SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC069 May 2023 - Winners announced

[ontrackp]

This is only the second or third time I've participated in this competition and I really enjoyed it this month. I chose to do a deep dive into U-he Bazille, which I used for all tracks except the Kick/Snare/Hi Hat from Bitwig. Going back to an older synth and digging in was a great experience. It's easy to get familiar with a device, even get reasonably competent but then the pace of technology, new software, life, etc.... has a way of standing in the way of really digging in. I've always wanted to get into some of the more interesting aspects of Bazille - the sequencer and different ways to use the mod maps and this was a great opportunity. It's an awesome instrument -- now a great "everyday" synth, but as a specialized sound-maker, it's great.

► Show Spoiler

1. Doc John "One United Nation"
2. EsteveCorbera “Electronic Fun”
3. FixinTheMix “Noisemaker”
4. JeroenZuiderwijk “Waves Are Moving Fast”
5. Arleen Inside
6. becsei_gyorgy “Womb”
7. Avinashmeetoo “In Rhythm”

► Show Spoiler

KukoBass Overlaps

Good sounding track - although I don’t think the vocal sample added much. I also found myself wanting to hear a “B Section” or something different with the bass other than dropping out a few beats now and then. Great bass sound.

Arleen Inside
I like the vocal melody and overall production sounds good. The drums get a little busy now and then, but I understand why having accent drums make sense. I also like the delicate sounds that go into the fade out. Nicely done!

JeroenZuiderwijk “Waves Are Moving Fast”
Congratulations on using a small, kind of primitive electronic instrument — I like it. The overall production felt like it lacked a little “glue” or polish, but everything is nicely balanced and I enjoyed it. I also liked the cut-off ending - works well with the driving beat.

becsei_gyorgy “Womb”
Nice - starts like a sonogram which is cute. I wish I were more of a EDM fan as I could comment more competently. I feel like all the interesting parts on top of the beat were a little loud - they could have been buried in the beat a bit more. But fun listen! I like the sounds you used very much. Considering the number of processors you used it does not sound over compressed/Eq’d.

Johnny 11771 “X”
I think the chord sequence is nice, and would have liked to hear more of a melody over it. Pretty much the only thing for us to “hang our hat on” was the beat - which is fine if that is what you were going for, but I missed a melody. Nice sounds and good production. The lead guitar is really good.

EsteveCorbera “Electronic Fun”
“Fun” sums it up. This track has a fun vibe. I enjoyed the sounds you used. The simple melody at 1:10 worked for me melodically but the sound seemed a little “sleepy” for that part. Something a little edgier would have worked better for me.

Doc John “One United Nation”
To start - I am fully in favor of world unity and peace, and hope that your song can become the viral anthem that brings the world together.
I like the vocal effect of adding the high “female” vocal at the end of some lines. Synth solo around 2:00 is perfect. Right notes for that sound. I enjoyed this very much.

Avinashmeetoo “In Rhythm”
This is a great sounding track — well mixed and mastered. I missed “thicker” chords to support the bass in some places, but the sounds were nicely programmed. I feel like the stop at 2:05 could have been a lot more dramatic - just kind of fizzled out for a moment - not really a build and release of tension.

SoundBeing “Lickable Blotter Paper”
First - this is the most interesting title - I had no idea what to expect. I always like the combo of acoustic guitar and synth so was very happy to hear what you did with this. It’s hard to get a good balance and this feels a little uncontrolled to me — needs to be “glued” together a bit more. I like your guitar sound. Nice synth sounds after 1:50. The chord progression is a classic, of course, and if you did along like this using chords that were more interesting/unique I think it would be very well received.

Mellow Brown “Modular Art”
Too bad this is unfinished. Has all kinds of potential but feels like a work-in-progress.

VCA-089 “Ride On”
I like the groove - the kick is a bit overwhelming for me, but that could be stylistically correct. I like the piano stuff starting around 2:20 more than the backing track - especially around 2/3 thru - it’s pretty and kind of melodic.

Crosshatched “Swoon Waltz”
Lovely piece of neo-classical music. Doesn’t feel very electronic to me though. The abrupt cut at the end didn’t really make sense to me.

FixinTheMix “Noisemaker”
I like the full-on electronic treatment of this song. The mix seems a little rough to me. Nice that you made it all with one synth - you should try the OSC if you like doing that.

canese “Give Me What I Need”
This is an interesting song - some cool harmonic stuff going on around the chords, but overall it kind of stopped engaging me about 1/2 way through. Would have been good to have a break of some sort, or B Section. or something. Nice production.

[VCA-089]

I'm sorry, my feedback is kinda rudimentary this time. I really enjoyed the tunes, but I had very little time this week (and I don't like to write after work).

I used this month to get into making music after a long break. I caught another covid early in March that made me half deaf in one ear for two months (caused inner ear inflammation). My entry is a bit rough and rushed. It could be better but I still like the result. It's better than nothing. And I also like the fact that I finally finished one of my old projects (the one of the many).

My feedback:

► Show Spoiler

1. KukoBass - Overlaps

An 80's inspired downtempo track with a nice chilled vibe
A lot of variations in the drum loops
The lead synth melody is very cool and catchy
It feels a bit "minimalistic" but there is a lot of small variations that keeps interest
The bass and kick needs to be separated

2. Arelem - Inside

A nice late 2000's dubstep track that doesn't go mental
Cool main melody and layering
Cool glitchy voice effects
Good "punchy" drums
The song is basically repeated twice with a very little variation

3. JeroenZuiderwijk - Waves Are Moving Fast

That industrial/rave song is really made me move
The lyrics and vocal processing is very cool
The synth sounds are very gritty and have a lot of character
The old school 909 style drums are great
The song is a bit too short and feels like a draft

4. Johnny11771 - X

An early 2010's synthwave track. What could go wrong?
The overall structure is good. The beat works well with the bass and pads
Cool resonant bass sound
The introduction of the guitars is where it went wrong to me. The clean strums are buried in the mix. The solo part is too loud and played too loose, it doesn't quite fit with the arrangement. This particular round was about synths and electronic sounds after all.
Too much reverb on snare drum and too harsh
The overall mixing is also pretty harsh
Ends a little abruptly

5. becsei_gyorgy - Womb

Great production in this techno/electro track
It has a dark and mysterious atmosphere, a bit creepy at times. It brings a lot of organic associations.
The drums and bass are really cool
The sound design is great
The composition is very throughout
The mixing is good 

6. EsteveCorbera - Electro Fun

A good foundation for an electro/downtempo track
The pads and textures a really nice
The drums are good
The bass plays random notes
The lead sound melody is a bit weird
The vocals (vocoder) is very loud and creepy
The mixing could be improved

7. OnTrackP - Carnival

I recognize your signature style from OSC
The atmosphere in this track is so crazy
The sound design reminds me of "Terraria" videogame
The overall sound is very harsh
The mix needs to be rebalanced
The composition structure is random to me, it lacks some direction.

8. Doc Jon - One United Nation

Great electro/house track for a pool party evening
Great sound design
The drums and bass work together really well
The song's theme is very current to this day, but still too utopian. Reminds me of John Lennon's "Imagine"  ("...And they say I'm a dreamer").
The mix is very good

9. avinash - In Rhythm

I liked the idea of this very pleasant retro-electro track. Nicely arranged with many little parts playing with each other.
It lacks development and direction, basically the same section looped three times with a little breakdown.
It needs a memorable melody/theme
The mix is good

10. SoundBeing - Lickable Blotter Paper

This one sounds to me like a pop song with synthetic sounds
To me the instruments don't fit well with each other. It feels like they are from completely different spaces and proposed for different contexts. Especially that alien sounding tremolo synth.
The song structure is also typical for the pop genre. Nice bridge.
There could be more memorable main melody/theme

11. MellowBrowne - ModularArt

A really nice electronica with an organic touch
Cool modular style sounds and sequences
The percussion parts are really groovy
The mixing is good
It feels unfinished and lacks some lead melody in the second half

12. Crosshatched - Swoon Waltz

An ambient electronica with classical influences. It would work well as a soundtrack for some retro sci-fi movie. 
A very dreamy and melancholic atmosphere. Perfect for a rainy evening.
The middle part feels completely disconnected from the rest of the song

13. FixInTheMix - Noisemaker

Well crafted composition with only one synthesizer
The sounds fit together really well, creating that retro electro-funk feeling.
The layering of background textures and arps is really cool 
I think it's missing melodic parts in some places (feels like there is a space left in the mix)
The production is pretty good

14. canese - give me what I need

This tune reminds me of late 2000's breakbeat/early dubstep I used to listen to at the time
A very pleasant sounding with the soothing vibe
A bit too short and overall feels like a rough draft
It needs to be better produced in terms of frequency balance and dynamics
There is also an odd dissonance in the mix, like the instruments are not in tune or out of key.

Voting:

► Show Spoiler

1. becsei_gyorgy - Womb
2. Doc Jon - One United Nation
3. FixInTheMix - Noisemaker
4. KukoBass - Overlaps
5. MellowBrowne - ModularArt
6. JeroenZuiderwijk - Waves Are Moving Fast
7. Arelem - Inside

[Mister Fox]

It's the 02nd June 2023, 04:45 (UTC+2/CEST) - the Voting Period has officially ended.

Sadly, not all participants have submitted final feedback, we would therefore have 4 disqualifications.

I will send out another newsletter/message to those particular participants (@Johnny11771/j.kutkowski, @avinash, @SoundBeing, @canese), give you until the end of Friday, 02-JUN-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.

Everyone else, please no more changes to your vote. Thank you.


Please have an eye on this thread

[SoundBeing]

Sorry I'm late to the game here gang. I just don't have time to do my proper 3 listens to give feedback that is more thoughtful. These are first review listens and I usually augment them as I take on more information from listening on different devices. Please excuse the direct and often rude way to which I make my first pass notes. Or don't!

► Show Spoiler

KukoBass Overlaps - The main riff is pretty busy once it is fully flushed out. I like when it devolves later in the track. There are some pretty “synthie” sounds in your track. Whatever the vocal is, it’s so buried that it is hard to make out.

Arleen Inside - I like the vocals. The break intro is pretty sweet and sets it up nicely. The piano/string patch is the wrong choice of sonics, IMO. Maybe it’s just too loud.

JeroenZuiderwijk Waves Are Moving Fast - This is pretty catchy. Vocal delivery is the best part of the song for sure. The ending outro groove is cool and should be somewhere sooner in the track.

Johnny11771 X - I hate the drums. The hi hat is off in right field, too far out, feels disjointed. The snare on the fills needs to change. It’s too same sounding. Jarringly bad. The fill at 1:05 is cool tho. Has a very 80/90s vibe. Reminds me of Crocket and Tubbs out on the boat at sunset. Guitar solo is too loud. You rip tho.

becsei_gyorgy Womb - Neat evolution to the track. Really feels like it’s going somewhere. I like it.

EsteveCobera - ElectroFun - Boring melody, doesn’t go anywhere. Kind of a blah track for me, sorry. Too long. Meanders the ending.

ontrackp - Carnival - Drums are so weird that it gets in the way. The ride, the too loud cymbal hits. At 1:40 the song and sounds are just spiraling out of control. Chaotic. It is not a song I would want to revisit.

Doc Jon - One United Nation - Pretty poppy. I like it. The message is solid. The multiple vocal. I like a lot about it. The synth leads are on point. Well played, nice subtle repetition. The guitar sound is not so hot and could play a stronger part in the song. Especially noticeable on the breakdown.

avinash - In Rhythm - fits the topic very well I think. I like the breakdown into break and restart. Some nice tail sounds to the synths.

Mellow Browne - Modular Art - It’s going great until the flute. There’s a really nice sound scape in there. I just wish it would pickup to double time somewhere. It holds off to kind of drag, even once you hit the 16th note section.

VCA-089 - Ride On - This song is really nice. Lotta groove, cool melodic sounds, interesting transitions. Very dancey. The long phase movements, are those waves, anyway, they’re a bit loud in sections.

Crosshatched - Swoon Waltz - The keys sound a minute+ in is a little/lot clunky. The back of the track feels like a video game. Kinda Zelda-ish.

FixinTheMix - Noisemaker - Love that old school synth sound. The fast arpeggiator on the right side is pretty cool as well. Nice choice of sounds. They are all working together very well. The bass seems a little rushed/outta time.

canese - give me what I need - double time would be dope. But alas. The sounds don’t really all work well together. The piano is a bit boring and the synth sounds are not doing much to lead the way.

Votes

► Show Spoiler

becsei_gyorgy - Womb
avinash - In Rhythm
Doc Jon - One United Nation
JeroenZuiderwijk - Waves Are Moving Fast
VCA-089 - Ride On
Arleen - Inside
FixinTheMix - Noisemaker

[Mister Fox]

It's the 03rd May 2023, 03:25 (UTC+2/CEST) - the Voting Period extension has officially ended.

Unfortunately, not everyone has sent in feedback and cast a vote (still). We therefore have (at least) 3 disqualifications.


Please no more changes to your feedback from this point forward.
I will post the results within 2-3 days. (this is not an automated process)


Please have an eye on this thread

[avinash]

Hi,

Sorry for my late feedback. I was travelling and out of the country for the past week and could not find a time to send my feedback. Here they are:

becsei_gyorgy - Womb: Good electronic music with interesting sounds and melodies. Good mix as well.

Mellow Browne - Modular Art: Good track with Drive vibe. Good mix.

Arleen - Inside: Sound modern. Nice processing on the vocals. Melody is nice but track lacks variation.

JeroenZuiderwijk - Waves Are Moving Fast: Good track. Nice vocals. Mix could have been punchier.

VCA-089 - Ride On: Old-style techno. Good sounds and mix. Lacks some modernity.

KukoBass - Overlaps: Nice bassline and riff. Sounds old style. Good mix.

FixinTheMix - Noisemaker: Interesting melodic track but sounds quite dated. Good mix.

SoundBeing - Lickable Blotter Paper: "Electronic" guitar and simple bass which sounds nice but not too electro. Loud mix.

EsteveCobera - ElectroFun: Electro is fun. Sounds like the electro track of the 80s. Lack some variation.

ontrackp - Carnival: Starts a bit like old-style Depeche Mode then changes to something a bit less inspiring.

Johnny11771 - X: Sounds a lot like the Amiga demos of old and, therefore, old style.

Doc Jon - One United Nation: Interesting composition with good vocals and selection of sounds. The mix lacks punch.

Crosshatched - Swoon Waltz: Interesting music but, in my opinion, the sounds chosen could have been better. Quite loud.

canese - give me what I need: A bit repetitive but sounds goods. The mix could have been clearer and punchier.

(and these are sorted by order of preference -- I have not voted for myself obviously).

Thanks for organising this competition. It was a nice experience for me.

Avinash

[Mister Fox]

Ladies and Gentlemen, here are the results of Songwriting Competition 69

The winners podium consists of:

1. @becsei_gyorgy (70 pts)
2. @Doc Jon (66 pts)
3. @FixInTheMix (60 pts)

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

<4 participant rule is not in use (staff comments and votes, my vote would count as bonus)
We have 3 disqualifications (due to lack of feedback / a final vote)
We have 0 withdrawn entries (but counts as submission within the deadline, yet couldn't be voted for)
We have several users still in the game that tied

• The following tie happened due to the offsets with the bonus point mechanic
  • ontrackp acquired 20pts with the participation vote -- but lost out on -5pts because of not using the filename template, and the material exceeding the loudness limits, resulting in 27pts (else 32pts)
  • VCA-089 acquired 15pts with the participation vote -- but he scored all possible bonus points
• no (more) users that tied

"Sole (License) Winner" rule does not apply - 3-position Winners Podium (>= 9 participants prior to the deadline)


STATISTICS SHEET:
Overview of Submissions (PDF - updated: 06-JUN-2023, full sheet)

!

Bonus Info

Short info: I am using Wavelab 10 for batch analysis, then I manually port the CSV export to a Microsoft Excel/Open Office Calc sheet with custom layout (this is not an automated process). As pointed out in this post from SWC047 / July, Wavelab has different tolerances for dBTP max analysis compared to tools like iZotope RX, Youlean Loudness Meter, NUGEN Audio VisLM, etc. To find a common ground, I've implemented "allowed tolerances" (just like with the Mix Challenge). These are based upon allowed offsets mentioned in the white papers for EBU R128 and ITU-R BS.1770-4. Since no measurement tool is the same, to be on the save side, please export at -14,1 LUFS ILk max, and -1,1 dBTP max. As usual, I did list/analyze alternative releases (MP3s and FLAC). If you've submitted your entry in multiple file formats, the statistic sheet will focus on the uncompressed material first (WAV), then FLAC, then MP3. The higher the quality, the less possible loss on bonus points for "Loudness Specs" due to offsets introduced by a used CODEC. In this case, FLAC and MP3 are merely for information purposes.

Here are the results as chart in image form:



Thank you so much for your participation.

⚠	Moderation Message from Mister Fox
	INFORMATION: As of January 2023, I am now officially adapting the same voting mechanic as most other International Songwriting Competitions utilize. Nearly all of these games use(d) a 01 to 05 points system (top 5 entries) in some shape or form. The main difference to our game: these ones don't offer bonus points or penalty points, neither are they tiered (depending on the participant amount). I hope to get that properly sorted out in form of an extensive Rule Book update in the foreseeable future (serious apologies for the waiting time). An explanation on the bonus points and penalty points: I've been very generous with @Johnny11771 regarding the song documentation. Compared to all other entries, it's been a bit scarce. Please provide more information in the future. For example what made you go for the instruments you decided to go for, what your general idea for the production was, what did you enjoy regarding sound design, etc. a lot of users got -1pt withdrawn due to not paying attention to the slightly overhauled filename template. (has been in use since SWC068 / April 2023) @SoundBeing sent in feedback within 24 hours after the deadline, which results in a -5pt deduction. I unfortunately had to withdraw -1pt each for @avinash and @SoundBeing, since those entries were technically not downloadable. I mean, I did manage to get a copy -- but I have to be fair to everyone. Next time, please check that your entry is downloadable (and uses the right filename!). I unfortunately also had to disqualify @Johnny11771, @canese and @avinash, since they did not participate in the final voting process. Although @avinash did add some additional feedback after the second deadline (thank you). Please don't put your entry at risk the next time you join. Aside from "attention to detail" (mostly the filename and access to the finished material), I noticed that you all seem to have had plenty of fun. The songs are outstanding, and it made me happy to read that some of you really did dig deep into your equipment arsenal, dusted off old tools, and (temporarily) changed your usual workflow in the process. It also genuinely makes me happy to see a rise in participation. We are currently at 12,40 participants on average (compared to last year's 8,66 participants on avg). I really hope we can exceed 20 entries this year, and then keep the momentum. Please keep it up, spread the word, interact. See you folks in the next game.

License selection:

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

As usual - you're not forced to pick up anything. You can pass and therefore offer more to select for the next person in line (if there is a spot existing / not available for "sole winner" mechanic). Just let all participants/winners/the staff know in a timely manner (within 5 days). Once one company has been selected, it's out of the pool for the next person on the podium.



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



See you in in the next challenge!


Songwriting Competition 070 (June 2023) is still in full swing.
There is currently no entry, but a whole lot of bonus information in the "Cheat Sheet" post.

[EsteveCorbera]

Thanks for your comments, they're always very helpful and I'm learning that way.
Congratulations to the winners!!!
See you soon!!

[becsei_gyorgy]

Congratulations to everyone and especially to @Doc Jon and @FixInTheMix.
Thanks to everyone for all the great songs. Well done.
Thanks also for all the votes and feedback and to @Mister Fox for his work in organising the competition.

I'd like to try out Musiclab's v6 RealLPC guitar, so that's the one I choose.

[Doc Jon]

Well done everyone and thanks for the feedback and votes
Many thanks to @Mister Fox for all the hard work organising the competition

Big congratulations to @becsei_gyorgy for the win and also to @FixInTheMix for being on the winners podium, I am very happy with my 2nd place

I will choose IK Modo Bass 2 as my prize please

See you all in the next one!