SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC078 February 2024 - Winners announced

[EsteveCorbera]

Good night,
There are good presentations this month. Most of you have done a good job.
Too bad we have topics that are still in WIP.

I learned something important this month: the timing of composing is important. At the beginning of the month I spent many evenings trying to make a first composition but there was no way, because I ended up falling asleep in front of the keyboard and the computer. It wasn't until a Saturday afternoon that I got inspired and was able to put together a first good version. Then, it was time to evolve and improve it. There have been many hours of repeated schoolwork to note down the variations and adaptations I wanted to make and then, yes in the evenings, apply these changes.

Thanks.


I will give you some brief comments.


Crispy - DANCING IN THE RAIN -14 LUFS
Lively and cheerful theme, festive even. I like the idea of the music playing over the rain, but it ends very abruptly. I like this catchy jazz. I share the feeling that Mister Fox says about the location of the instruments, during listening they give the feeling that they are in different spaces. The drums, the bass, the pianos are here, but the wind instruments are too far away. I also missed more variation in the bass.


Api_ZZ - TakeACinematicLeap
I like the idea of using an orchestra, but it lacks cohesion. There are too many jumps from side to side, it sounds like you copied and pasted very different things, it sounds like different orchestras playing different things, in different places.
I repeat, I like your theme, very cinematic, but it needs to be worked on a lot more.
In terms of structure, I don't understand it, I don't know where it's going either. You also need to improve the ending, the sound ends but you don't conclude your track.


JeroenZuiderwijk - LeapIntoTheUnknown
I want to give you my opinion on the things I would improve or do differently. I don't want you to take it the wrong way.
The changes you make of filters, for example from 0:08 to 0:16 then it changes and at 0:17 it sounds much more open, it creates a strange feeling. Later this is repeated again.
I don't know what happened to the rhythm/melody at minute 1:16, it's like you stopped and started it at the wrong time.
The samples are too simple, they sound too artificial.
I also think that your subject needs to evolve, you repeat structures and ideas, but they are not enough.


TrojakEW - FemmeFatale
I really like these ethnic voices. Great composition.
Some things to improve: The trumpet sounds a little out of place, I don't think this trumpet sound is appropriate within the orchestral sound of the theme piece.
It would also improve some placement of the instruments in the space. Some sound too close, in front of a well-placed orchestra. For example, percussion would make it more wet. On the other hand, the voice and the orchestra sound very real.


ShroomFeverish - SapiensDominabiturAstris
I really like your theme, very good atmosphere. You have created a great sense of space, spaciousness with these voices reciting. Good mix from my point of view. I like the sound of synthesizers. Reverberated sounds and lots of delay are also very good. In fact, I don't have much to say because I don't know how to improve your proposal. Very good.


becsei_gyorgy - TakeTheStep
Great work, as always. It's hard for me to tell you things to improve. In some parts it might be good to give more strength to the voices, for example, 1:05 to 1:11, 1:21 to 1:27, 1:53 to 2:01, etc.
Maybe add a bit more variation to the beats, too constant.
The mix looks good to me.


KukoBass - TakeALeap_V6
A good theme, despite being a WIP version. Certainly, the voice should help improve your theme, because there are times when it lacks something. I like the guitar. The strings are fine, but maybe they need to be a bit stronger. It needs to be worked on more.


Mellow_Browne - I_Promise
Good drums, sounds pretty good, maybe would add some reverb. But as you already mentioned, your theme is still missing, some voices or a melodic part to help complement it and not make it boring. It needs more variation, but you know that.


Thanks.

(translated with google, sorry for the imperfections that the translation may contain)

► Show Spoiler

01 TrojakEW - FemmeFatale
02 ShroomFeverish - SapiensDominabiturAstris
03 Crispy - DANCING IN THE RAIN
04 KukoBass - TakeALeap_V6
05 Api_ZZ - TakeACinematicLeap

[TrojakEW]

The percussion is a bit too much in the front and the instruments are too far in the back and also a bit too dry.

Yes it can be. It is mostly my lack of experience with rumba. I was thinking that rumba rhythm should take the lead because it is dance music. This is why I make it more upfront. I need listen more to this style to understand it correctly. I also need to find out if it is possible to really dance to this track so I have to find some experienced dancer to get their opinion on that.

There is some reverb on the instruments but somehow the sound stage doesn’t seem to work so efficient like it could have been imo. The mix sounds balanced and good, but I’m missing some depth from the front to the back.

You are absolutely right about this one. The issue is again my lack of experience. I have tried add more depth to stage many time before on other tracks but it always sounds very bad to me. I need to learn more how to do it properly so till then I will rather use less room like it is now.

Thanks for the feedback especially about percussions that I was not aware.

Some things to improve: The trumpet sounds a little out of place, I don't think this trumpet sound is appropriate within the orchestral sound of the theme piece.

Actually Trumpet+Trombone+Sax Legato paying the same thing at same time and there are some limit what range what instrument can play. So this is reason why in some places it sound like it move in stereo field but the truth is it doesn't play that note because of limited range. Also placing is not mean to be traditional orchestra.

It would also improve some placement of the instruments in the space. Some sound too close, in front of a well-placed orchestra. For example, percussion would make it more wet. On the other hand, the voice and the orchestra sound very real.

Yup. We are all share same opinion including Mellow Browne. I need to get more experience with that.

Thank you for feedback.

[APi_ZZ]

What did/do I learn from this competition?
First, I assume I should/could restrain myself from entering 'any' (or, for that, too many) competition(s). If a theme does not resonate with me, or if the rules /conditions are to tight: Don't do it.
So I guess I did this one a bit inattentive. The theme was kinda free, but ignited not much in/with me: "Take a leap", "make a step", "move forward" -- all sound a tad too generic to me, leaving room for anything and all; and thus then, later, making it near impossible to judge:
Theme met or not?

Comments Feedback:

► Show Spoiler

As told with previous comments, I am no expert in meticulously analysing spatial positionings, dry vs wet balances, LUFs and their siblings and all that. And I admit as well, that I have difficulties to judge on tunes that barely strike a resonance with me, sorry. So I do as I did before, eventually too short, too shallow, too little of serious help. I apologise for that in advance.

@crispy
The rain intro/outro appears as a bit artifically added, not intergrating much. The track itself boasts with latin tinged playing with quite some improvisational attitude, I like that. The brassy sections sound a bit cheesy/plastic to me, sorry. I have no clue if a leap takes place, eventually it is the little break in the middle of track. But there clearly is some move ... Production and mixing sound OK for me, but I am no expert on that.

@JeroenZuiderwijk
This track seems to come right out the eighties, with upfront drum machine(s), synth bass and typical synth blankets. As I said before, I am no production/mixing expert; so this tune is pretty perfect in its adapted style, but a tad to aseptic for my taste. No leap, but certainly moving forward.

@EsteveCorbera
Heavy arpeggios, soothing strings and an embedded bar piano call up a lounge music ambience in/with me, even a bit of elevator music (in its positive meaning). Two spots (at ~3:20 min and at 4:27 min) evoke a slightly irritating restart effect (at least to me). The moving forward is well achieved with no hasty steps.

@TrojakEW
Nice middle eastern flavored tune with well placed changes between vocal and instrumental parts; I locate the leaps in those dramatic rises and falls. Could it be that the percussion is the same throughout the whole track? Some breaks would have increased the dramatic emphasis.
If I read correctly there is no hint who did the vocals, or where they derive from ... anyway the vocals are lovely and fit the tune very well.

@shroom feverish
Lots of cinematic effects for the first two minutes, too metallic and too long for my taste (if listened repeatedly). The following two'n'half minutes offer some 'solid' 80s vibe, again with a tad too much metallic cymbals(?) hisssss ... Sound quality is top, as far as I can tell, but -- as stated -- a bit much on the high end. If that 80s style is intended, then it is done well.

@becsei_gyorgy
I full-heartedly support your own impression: Slightly cheesy Eurovision Song style and mostly cheesy lyrics. But: So what; it is presented that with aplomb, and Kevin/Solaria do a brave job in repeatedly performing "take a step, move forward". For all these "circumstances" this is a well produced track with no production faults (to my 'average' ears).

@KukoBass
Clear, well separated instruments (lovely bass, BTW!) lay a solid ground. If the guitar melody represents a suitable vocal guide track is beyond my knowledge, sorry. Right now the track shows its WIP state, and for that it is just fine.

@Mellow Browne
Nicely bouncing 6/8 beat with cleanly produced and arranged instrumental 'overlays', a tad too aseptic /synthetic for my taste, sorry.
The tune seems to miss some vivid, eventually a bit 'dirty', soloing over it -- right now, as is, my impression is its being 'on hold'.

Top Five:

► Show Spoiler

01 @TrojakEW
02 @crispy
03 @becsei_gyorgy
04 @JeroenZuiderwijk
05 @Mellow Browne

[becsei_gyorgy]

It was an interesting month for me. What did I learn?
Mostly that I have to somehow finish a song by the deadline even if I don't like what I'm doing at all
My songwriting process started with a chord progression, first an emotional version at 70 BPM, then it became a cheesy duet at 120 BPM.
I actually hated it halfway through, but I started late and 3,5 days before the deadline I didn't want to start something else this month. So I regularly forced myself to finish something I started.
But it was nice to play with the AI sounds again, even if they're not perfect, they're definitely nice for demos.

Feedbacks:

► Show Spoiler

crispy - Dancing in the Rain
Interesting, pulsating composition with a great jazzy feel.The selection of instruments (piano, bass, brass, organ, drums) is fine, but the quality of the individual instruments varies greatly. The piano is overcompressed, the brass entering at about 1:16 plays in a completely different space, the reverb is also different for each instrument.
The solos are great (!), they sound good, they show real virtuosity. Everything in the composition is in place, but perhaps too much so. It's all over-quantized, jagged, it feels too much like it is made of midi patterns and not played by a human. Not only is the midi mechanical, but the dynamics are flat. There is no ripple, no emotion in the playing through the dynamics.
It's a pity, because it would be great to sound a bit more human.
Overall great composition, nice, balanced mix.

APi_ZZ - Take A Cinematic Leap
I like the orchestral elements, and this is undoubtedly a cinematic track.
I like the sound choices, I love the choir at 1:53, but I would have preferred to save the stronger timpani hits for the end, it comes too early.
Overall I like the composition, although there are many missed opportunities. My favorite part is 2:29-3:27. I like the ostinato, it's a real trailer climax at the end.
After 3:27 the ending is made up of very resonant notes, it should be more subtle, more emotional.
Nice track.

JeroenZuiderwijk - Leap Into The Unknown
Interesting music, with a pulsating beat. For me, it's the bass that drives the song forward, it's the bass playing that gives the song rhythm and pulsation.
The chorus seems strange at first, but then it becomes more like a charming dance of joy. Interesting and cute.
The mix could be improved a bit in places, but the overall sound is balanced.

EsteveCorbera - El Canvi De Decada
Pleasant ambient music. It has good sounds, good arpeggios. There's a good ending at the end. It would be nice if there was a part like that towards the middle, it would improve the composition.
The mix is missing the highs, as if there is a filter above 2K-3K that cuts off the top.
Overall, a very pleasant song, you can hear that it was written with feeling and soul.

TrojakEW - Femme Fatale
Nice to see (and hear) you again here. Great track.
I love the sounds of ethera. The instrument choices are good, and the song has a very good mood.
I would move the conga drums back a bit, I would just move them back in the stage. But I like the crisp sound of them, that they don't have as much reverb.

shroom feverish - Sapiens Dominabitur Astris
First of all, it's a great composition. The song is well structured, the parts follow each other as they should. Pleasure to listening, good instruments, good samples, good rhythm.
The mix sounded OK at first, but when other percussive elements kick in after 2:05, the bass is a bit uncomfortable on my Beyer'990 headphones. Too much bass, especially on a headphone like mine. But I suspect the bottom of the frequency spectrum in other environments also might be too much.
Otherwise a great piece of work.

KukoBass - Take A Leap
I wonder what the final form of the song will be, including vocals.
I like what I hear so far. The bass is very good.
I feel that strings are a bit timid.
Overall very promising track. Good to listen even in WIP status
I was wondering, does the AYAIC Mix Monolith help much in mixing? I've been lazy to try it myself so far , putting one instance on each track, adjusting, etc. Is it worth the effort?

Mellow Browne - I Promise
Interesting style. Overall clever composition and execution. But there are gaps for me (maybe because you had to hurry at the end).
Not a big problem, but I find the sound a bit dry. However, at the end, on the drums (snare) it sounds like there is a lot of room sound.
But the bigger gap for me is the composition seems to be missing a layer (e.g. vocals). So the song is a bit repetitive for me.
Overall a nice work, it seems to be the result of a lot of knowledge and experience.

Votes:

► Show Spoiler

01 TrojakEW - Femme Fatale
02 shroom feverish - Sapiens Dominabitur Astris
03 APi_ZZ - Take A Cinematic Leap
04 crispy - Dancing in the Rain
05 EsteveCorbera - El Canvi De Decada

[A Future in Noise]

Hi everyone. I just added a comment to the SWC072 thread, if anyone's interested. (I don't participate this month.)

[JeroenZuiderwijk]

Hi everyone. I just added a comment to the SWC072 thread, if anyone's interested. (I don't participate this month.)

Sounds great, professional sounding mix in my opinion!

[A Future in Noise]

Hi everyone. I just added a comment to the SWC072 thread, if anyone's interested. (I don't participate this month.)

Sounds great, professional sounding mix in my opinion!

Thanks a lot pal

[shroom feverish]

crispy - "Dancing in the Rain"
Nice structure and theme development.
Instruments sound very “generic” maybe layers of synth sounds will make them more interesting.
Good snare sound but reverb choice does not glue with track atmosphere, makes drums sound far.

APi_ZZ - "Take A Cinematic Leap"
Overall nice melodies but some transitions feel rushed.
I like the middle part mood.
Mix sound raw and does not have mid channel energy.
All sounds feel like went through one reverb settings.

becsei_gyorgy - "Take the step"
Nice old-school vibe on track.
Vocal sound not very exciting.
Overall mix has too much high frequencies
Synths sounds mood feel static to ear/brain as the track develops. New synth layers for existing melodies would give more power.

EsteveCorbera - "ElCanviDeDecada"
Nice music. Most instruments choices are kind of dull. Low-midr frequency instruments need more separation – eq treatment.
Structure and theme development is good.

JeroenZuiderwijk - "Leap Into The Unknown"
Great structure ideas. Melodies and drum groove is good but bass synth sound is too offbeat/or just weird to me.
Instruments feels like all other tracks in this competition from Korg or Yamaha old synthesiser.

KukoBass - "Take a leap"
I like mood of guitar melody. Drum groove changes and guitar does enough various things to be interesting but if strings also kind of developed would me more complete feeling.

Mellow Browne - "I Promise"
Good bass groove.
Instrument sounds except bass are like too thin, if some sounds then it would be ok.
Mix feels a bit “empty”. If bass louder and more energy at low mid would feel fuller.

TrojakEW “FemmeFatale”
Well thought out track. Chill guitar melody and more serious mood instruments and vocal blends together well. Around 1:10 starts good stuff.
Would have liked more compressed or tighter bongo+low end feel.

1. TrojakEW “FemmeFatale”
2. KukoBass - "Take a leap"
3. JeroenZuiderwijk - "Leap Into The Unknown"
4. APi_ZZ - "Take A Cinematic Leap"
5. crispy - "Dancing in the Rain"
6. becsei_gyorgy - "Take the step"
7. EsteveCorbera - "ElCanviDeDecada"
8. Mellow Browne - "I Promise"

[KukoBass]

Hello everyone,

My experience this month:
I experimented with WA Production's Instacomposer 2 this month.
Usually, I play around on the keyboard until I find a sequence of chords that I like. This time, I used Instacomposer 2 to generate a chord sequence for the verse/chorus and another one for the bridge.
I also used Instacomposer to generate basslines and drum patterns, used them as a basis and changed them to my liking. Only the "melodies" that Instacomposer 2 generated were bland, so I discarded them completely and wrote my own.

I'm glad this competition exists, because otherwise, this would be a project I'll be sitting on for a long time without finishing it. That may still happen, but I got a lot of valuable feedback how I could proceed with this song. So thank you all!

Feedback:
As always, keep in mind that I'm just a hobby musician and am still learning the dos and don'ts of music production.

APi_ZZ - "Take A Cinematic Leap"
A very cinematic song, it would make a good soundtrack for landscape footage shot from a helicopter. The BRAAHMS sounds are epic.
The only things that I don't like so much are the timpani rolls right at the beginning, because the sound and reverb drowns the other instruments. And the glass harp (?) sound starting around 3:29 sounds pretty harsh to me.
Overall, a song that keeps me engaged and a good choice of samples; the instruments sound very convincing to me.

becsei_gyorgy - "Take the step"
This song reminds me of 80s Disco music. The bass and the drums are a little boring but are fitting the genre. I like the little fuzzy sound (starting around 1:05), it gives the song a more modern touch. Maybe the song could profit from a morphing bass sound.
I like call and response between voice and guitar at the beginning and between the trumpet and guitar in the solo.
For my taste, the voice of Kevin sounds too similar to the voice of Solaria if they sing in the same register; I prefer the parts where Kevin sings an octave under the female voice.
All in all, good work and a good production; it's just that the genre is not for me.

crispy - "Dancing in the Rain"
This song has a great swing energy. Some of the brass instruments and the bass sound a little artificial, but not bad in the context of the song.
After the beginning, the rain sample just sounds like white noise or vinyl crackling; I would fade it out earlier at the beginning. Maybe you could use some samples of water splashing or drops as fx or rythm elements.
I really like the organ solo.

EsteveCorbera - "El Canvi De Decada"
A very calming and relaxing song. I like how the instruments and echoes pan left and right. The arps give me impressions of raindrops falling. Some of the piano strokes sound a little cut-off. Also, the song is a little too long for my taste, it seems to lose its focus.
It would make a great soundtrack for time-lapse footage.

JeroenZuiderwijk - "Leap Into The Unknown"
This song reminds me a lot of "Meute", a Hamburg based marching band that mainly translates electronic music into brass band music.
I like how the bass synth sound gets wider after the intro and also how the bass sounds morphs.
At 1:15 there is a little part that stops the flow; It sounds more like a stumble than a leap. The part from 1:20 to 1:55 could be better if it either was shortened or if there was more of an increase in volume or intensity. The drop before 2:15 sounds great.
All in all a song that a great energy.

Mellow Browne - "I Promise"
A relaxed swinging song. The bass sounds a little dampened. Which preset of ModoBass did you use? Did you use a low pass filter?
The song itself gets a little repetitive, as yourself already mentioned. You could experiment with taking away some of the instruments and adding them one by one or variations of the e-piano motifs. I like the variations of the creative basslines and the drums.
I think its a good song just missing some vocals or an lead instrument.

shroom feverish - "Sapiens Dominabitur Astris"
This song reminds me a lot of the TV series "Space Night", a series I like a lot.
The filtered pad gets a little to repetitive; I think the song could profit from dialling it back earlier. Also, the sub bass sounds a little rumbeling, especially starting at 2:04. Maybe add an HPF at 30 Hz. A very good production otherwise.
I like the stereophonic landscape the song builds.

TrojakEW - "Femme Fatale"
This song reminds me of the music of "Gotan Project", which I like a lot.
I think orchestral staccato stabs work like tobasco sauce; they give spice to the song, but don't use them to much. Especially when the brass comes on top, it's a little much sometimes for my taste.
I really like the nylon guitar solo and the sultry vocals. Who are they from and what language are they in?
This music really paints a picture in my head. Good work!

Vote:
Purely subjective and in no way a reflection of songwriting or production quality:

► Show Spoiler

1. crispy - "Dancing in the Rain"
2. EsteveCorbera - "El Canvi De Decada"
3. APi_ZZ - "Take A Cinematic Leap"
4. TrojakEW - "Femme Fatale"
5. JeroenZuiderwijk - "Leap Into The Unknown"

And special thanks to Mr. Fox for giving so much detailed feedback in this thread. There is a lot I can learn from it.

[KukoBass]

I was wondering, does the AYAIC Mix Monolith help much in mixing? I've been lazy to try it myself so far , putting one instance on each track, adjusting, etc. Is it worth the effort?

If you know what you're doing in a mix, you don't need it.

For me, who has no mixing experience, it's a game changer, because it sets a good basic mix you can start from. In the December competition, for the first time since I participated, I got the comment "sounds professional" for mixing and/or production.

In this month, I had very little time to finish my WIP, let alone mix it, and the mix seems to work. The most criticized point so far was, that the strings are too much in the background, and that is due to me manually pushing them more in the background.