challenge to the effect that you can't advertise for things, but at least I don't get any profit from this. And there is still no link / no email here.

[Mister Fox]

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


Please check post #020 regarding the feedback and voting mechanic. Please don't let yourself be put at a disadvantage by not participating (fully). The Songwriting Competition lives from the given feedback towards each other.

Outside feedback is welcome, of course.