SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC082 June 2024 - Winners announced

[Arelem]

This is my WIP for this month.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1g7QWMB ... drive_link

This month, I tried working with some sample loops. I found the experience quite limiting: I could not write a part B because the instrument samples had no part B. I could not change the dynamics, so I doubled the drum loops with Modo Drum and put a little variation of volume and timing in there (over 8 bars). I doubled the pads with a string pad and added a little volume automation.

Are there any more tips and tricks how to humanize sample loops?

The e-piano and the bass are not loops; they were played and recorded by me.

When I think of humanize I think of variations in velocity and timing. Only way I see to do that with loops would be to use some slight volume automation and maybe slicing up the loop and shifting the timing a bit. Doesn't need to be extreme with either, it's just those little variations that make it feel more natural.

[TrojakEW]

Are there any more tips and tricks how to humanize sample loops?

As Arelem mention slicing and automation works but you can also split the loop based on frequency for example to three bands applying just filter to selected range like one low passed for low freq then band pass for mid part and high pass to get high. Then you can slice and automate each of the three bands separately and them merge them back. You can create almost anything this way since you can also apply totally different effects to each band including reversing as addition to slicing and automation. It is quite easy to end with unrecognizable sound. there are already some multiband effects but there is no better way and freedom doing this manually.

[KukoBass]

When I think of humanize I think of variations in velocity and timing. Only way I see to do that with loops would be to use some slight volume automation and maybe slicing up the loop and shifting the timing a bit. Doesn't need to be extreme with either, it's just those little variations that make it feel more natural.

Thank you, I tried that now in Version 3.

[KukoBass]

As Arelem mention slicing and automation works but you can also split the loop based on frequency for example to three bands applying just filter to selected range like one low passed for low freq then band pass for mid part and high pass to get high. Then you can slice and automate each of the three bands separately and them merge them back. You can create almost anything this way since you can also apply totally different effects to each band including reversing as addition to slicing and automation. It is quite easy to end with unrecognizable sound. there are already some multiband effects but there is no better way and freedom doing this manually.

This sounds complicated but worthwhile. I'll try that in one of the upcoming competitions.

Thank you for the inspiration!

[EsteveCorbera]

Dear fellow challengers and Mister Fox,

First of all to apologize for not being able to deliver my project earlier and to have been able to study your subjects to give you ideas for improvement.

Well, now I present my new composition. It is a very simple theme (made that way expressly) with the use of very basic instruments (piano, electric piano, guitars, bass, drums and strings). Thinking about the theme proposed this month I felt like doing this, very simple, like a summer dream where there is nothing complicated. Holidays = easy stuff!

Well, I hope you can give me ideas to improve it or highlight what you would have done differently.


Thank you colleagues.

(translated with google)



Equipment:
DAW:
Reason 13.0d26

Reason Instruments:
NN-XT Advanced Sampler
Dr. Octo Rex Loop Player
Reason Electric Bass
ID8 Songwriter's Toolbox

Reason Effects:
RV7000 MkII Advanced Reverb
The Echo
Quartet Chorus Ensemble
Sweeper Modulation Effect

Reason Players:
Scales & Chords

Reason Rack Extension:
ProjectSAM Orchestral Sampler Filmscore Instrument
Kilohearts AB kHs Gain

Other instruments outside of Reason:
Soundpaint v3.0
Native Instruments Kontakt

Other effects outside of Reason:
BABY Audio I Heart NY

Samples:
99Sounds Water Sounds

Other tools:
iZotope Ozone 9
Plugin Alliance SPL HawkEye
HoRNet Plugins HoRNet VHS
HoRNet Plugins HoRNet SongKey MK4

[JeroenZuiderwijk]

Hi there,

This is my inspiration with the picture. The music represents a summer day where birds are chirping and a relaxing warm wind is blowing. Then, like so many summer days, there is a thunderstorm on its way.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ipaf7z5r ... gxcge&dl=0

When I write music, most of the time I build beats with drum and bass like feel and structure. It is something I really like. I am not a producer and writing music for this challenge is just a good excuse to keep writing music. I know it is not perfect and lots of things can be improved. But this is my moment of creativity I would like to share with you. I have got still time for the deadline of the challenge, so helpfull tips and ideas are welcome. I am also here to learn after all.

I wrote this track in Renoise. That is is my go-to DAW that translates my ideas and feelings lighting fast into music. I used Tripple Cheese synth. It is a free wonderfull synth I would recomment everybody to try. For the rest it is just samples I’ve gathered over the years. I don’t have too many samplepacks on my computer. It would distract me too much from making music. I just pick something that kinda feels what I had in my mind and work from there.

Cheers,
Jeroen

[Miha]

when I saw this picture, I first thought of peace and home... then I started whistling a melody and later put it in reaper, arranged it a bit, added accompaniment and a few other parts and realized that this was it, everything I added afterwards I thought it was too much. It is few and short, just like peace in this world

https://soundcloud.com/miha-benedi-i-72 ... al_sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nPXWMd ... sp=sharing

[JeroenZuiderwijk]

when I saw this picture, I first thought of peace and home... then I started whistling a melody and later put it in reaper, arranged it a bit, added accompaniment and a few other parts and realized that this was it, everything I added afterwards I thought it was too much. It is few and short, just like peace in this world

https://soundcloud.com/miha-benedi-i-72 ... al_sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nPXWMd ... sp=sharing

Sounds great, beautiful composition. Sometimes you don't need many different layers. The build up with the second string part at around 1.10 minutes is exactly the right moment for it. Nice. Mixwise maybe one suggestion and that is to lower the high frequencies a bit of the strings, they sound kinda harsh to my ears.

[JeroenZuiderwijk]

Dear fellow challengers and Mister Fox,

First of all to apologize for not being able to deliver my project earlier and to have been able to study your subjects to give you ideas for improvement.

Well, now I present my new composition. It is a very simple theme (made that way expressly) with the use of very basic instruments (piano, electric piano, guitars, bass, drums and strings). Thinking about the theme proposed this month I felt like doing this, very simple, like a summer dream where there is nothing complicated. Holidays = easy stuff!

Well, I hope you can give me ideas to improve it or highlight what you would have done differently.


Thank you colleagues.

(translated with google)

A happy tune. It has a good sunny vibe. What i noticed is that the drum is driving this song, i really like the drum part. For that reason i personally would allow the drum sound to shine a bit more...let some of the transients through with compression technique...or just a little extra volume and some high freq boost.

[APi_ZZ]

For this challenge I chose to go the cheapest way possible (OK, there may be even cheaper ones ...). I engaged UDIO.

► Show Spoiler

I engaged UDIO with this prompt: Happy summer pop tune, female vocalists, choir, jingly guitars, bouncing bass
UDIO (as usual) adds additional tags: Female vocalist, Pop, Dance-pop, Dance, Playful, Love, Summer, Happy, Choir

UDIO was instructed to do four iterations with just one alternative with the outro part. The two MP3 tracks had no significant guitar or bass (shit happens ...); they then got seperated into single tracks using Steinberg's SpectraLayers. The vocals contained an uptempo shriekie part, which I ommitted. So the final mix contains the quieter vocals and the accompanying piano parts. I added drums, percussions and some pads from my loops collection.

The mix stayed pretty simple: The vocals got beefed up with compression, mid range preferences and a little reverb. Oh, and some NuGen Audio Stereoizer. Nothing else.

The resulting cheesiness adds to some carefree summer feeling; at least that is my impression. No highlights of production wizardry, for sure.