SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC067 March 2023 - Winners announced

[KukoBass]

Hello everybody,

My experience with the challenge this month:
I learned a bit more about tools that can aid you in composition and what they can and can't do.
Instachord 2 was lingering in my software collection, but I had not used it before. And the LARAS composition tool looks interesting as well; I might give it a try in a future contest.

Reflecting on what makes the song "mine" when the chord progression and the arpeggio came from Instachord 2: The Arpeggio is very dominant and left little room for additional content. I had to keep the bass line, the melody and the strings simple. I think the most important idea was to break up the progression into "Verse" and "Chorus" parts and repeat them differently within the song structure.

Feedback
Please take my feedback with a grain of salt; I'm still new to music production and music critique.

► Show Spoiler

Arelem - "Aphatetic"
The song reminds me of the Café Del Mar Chillout music compilations: Calm, relaxing, slowly building up.
The break with only the piano playing is nice and well executed. I also like the guitar arps. As background music, the song can stand on its own like it is, but as a radio song, I feel it is still missing something. Maybe it could benefit from a little more rhythmic variation of the drum pattern and / or the instrumental patterns?
The production of the song sounds good in almost any listening environments and is IMHO ready for commercial release.


canese - "Untitled"
This song has a certain LoFi charm. The mix doesn't translate to small speakers but sounds nice on headphones.
The instrumentation and rhythm reminds me of Clean Bandit songs. Structurewise, I like the tension-building break at 1:18, and the build-up until the drop at 1:49. This song is also very danceable and will very likely end on my personal summer playlist.
It would be nice if you could add some documentation when you're back; I'm curious what you did and used in the process of writing this.


madmax - "Quadrophenia's Dreams"
Claustrophobic, dystopian future jazz. What I like is that everything is tied together by the continuous bass line.
The sample at the beginning with the rain and thunder ends too abruptly; suddenly all the spaciousness is gone.
Sometimes, the song gets a little chaotic, but most of the time, the different elements don't clash because they are panned to different sides and are playing at different times. Maybe the song could benefit from more call and response elements in the instruments other than bass?
All in all, it is a great song for a soundtrack of a SciFi film.


MellowBrowne - "DeLorean"
So much nostalgia! I imagined the song as a soundtrack for a video game, some kind of driving game, where you have to avoid hitting obstacles.
I noticed that the rhythm from the beginning to 0:22 does not match the rest of the song.
The slow e-guitar-like sound is cool, it could have been a bit more up in the front of the mix. What I'm missing is a breakdown or a B-part in the song.
While checking the song for different listening environments via Audified MixChecker, I noticed that the mix sounds good, albeit different, on all kind of devices. Good work!


OrpheusXL - "The Day When My Heart Broke"
Though it sounds a little like chiptune music, this song has a lot of potential. The song structure is excellent: Different parts complimenting each other, a transposition, a ritardando at the end. And the melody is beautiful.
I think the song could profit from a different instrumentation with more realistic sounding instruments. Maybe a clarinet or a flute for the melody? And I can imagine it sounding great with vocals.
All in all very entertaining and my favourite for this month.


JeroenZuiderwijk - "RockChord"
This one is a real banger and has a lot of energy. The short guitar chords at the beginning and around 0:35 remind me of the Belgian band T.C. Matic (in a good way). The song is very straightforward for a quite jazzy chord progression. And I like the contrast between the rock sound of drums, bass and guitar and the quite chiptuny keyboard. I also love the solo.
One thing that might improve this song is a drum break, a stop or reduction of the drums to emphasize the guitar chord stabs or a part of the solo.
The fadeout at the end sounds a little strange with the guitar only panned to the left. Maybe you could pan this guitar to the middle for the fadeout or pan it alternating left and right like a ping pong delay for each repetition of the riff?
It is a little like a diamond in the rough; it has so much potential to be developed in different possible directions. And it is already plenty of fun to listen to as it is.


EsteveCorbera "AI - Clickedu"
I really like your arrangement and development of this song, how you add and leave out different instruments in the background.
The rhythm of the drums and the piano is a little too straight for my taste, I would have wished for a little more variation, not always the same velocity and length. Maybe a little transposition or a B-Part would benefit the song?
The song works great as background music. And the mix translates to almost all listening environments I checked via Audified MixChecker.


juhu "Mirror Image"
This song definitely groves and reminded me a little bit of the Canadian jazz-fusion-band UZEB.
The trumpet sounds quite natural and really makes the song work.
I personally would have made the keyboards a little less present and the bass a little louder; if you check the mix in different environments, the bass is barely audible on smaller speakers.
The song ends a little abruptly and leaves one "hanging" waiting for the first trumpet motif to be repeated once again. What I like about it as a hobby band musician is that it is a straightforward ending.


Jorgeelalto - "Not Quite"
This production sounds very professional to me. It reminds me of the DnB compilation I used to listen to while studying for my university exam.
I especially like that the song is very straightforward, but has this little delay of the last chord in the second repetition of the sequence.
There is little I can say about the mix. The bass nearly disappears on small speakers, but I think that comes with the genre. All in all I really like the song without being able to say what exactly makes me like it.


becsei_gyorgy - "Something To Happen"
A high energy EDM track I really like; it is a pity the Top 5 can only include in fact five songs. This song nearly made it into my Top 5, but it has some elements that don't seem to work together. The zither-like instrument at the beginning on the right of the mix sounds like it is out of sync with the bass rhythm in an irritating way. Also, the vocals have their emphasis off the beat of the bass, they seem to always lag a little behind. With a little change here and there, it will be a really great dance track.
I like the vocals and how you used a male and a female voice to compliment each other. Also, I like the instrumentation and the strings coming in around 1:30.
Regarding the mix, I believe the song works best on headphones or big speakers. It seems to sound a little different in every other listening environment I checked with MixChecker. Maybe this is great for the next mix challenge?


A Future in Noise - "TaDigSamman-1"
I'm afraid the verse isn't really working. The piano rhythm does not correspond with the rhythm of the melody, and the verse doesn't correspond with the chorus of the song.
The chorus is very pleasant to listen to. I really like the strings and the choir at 1:22.
And I like the bridge announcement part. The fact, that you did not just write it in the documentation but went all the way to actually record the announcement, made me smile.

Top 5
It was difficult for me to choose my TOP 5 this month because the songs were all good in different ways. In the end, I selected them according to how entertaining I found them while listening.

► Show Spoiler

1. OrpheusXL - "The Day When My Heart Broke"
2. JeroenZuiderwijk - "RockChord"
3. canese - "Untitled"
4. Jorgeelalto - "Not Quite"
5. juhu "Mirror Image"

[KukoBass]

But the "out of tune" guitar: it came as a total surprise to me that electric guitars have different properties than acoustic steel string guitars in this respect: if I press the strings all the way down into the fretboard - with force - I simultaneously "bend" the tone, with an electric guitar.

The strings of an electric guitar usually have less tension and are closer to the fretboard than the strings of an acoustic steel string guitar, so if you use force, you start to bend the strings a little bit sideways and therefore bend the tone. A set of thicker strings might help at the beginning.

There is another possible cause: Maybe, the guitar is not properly adjusted. If the tone on the twelfth fret is higher than the octave, the neck curvature or the space between the strings and the fretboard might need an adjustment.

[Arelem]

Hello Everyone,

This month I had some fun messing with chordz again. It was something that I used to use a good bit, but that I moved away from. I'm not sure that this will get me back into it because it's a little wonky to route in FL Studio. I also tried making some lo-fi hip-hop which isn't something that I'm too familiar with. I did learn that I have a hard time with that genre because there are certain things that I am not a fan of so I couldn't bring myself to incorporate into my own track. The fake vinyl noise gets on my nerves and the drums tend to be pretty weak. I punched mine up a bit but tried not to overdo it so as to still sort of resemble lo-fi.

Feedback

► Show Spoiler

Canese - I like the more mellow bit without the drums. They have a really nice rhythm to them. The kick is a little overpowering for me. The main melody gets a little tired since it is pretty much present throughout the whole song. Definitely some potential here; it just maybe needs a B section to break up the track.

Madmax - I drums being so far back in the mix is a little weird but I kinda like it. There is a lot going on in this track and all at the same time a bit too often. Sometimes, less is more. I would maybe break the song up into different parts and give the different elements their own space.

MellowBrowne - You definitely hit on 80s with this one. The lead and the synths are pretty similar tonally so they are a bit difficult to distinguish. I think the track would benefit from some drum fills here and there to help break it up, but other than that, really nice job.

OrpheusXL - The melody is mixed a little quiet in the track. I like the laid-back drums and they have some neat fills/variations. I would like to hear this with some different sound selections though because the ones you used feel a bit cheap/plastic-y.

JeroenZuiderwijk - The guitar playing is done really well and interesting. There is a lot of boominess in low end that could use some mixing IMO.

KukoBass - Everything works really well. You apologized for the vocals but I think they fit the track fine apart from being a little weirdly mixed. The drums are nice and interesting, and the melodies are good; there really isn't much to critique here, well done.

EsteveCorbera - Really dig the drums in this! The rest of the track is fine but for a standalone song, it's a bit uninteresting. It works really well as a backing track but it's not something I would actively listen to. There's really nothing to change though. Everything is composed and mixed well. A lead melody could help bring some interest to the track.

Juhu - The trumpet sounds really good. It feels a bit odd with the synthetic-sounding drums and the synth that comes in later. I feel that you would have been better served by going in a specific direction by either keeping everything true to a jazz band, or an electronic track with a lead trumpet.

Jorgeelalto - Everything is well mixed and fits the track. I am not a big fan of the genre so I don't really have much to comment on otherwise. I would have liked there to be some kind of melody to grab the listener's attention other than the piano chords.

becsei_gyorgy - Good sound stage, really nice and big atmosphere; especially in the shakers. Only critique I would make would be the synth or violin that comes in around 1:37 sounds a bit odd. I would try some different sounds with that and see if something fits a bit better. If it's a violin, maybe a different VST's violin would sound better there.

aFutureInNoise - I really like the parts of the track where everything comes together. The bits with the short piano notes are a little odd for me. The rhythm of the piano and the vocals don't mesh well for me in those parts. Once the drums and chords come in, the vocals sound great and everything just works.

Vote

► Show Spoiler

5pts - becsei_gyorgy
4pts - KukoBass
3pts - MellowBrowne
2pts - EsteveCorbera
1pt - Jorgeelalto

[madmax]

madmax - "Quadrophenia's Dreams"
Claustrophobic, dystopian future jazz. What I like is that everything is tied together by the continuous bass line.
The sample at the beginning with the rain and thunder ends too abruptly; suddenly all the spaciousness is gone.
Sometimes, the song gets a little chaotic, but most of the time, the different elements don't clash because they are panned to different sides and are playing at different times. Maybe the song could benefit from more call and response elements in the instruments other than bass?
All in all, it is a great song for a soundtrack of a SciFi film.

@KukoBass , thanks for feedback and yes, well, You're right.

Quadrophenia is like schizophrenia but four-in-one, the ideas comes from The Who album and movie.
Bass and Drums is the primary personality, like.... Dr Jekyll
and slowly, the other four personalities emerge, everyone trying to make their voice heard.
Fender piano is the consciousness, trying to tie the four together.
I just needed a story to build a song, nothing come to mind.

Well, I'm so sorry but I don't have the right skills for give us a feedback, I can talk about harmony, but this not a right contest for that.

I really appreciate all of tracks and feedback and many many thanks you all.

[Mellow Browne]

Hey there,

I´m so sorry, I really wanted to record the vocals but I got sick and I was out of order the last week. I'm still not at a 100%.

To be honest, I´m not happy with my entry. I really need to take care because I get excited from new sounds pretty fast, so I tend to be hyped by the sound and forget about the compositional task that was asked. This happens to me all the time, I really need to be prepared for the next challenge.
I really like Scaler 2, it is one of my favourite pieces of software and I couldn't live without it anymore. I know what this software can do, and I already did some stuff with it I never thought of, so I'm pretty disappointed with my entry. Very basic, cheesy chords with a little variation and substitution as a bridge part. The guitar solo sounds really fake to my ears, I need to check my library if I got better guitar sounds.
I really missed the opportunity to dive deep into the Scaler 2 architecture, there are still so many things to discover for me and I think I was too hyped by the new sounds and UADs Luna, so I wasn't even really able to leave my comfort zone.

I still learned many things and Luna may become my new main DAW. It works absolutely smooth on my machine and the work flow is almost perfect for me! Really enjoyed working with it.

So, I made my Top 5 from the songs I enjoyed most while listening and took into consideration how balanced the sound is.

Feedback:

► Show Spoiler

Arelem
Nice lofi hip hop beat, I was free styling over it a few times. I like the mellow vibe and playful chord progression, especially that musical turn around with the v III VII chords. Overall, the chord progression is very relaxing, but that little turn around has something melancholic. I really like that. The instruments fit well together and compliment the vibe.
I like that filter sweep at the very beginning and I think you could have done this more often throughout the song, maybe on another element to change it.

The mix is solid I would say, but it is not very clear, it sounds a bit dull on my main speakers. It translates good to other sound systems, such as cell phones and tablets, but I wish the bass would be a little bit more audible on small speakers. I would recommend tools like Saturn 2 or a tape simulation to get that overtone drive.

The drums are more on the weak side, even though you compressed them quite a bit and the bass is a bit muddy. I think the drums would benefit from a slower attack time, or maybe change them with different.
Still, you did a very good job overall!

Canese
Very playful theme and a nice mix of different genres, has some afro trap vibes from 00:47-01:18. I like the overall vibe, it gives a very positive feeling and reminds of the joy in life. Thank you very much for this great entry!
Unfortunately, you did not give any further information on how you came up with the chord progression. I also like that little break section and the vocal sample.

The mix sounds very clicky, those percussive hits are very pronounced, and on top those bell sounds plus the shakers. I think with some proper gain staging and eqing this problem could be solved.
Unfortunately, the bass is not audible on smaller speakers. Some saturation or soft clipping can help to bring up the low mids.
I find the ending a bit strange.
Pretty good work.

madmax
The intro foley sounds really cool, I like the atmosphere, it supports the vibe very well. It reminds me of some pc game music, like city of gangsters. The vibe is a bit 1920-1930, I think it is the way you wrapped all those different chords around your bass line. The chords are really nice and some sound really sophisticated and rich, slightly dissonant but in a great way, I’m pretty sure you did this on purpose. But overall, I would like to hear more structure, you going wild on all instruments at the same time from the very beginning. It would have been really cool if the instruments would’ve got their own space and time in terms of freaking out and solos. I think you are a good musician but in my opinion this composition needs more structure.

The mix lacks of clarity, the drums are drowned in reverb which I don’t like, and I think there is some predelay which don’t seem to be in sync, it smears the sound and makes the drums washy. The overall sound is a bit nasal and the bass tends to be muddy.
The intro foley is still a bit louder than the production. I think your mix would benefit from proper gain staging, it becomes obvious when you listen to your mix in mono, phase issues in the subs and the lows become obvious.
But overall a very interesting entry!

OrpheusXL
What genre is that? Trip Hop? It has a hip hop lofi touch which I like. The atmosphere is very friendly and the sound selection fits very well. But I think your drum samples need to be exchanged, I´ll explain later.
I tried it on the keyboard and with scaler 2 but I couldn’t really figure out in which scale your composition is. I like that little turn around thing in your chord progression, if I’m not mistaken you transposed it a minor 3rd from Bm to Dm.

Overall, the mix sounds a bit thin, the drums fight for punchiness with the other elements and the sound is more on the clicky side, especially from 01:40 where you go a little crazy. The bass is very prominent and muddy but it lacks that nice low mid and sub information, it is more on the weaker side. You tried to boost it with volume, but imo a nice saturator/tape or some soft clipping would be more appropriate for this.
I think your mix would benefit if you would change the drum samples, they’re too weak for this type of music, at least to my ears. The drum sounds are simply too thin overall and lack of low frequency information, punch and contour, as I can hear some hip hop-ish influence in your entry.
Overall good work.

JeroenZuiderwijk
This reminds of some pc music game like Pro Evolution Soccer 5 or a racing game.
I really like the drive and the pace. It is nice to hear different genres mixed into your entry.
The growl bass thing at the very beginning is pretty cool.
Like you mentioned, the overall chord progression seems a bit dissonant at times, but I think this gives it really that special character it needs because to my ears it is still in a very musical way. I couldn’t imagine what other chords would have fit. It is nice to hear those different parts. That bridge gives it that extra flavour. And those guitars riffs from 01:20, whoa, holy moly, how did you get this sound? Is that a vst?

The overall mix is not so balanced, I think some gain staging would be good. The synth is pretty much in the front of the mix and feels a bit isolated from the rest, especially on my small speakers such as phones and tablets, but also on my main speakers. The synth is also very static, no movement, very dry. But when the guitar solo comes in the synth is almost not audible, especially in mono. I think changing the drum samples would help to give the rhythm section the energy it deserves. I think there are some phase issues overall but especially in the subs and low mids, because your kick is weak when the bass plays, but @ 01:10 the kick is super subby (on my main speakers).
Still, very entertaining entry.

KukoBass
Guess what, I started rapping over this entry because the first 15 seconds gave me something I really felt. I really like the vibe and your musical ear in terms of chord progression. I’m a big fan of little turn arounds and substitutes in chord progressions. The sound selection is really nice and compliments your singing, although the autotunig is a bit heavy. I still appreciate it! Nice lyrics btw!

The mix has some problems. Your vocals are very quiet in the beginning and become significantly louder @ 01:00. First, they are too quiet, then they are too loud for my taste and they become a bit boomy (proximity effect?) and they have a weird stereo/chorus effect, which I find very wide in the stereo field.
One thing I find very annoying is that bell pluck melody over your chord progression. First time I listened to your entry I thought you used some kind of ping pong ball effect. The attack of that bell melody sounds like a ping pong ball to my ears, it is very clicky.
Pretty good work, your best entry so far!

EsteveCorbera
Good pop chord (in Germany there is the genre „Schlager“) progression, very open, friendly and easy to remember. The vibe fits to the video, it has some product placement feeling. But sorry, I have to say, I don’t like the composition at all. This absolutely sounds like AI music to my ears. Boring, cheesy and uninspiring. I hear the same chords over and over, just with some inversions and what not on top. And the accompanying melody structure over the chord progression is very dissonant on a lot of occasions. Honestly, I heard better stuff from you in the past.

There is some kind of bass synth, but I find it to be too high in the register, I would love to hear it one octave lower at least.
Drum pattern is not appropriate to my ears, I think the whole structure is more dance music orientated, while you chose a rock pattern, which I don't find to fit the rest of rhythmical structure at all.
The mix sounds like a bad mp3 on my main speakers, and the instruments sound pretty cheap, especially the piano.
The mix would benefit from proper gain staging, the piano sound is very prominent in the mix. The drums are squashed and compressed pretty hard and I can hear a little pumping effect on my main and also my cell phone speakers.

juhu
This reminds me of Sim City 2000 or other city builder simulations, this is some cool pc game background music. I like the relaxing vibe and jazziness of your entry. That trumpet is pretty cool, I have to take a closer look at LPX for this. Very nice!
The overall sound selection is good and I really like the B section from 01:07, and especially that turn around back into the main theme, with all those little synth things going on in the background. One thing I would love to hear is a more sophisticated drum pattern in certain sections, complementing the extravagant chord progression a bit better, or some changes in the rhythm, it is pretty much the same loop over the entire length (I know, I did the same with my entry, but I think 80´s synth is more appropriate for this).

The mix is a bit thin and weak in the low mids (200-700 Hz or so), I think proper gain staging and fuller drum samples could help to give your entry the energy it needs.
Overall, good work.

Jorgeelalto
Ay, this could have been into so many genres... From Neo Soul, to straight Hip Hop / R&B, to some dance music, just to name a few. Great tune!
I was bobbing my head while listening to this beautiful song. My favourite entry this month from a musical point of view. This is some music I would hear personally. Big props! May I ask you for a multitrack version? Would love to mix this for personal use and learning experience. Or how about proposing it a for a mixing challenge?
I don’t know, I can hear some weird stuff going on, some crackles or time hiccups and glitches, really strange things.

The mix is ok, it is a bit on the thin side, the snare is very prominent. I like the atmosphere of the mix, but I think some proper gain staging would help to bring up some elements a bit more. I would’ve ranked you higher if there were no glitches in your file and the mix a bit fatter. Still, pretty good work!

becsei_gyorgy
Dance music with a certain drive and power. I like the harmonical structure, it has some kind of baroque music influence to my ears. The overall musical structure is very promising and I like the energy it brings.
But, I find the singing to be very out of place, it is not fitting the rhythmical pattern to my ears. This makes the whole entry very cheesy to me, although I really appreciate the chord progression and all the little details you put into it. One can hear you spend some time with this. Also, the B part is pretty cool, but still, the singing does not fit.

The mix is well balanced, the energy is definitely there, but I find the vocals a bit dull, and I think the mix in general would benefit of some treble boosting (2-3 kHz).
Despite all the critic, I still have to give you props for this work!

May I ask you why you are using several headphones to check your mixes? Do you also use monitors? The „NS11“ and „Mixcubes“ preset are THE settings I recommend in SoundID Reference. I do 90% of my mixing decisions with just these 2 settings and the translation is almost perfect! I’m using the Focal Solo 6 Be btw and I have done some diy acoustic treatment in my room.
I rarely use my Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro to check my work because I don´t like headphones and the fake stereo image, but I always check my mixes on phones and tablets.
If you are mostly using headphones, please do not exaggerate with the volume, you may suffer from hearing impairment. If you already spent a lot of time with headphones, I would recommend you to visit an ENT doc, so you can check your hearing ability. I don’t want to panic here, I’m a hearing aid acoustician myself, so I know many people will not notice the first few years until they reach the point where things get pretty obvious, especially while conversations with background noise or watching TV.
I think people with a very mild hearing loss will raise the volume a bit because the lack of speech intelligibility, so in the long term they will harm their hearing organ even more by compensating the lack of clarity with loudness.
Tinnitus is also a very common problem for people with hearing loss, although I think there is a big misconception in society what Tinnitus actually really is.
And a loss of high frequencies is very typical (90% of the cases) for people with hearing impairment. This means, they can’t hear high frequencies (> 4kHz) at low(40 db SPL) or very low volume (20db SPL).

A Future in Noise
I like the vibe once all instruments start to play, it is very relaxing and calming. I also like the unusual chord progression, you used a lot of sus4 chords, so I think this makes it bit different than the basic chord progression we are used to hear.
But at the same time I can hear a lot of dissonance, but not in a very musical way. I can't really say what it is, I think most of it is because you are singing out of tune a bit. And I'm aware that your singing part was hard to perform, I could not have done it better and I really like the tone in your voice, especially in the lower register (your speaking voice is great btw!) I also have the impression that your A part does not fit with your B part, I'm not sure if you changed the key or the scale, but something is off to my ears. Your entry is a bit short, but you mention this in your song, which makes it sound like a demo and not finished.

The mix is ok, the piano could a be bit quieter in the beginning, it is very prominent. One thing I notice on small speakers is the almost not existing kick, I guess this comes from your gain staging plus some phase issues between your bass and the kick. The reverb on the other hand sounds really good, I like the tail and the warmth of it.

Voting:

► Show Spoiler

My Top 5
1st Arelem
2nd Canese
3rd KukoBass
4th Jorgeelalto
5thJeroenZuiderwijk

[Mister Fox]

Well, I'm so sorry but I don't have the right skills for give us a feedback, I can talk about harmony, but this not a right contest for that.

Try it regardless, please.

The idea with the Songwriting Competition, is to learn how to provide and receive feedback, to interact. You don't have to be super detailed. Focus on what you liked, what you think might sound better with an adjustment (mix wise, as simple as "maybe bring up the bass a bit more"). As long as it isn't just "great entry" and then move on.


This is the only criteria to be disqualified from the game, and it always makes me sad for having to do that.



As a quick update:
We're in the final 48 hours for providing feedback and casting a vote.

[becsei_gyorgy]

May I ask you why you are using several headphones to check your mixes? Do you also use monitors?

First of all thank you for the feedback and also for your advice.
In answer to your question:
At my computer, where I have my music softwares, I almost always listen to music on the DT 990 Pro.
It's very pleasant, I like it, I make my mixes on it, but because it emphasizes the bass too much, I'm not sure of a good sound, even after years of experience (especially with electronic music). So, if I'm not lazy, I use the DT 880 Pro for the final mix. It gives a much smoother, more even soundstage. I often have to adjust the mix in this way, especially in the low-mid - mid range. This headphone is much better for the final mix, although making and listening to music on it for long periods is not as enjoyable.
For both, I use SoundID Reference with profiles at 75%.
When I work at other computers (other jobs), I have other headphones, mostly cheaper (AKG K72, Superlux HD681). Sometimes I listen to the finished mix on these too. (akg's sound is very lacking in midrange, and the bass is not good at all. it's a scandal.
BUT: what sounds relatively acceptable on this is certainly a good mix and will hold its own in any environment. So it's good for me to check out the sound sometimes.)
I have a pair of Mackie speakers, but I hardly use them at all. I am making music mostly in the evening or weekends, and in the interests of peace it would be inappropriate to use them

The „NS11“ and „Mixcubes“ preset are THE settings I recommend in SoundID Reference. I do 90% of my mixing decisions with just these 2 settings and the translation is almost perfect!

Thanks for the tips I will check the SoundID presets, but to tell you the truth, I found out last week that the software also has the ability to simulate different environments for checking your music. So far I just set the headphone profile (Flat Target) and that's it...
I will definitely try it

If you are mostly using headphones, please do not exaggerate with the volume, you may suffer from hearing impairment.

Although the tinnitus itself may not bother me that much, I don't think I can hear anything above 10-11K
I try to take a break every 30-45 minutes when headphones are on, but if you get too into it and get caught up in the flow, you're obviously breaking your own rules.

[OrpheusXL]

Although the tinnitus itself may not bother me that much, I don't think I can hear anything above 10-11K
I try to take a break every 30-45 minutes when headphones are on, but if you get too into it and get caught up in the flow, you're obviously breaking your own rules.

I would like to provide a sound which I created during my experiments, which can solve the tinnitus.
Well, it works only for about 10 or 15 seconds yet, but it can be quite a peaceful moment to enjoy.

Usually I don't notice my tinnitus unless I put my attention to it.
This might be the reason that one notices the tinnitus somewhat stronger than before listening to this sound.

Feel free to experiment with it. Maybe it helps even more when used daily? Let me know, what you find.

Here's the link:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/8mli6pljq6bd8 ... s.mp3?dl=0

--> Maybe this is not the right place for such things, but I wanted to make sure, that you get it.

[EsteveCorbera]

As always a great level in all subjects. Good job everyone.
This month I liked the challenge because I was able to use tools that I had bought but had never used. I had to read manuals and do a little digging. Too bad I didn't have more time due to family problems.
I will give you some brief comments.
I want to thank you for your comments on my song so far. Will we have comments from Mr.Fox as well?

Arelem_Apathetic
I like the initial atmosphere with the voices and their echo.
Good work with the low frequencies. I'm listening to it from a laptop and they sound good enough.
The bit that the low frequencies (Kick and bass) don't sound like stripped, but on the other hand, all the other instruments are better appreciated. Maybe the low frequencies mask or muddy your song.
I like the guitar and the melody you draw with the piano.

canese Untitled WhatsApp Audio 2023-03-12 at 11.15.44 PM
The voices are very muffled. too distant Curious selection of percussion sounds, but these very original sounds in the end make the rhythm end up becoming heavy and repetitive.
It's missing something, I don't know what, maybe more variations.
I don't understand the sound at the end, it's like added.

madmax Quadrophenia's Dreams –
Baffling intro. Some effects don't add anything to the theme that really starts later. Then it ends too abruptly.
Too much randomization, no melody that is easy to recognize and retain or perhaps lacks a more normal structure. Content is missing at high frequencies. Battery sounds off.
But as an experiment it's fine. It looked pretty good for you to be starting. If you want to keep learning, keep participating. Everything I have learned in this challenge.

MellowBrowne_DeLorean
Interesting progression. With 80s style. Very good. Although there is little variation, the theme does not become heavy. Maybe the pad part a little too present, a break would be nice. Interesting mix.

OrpheusXL The Day When My Heart Broke
Melody that ends up being retentive. The mix is the loosest part. You have few other frequencies, it sounds a bit muffled. The drums sound too distant and the bass too loud. Variations in the speed of the notes are missing.

JeroenZuiderwijk_RockChord
Your song is reminiscent of 90's PC games with a rock twist. I like the guitar playing at the end. They have strength. But there are some sounds that should be mixed differently. When the guitars play and the bass with the drums enters a chaotic zone. Too much accumulation of sounds.

KukoBass_Wonders_v2
Nice effort to make a sung track. I like the sound environment. The bells look good, but maybe a little bright. I like the bass. And the voice is very good for the song you do, but it's too close, a bit of reverb or delay to give it depth would have been good.

juhu_MirrorImage
original theme There aren't too many jazz themes out there, I don't know that Mr. Fox proposes it as the theme of the month. good mix The trumpet sounds great. But the song gets a bit heavy at the end. It would lack a little more variation in rhythm. The synthetic drum sometimes doesn't fit well.

Jorgeelalto_NotQuite
Ambient theme, chill out type with good sound, but ends up getting heavy because it has little variation. Good effects that accompany and complement. Very well placed in the mix. It's missing a main tune.

becsei_gyorgy_SomethingToHappen
You always go strong. Impeccable themes. what envy You have the knowledge and the means, just looking at the list of things you've used it looks like you have it all. Little criticism to make. Maybe it's a little long, maybe it's time for something to happen.

aFutureInNoise_TaDigSamman-1
Song in your style. The voices of the final choruses are very good. I like the pads with the bass. The guitar could be improved. I even like the structure of the song.


Extra:
GamaGama_SadMountain
Nice jazz track. Good sax and bass sound. The battery is also very adequate. The mix is fine too. Too bad you retired.

(translated with google)

► Show Spoiler

01 Arelem
02 MellowBrowne
03 Jorgeelalto
04 becsei_gyorgy
05 canese

[Mister Fox]

A friendly reminder:
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Please check post #65 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.