SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC085 September 2024 - Winners announced

[Mister Fox]

Hello and welcome to the Songwriting Competition 085 - September 2024



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, "Premise" and Rules Summary for this months challenge can always be found in in post #002

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 #042 -- Voting: Summarized entries and start of voting process
Post #070 -- Results: Results of the Songwriting Competition

[Mister Fox]

CURRENT CHALLENGE - GENERAL INFORMATION

Time Frame: Sunday, 01st September 2024 to Tuesday, 24th September 2024 (24 days)

Challenge submission will end on 24-SEP-2024, 23:59 UTC+2/CEST (Germany) - until further notice.

The current game deadlines can be found on the Global Countdown page and on the landing site. Short reminders will also be sent out via the newsletter, social media and Discord. Does the game time frame feel too long? Why not set yourself a personal shorter one of 5-7 days. Push yourself to focus on the essentials, then use the rest of the time to ask for feedback and possible refinements.



SONGWRITING THEME: "Silent Screams" (Mental Health Awareness Month)
GENRE: free to select



Image Source: iStock.com, photo by Khosrork


A few word about this month's theme:

"The mind is a fickle thing.

On some days, you're enthusiastic, full of energy, productive. On other days, you barely have any energy, rather want to lie in bed all day, do nothing. On yet another day, everything is aggravating, you just want to get stuff done. However, you finish one thing on one end of your task list, and 10 more things popped up in the process. And at the end of the day, you do wonder where all that time went. You have to go grocery shopping, but the outside world is so tiring that you come home mentally drained. You want to do your hobbies, and then live rolls you over.

You just want to scream, but on the outside you are numb. You have to function, with a slight smile on your face - as it is expected from you.

And yet... you can not. You scream internally. Quietly, and yet deafening."
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This month is not as "refined" as usual. I can merely provide you with a broad theme. Maybe you want to tell us a story, maybe you want to process something that has been chipping at you for months now. Maybe you just want to "create" something in the first place. The rest is up to you.

The genre doesn't matter.

It can be anything. A piano tune, it can be an ambient soundtrack, it can be an electronic track, it can be EBM with distorted vocals, it can be a hard rock production, it can be chaotic Drum and Bass, it can be a pop ballad, it can be a Hip Hop tune.

Just... make music. Tell us a story, if you want to. One about yourself, about somebody you know, or maybe nothing at all (just whatever comes to mind). Process your emotions, channel it into art, and let it speak for itself. No matter if vocalized, or just instrumental.




The month (September) is about spreading awareness of Mental Health on the Mix Challenge audio community.

Not only on our audio community - I do want to spread awareness in general, even some positivity in the process. We do need to get rid of the stigma that you shouldn't speak up and ask for help. That you should rather "man up", stick to yourself, pretend that everything is all right, even if it isn't. This is considered "a weakness" in our society - and we need to stop treating it as such.

A lot of people simply cope with art. May it be artwork of any kind, writing poems, humor, or in our case... creating music. Everything of that, is telling a bigger tale. And this is exactly what I'd like to evoke (again) this month: reach out, tell a story.

Feel free to share the word via social media with the following hashtags, to get more people involved:
#MentalHealth #MusicTherapy #HealThroughMusic and #ItsOkayToNotBeOkay




Important Footnote:

If you know of somebody that is suffering from depression, showing signs of self harm or having suicidal thoughts - don't look away, do not lock this person out. Reach out, offer help - and may it only be an ear that listens to a story. If you know of somebody that is suffering anxiety or is showing signs of severe introversion, don't pressure this person, give him/her space, be mindful and understanding.

Never ever treat this person with disrespect or shrug away a subliminal cry for help. It is hard to judge how a person's mind work. Please be patient, be kind, just... be there.

If in doubt, contact local aid agencies that are specialized in this field.

Songwriting Rule Summary:

► Show Spoiler

Summary:

• 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:

• <no (additional) add-on rules specified>

Filename Template: SWC085__ArtistName__TrackName.wav or .mp3

• example: SWC085__MisterFox__ColorOfTheSky.wav
• example: SWC085__Mister_Fox__Color_of_the_sky.wav

Please also try to provide only one file format (ideally the highest quality possible).


For a full set of rules, please consult the Official Rules and Guidelines (see Rule Book post #6). If you got any questions regarding the game mechanics or similar, please either utilize the global 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. However, I can always recommend to enter random genre search words either on YouTube, Spotify or other music streaming services you prefer using.
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If you're new to songwriting, or you are in need for new helper tools, instruments, samples or presets -- please check out the following:

Songwriting Competition - Addendum: Tools to help with songwriting (outsourced megathread - started 01-JUL-2024)


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UPDATED: 31-AUG-2024 22:35 UTC+2, updated 00-SEP-2024 00:00 UTC+2

[burakxmusic]

Hello. This song is actually an experimental and artist reverb attempt. Here I tried to make a female vocal mix with her head raised to the sky and singing behind the orchestra.
This song is the song of a woman who finds a solution to her psychological problems by dancing in the spirit of the night and is alone with her problems.
I created a positive phase with reverse phases and swapped the phases. You can think of this track as a nostalgic trip hop. I think I added a different atmosphere to the song with the saturations.
Due to the shortness of the song, I thought it appropriate to structure it this way and leave some parts to the listener's imagination.
This song was mixed to give you the feeling that you can feel free and that an endless universe has been created. I tried to achieve this by using reverb.

The song was produced with Logic.
I used waves reverb, elephant Ds offset, phaz position, fab filter plugins. Again, I used the saturations found in waves. I used ursa boost plugin in kick and it made a difference.

Thank you.
lyrics, music and mix mastering Burakxmusic
female vocal: Aslı Cagan

Echoes of the night - lyrics

In the night ,we lose our way
Fall the stars, they guide the way
Feel the rhythm let it sway
In the silence heart will say

Lost in the deap where shadows play
Dancin' through the dark till' break of day
Echoes of the night they softly call
In this deep house, we lose it all

(×2)

In the silence heart will say



This is My Songwriting Competition
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1E84PHz ... sp=sharing

[TrojakEW]

As I stated in previous round I wanted again do something simple. Now this time it is not one chord track (actually it is 13). So it is not same simplicity like in previous round. This is about less used instruments and simple composition. There are 3 main instruments, solo legato voice as lead with male choir and low sustain strings for chord progression. The rest of sound are used to create melodic texture background to add bit more ambience to the track.

My approach for this month theme silent scream is lament, used as metaphor for scream. Cry is like scream that is often ignored. It represent the pain and sadness that associated with different illnesses including mental health issues. Lament is silent scream.

Instruments used:

► Show Spoiler

Made using FL Studio 20.6
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Kontakt Instruments used:
1x Ethera Gold Sahara Voices - True Legato Uh
1x Metropolis Ark 2 - Basso Profondo Choir Sustain
1x 8Dio Adagio Basses
3x Elements Kepler - Violin, Choir, Solo Vox

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Used Effects:
1x Fruity Balance
1x Pro Audio DSP DSM v3
1x Guitar Rig 6
5x Fruity Parametric EQ 1
1x Fruity Peak Controller
5x zOne.sk Arx One
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Statistics (Izotope RX 10):
Max momentary loudness -11.6 LUFS
Max short-tem loudness -12.8 LUFS
Integrated loudness -15.5 LUFS
Loudness range 6.9 LU
True peak L -2.84dB
True peak R -2.87dB

[Elcubano]

Hello,
I'm at the beginning of the process, I'm sharing an extract, it would be to get some ideas on how to improve the mixing.
This month I'm doing a metal-style instrumental.

In the mix at the moment I've got a clean guitar, a doubled left-right ryhtmic guitar, a lead guitar, a bass guitar and addictive drums 2 on drums.

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

[TrojakEW]

I'm at the beginning of the process, I'm sharing an extract, it would be to get some ideas on how to improve the mixing.

This is actually quite nice draft for sure. Nice idea and quite nice sounding.

Only thing for me to balance lead solo guitar, rhythm guitar and clean guitar. While in the beginning the levels sounds good, later when rhythm guitar is introduced it is unbalanced. Clean guitar interfere with lead too much and rhythm guitar is too much dominant. I would definitely put lead upfront move clean guitar more to back. I would also reduce volume of rhythm to match the drums levels.

[PonySho]

As I stated in previous round I wanted again do something simple. Now this time it is not one chord track (actually it is 13). So it is not same simplicity like in previous round. This is about less used instruments ...

Hi TrojakEW. I like your track. It's quite thought-provoking. Kinda gives me the vibe like I'm in a quiet space thinking about my life. Thanks for sharing.

[Elcubano]

Only thing for me to balance lead solo guitar, rhythm guitar and clean guitar. While in the beginning the levels sounds good, later when rhythm guitar is introduced it is unbalanced. Clean guitar interfere with lead too much and rhythm guitar is too much dominant. I would definitely put lead upfront move clean guitar more to back. I would also reduce volume of rhythm to match the drums levels.

Great! thanks for the feedback, I'll try to improve the balance.
It's hard to be objective, the ear gets used to the problem very quickly. It's good to have an outside opinion.

[PonySho]

Hello,
I'm at the beginning of the process, I'm sharing an extract, it would be to get some ideas...

Hi Elcubano. This track starts off beautifully. I like how the intensity builds but I think the drums need to kick arse when they come in to give the track more energy. I suggest you turn up the kick and snare, and add a longer reverb on the snare to make the snare tone fuller and longer. It's a common and useful technique to lengthen the snare tone for slower tempo songs. For me, the guitars are all balanced pretty well. Would love to hear the rest of the track once you're done. Great start!