SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC086 October 2024 - Winners announced

[PonySho]

Here are the stems: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1BqjnP ... p=drive_fs If anybody else wants to give it a go, I'm more than happy to be shown up.
Thanks again!

Hi Ryan. I'll be working in my studio today, so will rework your mix and send you back the stems so you can see what I did...hopefully that would be helpful for you.

[KukoBass]

Hello everybody,

this is my abandoned WIP for this month:


The .wav is here:
Hope will grow

I got a new job, so I had little time to work on this. I really wanted to write some lyrics for this and sing, but I ran out of time. The e-piano in the B and C part is meant to be the melody of the voice.

Tools used:

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DAW: Ableton Live 12

Sample at the beginning and the end:
Crows at Dawn 1 by silentseason -- https://freesound.org/s/335870/ -- License: Creative Commons 0
Klevgrand Brusfri
Ableton Compressor
Ableton Utily for the blend in and fade out

Chords:
On the left: Melda Production Sound Factory "Power Strings"
On the right: W.A. Productions Babylon 2 "KY Alfred Plus"-preset

Melody and placeholder for the voice:
Applied Acoustic Systems Lounge Lizard EP4 "Growl 1"-preset

Viola (counter melody)
Native Instruments Session Strings Pro 2 "Violas - traditional"-preset

Drums:
IK Multimedia Modo Drum "Jazzy"-Preset and groves from "Try"

Shaker:
Puzzling Recon Shaker loop from Heavyocity Free Production Loops

Bass:
IK Multimedia Modo Bass 2 "Violin Bass"-preset

Reverb: IK Multimedia Sunset Studio Reverb "Live Room 3"-setting

Master Chain:
IK Multimedia TR5 Saturator
Hornet ThirtyOne MK2 Equalizer
brainworx bx_masterdeck True Peak to make the song louder and to make bass frequencies below 120 Hz mono
ADPTR Streamliner to make sure the loudness is below the target of -14 LUFS integrated -1 dB peak

Tools used for mixing:
AYAIC Mix Monolith
YouLean Loudness Meter 2 Free to check for loudness problems
Hornet VHS to calibrate the frequencies for my Beyerdynamic headphones for mixing

[ryanc]

Final Submission: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Bouys ... p=drive_fs

As per the generous suggestions I got from fellow musicians this mix has a few changes:
• I chose a less harsh-sounding snare sample. I still struggled to get it to sit well in the mix, but I think it sounds better
• Timing adjustments. Some of the instruments weren't synced well. Not perfect now, but better and hopefully less distracting
• EQ on the entire mix but especially on the guitars as there were some unpleasant resonances, again not perfect, but better.

Thanks again, friends, for your constructive criticism. I look forward to learning more from you!

[ryanc]

Here are the stems: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1BqjnP ... p=drive_fs If anybody else wants to give it a go, I'm more than happy to be shown up.
Thanks again!

Hi Ryan. I'll be working in my studio today, so will rework your mix and send you back the stems so you can see what I did...hopefully that would be helpful for you.

You're the man! I look forward to hearing it!

[ThomC]

Hey everyone!

Here's my entry! Sorry for the sub-par mix, I had about 30 minutes to mix it and less than a day to compose it, I'm new to this forum and I saw the songwriting challenge posts a bit late

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

Here are the lyrics of my track :

So many stories of the sky are written in the ground
Where the sunrays are always to be found
Some say its memories are flooded
The earth is such a vast page to fill in

We cannot forget, no we cannot forget
We cannot forget, no we canno tforget

If we took all the time we've left
Like a moment to harvest
To bale the straw and protect the nest
We'd feed the grown plants beating in our chest

Hope you'll like it!

Instruments Used

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Drums :
- EZ Drummer 3 (played on electronic drum kit)

Elec Guitar :
- Telecaster Deluxe going through my Audient ID44 with Amplitube 5
- Amp used : Tube Vintage Combo with a bit of spring reverb

Acoustic Guitar
- Seagull going through the ID44 with a DPA mic
- Amek / Neve Channel In A Box Preamp

Lead & Backing Vocals
- Slate Digital ML1

Brass
- Fracture Sound Brass Band Soloists
- Spitfire Audio Studio Brass Professional

Strings
- Spitfire Audio Studio Strings Professional

Lap Steel Guitar & Banjo
- Ink Audio Nashville Toolkit

Mandolin
- Spitfire Audio Hearth & Hollow

Bass
- Ik Multimedia Modo Bass

Shaker, Tambourine & Claps
- UJAM Groovemate ONE

Mixing Plugins Used

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- SSL Native Channel Strip 2 across all the channels
- SSL Native Buss Compressor 2 on the mix buss
- UAD GEM LA3A Compressor on Acoustic Guitar
- SSL 4KB Channel Strip on Vocals
- UAD Pultec EQ on the Mix Buss
- Native Instruments RC 48 reverb as a send
- Arturia Rev Plate as a send on the vocals
- Nomad Factory Echoes on the lead vocal

More information about the song

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Time signature : 4/4
BPM : 102 BPM

I started writing the song by playing the acoustic riff that can be heard at the start. I wanted to have a traditional folk vibe to the main guitar riff.
I quickly added the brass section and that brass band tone worked very well at representing the kind of warm tone that I had in mind for the song.

If found the chorus melody while orchestrating the brass. The length of the notes of the intro brass section and the length of the notes in the vocal melody aren't the same, but the idea of the melody is similar. I like the fact that the melody is repeated multiple times while having variations in harmony, rhythm and instrumentation throughout the song.

The lapsteel guitar and the electric guitar in the track give (maybe?) a more American / country feel to the song.

Funnily enough, the lyrics paint the picture of the fragility of this world through the sun rays and the wealth of the earth. I looked at the picture a couple of times when entering the challenge and didn't think about it anymore while composing, but I was surprise to see that the sun rays, the earth and the bales of straw are all represented on the picture and I didn't really think about those anymore while writing. So I feel like the imagery may have had an impact on my writing on a subconscious level.

This song is also about not taking things for granted, about not forgetting the importance of the elements around us, and about how nature makes us truly feel.

My takeaway from this challenge

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- Composing in a very short time is beneficial to start something and finish an idea as far as I'm concerned
- Having too little time on the other end, doesn't allow you to mix properly and fine tune the details
- It may be easier to feel a strong emotion when the feeling is new, when the song has been rehearsed multiple times, you have to re-act the process of feeling the song
- Brass instruments can easily clash in the midrange with vocals, I did what I could with the little time I had, but it's the kind of thing where a good arrangement is the best mixing tool
- Adding rhythm variations (even small ones here and there) can add excitment to a song

[Ike H-mope]

FINAL SUBMISSION (second try...)

Actually this song is very good. It's funny and simple, but musically it's not a joke at all. It's not easy to make simple songs with melody hooks that one can remember afterwards. This one really stuck to my brains. I have nothing to complain in melody lines etc. So, when it comes to songwriting, I think you have done excellent job.

But when it comes to arrangement, you could work more on that area, or take the role of conductor. I'm pretty sure each instrument part on its own is fine as it is. But now when they're playing all together, it sounds like the Harvest Festival has hit midnight, and they're playing against each other.

Even though you have to pay for the whole band, that doesn't mean they all have to play at the same time. I would try to use the mute button and create separate areas where each instrument has its own place of dominance. If a horn has something nice to say in the background, don't cover it with other instruments. That way there would be more sonical variations etc. As an inspiration to mute button's use, listen for example Edith Piaf or Mireille Mathieu singing Marseille in front of huge orchestra. With quick listening it feels as if in many places there's only one long note (not a chord) supporting the singer.

Thanks for the feedback. Appreciate the your words on the songwriting, and will consider your arrangement thoughts when (if?) I finish this.

FWIW, the interplay and overlap of strings, brass and vocal is intentional, though can always make it better. The orchestration is "classical", but I'm thinking more like jazz or western swing. The bass marking time, the rest of the strings comping like a guitar, and then the brass as ostinato and horn section.

[crispy]

Hello, all. Here is my submission: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Bouys ... p=drive_fs

It's called "Law of the Harvest"
I really enjoyed this theme - I wasn't sure if it would lead me anywhere but as I thought about this concept of "harvest" all kinds of ideas came to mind. I thought of the law of the harvest, that "you reap what you sow" but it occurred to me that that maxim doesn't address the fact that the harvest doesn't immediately follow the planting, and so may be misleading. In my experience, any meaningful endeavor - be it trying to get in shape, succeeding in business, harboring intimate relationships, etc - requires prolonged, consistent effort and the fruit doesn't usually come immediately, but on a delay - sometimes a very long delay. Not being aware of this fact can lead to discouragement and despair when we resolve to meet a goal and don't see immediate results. What's required is faith & trust that our current efforts will cause favorable outcomes in the future if we keep at it.

tools used:
DAW: Presonus Studio One
VST Instruments:
• MT Drummer
• Ample Bass P Lite
Mitchell Acoustic Guitar
Harley Benton Tele-Style Guitar
Blue Spark Condenser Microphone

I performed all the instruments and the vocals

Lyrics:
There was snow,
It was cold, cold
But we stooped down
And scattered sleeping green into the ground

Now it's been weeks
Still, all I see, see
Is barren ground
Instead of green, brown

Chorus:
And they say you reap what you sow
But no one ever warned me it would take so long to grow
And they say, "wait, it's just a matter of time." Ooh
"Have some faith, there's change in the air."
So I'll hose it down again and send up a prayer.

(Chorus)
Bridge:
"And have faith," they say
But can I get the fruit without the work and wait?
"Have faith," they say
Is that the price I have to pay?

It's still cold
But I see gold, gold
peek through the clouds
and, looking close, there's green emerging from the ground.

Very nice track!
And you have a good voice too!
If I have to give some critics the mix could be improved, imo it could be more energetic like I would saturate a bit the bass to make it more audible even on devices like phones, vocals are a bit too dry I would give them some reverb and overall I feel the mix could be a lot better with some tweaks on eq, comp and transient design... But overall I think you did a great job! Damn man I really would like to mix the song now!
Would you mind to?
Also would be great to hear your thoughts on my track too if you want

Thank you for your feedback! Very kind and gracious of you.
I really appreciate your feedback on the mix. Of my many weak points, mixing may be my weakest. If you would like to mix it, I would love to hear your take on it. I listened to your track and I think it sounds great! Reminds me of that classic disco song, "Let's Groove." I'll have more feedback to share during voting after I've had a little more time to give it a couple more good listens, but the mix sounds very clean and easy on the ear, so your vastly superior mixing skills show through.

Here are the stems: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1BqjnP ... p=drive_fs If anybody else wants to give it a go, I'm more than happy to be shown up.
Thanks again!

Oooh nice! Thank you for the kind words and the trust to put your baby in my hands, I will put all my love on it!

[PonySho]

Here are the stems: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1BqjnP ... p=drive_fs If anybody else wants to give it a go, I'm more than happy to be shown up.
Thanks again!

Hi Ryan.
I did a little work on your mix using your stems. I could get better results if I had all tracks rather than only stems.
I spent around 45 min's on it. It needs more in terms of EQing, adjusting compression settings and adding level automation.
Anyway, it's a start.
By the way, while working on this I really began to appreciate what a great piece of songwriting this is. If it was longer, with a radio format structure this song could be amazing! The chorus is really great.

See what you think...here's a link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HDjaNP ... sp=sharing

[R0boooo]

https://soundcloud.com/robert-story-jr/ ... al_sharing

Ok, Here is my submission,

Had a lot of fun composing this over the month, I took all the photos and placed them in Reaper as
a movie real and composed to it. That actually helped me keep the feel I felt and wanted.
Thanks for the opportunity to take the challenge.

Composed in Reaper
Piano - Kontakt VSTi PianoBook - Lobby Piano
low strings and Horns Roland Fantom XR Rack -
Bass - Roland Fantom XR Rack
Percs - Pieces from all kinds of VSTi - Kontakt - Precision Sounds Ethno Percussions
Drums - Kontakt Soniccoutur Moonkit
Whistler - me and Kontakt - Best Service Whistler
Choir voices - me and Kontakt - Pharlight

[PonySho]

https://soundcloud.com/robert-story-jr/ ... al_sharing

Ok, Here is my submission,

Had a lot of fun composing this over the month, I took all the photos and placed them in Reaper as
a movie real and composed to it. That actually helped me keep the feel I felt and wanted.
Thanks for the opportunity to take the challenge.

Composed in Reaper
Piano - Kontakt VSTi PianoBook - Lobby Piano
low strings and Horns Roland Fantom XR Rack -
Bass - Roland Fantom XR Rack
Percs - Pieces from all kinds of VSTi - Kontakt - Precision Sounds Ethno Percussions
Drums - Kontakt Soniccoutur Moonkit
Whistler - me and Kontakt - Best Service Whistler
Choir voices - me and Kontakt - Pharlight

What a super chilled track this is. Reminds me of the theme tune to Taxi.
Love the jazz progressions and chords.