SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC065 January 2023 - Winners announced

[GMoneh]

As I mentioned in my previous post, this month competition was for me a great opportunity to make use of a few awesome synths that I either got over the holidays or have had for a while but never had a chance to really delve into. In particular, for this kind of sample-based sound design, I want to bring attention to:

- Audio Damage Quadra 2: A granular based synth that allows to create awesome sounds from a given audio file by granular processing.
- Dawesome Novum: Distributed by Tracktion, but developed by this guy nicknamed "Dawesome", this is another granular synth, but with a different workflow than Quadra. This one slices the original sample into separate "timbres" that comprise it, and allows you to then mix and match "timbres" from different samples, or even mix the envelopes from a sample with the timbres of another. Really cool stuff.
- NI Form: This is a Reaktor based ensemble, part of Komplete. I'm not sure if it's mechanism could be considered granular or not, but it offers yet another way to get awesome sounds from audio file sources by manipulating the way the audio in the sample is played.

Also had the chance to play a bit with wavetable synthesis, another synthesis mechanism that really interests me. Serum is the most popular synth in this field, I know, but I don't own that one so I can't opine on it. But both Phaseplant and Pigments proved really flexible on this regard, with the ability to create a wave table from any audio file source you may want. Possibilities are limitless!

So those were the strategies I myself used for the sound design this month. Really curious how other folks attacked the problem, because there are some really good sounds on these months tracks.

A few comments on each of the entries:

cotmm68030 - matrioshka brain neural desynchronization
A good atmospheric track, with good sound design, good use of the samples available/provided. I tend to prefer tracks with more melodic/structured content, and that's why this one doesn't place higher for me in my voting.

Arelem- Gone
It's cool that you came up with an actual song with lyrics. However, the lyrics are a bit unintelligible for me, I don't know if they should be a bit more in front or what, but they seem to get obscured by everything that is going on. In turn, all the other components get masked by the lyrics at the same time, so in the end, no part takes really full attention of the listener. The most prominent part is actually the drums, which could probably stand to be taken back a bit instead…

alavault - Rubber Banding
An interesting piece. More percussive in nature, but I guess that's what the sample set we were given was the most apt for. The problem with percussive pieces is that they get repetitive after a bit if there is not much variation in the beat or the structure.

JeroenZuiderwijk - JungleJazzElectroFusionOnSpeed
"Chaos", as you say, is a good way to describe it, but in a good way. The track is moving and enjoyable. Maybe I missed it in the whole thread, but I wish you had at least described how you got the sounds you got from the samples provided.

Mellow Browne - Fight Your Demons
I like the groove on this one. Very "dancey". The sounds are well constructed. Interesting you used Arturia CMI V for most of those. I didn't know that was a sample manipulation synth. Ended up with several interesting sound structures.

EsteveCorbera - Magia Cosmica
One more in the "ambient/atmospheric" lane. The sounds are very well constructed. The mix could perhaps use a bit more separation so the individual trimbres. Also, it stretches a little bit too long…

OrpheusXL - Le Roi C'est Moi
Catchy tune for sure! The sounds achieved are very musical and fit the piece very well. The track progresses nicely is well constructed.

AlexHyper-EZBanks -Abattoir
Chaotic and fast, ends up working well with all the sounds available. Gets a bit too chaotic towards the end, but good overall.

becsei_gyorgy - adlibs
Wow, achieving all those sounds just from a single sample, that's quite a feat indeed. The sound design is on point, and the composition and arrangement are top notch too.

VCA-089 - Machine Heart Well produced electronic track. A lot of sound variety achieved from the samples for all the sounds effects spread throughout.

tinnitus - Severe
A tale of two tracks. I like the second part better, as the more mellow beat seems to work better with the sounds selected. But nice job overall.

A Future In Noise - Always Around
It's too bad this entry was not eligible for voting, because it would probably have placed on my list, although extremely short. I like the wavetable sounds you were able to extract from the material provided.

The Exponent - LifeLoop
Also a shame it was posted late. This one would have definitely placed in my top 5. Great sounds, great beat, very enjoyable.



Votes:

► Show Spoiler

1. becsei_gyorgy
2. OrpheusXL
3. Mellow Browne
4. VCA-089
5.EsteveCorbera

[Mellow Browne]

This was the first time for me to only use given sounds to create something, so I learned how to change the view on a certain situation, it changed the way I hear snippets for samples now for example, which I absolutely did not except to happen. I will definitely participate in the next Community Scramble and I will also provide some samples. Next time I will invest more time in the sound design part, I really wanted to finish something but in a genre I’m not really familiar with, so I could really learn some new approaches to other genres than I usually do. And I wanted to try a new synth I never used before, this is why chose Arturia CMI V for the most part. It is also nice to hear the ideas from all of you and to see your vision, and I have to say, ALL of you have done a great job. Congratulations!

So, here is my feedback:

cotmm68030: "matrioshka brain neural desynchronization"

I´m honest, first I thought wtf is this. I had to listen at least 5 times to really acknowledge what is happening here.
Great soundscape, lots of things happening, it is hard to really catch up the little details. I really like the spatial depth here, some sounds are really far away with lots of reverb and delay, some are in your face, others are wobbling, phasing, pulsing etc. Your production stood out the most to me, because of the style you chose and the way you created the sounds. There are a lot of „musical“ elements which are hard to hear the first few times, everything seems to be tuned perfectly to each other element. Only thing to complain is the „lack“ of musicality overall compared to the rest. Excellent work!

Arelem: "Gone"

This sounds like some hybrid of lo-fi hip hop and pop music, which I find interesting. I like the relaxing vibe, it reminds me of holidays and sunny weather. The sounds you created fit very well together but the mix has some problems, maybe the guitar tune is a bit too loud, but like others mentioned I’m not able to understand the lyrics. And after a while, they get a bit „annoying“, it is hard for me to listen to them, because I don’t understand them, so it sounds repetitive. Overall the sound is a bit muddy and boomy in the low mids. The Vocal FX is cool, but I think it is just too much for a 4 minute song. You are not off-tune, but to my ears your melody singing is not „interesting“ enough.

Alex Hyper-EZ Banks: „Abattoir“

This is really a hell of a ride, it goes in all directions in a very creative way, at first it sounds very glitchy and pretty unorthodox, but there is certain story behind it. Every 4 bars or so the theme changes, and even though the sounds remind me more of „noise“ you still made it sound musical to my ears. It sounds detuned, but in a „correct“ way.
Your track is a bit short and the end is too abrupt. To me the best part is from 01:21-01:53, this is a great section, I personally hear it as the transition point of your production and it would’ve been nice if that part would be longer. Some elements stick out to much in the mix, for example that loud buzz/saw sound @ 00:36 and in general, I find the mix a bit busy and distorted.
But overall really good work.

aFutureInNoise: „AlwaysAround_NP“

So sad, this production isn’t longer, very promising 80´s soundscape and feeling. I like the that turnaround thing on the chord progression you did. Also the singing does fit very well.

alavault: „RubberBanding“

I like how the energy keeps rising. The rhythm section is nice and groovy with that long delay, the sounds fit well together. Overall, I really like the musical idea behind it. This sounds like some Dark Techno or Industrial to me (maybe I’m totally wrong here) and I had movies like „Fight Club“ or „The Transporter“ in mind when listening to it. But after the break there are some elements which do not really connect with the rest, they seem a little bit too random for me and sound „off and detuned“, especially that high pitched synth lead. I would love to hear a version with the elements tuned to the rest. The mix does have some phasing issues, some elements like the „buzz guitar sound“ after the break @ 01:28 almost disappears in mono, and overall it sounds very busy to me.

becseigyorgy: „adlibs-90bpm“

This reminds me of some pop music like Lady Gaga or Britney Spears, I like the musicality of this one. The sound design is interesting, I hear guitars, strings, Pads, Leads, Plucks, etc., just from one sample. The mix is well balanced, nothings stands out. But I can’t tell you why, to me your production doesn’t sound finished, maybe it is the arrangement or the lack of percussive instruments/low end power, it is just a kick and a high hat. Don’t get me wrong, this is actually really good, but I personally know you can do it „better“ or more interesting, I’ve heard some really impressive stuff in the past from you. Even though the mix is ok, this still does sound like a „demo version“. But for that "One Sample Challenge" you made it for yourself your entry is really good.

EsteveCorbera: „Magia cosmica“

This reminds of some theme park music eg. the Eurosat Coaster @ Europa Park, nice soundscape here. Has some 80-90´s vibe to it. I like it. It needs some time to really develop, especially those hits. First impression is good. But after a while it is a bit repetitive overall, nothing „new“ under the sun, only another pad stacked on top. The overall sound design is more plucky and shrill, the chord progression varies here and there, but sometimes the chord change sounds „random“ to me, like a chord generator/arppegiator but with more basic chord progression, nothing really „fancy“ with inversion/substitutes/turnarounds eg. I would have love to hear a B part, maybe with a very dark musical twist, the total opposite of the A part, since the production is rather long. I'm also missing a rhythmic percussive section. It was a bit harder for me to stay really focused while listening.


VCA-089: „Machine Heart“

Nice soundscape with different parts, those bell and chord sounds give me that „retro feeling“ and it reminds of some space ship/alien invader or „Command and Conquer“ pc game. It would also fit as soundtrack for horror movies like „Stephen Kings It“ or „Ghostbuster“, so many things come to my mind when listening to this. Really great work.
The different parts fit very well together and the overall production is interesting enough, it feels shorter than 5 minutes 36 seconds.
The mix is ok, sounds a bit shrill and harsh at times, but nothing dramatic. Maybe the send fx are bit too much.

tinnitus: „Severe“

Holy moly, nice stuff here. I like the vibe and the mix of the different styles, Hip Hop, Drum and Bass, Glitch Hop, Trap, Oriental/Arabic etc. It is aggressive but relaxing at the same time. Although the sound design is very „rusty“ and dirty the production has a very modern character. The only thing I would love to hear is a longer version of it where you go really crazy at the end after the „break“. And the mix is not clear enough for me, some elements are clashing with others and the sound is a bit distorted, but nothing too bad. Excellent work.

OrpheusXL: „Le Roi C’est Moi“

I like the way it is developing over time, the sounds are interesting and fit well together. It reminds me of some modern „pacman“ game music. Musically it has a more neutral or „humoroustic“ character, it is not happy and not sad. I noticed a B part in the middle which complements the first part really well, it stays in that neutral musical region but still gives enough variety for the ear to catch up something different. Some elements like the stab hits are too loud and stick out too much, but I noticed you turned up the drums a bit. The mix is busy and a bit distorted but I think your sound will „improve“ when you spend some time with the concepts of mixing, mastering and „loudness“ in general. Keep up the good work.

JeroenZuiderwijk: „JungleJazzElectroFusionOnSpeed“

This has a lot of energy and sounds like some vintage computer music. It has that digital, glitchy, cheesy uptempo midi sound, I find this very cool, especially that hard screaming synth @ 00:40, actually a sound I can imagine in a hip hop production, a hard ghetto type beat for The Lox or Mobb Deep for example.
I had hope that you would bring up a longer version with maybe a B part or an interesting turnaround or something. But overall your entry is pretty short and therefore doesn’t sound finish to me. I would love to hear an extended version with a little musical „twist“. Interesting work.

GMoneh: „GrainsOfSand“

Instant mid 90´s „Eurorap“ vibes with that drum loop and the synth melody. I like the development over time, it gets more a bit more hyped at the end. The sound design is pretty cool and old school but still up-to-date. Good job!
One thing I don’t like is the „dissonance“ between the bass sound and the synth melody from 00:43-01:04, something sounds out of tune to my ears here. I think the mix is ok, it needs some adjustments, to my ears the delay and reverb is too audible, I find the instruments need more separation. That filter effect on the drums is a bit too heavy, it is loosing quite some energy and the high whistling at the beginning is also a bit loud.

The Exponent: „LifeLoop“ - Bonus Entry

Great composition, great sound design. Almost everything is on point here! Very modern and „high class“ sound. I like it a lot. The drop at about 02:00 is nice and smooth. Only thing I have to complain is the mix. It is a bit squashed and harsh in the mids and highs. I think a cleaner mix and this thing would really shine!. Excellent work. Too bad you couldn’t deliver on time.

My top 5:

► Show Spoiler

1st tinnitus
2nd cotmm68030
3rd VCA-089
4th GMoneh
5th Alex Hyper-EZ Banks

[JeroenZuiderwijk]

This was my second attempt ìn the songwriting competition. I didn't have much time so I feel that my contribution is not quite finished. Maybe I'll work on it and make it a full song another moment.
but I really liked the idea to make a song from samples I didn't choose myself. I think I'll be participating more in the songwriting competition from now on.

i didn't include much info in my first post so here is some insight in my work.
I am not really into sounddesign and to be honest, I am not very good in morphing
the sound. Normaly when I don't like the sound I find another sample ;-)
I used a lot of distortion (obviously), delay and I chopped the samples
in a creative way and arranged them in Renoise. The distorted kick (cardboard box) and snare sound made a good foundation for a D&B beat. I used the 110 Hz sine to thicken the kick a bit.
I used the following samples:
-Cardboard Box
-Thumbtacks Shaken inside plastic box
-drum loop 90bpm
-accidental Mic Tap
-Swoosh Higher
-Atral Arp Bbmaj 110 BPM
-Bell
-Glass rubbed with finger
-Detuned hit
-ShaneTSCBreak01
-sin 110Hz

Some of the songs this month are high quality sounddesign. There are some excelent tracks that I like listening to more then ones. Here is my top 5:

► Show Spoiler

1. Arelem
2 Esteve Corbera
3 B ecsei Gyorgy
4 tinnitus
5 VCA 089

Everybody did a great job. The creativity was fantastic to hear. Well done!

Cotmm68030:
I like the spooky sounding intro. You feel something is going to happen.
I expected some kind of a build up. But that didn't come instead the weird
soundscape texture got more intense. I think this has a
very interesting atmosphere. Nice! The stereo spread is amazing. If you could have put some melody in it, this could be a really cool song. Violin maybe (I know...cliché), or some piano...or even maybe a triphop beat....just thinking out loud. It does needs something halfway the song to keep it interesting.


(1) Arelem:
My absolute favorite. Sounds like a hit. i could listen to this on the radio.
Catchy melody and beat and a very good professional production overall. The solid bass in the track
sounds massive. My compliments! At 1.50 minutes I am missing some energy. At that point I was acualy expecting a chorus or something. It takes a bit too long time for the chorus to kick in.

Alavault:
I like the intro vocal with pitch effect. The bass is strong in this track. i like that.
It is a simple concept but interesting. I can hear lots of potential to build this to a more full song. Maybe you could try to lengthen the vocal in the intro a bit. In that way you trick the listener into thinking it is going to be a cheesy song :-)

Mellow Browne:
Good dance club hit. the groove is nice. Kick a bit boomy. The song has a nice build up.
But I do feel I'm missing a climax in this song. The building up just stops at the end. There is also al lot of repetiion in the melody. Some variation would make it more interesting.

(2) Esteve Corbera:
This another one of my favorites. I've been listenig to this song dreaming away. Very good. The thing is,
it is a long tune but I wasn't bored by it. The relaxed vibe just goes on and on and I felt it could go on :-)

OfpheusXL:
Creative track. All the layers sound interesting together. It is a bit weird track but the solid beat
makes it a song. Some more structure would make it even better.

AlexHyper-EZBanks:
This sounds weird :-) and I can imagine the fun you've had making this song.
The dissonants do make it a bit hard to listen to. I think every songstructure needs at least one element for the listener to hold on to. In this case it is the kick. But with all the sounds hapening I think This could use some extra hook / melody.

(3) Becsei_gyorgy:
Melody is very nice and the strings takes it to another level. Very good.
This one is in my top 3. there is enough vartiation to keep it interesting. Good work! The song makes me curious how it would sound in a 'happy hardcore' style. (150 - 175 BPM)...could work magic with this track I think ;-)

(5) VCA 089:
Another very good tune. It is like the soundscape is telling a story. Could be
a movietrack or something. Very good. I wonder how you've got all those sounds.

(4) Tinnitus:
Wow, picking a top 5 is going to be hard. This one rocks! Brutal underground
dancetrqck. When I hear this I imagine a raptrack and a cyprus Hill 'horse' sound.....

GMoneh:
creative song. I like the atmospheric sound. I do feel not much is happening during the song. Maybe some
extra layers / variation could have helped this song to another level.

Future in Noise:
The vocals are not my thing. but the instruments sound good. I think that the
song structure could be more interesting with some extra change in the arrangement.I think if the kick would have more energy the track would sound more professional.

The Exponent:
Nice groove! This swings. I think the sounds are well choosen. This one could be in my top 5 I guess.

[Mister Fox]

It is great to see that all of you (so far) opt for "the one extra bonus point" on the chart by giving feedback to everyone.

This is really nice. However, I also see plenty of posts already that are merely write "you did good, I like your entry" and then move on, rather than be critical and offer possible feedback for room for improvement. As mentioned previously, this would make it hard for me to adjust the "extra bonus point", despite you (plural) giving feedback to everyone.


So I am putting another chip on the table:

Update/Edit your review post by the end of the voting deadline (01-FEB-2023 23:59 UTC+1/CET) with more constructive feedback, and your single bonus point (+1pt bonus) for feedback for everyone turns into two bonus points (+2pts bonus) on the score chart.

How does that sound?



Additionally...

To those users that add more documentation to their entries. You are aware that you can edit your own posts? Please do so, as we had some entries that were "follow-ups", which in turn made it harder for me to find the actual correct/most recent version.



There are still 2 more days left for feedback and casting your vote. Looking forward to more interaction

[Arelem]

Hello Everyone,

I am not particularly big on sound design; it's just not my favorite thing to do. That being said, I tried using Harmor this time around and it wasn't too bad. I just started making new sounds out of the old ones and seeing where they took me. About halfway through I decided I wanted to add vocals, but I wanted to incorporate 'sound design' into that as well. If you are familiar with any of my previous songs, I do not sound how I do on this track. I wanted to make myself sound as much like a woman as I could. I sang in my best falsetto and tuned up the formant a bit to try and achieve that.

Feedback

► Show Spoiler

cotmm68030: This is a sound design-focused challenge and I certainly cannot fault you on that. However, it is a songwriting contest as well and this type of thing just really isn't for me. With that in mind, I can only speak to my experience with various song contests that I have been a part of in order to offer up how better to cater to that sort of format. Niche tracks and genres do not usually perform well. Sometimes a track will combine niche elements with more typical genres to good effect. Since it is my impression that these ambient sorts of tracks are what you typically produce, attempting to do a hybrid of sorts might be a good idea when you are competing in a music contest. I feel like there is a lot of benefit in doing so anyway because you may discover certain tools or techniques that you can then apply to your own music creation.

alavault: I really like the panning going on, it creates a nice full soundstage. The bass is also really big and sounds great. There are elements here that make me think of Nine Inch Nails and then that is mixed with a more upbeat pop-sounding track, it's definitely interesting. The melody is a little short for it to repeat through basically the whole track. There is just enough variation for it to not feel too repetitive, but it is sort of walking that line.

JeroenZuiderwijk: Interesting track. I'm really not sure what to say about it. The sound design is interesting and sounds good. I like the synth bass especially. Once the sub bass comes in, the low end gets a bit muddy. Also, the kick is really struggling against the two basses. It doesn't sound side-chained at all to me, or if it is it's really subtle. I would either add a side-chain between the kick and basses or increase the effect if there is some already.

Mellow Browne: From a sound design perspective, a lot of what's going on is a little uninspired in my opinion. Almost all the sounds are easily identifiable from their sources with a little post-processing on them. I do like the drones going on in the back of the track, they create a really nice atmosphere. The bass also sounds really good as well as the melodies. Everything fits together well also. If this had been any other challenge, your track probably would have ranked higher for me, but in a sound-design challenge, I just felt that there were others that simply did a bit better in that regard.

EsteveCorbera: The sound design is good. I like the pads, nice and full. The song does drag on for me though. Apart from the chords changing, the song is pretty static all throughout. It would be a good song to put on in the background, but it's not something I would actively listen to. When the big drums come in toward the end it did sort of pique my interest. Maybe instead of keeping everything more or less the same, you could have had a lull that leads into that part of the song to help break things up.

OrpheusXL: There are a lot of interesting things going on, but it is difficult to separate them. There's honestly too much going on. In this case, I think less is more. If you ended up creating a lot of sounds that you wanted to use, that might have been a good opportunity to use them in different parts of the song to build in variation rather than continuing to stack them on top of each other.

AlexHyper-EZBanks: Lot of interesting sound design going on here. The bass hits a little weird but in a good way. The short synth at the start and end of the song has way too much detune on it IMO. While the sounds are interesting, the song isn't that musical to me. I'm not sure what to suggest to fix that. If I were given something similar to start a track with, I might try and mix things in with other more traditionally musical elements.

becsei_gyorgy: It is pretty impressive what you were able to create using only that one sample. Everything sounds really good and comes together well. The song structure is good and keeps the listener engaged. Considering that, it's a little disappointing that the main driving force of the song is just the adlibs chopped up and played back with some effects on top.

VCA-089: There are a lot of great elements here with nice sound design. There are some bits that are a bit too shrill or loud up in the high end though. Also, there's some pricing static on the synth at the end that really bothered me. There are some good melodies and interesting switch-ups throughout the track. My biggest issue with the song is that it feels more like 4 different intros all put together and it never gets to the meat of the song.

tinnitus: The breakbeat drums and vocal chops sound good and work well together. From a melody, composition, and sound design perspective, I have no complaints. The constant static in the background got pretty annoying for me though.

GMoneh: Sounds are good with a good arrangement. The drums are the same throughout the whole track, apart from a pass filter applied partway through. I don't think the vocal chops were really necessary and they were the weakest parts of the track for me. Once you started layering them with the synth, they stood out a bit too because they lagged behind a little bit.

A Future in Noise: I like the main synth here, really interesting sound. I would have liked to see where this went.

The Exponent: Really great track! If I had to look for something, I think the bass in the breakdown could have been a little louder/fuller. I really have nothing to critique here, good job.

My Vote

► Show Spoiler

1st alavault
2nd JeroenZuiderwijk
3rd tinnitus
4th becsei_gyorgy
5th GMoneh

[AlexHyper-EZBanks]

► Show Spoiler

(1) Tinnitus - Severe
On another level. Great mix, great arrangement and stunning sound scape. Class

(2) GMoneh - Grains of Sand
Mix is on point. The whole song flows sublimely. Love to hear this with a vocal now!

(3) EsteveCorbera - Magia Cosmica
Very, very good. Exceptional use of sounds. Nice arrangement. Well done!

(4) Otmm68030 - Rusted machines
Really good. An engaging sound space with sounds beautifully placed.

(5) JeroenZuiderwijk - JungleJazzElectroFusionOnSpeed
Super exciting! Nice groove and use of sounds. Cool!

Others

OrpheusXL - Le Roi C’est Moi
Great tune! Lots of engaging melodies and sounds.

Arelem - Gone
Lovely. Arrangement could be simplified. Perhaps don’t start with the vocal and introduce more bridges between vocal.


alavault - Rubber Banding
Heavy! Like it.

I super enjoyed doing this! It's nice to make a track just for the fun of it as most of my work is designed either for release of producing for other people. It was quite eye opening to have an absolute set of sounds to work with. Not really a limitation, more of an opportunity to explore what's possible.
I have a long history in syntheses and I think I'd forgotten how much fun it is to explore sound manipulation. Also, I have been super impressed by the functionality of Logic's sampler. As a tool I found it very well suited to the task at hand and I didn't come across any limitations in the creative process.
Listening to the other entries made me feel I should have tried harder! But, I allocated myself 8 hours to do this and I'm happy with the results. Listening back I can see many areas I could improve, but sometimes you've just got to let it go as is.
Nice one - Alexander

[becsei_gyorgy]

hi folks! That was great competition.

My experiences in the process of creating:
I started quite late in the competition and I had very little time to devote to it.
Nevertheless, it was exciting, because of the deliberately limited time and sample set.
It was nice to use tools that I touch relatively rarely, e.g. Serato Sample, Phase plant sampler.
I quickly got into the flow, in 4-5 hours I finished 90% of the "instruments", including an 8 bar loop, so I had the basic melodic elements ready.
The next day I immediately started to dismantle the 8-bar loop (in which all the instruments played something), and gave to the "song" a skeleton, then filled the missing spaces with the creating of the remaining 10% of the instruments.
My focus was on the vocal chops, it would have been difficult to make proper drums from the vocal sample without resynthesis, and I didn't want to do that. I figured that a kick (4 on the floor) and an intense, percussive hat would be enough.
Although I'm not a fan of fiddling with sounds, I was completely captivated by this in the short time available. It was a good experience.

Overall impressions of the other songs: simply fantastic.
I don't think there has ever been such a strong sample challenge competition, where all of the songs (and I'm not being polite), and really all of the authors, did an excellent job. Looking back over the last few years, any of these songs would have finished in the top 2 in recent years in the sample challenge competition. And really, any of them.
I really liked the sampling solutions, the sounds you made. Congratulations. In addition to the sounds, there were also excellent songs. Good melodies, nice arrangements.

For some songs, I saw that there were some issues in the mix/master.
For mix@master of songs I highly recommend e.g. Dan Worrall's tutorial on the use of SPAN, I think it's very useful (all his tutorials are brilliant by the way) - Voxengo SPAN mixing settings:

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For all the great things mentioned above - cliché or not - it was really hard to make a TOP 5, as all the songs deserved it.

Feedbacks:

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CotMM68030 - matrioshka brain neural desynchronization
Really like it, excellent background for movies, very good ambient theme.
Clever manipulation of samples.
2:32-3:00 I like this part - the squeaky unearthly sound coming out of the background, the pulsating base, excellent together.
I like the reliability, the unpredictability, the unexpected (which could be more ).
What I would do differently: the dark tone suits the mood, but there are too many rumble parts with very bad correlation, I'd go for a slightly more balanced soundscape, with higher whispering or sharp clicking sounds, the point being to balance the soundscape a bit more with the cinematic, while of course keeping the dominance of the darker tone.

Arelem - Gonev
I like the lo-fi feel of the opening with a constricted sound, I really like the vocal production.
Where there is room for development:
0:45-1:40 a bit of a bad correlation (around 400-500 hz) and I would put the sharp piano, pluck sound under the vocal with sidechain (the whole good vocal would be more enjoyable), now they are really interfering with each other.
The bass is very lonely around 50 Hz, it deserves a bit more saturation I think to be heard better on smaller speakers (otherwise I like the bass implementation)
Overall I like the composition, the lo-fi drums, the vocals, the effects (e.g. echo from 2:27). Nice sounds.

alavault - Rubber Banding
Wow, similar tape stop at the beginning as at the end of my song Yes, it was a high ball to put a tape stop on the vocal, it had to be hit. Nice.
I like the opening, good rhythm, good ping pong echo on percussive elements.
Part B really kicks off, I really like the part from 2:00 onwards
Real industrial feeling. - I'm missing a bit of the bolder percussive elements here. It could be more varied both rhythmically (e.g. sometimes unexpected beats) and tonally, as the very strong bass drowns out the percussion. Here you could have given the drums a bit more space, like in the intro (where there is no bass).
I like the increasing sense of chaos, the sounds are good. Nice song.

JeroenZuiderwijk - JungleJazzElectroFusionOnSpeed
Very nice, clean sounds, I like the mix too.
Very good groove, pulsating rhythm all the time, I like it.
The higher synth inlays with chiptune effect are good, but a bit lonely.
It feels like the song has a perfect groove foundation, it just needs to be built on.
I like the stereo play (as from 0:25 the left-right play starts).
Overall clever, clear sounds, good rhythm, good mix. Small lack of melodic elements.

MellowBrowne - Fight Your Demons
Good rhythm, good groove, excellent soundscape.
Finally, a song that balances sufficiently and excellently between high and low rhythmic elements.
Mono compatibility is outstanding
A nice song where the emphasis is on rhythmic pulsation and playfulness.
I also like the ambient background element. It shows up just as much as it should.
Am I missing something?
For me the melodic part is a bit lacking, but that's probably a "fault" of the style, not of the song. (Although it might be nice to have a melodic element what carries the song (and interest) better.)

EsteveCorbera - Magia cosmica
Nice chords, ethereal, a bit churchy feeling. I like the sounds.
The metallic drums that appear from 2:44 are nice.
The song starts well, good chords. After a while, however, the constant organ playing with the same sequence in the background becomes less interesting.
It would be nice to have either a change of instrument or a sudden change of rhythm, or play with the dynamics. Something to make it a bit more interesting.
Overall I like the sounds you have created, the theme is good too. A little variety is missing for me.

OrpheusXL - Le Roi C'est Moi
I like the movements both in melody and rhythm.
They keep the song from getting boring and always keep you interested.
There are some very nice clean sounds in the song, clever sampling.
A bit "loud" song.
Maybe at some points e.g. from 1:03 onwards, which is a bit of a "breakdown", it would be nice to have a pad-like sound somewhere in the background. It would counterpoint a bit the otherwise praised vibrating feel and give a dynamic change in the arc of the song.

Alex Hyper-EZ Banks - Abattoir
Skilfully selected, varied sounds throughout.
The groove is great here too, the rhythmic variety "sells" the song.
I like the opening and closing melodic hook element - it's a pity that it doesn't appear during the song - even if it's by another "instrument".
Overall, the interplay of drums and bass is very pleasing throughout. These are well complemented by the varied "ear candy" effects.
In terms of the mix, this is another song with excellent mono compatibility. (But a bit loud song).

VCA-089 - Machine Heart
Nice cinematic intro. I like the "heartbeats" (0:50-).
1:37 nice synth sound I love it. The coming pluck also great.
Overall excellent work, creates a great atmosphere. Great work for creating the atmosphere of a sci-fi themed film or game. Is great in itself, especially if you know that it's only made from the given samples.
Small remarks: Although I usually praise the clean tones and good highs in these sample creations, I think there are a bit too many of them here.
In my opinion, a darker tone would suit the song and the atmosphere better. Now it sometimes feels a little too bright and sharp. (e.g. 3:30-4:15) Sometimes I miss a darker tone with a soft, growling sub or just little less highs.

tinnitus - Severe
Very intense track, works very well with high-pitched vocal pieces.
The drums (and the lows) are too distorted for my taste, it was a bit confusing for me, but I really liked the rhythm, the energy of them.
Good background melody (e.g. 0:49-), a bit oriental feeling, works very well with the vocals, my favourite part.
The end is not closed, it's like a breakdown and I'm waiting for the spin again you could have put the intense vocal part at the end again.
Overall, I really like the composition, the effects, the vocal chops, some melody lines from the few. I'm less into distorted sounds on drums. Could be cleaner overall.

GMoneh - Grains Of Sand
My absolute favorite is the melody. Simple but very effective. I like it very much.
Sounds: great idea overall, the implementation is a bit problematic sometimes
There are resonant frequencies (800 Hz and above), often phase problems, the correlation is not the best in the middle and sometimes in the low (down to 150 Hz).
But there are also quite excellent moments.
1:49, 1:54, the background vocal effect (w reverb) is GREAT. These are the little things that make this song great.
And of course the melody carries everything. It would be interesting to hear this song in a different arrangement with real instruments.

A Future in Noise - Always Around
Good start, analog feel synth sound, clean drum. Good synth pad. It's a pity that it's very short, we don't know at all where the song would have developed. It could have gone in a very good direction.

The Exponent - LifeLoop
Quite excellent sound design.
Good glitchy effects, excellent bass, the synthesizers also sound good.
I also like the structure of the song, things are in place.
I think the song could have been competitive even without "properly polish"

Top 5:

► Show Spoiler

VCA-089 - Machine Heart
MellowBrowne - Fight Your Demons
OrpheusXL - Le Roi C'est Moi
alavault - Rubber Banding
tinnitus - Severe

[alavault]

Hello!
Sorry, I won't have time for throughout feedback for this month. Please consider my entry withdrawn.
Sorry for the inconvenience.

[VCA-089]

Well, that was a really tough month in terms of choosing you top 5 entries.

I really like the "Community Scramble" game and I'm glad to see many different entries this time. I think that this topic is the easiest way to experiment and try some new ways to make sounds, as it can be done with the tools that ships with your DAW. It doesn't require you to buy expensive Kontakt libraries, software synthesizers or an outboard gear. A perfect solution for hobbyist musicians with a bedroom setups that most of us are. It also doesn't require you to spend countless hours listening to examples while trying to get into a genre that is completely new to you. Sometimes I don't understand why people think that sound design is too complex. With all those modern digital technology it's almost like a children's play when you get to know the basics.

I wish that the "Community Scramble" event would happen more often (maybe twice a year?). 

My feedback:

► Show Spoiler

1. CotMM - Matrioshka Brain Neural Desynchronization

Great showcase of what modern digital tools like RX-8 could do to a sound. A very chaotic set of sounds. I imagined some dark and claustrophobic places while listening to this, like walking through an abandoned laboratory or being isolated in an asylum. The "scraping" noises support that psychotic feeling even more (like an intro to "Eraser" from Nine Inch Nails). I can see in the description that it is meant to represent something huge and monstrous instead. Well, some of the sounds still remind me about dark sci-fi aesthetics. It is an interesting background texture to be used in a film or a videogame, but It's a bit too long and repetitive on its own.

2. Arelem - Gone

Overall it's a really nice "electro-breakbeat" type of thing (I'm not a pro at EDM sub genre namings). I really like the chilled vibe and overall lo-fi tone. The lyrics sound very artificial and overprocessed. On the other hand, they support that "vapoury" lo-fi feeling, like they were sung by AI from an old sci-fi movie. And the lyrics itself reminds me of something that "chatGPT" can usually create (did pop and country songwriters lose their job already?) 

3. alavault - RubberBanding

An interesting decision to use almost raw samples to create a groove in this track. Some of them sound really cool (like the delayed bottle) but others are too dry and feel out timing and context. The "adlibs" thing also feels a bit out of place. The gnarly electronic sounds like basses and stabs is what makes me feel the drive. It all blends together into some kind of electro-industrial track. I could imagine a hot chase scene in some Hollywood action movie (a driver in a racing car trying to escape the police). The mix is a bit muddy to me, probably because there are a lot of sounds in the "climax" section that goes into low-mid frequency range. The dynamics are also almost ruined in this section (squashed too much). This track has a lot of cool ideas, but it needs a better technical implementation.  

4. JeroenZuiderwijk - Jungle Jazz Electro Fusion On Speed

Another track that uses an almost unprocessed set of samples. A very "lo-fi" sounding track with a lot of harsh distortion. Gives me a feeling of an old gaming console or an early PC game soundtrack. The low end of the mix needs polishing, the bass and kick drum are muffling each other. A bit too short, but still a good foundation for a track though.

5. Mellow Browne - Fight Your Demons

First of all, I really like how deep sub-bass works with the electronic drum beat. It's the thickest and "punchiest" rhythm section in this round, perfect to crank up your car's stereo. I also like the fills made from other drum loops. What I really missed in this track is a little bit more variation. I know it's intended to be minimal, but there is still a place for upfront melodic parts, as there is a lot of headroom left in the mix. The atmosphere in the track is kinda calm and chilled, but feels a bit dark and stressful at the same time. With those swings and swooshes I can imagine a character with mental issues (the opening scene from "Apocalypse Now"). I remember seeing a lot of playlists on YT with similar music usually called "Phonk". Now I realise why I missed some quotes from movies/anime throughout the track.

6. EsteveCorbera - Magia cosmica

I really like those textures and pads you've created with the samples. With that marching snares and impact sounds it creates a very spacious feeling. This entry has the most peaceful and relaxing vibe this round. It has a good structure and builds up nicely, but sadly there is no main theme/melody. It really feels a bit empty in the last section, as there is a lot of headroom for additional parts.

7. OrpheusXL - Le Roi C'est Moi

The psychill/psytrance vibe is really cool and the sounds you have created are really interesting. However, this entry has a lot of technical issues. The "lazerpluck" thing panned to the sides is too dominant and gets quite distracting after a time. There are a lot of harsh high-mid frequencies in the mix. And it also feels like it's squashed by the limiter too hard so it kills all the dynamics. The track itself is a bit too short and fades out in the most interesting place (a tempo change? That would've been nice...). It has a lot of potential, but it still feels like a rough draft. 

8. AlexHyper-EZBanks - Abattoir

This is a crazy tune indeed. Sounds like Chemical Brothers met with Nine Inch Nails in the bar, got drunk and created a track together. There are a lot of ideas in this entry that I would like to implement myself, but sadly I didn't have much time to experiment that way. It is a bit short and probably lacks some direction. The last section with melodic parts was interesting, going into psychedelic techno territory. I wish it could be longer and more developed, and actually be used like outro. There is also a lot of headroom in the mix left for a longer delay tails and additional textures that could be added to a track.

9. becsei_gyorgy - Adlibs-90bpm-bm

I have a lot of controversial thoughts on this one. I like the synthetic sounds created out of the voices (basses, plucks etc.), but the parts that use actual adlibs get pretty boring after a few repetitions. There are a lot of melodic parts and sequences here and there, lots of variations, but it all built around the same chord progression and there is no upfront hook/theme characterful for pop-electro songs. I know that drums are also made from adlibs, but I really miss some big fat snare and groovy fills. The highly developed rhythm section is also a main part of that music genre. The mix and production quality is very good, I have no complaints. I can see that "Phase Plant" was used. I had no chance to play with it yet, but I guess it has a lot more potential to modulate sounds in some crazy ways. Still, I appreciate an intention to challenge yourself even more. 

10. tinnitus - Severe

Well, this one sounds to me like the next "luxury sports car racing simulator" game soundtrack. It starts kinda abruptly, almost no build up, right into the main section. It seems there is a lot of time put into creating all those layers and I particularly like the processing on drum beats emulating a DJ's turntable action. The vibe in this track is crazy and driving, but kinda ethereal at the same time. The second half when it goes into a pre-dubstep era experimental electronic is also great. I wish it could be a bit longer, with smoother buildups and intersections. And maybe I would spend a little bit more time playing with the levels and dynamics in the mix.  

11. GMoneh - Grains Of Sand

In my opinion this entry has a good balance between creativity and technical side. The atmosphere is very mystical and intriguing, with some sci-fi flavour created by a sound palette. It has a very distinctive main theme. It's a bit too short and may feel like a draft, but it's a common issue in this round I should say. The production quality is quite good, but it all squashed into the compressor too much, a "pumping" effect is present. 

Bonus tracks:

12. A Future In Noise - Always Around_NP (BONUS)

That juicy filter modulated bass and mellow pads is an interesting combination of sounds. I wish I could say more about this draft...

13. The Exponent - Life Loop (BONUS)

Well, after listening to all the other entries I should say that this one could be a strong competitor, even in this unfinished state (depends on how you define "finished"). A really cool set of cyberpunk flavoured sounds and a really strong groove. It is very hard to define what samples were used and where. 

Voting:

► Show Spoiler

1. tinnitus - Severe
2. GMoneh - Grains Of Sand
3. becsei_gyorgy - Adlibs-90bpm-bm
4. Mellow Browne - Fight Your Demons
5. AlexHyper-EZBanks - Abattoir

[Mister Fox]

It's the 02nd February 2023, 01:10 (UTC+1/CET) - the Voting Period has officially ended.

Sadly, not all participants have submitted final feedback, we would therefore have 2 disqualification.

I will send out another newsletter/message to those particular participants (@alavault, @OrpheusXL), give you until the end of Thursday 02-FEB-2023 as per the rule book on the voting process ("overtime mechanic"). 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)


The only disqualification criteria is by "not participating" with feedback at the end of the game. Time constraints can happen -- but I do not consider entries to be "withdrawn" at this point. You unfortunately just didn't have the time.

To those that want to get 2pts as bonus, I offer everyone the option to edit and enhance already written commentary from "this was a great entry" to more constructive feedback. Else, if you've written some additional words for everyone, you're at least getting 1pt as bonus on the final chart.


Please have an eye on this thread