SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC078 February 2024 - Winners announced

[Mister Fox]

A friendly reminder:
We're in the final 24 hours to submit your feedback and cast your vote.


Please check post #026 regarding the feedback and voting mechanic. Giving feedback is mandatory (the only criteria to become disqualified). Please don't let yourself be put at a disadvantage by not participating (fully). The Songwriting Competition lives from the given feedback towards each other. Don't just "collect" and then move on - this is unfair to all other participants.

Outside feedback is welcome, of course.

[JeroenZuiderwijk]

made a mistake...there is no option to delete this post strangely. Next post is the right one.

[JeroenZuiderwijk]

Hi everybody.

First of all my compliments to all the great songwriters here. It is great to hear so many creative work every month again. I listen to your tracks and see what I can learn from it to integrate into my own writing. Your comments also alre very helpful for that. So no worries if it feels like critism, I take all of your feedback als a free lesson. Thanks for that!

I didn't have much time this week to write long reviews....I did however listened very carefully to all your work. My feedback is short but I hope to the point.

Every month I learn something. This month I have learned a lot from the songs of the other participants to try and make my work next month more challeging and with a better flow and structure. Also I think I should pay more attention to detail and the sounds I am currently using. Sometimes a song can be so much better if I use more professional sounds. I haven't got many samplebanks so I try to find a lot of my sounds on internet. Currently I am experimenting with Vital synthesizer and the free presets that are available on internet. That is already a big improvement. i see if I can use that in next month challenge.

Here is my feeback:

► Show Spoiler

Crispy
Very cool track with a nice groove. The upbeat drum is what makes it feel like a dance hit. The differents parts work fantastic and communicatie with each other….it is like a dance between instruments. Sounds great.

APi_ZZ
I really enjoyed listening to this track. It is telling a story, there is lots of variation and ant 1.19 minute the feel of the song changes…but in a good way. Like a new chapter starting. My compliments.

Esteve Corbera
Although it is a nice composition it didn’t hold my attention throughout the whole song. I think it is because it feels like background music. One feel with layers on top of it coming and going. Maybe a hook, some variation could help.

TrojakEW
Sounds a bit random to my ears. The atmosphere is nice. I personally would spotlight some of the parts a bit more. Nothing stands out. There is a lot going on but still feels empty.

Shroom Feverish
One of the best songs I think. The build up is great. Some parts reminds me of Faithless. I like how it just flows without getting boring. A nice blend between trance and synthwave, Very good!

Becsei gyory
The vocal is impressive. The beat is my opinion the weakest point of the song and lacks some energy and because of that the song in my opinion lacks some energy. Very basic sound and rythm. If you can be a bit more creative with that this song would really improve big time! The rest of the song…cheesy as it may be….fun to listen to.

KukoBass
The accoustic sounding drum is great. Gives a nice feel and groove to the song. Could benefit from a more random twist to keep it more interesting. The guitar is playing a tune that is not a good hook t oremember.

Mellow Browne
Nice happy tune. But to repetive throughout the song in my opinion. It feels like a good start for a song that is not finished yet. The sounds work good together, the mix is also good.

And my top 8

1 Shroom Feverish
2 APi_ZZ
3 Crispy
4 Becsei Gyory
5 Esteve Corbera
6 Mellow Browne
7 KukoBass
8 TrojakEW

[TrojakEW]

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 ...

No. The whole percussion track is unique for whole track. It is not repeating 4 bar pattern. But you may be right because there are only gentle changes overall because I was not sure if I may add more different breaks and changes in pattern in order not to break the rhythm. As I mention my goal was rumba dance track and I have no clue if it a must to keep the rhythm the same whole time. My fault. In regards of vocals there is hint but I'm sure then not everyone is familiar with all the libraries that exists. So for vocals I used Ethera Gold 2.5 as you can read in description of my track.

Sounds a bit random to my ears.

Can you please be more specific about that? In order to understand what do you mean and get some experiences from you feedback I would like to really know more details. For now it is really a general statement. So it is composition that feels random? Specific instrument passage feels random? Percussion pattern sounds random or anything else?

Some more info about voting and bit of additional feedback from me.
It is not that I have to explain my choice and process of my voting, but in order to start bit more discussion I will do that. I'm trying to avoid my personal taste of music style out of voting. Of course the result is always bit formed or biased but I always try to be as neutral as I can be. So what do I mean? If I have to rate tracks based on my personal taste then the order will be far more different then the one I posted. No I do not want to change the order/voting, just to explain my thoughts. I do prefer orchestral type of music with any blend or addition to it. So this include Epic kind of soundtrack style tracks. So I lean much more towards to tracks like the one from APi_ZZ. But even this style suits me it does not affect my voting. No to mention all the "issues" I posted in my feedback about this track. Next will be for sure in my list music with jazzy, blues style that is similar to what crispy made. Again even I do like and prefer those styles of music, I do not think I should move this track more to the top. Tracks are good but in order for me to score more points, it must be balanced in every part.

1. So it should definitely fit the theme, 2. it should have solid sounding mix, 3. good choice of instruments for chosen style, 4. should have interesting composition and keep listener engaged and for me it is also 5. creating something different and creative.

So in this round, if I have to choose my personal top one outside of voting it will be Mellow Browne - "I Promise". It is very unique music that feel fresh, lively and it is different that any of the tracks in this round .Yup still I put it on second place, but getting to top place it miss some lead instrument or vocal. So it is like I have to substract one point from the score and this is reason it is on 2nd place in voting. But as I said outside of voting, for me, it beats all the track we have here, even it is not music style I prefer and I do not even need this lead in order to like it. Again it is my personal taste and it doesn't mean the other tracks are bad. You all have done great work.

Also feedback do not need to be long but please be more specific and more detailed and do not use general phrases. Feedback is very, very important because in can help us understand other people's thought processes and this may improve our work. So thanks to all for your feedback.

[JeroenZuiderwijk]

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 ...

No. The whole percussion track is unique for whole track. It is not repeating 4 bar pattern. But you may be right because there are only gentle changes overall because I was not sure if I may add more different breaks and changes in pattern in order not to break the rhythm. As I mention my goal was rumba dance track and I have no clue if it a must to keep the rhythm the same whole time. My fault. In regards of vocals there is hint but I'm sure then not everyone is familiar with all the libraries that exists. So for vocals I used Ethera Gold 2.5 as you can read in description of my track.

Sounds a bit random to my ears.

Can you please be more specific about that? In order to understand what do you mean and get some experiences from you feedback I would like to really know more details. For now it is really a general statement. So it is composition that feels random? Specific instrument passage feels random? Percussion pattern sounds random or anything else?

My apologies! You are absolutely right, i should have been more specific. And the word 'random'. Might not cover what i actually wanted to say.

What i am missing is something that guides me through the song. A theme that stands out, a repeating hook etc. I need some more motion to keep me interested personally. I think i choose the word 'random' because i could not find a line in the song structure. Says nothing about the quality of your song, just how i personally perceive the music.


Also i have the feeling that there is just one chord without much progression. I am not saying it is like that but is how I experience the music.

I hope this helps a bit. I think the mix and sound quality is great and it is an intelligent track. But as a listener i am looking for more.


Cheers,

Jeroen

[Mister Fox]

It's the 02nd March 2024, 00:25 (UTC+1/CET) - the Voting Period has officially ended.

Sadly, not all participants have submitted final feedback, we would therefore have 1 disqualification.


I will send out another newsletter/message to those particular participants (@crispy), give you until the end of Saturday, 02-MAR-2024 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 don't just gather feedback, and don't give anything back. This is not what the Songwriting Competition is about. To those that kept their feedback brief, please consider at least adding just "a tad more".


Please have an eye on this thread

[Mister Fox]

It's the 03rd March 2024, 00:30 (UTC+1/CET) - the Voting Period extension has officially ended.

Unfortunately, not everyone has sent in feedback and cast a vote (still). We therefore have 1 disqualification.


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


Please have an eye on this thread

[Mister Fox]

Ladies and Gentlemen, here are the results of Songwriting Competition 078

The winners podium consists of:

1. @TrojakEW (38 pts)
2. @shroom feverish (33 pts)
3. @APi_ZZ (25 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 1 disqualification (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 ties on the chart happened due to various reasons
  • KukoBass has 1x4pts, 1x3pts, 1x2pts, 1x1pts, resulting in 10pts with the participation vote -- the participant has otherwise all bonus points (resulting in 22pts)
  • EsteveCorbera has 1x4pts, 0x3pts, 2x2pts, 2x1pts, resulting in 10pts with the participation vote -- the participant has otherwise all bonus points, but has lower participation scores from votes overall (resulting in 22pts)
• 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: 03-MAR-2024, 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 2021, 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 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). Breaking up a tie: There was no unbreakable tie that needed to be addressed. The ties were "sorted out" with the known fallback mechanics of the game. Lack of participation: Once more, we have a refusal of participation with the global feedback process. I say that on purpose, because I have reached out to this particular user multiple times (to no avail). While this is your prerogative to decide to not invest any more time, I consider it a bit unfair that you (the participant) get extensive feedback (in cases even, multiple pages), yet give nothing back in return. Giving feedback at the end of the submission round is mandatory, and it is an essential part of the concept for this game game. Being short on time can happen. However, this has happened multiple times in recent months. I am currently sketching out various ideas how to address similar things in the future and will let you all know in the announcements. An explanation on the bonus points and penalty points: I've withdrawn 1pt each from @crispy and @TrojakEW for not using the filename template (see post #001). Main topics: double underscore, and forum username association. (the file to download on SoundCloud can be different than the name of the SoundCloud link). I have addressed a -5pt penalty for @crispy due to the fact, that this was the only participant where feedback was missing, and it could have been posted during the "overtime period". However, since no further feedback arrived, that entry is official "OUT" (disqualified). I have addressed a -1pt penalty for @shroom feverish due to the fact, that the feedback did not have a "personal reflection"/personal experience (3-5 sentences). Overall, this has no influence on the final score sheet. You have all done an amazing job. I really enjoyed some of your interpretations of the given premise. Even the one withdrawn entry that barely any of you got a chance to listen to. I hope I will have more interesting games throughout 2024, and we can try to reach 20 entries per month (more feedback, more fun, bigger winners podium). So please, continue to spread the word about the Songwriting Competition. 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.

⚠	Moderation Message from Mister Fox
	As part of a new collaboration with Hornet Plugins, you are allowed to select either 2 plugins at a maximum value of 20 EUR MSRP for both, or one individual plugin of choice from the whole available plugin range (bundles are exempt). Due to time constraints, I could not make a bigger announcement about this yet. Apologies for the inconvenience.

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 079 (March 2024) is still in full swing.

There are currently no (number: 00) entries.

[APi_ZZ]

Uh, I made a grateful third place! THX to all contributing ...
If I understand correctly, I now might pick a prize; if I don't understand correctly, I apologise in advance ...

My pick of prize would be the Tone2 Saurus4 ...

[Mister Fox]

You are correct, but 1st and 2nd place can select something first. Apologies for the inconvenience.

But who knows, maybe they don't select Tone2