SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC076 December 2023 - Winners announced

[Mister Fox]

Hello and welcome to the Songwriting Competition 076 - December 2023



BEFORE WE GET STARTED:

• Please consult the official and very simple "Rules and Guidelines" (TL;DR version) for the Songwriting Competition regarding principles of the game, it's engaging game mechanics (allowed editing/re-submission of your entry until the deadline has been reached) and upload/submission guidelines.
• The general idea of this game is to "...just make music", to also challenge yourself by stepping a bit out of your comfort zone, and take a dip at realms you've never worked in before. Instrumentals are just as welcome as productions with vocals.
• The Genre and "Premise" of this months challenge can be found in in post #002
• Filename Template (Important): SWC076__ArtistName__TrackName.wav or .mp3
  • example: SWC076__MisterFox__ColorOfTheSky.wav
  • example: SWC076__Mister_Fox__Color_of_the_sky.wav

Read more about this month's competition further down below. And if you got any question, please also reach out on Discord.



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SONGWRITING COMPETITION THREAD INDEX

Post #001 -- Introduction post and index for the various stages of the Songwriting Competition. Will be updated as we progress
Post #002 -- Submission Period: General Information, Source Material, Sponsors
Post #003 -- Cheat Sheet: A couple of examples / audio demos for this month's challenge (limited if genre is "free to select")
Post #046 -- Voting: Summarized entries and start of voting process
Post #101 -- Results: Results of the Songwriting Competition

[Mister Fox]

CURRENT CHALLENGE - GENERAL INFORMATION

Time Frame: Friday, 01st December 2023 to Sunday, 24th December 2023 (24 days)

Challenge submission will end on 24-DEC-2023, 23:59 UTC+1/CET (Germany) - until further notice.

Want to find out if you're still within the deadline, please either consult the Global Countdown (dedicated page), or the countdown on the landing site. There will also be short reminders on Social Media and on Discord. Does the game time frame feel too long? Why not set a personal shorter one of 5-7 days absolute max to push yourself to focus on the essentials, then use the rest of the time to ask for feedback and possible refinements.



SONGWRITING THEME: "Lights" (Picture Theme)
GENRE: free to select



Image Source: Mix Challenge (staff, photo of lights in Rixdorf/Germany, 2022), released under Berne Convention

Bonus Images (for inspiration): photo 01 / photo 02



A few word about this month's theme:

We're having a "Picture Theme" this month.

There will be no extensive brief with twists and turns. Please have a look, get inspired by the image and the theme.

Let your mind wander for a bit. Then start writing.
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Your task for this Songwriting Competition:
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This month, you can create a production in any music genre you feel like.


A short explanation of the concept of this month's game: The general idea is to draw inspiration from the picture(s). However do not solely fixate on that particular photo and it's details alone. Rather focus on the "overarching concept". The picture and possible provided key words can have many different meanings. How you interpret it, is up to you.

You set your own parameters and limitations, e.g. style and genre, melodic questions and counter arguments. As long as you don't exceed 10 minutes of runtime, neither have endless padded out repetition. Please keep us listeners engaged. And as usual - vocals are optional. Don't feel pressured to provide any.


Just make music and have fun!

I'm curious about what you come up with!

Songwriting Rule Summary / Add-On Rules:

► Show Spoiler

• create a production fitting to the given theme, genre and general premise
• you can use any tool that is at your disposal (samples, virtual instruments and/or real instruments), exceptions apply regarding vocal sample usage)
• IMPORTANT: if you use non-licensed material (as in: non royalty free material from sample CDs, etc), give full credit to the source material
• for newcomers: no finished productions that have already been released outside of the time frame of the current Songwriting Competition (Spotify, iTunes, Bandcamp, etc), no cover versions or remixes of other artists, no ripped acapella's -- please only showcase your own new and original content (you are allowed to "remix yourself", recreate an old project, etc)
• do not go higher than -14,0 LUFS ILk/-1,00 dBTP in terms of perceived loudness (mastering). Music doesn't have to be squashed to bits in order to be impactful
• name your files properly prior to uploading and make the production downloadable. If you opt to present your entry through SoundCloud, the forum can also convert your links into a Soundcloud player through the [soundcloud] BBCode from the text editor (orange square with a white cloud in it)
• ADD-ON RULES:
  • Filename Template: SWC076__ArtistName__TrackName.wav or .mp3
  • <no (additional) add-on rules specified>

For a full set of rules, please consult the Official Rules and Guidelines (most notably Rule Book - post #6). If you got any questions regarding the game mechanics or similar, please either utilize the SWC - Gossip and Discussion thread, or reach out through Discord.

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LICENSE SPONSORS (Bonus Prizes):

A huge thank you goes to our very generous License Sponsors for this month's game. Those being (in alphabetical order):

Cherry Audio, Ghostwave Audio, Hollow Sun, Hornet Plugins, IK Multimedia, JRR Sounds, kv331 audio, Luftrum, Musiclab, Rekkerd Sounds, satyatunes - Sound / Graphic Design, and Tone2.


A detailed list of offerings can be found in the following information block.

► Show Spoiler

Available Bonus Prizes for Songwriting Challenge participants:

Note: All licenses are NFR (Not-For-Resale), except where noted.
Changes to available prices on short notice may be possible and will be announced separately.


RECURRING LICENSE SPONSORSHIP:


Cherry Audio is kind enough to give away one license of Voltage Modular Ignite, plus either a license of "Year One Collection" or "Year Two Collection"
Licenses will turn into NFR
More info on Cherry Audio: https://cherryaudio.com



IK Multimedia is kind enough to give away one license of MODO BASS 2 to the winner
License will turn into NFR
More info on IK Multimedia: https://www.ikmultimedia.com



Musiclab is kind enough to donate any 1 guitar of your choice to the winner
License will turn into NFR
More info on Musiclab: https://www.musiclab.com



Tone2 is kind enough to donate a license of Saurus4 to the winner
License will turn into NFR
More info on Tone2: https://tone2.com



kv331 audio is kind enough to either give away a SynthMaster 1+2 Bundle, or a freely selectable set of 3 SynthMaster Expansions
Licenses will not turn into NFR, you need to have a kv311 audio user account in order to pick up Expansions
More info on kv331 audio: https://www.kv331audio.com



JRR Sounds is kind enough to give away any-1 sound sets or sample set of winner's choice (exception: Bundles)
More info on JRR Sounds: https://www.jrrshop.com/jrr-sounds



Luftrum is kind enough to give away either a license of Lunaris 2, a license of Bioscape, or any two sound sets of winner's choice
License will turn into NFR
More info on Luftrum: https://www.luftrum.com/



Rekkerd Sounds is kind enough to give away 1 sound set of winners choice (exception: Krezie EDM and Neurofunk Vol. 1)
License will turn into NFR
More info on Rekkerd Sounds: https://sounds.rekkerd.org/



Ghostwave Audio (Vincent Bastiat) is kind enough to donate any 2 sound sets to the winner
License will turn into NFR
More info on Ghostwave Audio: https://ghostwaveaudio.com



Hollow Sun is kind to donate one license of "Music Laboratory Machines - The Suite I" to the winner
License will turn into NFR
More info on Hollow Sun: http://www.hollowsun.com



Hornet Plugins is kind enough to give away one license from the depicted tools (see image) to the winner
License will turn into NFR
More info on Hornet Plugins: https://www.hornetplugins.com



Sound / Graphic Designer, and honorary Mix Challenge staff satYatunes is donating one commercial product of winner's choice (until further notice)
More info on satYatune's page: https://satyatunes.com/



THANKS FOR THE DONATIONS!
And also a thank you to all former contributors as well.

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Good luck to all participants.
And most importantly, have fun!

[Mister Fox]

AUDIO EXAMPLES:
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Articles and Info Pages:

A great starting point is the "Addendum"/Supplementary thread for the Songwriting Competition
Songwriting Competition - Addendum: Music Maps and BPM Charts

Since the genre this month is "free to select", there are no clear pointers




Music examples (selection for inspiration, 00 videos):

No music examples available this month. But I can always recommend to enter random genre search words either into Youtube, Spotify or whatever music streaming services you prefer using.
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Please also check in with the following threads in the the Gear Talk sub-forum, if you're on the look-out for new tools:
Places to fuel your GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) (the starting point if you're in need of audio tools -- from free to affordable).


if you're new to/need help with songwriting - please check out the following tools:

► Show Spoiler

ScalerPlugin Pty Ltd - Scaler 2 (collaboration w/Plugin Boutique, currently the most comprehensive chord/harmony tool out there)
Xfer Records - Cthulhu
W.A. Production - InstaChord and InstaScale
CodeFN42 - Chordz (Transition is also recommended, if you want more experimental/generative MIDI, free, Windows only)
trackbout - Ripchord (free/open-source MIDI chord generator, think Xfer Records Cthulhu, but simplified)
Fabrizio Poce / J74 - Progressive ("Max4Life" is needed, Ableton Live bound)

Please note, that a lot of DAW also have Harmony Theory and/or Chord Generation tools built in. Please consult the manual of your go-to software for more information.

More tools of the trade

► Show Spoiler

Need a good starter kit of free instruments?

Instruments:
AKAI - MPC Beats (limited to 1 instance, 8 MIDI + 2 Audio tracks, but can be used as VSTi in any other DAW)
Apisonic Labs - Speedrum (a "spiritual successor" to One Small Clue POISE, Lite version available)
Big Fish Audio - Momentum (a free and powerful WAV/AIFF loop mangler)
IK Multimedia - MODO DRUM CS (one drum kit)
Rayzoon - Jamstix (an amazing drummer brain)
IK Multimedia - MODO BASS 2 CS (one e-bass)
Spitfire Audio - LABS
Spitfire Audio - BBC Symphonic Orchestra Discover
Pianobook - started by Spitfire Audio's co-founder Christian Henson, offers many free/affordable sample sets in various formats
Decent Samples - project started by David Hilowitz as alternative to NI Kontakt (Full), offers many free/affordable sample sets
Orchestral Tools - SINEfactory
Vienna Symphonic Library - the "HELLO Free Instruments" series (offering an Orchestra, Piano, Small Percussion and more)
Project Sam - Free Orchestra 1 and Free Orchestra 2 (the latter has just been released, Kontakt Player license included)
Soundpaint - started by 8dio's CEO Troels Folman as more advanced sample player engine to NI Kontakt (Full), offers many free sample sets
Sound Props - "Free Series" (offering a synth, guitars, bass and drum sample sets for free/small donation, needs Kontakt 6+ Full)
kv331 audio - Synthmaster Player (the free version comes with over 600 presets!)
Cherry Audio - Voltage Modular Nucleus ("entry level" to Modular Synthesis, usable as plugin or instrument)
DISTRHO - Cardinal (a proper open-source variant of VCV Rack, plugin variants available)
Surge Synth Team - Surge-XT (a free and open source hybrid synthesizer)
Matt Tytel - Vital (spectral warping wavetable synth, a free "basic" version is available)
Sonic Charge - Cyclone (Yamaha TX16W/Typhoon sampler)
CWItech - TX16Wx Software Sampler (If you want a highly powerful Soundfont2 loader / sampler)

Please do remember, our kind License Provider Musiclab also offer 14 day trial versions of their virtual guitar range.


In need for presets for your synthesizers, or even more samples?
Soundpacks - an information page highlighting sample sets and preset packs that have been released for free
PresetShare - a free synth presets exchange platform (account signup needed)
Tom Wolfe's Synth Vault - the free Monthly Preset Club (account signup needed)
VSTBuzz - Freebie Collection page, plenty of good material to find there (often Native Instrument Kontakt bound)


More recommendation for free/affordable tools can be found at the #audio-tech-deals section on our Discord server.

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UPDATED: 29-NOV-2023 22:30 UTC+1, updated 00-DEC-2023 00:00 UTC+1

[APi_ZZ]

A theme like Lights always brightens one's mood, doesn't it?
I decided to do all instruments by foot/hand (that is MIDI here) -- not using any prefab loops /sequences.

UPDATE 1: Lady Incognita had a very valid argument re the sound (was organ with rotation FX) during that straight 4/4 part (from min 2:35 on).
So that part got overhauled ...

UPDATE 2: Changed Soundcloud file to a correctly named version / contents are unchanged / final version



Tech specs

► Show Spoiler

My DAW is Magic's Music Maker

Track 01: Bodhran from Decent Sampler
Track 02: Acoustic Percussions from the DAW's Vita MIDI library
Track 03: Cymbals from the DAW's Soundtrack Percussions library
Track 04: Tubular Bells from the DAW's Analog Synths (Percussions and Mallets) library
Track 05: Vibraphone from the DAW
Track 06: Epic Choir from Spitfire Audio Originals
Track 07: Female Choir from the DAW's Choir library
Track 08: Acoustic Harp from the DAW's Celtic Harp library
Track 09: Xiao Flute Cathedral from the DAW's World Flutes library
Track 10: Flageolet Cathedral from the DAW's Century Guitar library
Track 11: The End the DAW's Analog Synths (Organs) library
Track 12: Airy Synth from DAW's Cinematic Synth (Pad) library
Track 13: Sitaresk String Ensemble from DAW's Cinematic Synth (Pad) library

Tracks 5-7 and 11-13 have additional reverb from NI Raum

BPM is 112, key is basically A min
The beat is structured repeatedly into a 7/4-7/4-7/4-11/4 pattern, with a straight 4/4 setting for bars 73-88.

[Lady Incognita]

A theme like Lights always brightens one's mood, doesn't it?

Totally agree! I'm enjoying working on mine, but I'm being super slow.

As for your entry, I really enjoyed all the instrumentation and the whole composition. Nice change of style for you. Very airy and dreamy, with lovely folk and world influences. Rhythms and melodies are sweet and reflective. The synth that starts at 2:35 (doubled with another one like it after a bit?) is the only thing that feels a bit out of place for me in this composition because of its tone/texture, but at 3:08 we return to more of the original feel. The odd meters are very relaxing. Very nicely done! And thanks for mentioning that Bodhran, I'll go get it.

[APi_ZZ]

[...] The synth that starts at 2:35 (doubled with another one like it after a bit?) is the only thing that feels a bit out of place for me in this composition because of its tone/texture [...]

THX for listening closely , this part got reworked -- see original post.
Add'l info: File name changed to correct spelling ...

[Mister Fox]

A friendly reminder:
Including today, 14 days left to submit your production.

So far, we have 1 entry and some healthy 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 7 days to have enough time to get possible feedback (if needed/wanted) and continue to work on your song.

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.

[Doc Jon]

I decided to do all instruments by foot/hand (that is MIDI here) -- not using any prefab loops /sequences.

Nice! I do like a bit of ethnic percussion and the 'live' playing with odd meters is an impressive achievement
One small point - I think the vocal is running just a little bit hot at around 2:50 - 3:06 with a tiny bit of distortion creeping in on those high notes
Otherwise - great effort!

[KukoBass]

Hello fellow contestants,

this is my final entry for this month's competition:



The WAV-version is here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TCKNaX ... drive_link

I was inspired by the picture for the challenge and also by the time of year.
It is a simple but hopefully memorable song. My goal was to write a melody you can easily hum along the day after you heard it.


Edit 1:
Chords:
Intro: Emaj, dbmin7, Gbmaj, dbmin
Verse (3x): Emaj, dbmin7, Gbmaj, dbmin x 2
Chorus (2x): Emaj, Bmaj, Gbmaj, dbmin x 2
Outro: Emaj

Tools used:

► Show Spoiler

DAW: Ableton Live 11

Drums: Addictive Drums 2, "Studio Prog - Crispy Kit"-preset; Adobe Live Compressor

Bells & Chimes: Ableton Live Drumrack, "Chimes"-preset + "Chimes Jingle Bell" Sample

E-Piano: Applied Acoustic Systems Lounge Lizard EP-4, "Tine-based - Warm Model V"-preset

Bass: IK Multimedia MoDo Bass 2, "Violin Bass"-preset

Celli: Native Instruments Session Strings Pro 2, "Celli - Modern"-preset, "Sustain" expression preset

Clarinet:
1. Native Instruments Symphony Essentials Woodwinds Solo "Clarinet Essential"-preset
Edit 3:
2. Clarinet from Spitfire Audio BBC Symphony Orchestra

Horns: 2 x Native Instruments Symphony Essentials Brass Ensemble "Horns Essential"-preset

Guitar: Edu Prado Sounds Extended Electric Guitar "Fingered Harmonics"-preset

Master Chain:
Hornet ThirtyOne MK2 Equalizer
Edit 2: Softube Saturation Knob for some subtle saturation
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

Tools used for mixing:
AYAIC Mix Monolith
TBProAudio Isol8 to check for frequency problems
Audified MixChecker to simulate different listening environments
spl Hawkeye to check for possible sound problems
YouLean Loudness Meter 2 Free to check for loudness problems
Hornet VHS 1.31 to calibrate the frequencies for my Superlux HD 681 headphones for mixing

[Lady Incognita]

This is my WIP for this month:
It is a simple but hopefully memorable song. My goal was to write a melody you can easily hum along the day after you heard it.
I'm not sure which things I should work on. Any feedback is welcome.

Hi Kukobass. Just had a couple of listens to your track. I think it would help to know what production tools and vsts you used, and also what you would mostly like feedback on, but here's my perspective nonetheless. Hope it helps.

You're very meticulous in your arrangement, giving all your instrumentation their roles, and creating a good structure for your track to follow. Nicely done!

I am a big fan of simple memorable songs. I think a simple lovely melody expressively delivered can capture a listener's attention surprisingly well, and more often than not, better than its complex cousins.

So with that in mind, my feedback focuses on what can bring out your melody more in terms of expression. In my view these would help:

• Humanizing the notes more so they fall just a little more naturally

• Using expression and articulation in the played notes whether you use sampled instruments or synths (e.g. change in dynamics like starting a note softer and finishing louder, pitch modulation to mimic little glides and vibrato, little variations at times in repeated phrases with extra notes or embellishments)

Easiest start would be to humanize some of the tracks, and use some volume automation on the lead, and see what other expression and articulation options your instrument offers so you can just add a pinch of that here and there. All this allows the melody to reflect your feeling - the up and down, the movement... and the audience hears that instinctively.