SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC072 August 2023 - Winners announced

[Arelem]

Thanks, @Arelem

Here's some short feedback:

A lot of words and phrases that point towards violence, chaos and some kind of threat and perhaps upheaval. But we only get to know that the “I-person” ignites a fight, and that he feels peaceful in turbulence and chaos. You can definitely do it this way – more feelings than storytelling. But maybe I had wanted to know, a little bit more in detail, what is going on on a more concrete level. (But I suggest you keep it they way you want it, maybe it can be interesting to you, anyway, what my first impression was.)

Good idea to let the singer (you I guess) be EQ:d in a different way in the choruses, and perhaps you also used a different technique? Very wide sound indeed.

The overall impression is good. Well balanced mix.

I'll never be able to understand, though, the rapidly repeated drum sounds – fully quantized and with no round robins. But I know this belongs to / is a part of the genre. It's not the first time I hear this kind of percussion. And from a rhythmical point of view you did a good job.

Note: High frequency noise at 1:01-1:02 – I don't think you did that deliberately?

Thanks for the feedback. I'm not hearing whatever it is you were trying to highlight at 1:01-02 so I'm not sure if it's my bad hearing or what
As for the lyrics, they are a bit nonsensical. I didn't have some greater inspiration for a song so I just kind of wrote whatever as long as it fit the 'theme'. I felt like there wasn't a need to force more meaning out of it as there are plenty of artists/songs that I like where I could point to examples of similar songwriting. (Bush, Nirvana, DefTones) I know those are a different genre (and I'm dating myself a bit), but that's what I grew up on. I didn't really get into other genres until much later in life and I feel that some of that early influence bleeds into my music when I make other genres.

[Mister Fox]

A friendly reminder:
Including today, 7 days left to submit your production.

So far, we have 3 entries.



If you want to access the extended game mechanics of the Songwriting Competition (asking for feedback during production), please try to release your first edits within the next 3 days to have enough time to get possible feedback (if needed/wanted) and continue to work on your song. Please also remember, vocals are not mandatory -- instrumentals are just as welcome.

And to those sitting on the fence - please don't feel scared off and think "the bar is set too high, I will never make it" - set yourself a shorter private deadline. Just make music, submit your entry, join the conversation. See where this goes.

By joining, you're already a winner. The rest is bonus.

[A Future in Noise]

Hi everyone, even though I thought I was done with my song already a couple of days ago, I've now made some changes. Now as of midday (Greenwich meantime +1) Friday there is a new file uploaded (among other things I have EQ'd away the lowest frequencies from the bass guitar and raised the volume instead; the bass plays a lot of sixteenth notes and hopefully they will become more audible now).

[Havol]

Hi everyone !

When I saw this image, I immediately thought of the calm before the storm, the peaceful field that will soon become a battlefield. And then, like Doc Jon, I saw the light in the sky symbolizing the hope that the war won't happen. That's what inspired me.

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

Instruments
Drums : Superior Drummer 3
Bass : EZ Bass
Piano : EZ Keys
Guitars : Me playing my Ibanez into Neural DSP plugin

This is my first time here and it's the first time I share my music.If you have any advice, feel free to let me know

Good luck everyone !
Havol

[KukoBass]

Hello everybody,

the picture inspired me to write something cinematic, but it ended up as a cinematic intro followed by a regular ABAB-structure. I hope somebody will like it anyway. So here is my entry for this month:



The wav version is here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1w-9gQl ... drive_link

Instruments:
Rain: recording of a very rainy day in Königslutter from 2021
Thunder: recording of a recent thunderstorm in Hannover
Processed with Klevgrand Brusfri and Ableton Live EQ Eight

Drums:
NI Action Strikes
Compressed with Hornetplugins Multicomp MK2
NI Symphony Essentials Percussion (Timpani crescendi at the beginning and end)
Processed with Hornetplugins ChannelStrip MK3

Ambient stringy sound:
Rigid Audio Atheos (NI Kontakt instrument, "degraded minds"-preset)

Brass:
NI Symphony Essentials Brass

Strings:
NI Symphony Essentials Strings

E-Piano
Applied Acoustics Systems Lounge Lizzard EP4, "basic 1"-preset

Bass:
Harley Benton acoustic 5-string bass guitar, recorded through my Zoom H4n Pro
Virtual Amp: Softube Eden WT-800

Guitar:
Line 6 James Taylor Variax, recorded through my Zoom H4n Pro
Ableton Live compressor
brainworx bx_bluechorus
Virtual Amp: bx_rockrack "Crunch Jazz"-preset

Master Bus:
Hornetplugins ThirtyOneMK2 equalizer
TBProAudio Isol8 to check for frequency problems
brainworx bx_masterdeck True Peak to make the song louder and to make bass frequencies below 120 Hz mono
LUveler to make sure the loudness is below the target of -14 LUFS integrated -1 dB peak
spl Hawkeye to check for possible sound problems
YouLean Loudness Meter 2 Free to check for loudness problems
Hornet VHS to calibrate the frequencies for my Superlux HD 681 headphones for mixing (I fortot to turn it off for the WIP rendering of the audio)

[Crosshatched]

Update: should now be downloadable.

Very lovely picture. Unfortunately, pictures that are this ambient and this lovely might trick me into thinking I can write a story with them, without actually giving me any story.

Since this is just voice and keys, that (and the song itself) is apparently what you have to comment on. After all, in the long run, these are the instruments I may want to get most refined.

Pulverized:



Lyrics:

► Show Spoiler

V1
I set my wings to plant myself
under a new bright sky,
find my way
and take up change.

V2
And now I sink here stuck in town,
stranded by hesitance,
two bookshelves,
and an old grand.

C
Hollow Skies, Seas of Grass,
How did you take me?
Here, here I am,
What do I feel?

V3
What breezes tell the way to go,
What paths are left to try?
Thousands yet,
how they pass me by.

B
Pulverized
these gray pigments
fade,
fade away,
and all the same
flow along
depths like spray.

C
Hollow Skies, Seas of Grass,
How did you take me?
Here, here I am,
Why do I feel

Like a duster tossed restless,
always turning, turning back?

Some comments on Process

► Show Spoiler

Basic order:

• I started writing lyrics. This took a while. I came up with 'Hollow Skies, Seas of Grass' pretty soon, but it took a while to come up with enough details for the verses for me to actually know what was going on.
• Then melody.
• Then (annoyance!) accompaniment.
• Adjusted the arrangement some, mainly to simplify it.
• Note! By the recording stage, the written music begins to be adjusted, sometimes ignored, as easier ways are found
• Recorded piano parts. This went quicker than it could, though it's not really as easy to play as it should be.
• Record vocal parts & pick comps. The ends of the verses and chorus sometimes get out of alignment with the original.
• After recording, do a little gain fixing, and some more finagling until I have the tracks reasonably orderly. Also, lots of use of Cakewalk's 'arranger mode'. Accidentally recorded to stereo, but I finally know why now. (I have to set my stuff to NOT record to stereo in the future.)
• Start adding plugins and adjusting gain (vocals : piano ratio.) The gain riders are quite necessary. Some of the other plugins may not be. I should develop more subtlety with reverb.

Technical Details

► Show Spoiler

Instruments:
Pianoteq 7 (keys)
Me singing (vocals)
Cakewalk DAW

Effects:
Cakewalk sonitus compressor,
Various Cakewalk effects
Dragonfly reverb (too much)
Oril River reverb (also defaults to too much)
MAudio saturator
CompPlus and BoostX, the awesome gain riders from Direct Approach (not that I needed both)
Airwindows ClipOnly 2
Izotope Neutron Elements 3 (not saying it's useful)

[Koekepan]

Here's my submission.

https://files.catbox.moe/kxl4td.zip

We have shoegaze. Shoes aren't that interesting. This sky is a lot more interesting. It's time for skygaze, and the vast spaces in our minds.

I did some sketching in Caustic 3.1, but for full implementation I used:

Synths:
KORG Volca Keys (chord pads)
KORG Volca Bass (heartbeat)
Roland JP-08 (light arp)
Dreadbox Erebus V3 (low drone)
Behringer Model D (lead)

Keyboard (MIDI control only):
KORG Krome

Performance sequencer:
Social Entropy Engine

Insert effects:
Zoom G1on (three, one each on the Volca Keys and Volca Bass, and the Model D)

Mixer/send effect:
Behringer X1832USB

Recorder:
Tascam DR-05

Live monitored on AKG K612 Pro headphones.

Final normalisation and export:
Audacity, monitored on iLoud MicroMonitors.

Process:

I figured out a bed and some sound design elements in Caustic using its internal modular system and signal chain, then slapped together similar sounds in my hardware synths. I sequenced everything except the lead, then performed the track live with the Engine and the Krome. Some gentle live tweaks on the mixer and the front panel of the Model D for expression, and it's a wrap.

One take, one mix.

[VCA-089]

phpBB [media]

WAV: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vdaHQW ... sp=sharing
FLAC: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Rrir4m ... sp=sharing
MP3: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kUyUEY ... sp=sharing

"The dark clouds above us. The storm is about to begin. What did we do to deserve Heaven's wrath? Is there a light on the horizon, or is it just a small break in the clouds? Is there any salvation, or is it the only beginning or our trials?"

Another spontaneous experiment. I don't know what it actually is. It has elements of 80's rock but there are a lot of synthesizers in the arrangement. It has a "semi-serious" vibe, a little bit "cheesy" I should say. Not like glam rock but very close to it I guess...

Instruments & techniques:

1. The drums are samples from LinnDrum and TR-707 drum machines;
2. The bass guitar is Ample Sound "ABP Lite II";
3. The guitars are MusicLab "RealLPC" (the distorted rhythm guitar, the clean guitar with flanger and the lead guitar);
4. The synths are Full Bucket "Tricent" (bass sequence, chord stabs and flanged strings) and Martin Lauder's "PG-8X" (cheesy 80's keys);
5. The pads are Audiolatry "MEL-Lofi" (mellotron style choirs and strings);
6. The tubular bells are from SampleScience Player library;
7. The white noise risers are from free sample library. Processed with frequency shifter, lots of delays and reverb;
8. The soundscape in the outro is also made with free samples. I've also added a heavily processed version of the song to the background.

Technical Details:

► Show Spoiler

Produced in FL Studio 21

Used plugins:

Generators:

x1 FPC
x1 Ample Sound "Bass P Lite II"
x3 MusicLab "RealLPC"
x3 Full Bucket "Tricent"
x1 Martin Lauders "PG-8X"
x2 Audiolatry "MEL-Lofi"
x2 TAL-Sampler

Native effects:

x23 Parametric EQ 2
x3 Reeverb 2
x4 Delay 3
x1 Love Philter
x1 Wave Candy
x1 dB Meter

VST effects:

x6 TDR & VoS "SlickEQ GE"
x18 AdHd "Leveling Tool"
x1 TDR "Kotelnikov"
x8 Thomas Mundt "LoudMax"
x1 D16 "Frontier"
x3 ToneLib "GFX"
x3 TAL Chorus-LX
x1 Walhalla "FreqEcho"
x1 Tritik "Krush"
x1 U-He "ColourCopy"
x4 Audiority "Xenoverb"

Master chain:

TDR "Nova"
TDR "Limiter No6"

Total:

x16 Generators
x82 Effects
x45 MIDI Patterns
x35 Mixer Tracks
x13 Audio Clips
x19 Automation Clips

[The Exponent]

Hey all, hope you're doing well!

Here's my final submission for this month, I chose to try to create a cinematic, emotional and epic feeling with this. Hope you enjoy it!



My interpretation of the theme "Upheaval" is more of a transition from a sorrowful event to one of hope and revolution.

Production info:
DAW: Reaper
Sounds:
Kontakt: (Free) X3M Thunderstrikes, Ferrum Lite, Claire Solo Free, ProjectSAM The Free Orchestra, Jade Ethnic Free, Kontakt (Factory Orchestral Sounds)
(Paid) Lunaris 2 (Drone), Bioscape (Pulse)
SFZ: (Free) SCC Taiko
Spitfire: (Free) LABS, BBCSO Discover
SFX: Some free samples for risers, reverse, impacts
Synths: Vital for Reese Bass and a Sine pluck

FX Plugins: CocoaDelay, Raum, XenoVerb, GClip, Loudmax, ReaEQ
Mastering Chain: Sonible SmartEQ3, SmartLimit
Metering: SPAN, YLM2

[Mister Fox]

A friendly reminder:
We're in the final 24 hours to submit your production.



Please get your production ready and submitted (through the forum) today.

And to make it easier for me to create the collection post, please update your initial post with the appropriate links (final version), or explicitly mark your entry as "final entry". Thank you.

We have 9 entries so far - however fairly low feedback interaction for the "work in progress" songs.

⚠	Moderation Message from Mister Fox
	Please make sure, that your material is accessible and downloadable! (@Crosshatched) And please don't forget to use the provided filename template (@A Future In Noise, @Havol, @Koekepan) Don't forget the Bonus Point mechanic. Thank you.