Unfortunately, due to unforeseen health reasons,
@Koekepan couldn't participate in the feedback / voting period of SWC081. So I am stepping up the plate to provide some additional commentary and cast a vote in order to "balance out" the game a little bit.
I will comment in order of the submissions:
@Arelem
Our most active participant during May, providing us with some very interesting movements in the created sounds. Personally, I find the kick and snare a bit too heavy handed, but this is modern electronic for you. I am also aware of your struggle with loudness limits - however... it's really not that hard to just have a gain knob before hitting your mastering limiter and quick checking with something like Youlean Loudness Meter.
I am more interested in the generated effect modules however. I barely have any knowledge on FL Studio's "Patcher" and certain new modules (especially the "Formula Controllers"). Pity that Image Line didn't keep this thing available for everyone. From looking at the screenshots, you basically created a custom transition effect from scratch? If that is the case - I hope this opened a new and interesting sound design door for you. Maybe this will even help in future songwriting games.
@EsteveCorbera
A very soothing and ambient focused production. Not as much "dynamic movements" going on - but definitely also less jumpy than some of your previous entries. I would have actually turned up the kick, and also the percussion loop from 2:20min and forward. The beat section feels a bit subdued otherwise.
I would have loved to see what you did with Voltage Modular or Disthro Cardinal, but yes... these tools can be quite CPU intensive. By definition, Reason Studio is already a modular DAW. I assume your custom patching was basically to create some more movement in the FX usage rather than having more straight-forward send effects. Sometimes the small things can still add a lot to a production - but it doesn't feel "as bold" as I hoped.
@Koekepan
Our "all hardware" production this month, and yes... quite experimental, which was to be expected this month. It is also our longest entry, yet far from being boring or repetitive for most of the song (the last 2 minutes could have been a bit truncated however). I really like how things evolve.
I think the weakest component here, is the mix of certain instruments. For example - some synth blips and boops are a bit too loud (wildly even). Which can be both a desired side-effect of modular patching, but can also be a curse to keep things in check. In turn, the pads feel "barely there", same with the clap. Maybe there is still a chance to revisit that. IIRC from private conversations, the TASCAM is a digital mixer - and depending on recallability, who knows where things can still go. The headphone mix is different of course. Here you can hear more intricate details.
It saddens me however, that there are no photos of your setup (a requirement this month). I would have really loved to see patch cables and closeups and all the good things for this song. Especially for those that might not know the hardware you've been using. Thank you for adding additional explanation however, to read what you tried to achieve.
@Doc Jon
Yeah, you definitely channeled some "Kraftwerk" there, only to drift into cheezy pop ever so often. I like it! This is also among the most clean / balanced mix with this month's challenge. And you folks really like to use Synthesizer V, it seems. I don't have much feedback to give here - although maybe the female vocals are just a tad too loud (and by that, I mean just 1dB - it's a "very first impression" thing), and your vocoded vocals feel a bit low (again - about 1dB range).
Other than that... while I hoped you would go a step further in terms of "creating your own effects" or synths, you did go out of your way, used a modular synth/FX module (although with presets), and tried something new with it. This was the main goal of this month's game. Who knows which route you might go in the future. I am a bit surprised with the ASIO load however. Then again, Cubase does do mysterious things - and modular synths can be quite CPU taxing still.
@VCA-089
Our resident pusher of boundaries when it comes to sound design. Glad to read that this was right up your alley. This one does definitely get the 1980s Sci-Fi feeling across. However, as with a lot of your more experimental entries, you're also really heavy on reverb usage - and mostly "metallic" one as well (then again - I'm a fan of more "warm" ones, where the mids are not as emphasized). Great and experimental piece - I really enjoyed the journey.
Unfortunately, as with
@Koekepan's entry, I miss screenshots of your setups. You definitely seemed to have pushed many boundaries, and I would have loved to see (for example) your drone setup, or your noise clouds. If one has experimented a bit with modular tools like "Voltage Modular" or similar, you might have a vague idea what is going on. But I would have still enjoyed to see more - for the educational aspect of the community. And, it was also a requirement this month. Oh well...
All in all, you folks did great.
I am now also tasked with the monthly difficult decision to find ones "top spots". To me, you are all winners. Pushing personal limits, looking at tools differently rather than just "load, use preset, blend in". All at varying degrees of experimentation. I hope this gave you new perspectives, and might even add something special to your future productions.
► Show Spoiler
01) Arelem
02) Koekepan
03) VCA-089
04) EsteveCorbera
05) Doc Jon
The only disqualification criteria is by "not participating" with feedback at the end of the game.
