SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC075 November 2023 - Winners announced

[Mister Fox]

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

So far, we have 3 entries, and sadly no further interaction.



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.



Final note:
Please don't forget to add some documentation to your entry, as this will add to the bonus point mechanic at the end of the game. (directed at @Arelem, @APi_ZZ and @Brandon740). And to all new participants, welcome!

[EsteveCorbera]

Dear fellow challengers and Mister Fox.

It's the first time I do a Metal track. And to be honest, at first I thought I wouldn't make it, but in the end I'm happy with the result. I have to say that with tools like A-List Electric Guitarist Power Chords (Rack Extension made by UJAM) it has been easier. I have also used UJAM Virtual Drummer Heavy which has made my work easier when creating rhythms.
I've also experimented with some timid tempo changes. I don't know if I knew how to do it right, but I took a risk after looking for information on the internet.
The theme is based on three guitars, some of us mark more of the melody and others do the accompaniments. The bass is almost imperceptible because it follows the main melody, without making a new melody.
I also added Reason's Complex-1 Modular Synthesizer to give it a psychedelic twist.

I hope you like it.


Thank you colleagues.

(translated with google)




Equipment:
DAW:
Reason 12.7

Instruments:
NN-XT Advanced Sampler
Reason Electric Bass
Complex-1 Modular Synthesizer

Effects:
RV7000 MkII Advanced Reverb
The Echo
Softube Guitar Amp
MClass Equalizer
MClass Compressor
CF-101 Chorus/Flanger
UN-16 Unison
PH-90 Phaser
RV-7 Digital Reverb
Audiomatic Retro Transformer

Players:
Scales & Chords
Beat Map Algorhythmic Drummer

Utilities:
Combinator

Reason Rack Extension:
A-List Electric Guitarist Power Chords

Other instruments outside of Reason:
Native Instruments Kontakt
Rigid Audio ATHEOS
Rigid Audio QUATERNION
UJAM Virtual Drummer Heavy

Other effects outside of Reason:
HoRNet Plugins HoRNet TrackUtility MK2
Beatskillz Slam2
Rob Papen RP-Pan
Eventide Blackhole


Other tools:
iZotope Ozone 9
Plugin Alliance SPL HawkEye
HoRNet Plugins HoRNet VHS

[Doc Jon]

'Momentum' makes me think of pushing forward, persevering, maybe involving a chase with heavy machines.
When I think of 'Progressive metal' I imagine a group of four or five long haired band members playing, bass, drums, keyboards and a couple of guitars, singing a song with several different sections, based in some alternative or dystopian world with a runtime of 5-6 minutes.
Using that as my inspiration I have come up with:



Lyrics

► Show Spoiler

Escape From City 17

Since you’ve been gone I’ve lost my way
Trapped in this city of pain
Sentinels watching me every day
In case I try to escape again

Do you really think you can leave
We can read your thoughts
You can’t deceive
Do you really think you can go
We will strike you down
We’re in control

Thinking of you and the wish we made
The day that you saved my life
Empty my mind and just concentrate
On your ultimate sacrifice

Do you really think you can leave
We can read your thoughts
You can’t deceive
Do you really think you can go
We will strike you down
We’re in control

Drive out onto the downtown highway
Headed into the night
This time everything’s gonna go my way
Baby I’m ready to fight
Cast out all of the lies they told me
Things they tried to make me believe
Tell me that I’m never gonna leave this city
‘Cos the city won’t let me leave

Bullets fly on the downtown highway
It’s a life or death race
Two dark sentinels blocking my way
As another one joins the chase
Rockets fly at the city limits
As my car tries to jump the wire
No-one’s ever gonna leave this city
In a mess of steel and fire

Travelling on foot, cross the forbidden zone
I reach the freedom line
Driving my car by remote
I watch it crash and burn
Sentinels searching the wreckage all night
But they won’t find me
Finally leaving this city
Never to return

I will find you
You’ll always have to look behind you
You know that I will find you
And when I do…
I…
Will…

Tech specs

► Show Spoiler

Host
Cubase 13 Pro

VSTs
Drums - Superior Drummer (Drumkit From Hell EZX)
Bass - ModoBass 2 (Metal Bass)
Guitar - Rhythm - UJAM Iron 2, Steinberg Virtual Guitarist 2
Solo - RealStrat
Synths - GForce ImpOSCar 2 (free with this month's Computer Music - go get it, it's a very very good synth!!)
Vocals - Synthesizer V, myself

Fx
Very few Fx used
TRackS Black 76 compression on drum track, Opto Comp on vocals
Guitar Rig 6 on the guitars and bass
FabFilter Saturn for additional saturation, Timeless 2 for delays
iZotope Nectar 3 on vocal tracks with Vocal Synth 2 providing the 'growling death metal' effect on the sentinel's vocal
Ozone 10 for mastering with TRackS metering and Voxengo SPAN keeping an overall eye on things

Includes two Freesound samples (road noise and police siren)
https://freesound.org/people/kevp888/sounds/463986/
https://freesound.org/people/MultiMax21 ... ds/156869/

[Mister Fox]

A friendly reminder:
Including today, 3 days left to submit your production.

So far, we have 5 entries, and sadly still no further interaction.

[APi_ZZ]

'Momentum'

Cool track!
Hint: I assume you should read the initial posts of Mister Fox; they define rules for track naming and demand ability to download.
I don't know if not following these rules initiates conflicts ...

[Doc Jon]

Cool track!
Hint: I assume you should read the initial posts of Mister Fox; they define rules for track naming and demand ability to download.
I don't know if not following these rules initiates conflicts ...

Many thanks!
Well spotted @APi_ZZ on the download issue, I'm normally very careful but overlooked it this time! Thanks for pointing it out
Filename I think should be fine, Soundcloud allows you to edit the track name after uploading while leaving the original filename intact (which I tend to do just because it looks better displayed as just the song title on my page without the extra bits!). The downloaded file will still have the correct original filename as per the rules. I'm sure @Mister Fox will let me know if I'm wrong!!

[Chrisantimos]

Hello friends, dear Mr. Fox:-)

This is my first submission here - at last I made it! I have been thinking of posting entry for so long time, and thanks to Mr. Fox for this months theme that made me out of writers block. I'm mostly a classical/jazz composer/arranger for real musicians using Finale notation.

My "band" consists of 4 musicians: Harp, keyboard, guitar and drums. I use some odd time signatures 3/4, 7/8 and 15/16. Except the Moog solo that was generated using BB2004 P.Metheny soloist, (and drums and Kirnu Cream for Harp) all chords, parts and melody is composed by me (no premades, generators, Scaler, Unison etc.).

Chord line: EbMaj7 | Cm7b5 - Cdim7/D (D7b9) | BbMaj7 | Gm7b5 - Gdim7/A | Fm7 | Fm7b5 - Fdim7/G | AbMaj7 - Bbdim7 | AbMaj7/Eb | EbMaj9 | Bm6 | BmMaj7 | Bm



DAW:
Mixcraft 10 Pro

Instruments:
NI Irish Harp
NI Guitar Rig 7
Cherry Audio Lowdown and PS-3300
Messiah 2
EZdrummer 2, EZX Progressive

Other tools:
Finale 27 (Harp bar 25-27 and Harpruns from 39 to end)
Band-in-a-Box 2004, (Moog solo bar 27-39)
Ozone 9 Elements
Kirnu Cream
DTC-1 Compression
XBass-4000 Compression
Acoustica ProStudio Reverb
Pentode Audio PSEQ-1
G-Sonic Gmix+
TB Reverb
iZotpe Vinyl

All best to you all:-)

[Mister Fox]

Soundcloud allows you to edit the track name after uploading while leaving the original filename intact (which I tend to do just because it looks better displayed as just the song title on my page without the extra bits!). The downloaded file will still have the correct original filename as per the rules. I'm sure @Mister Fox will let me know if I'm wrong!!

This is correct... The Soundcloud Player can have a different naming convention than the actual file. Although it is recommended to make connection to the Mix Challenge is some shape or form.



Other than that...

I've listened to all entries so far -- and one thing sticks out... a lot of you went more "Progressive Rock" than Metal. And the thing that really stands out, are that most of the guitars aren't "pushed enough". May it be volume wise, or amp distortion wise. So, if you can, please go back and adjust your mixes (also see/hear the provided audio demos). There is still room for more.

[EsteveCorbera]

Good night,

Important: I have updated my track in the original post

[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. There will be no deadline extensions this month.

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.

If I didn't miscount, we have 6 entries so far.