SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC089 January 2025 - Submissions until 24-JAN-2025 23:59 UTC+1/CET

[hincore]

hi I used Live 12 as my main DAW, which sound do you mean? I used Mostly native plugins + waves suite

[JeroenZuiderwijk]

hi I used Live 12 as my main DAW, which sound do you mean? I used Mostly native plugins + waves suite

What I mean is that I am personaly struggling to get good sounds out of the samples that are provided. Mostly because of unexperience with manipulating wavefiles in wavetable synths etc. The sounds you hear in my song still sound pretty much artificial and not very professional. I know it is possible to make any sound you want with just one sample....but how to get there is something else. So that is why I was curious.

[Mister Fox]

As promised, I wanted to give some feedback to the entries, since this has not happened a lot so far. My focus will be on technical aspect of things, where to maybe take a closer look at a mix. Arrangement is always in the eye of beholder. And as with every game where the genre is "free to select", it isn't easy to really compare songs to each other (different concepts, different mixes, etc).


However, first and foremost - one final reminder for everyone:

• Make sure that your file is accessible throughout the whole run of the game. (this is especially directed at @i-dont-like-mixing, other users can still not access your entry)
• Make sure you use one of the provided filename templates from post #002 for the file download. SoundCloud entries can be named different for their player compared to the actual file download. Compared to the Mix(ing) Challenge, this is not a disqualification criteria. However, this will result in a loss of bonus points.
• Document your edit -- don't just post your edit and then move on. Our community lives from learning from each other. In case of the Songwriting Competition, at least mention which tools you used for sound design (just mentioning synths and samplers would suffice, although if you want to showcase one specific sound you enjoyed sculpting, please go in more detail). And in case of SWC089 - ideally mention which samples you've used.
• To those that posted multiple times: please make it easier for me to collect your entries at the end of the game. Either update your initial post with the final version and all documentation and label that particular link as "final version", or make clear which entry is the final one. Thank you.

Now that this is out of the way - some feedback. I will comment in the order as the entries were submitted.

I was listening on Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro (250Ohm version), frequency corrected. And also some spot checks on 2" active "PC speakers". I was listening to all playbacks in Wavelab 10 (since I can use a headphone correction plugin in there, in my case: Hornet VHS), and I also ran the material through Youlean Loudness Meter 2 Pro v2.4.3 with the ITU-R BS.1770-x preset.



@i-dont-like-mixing

This is a very abstract production indeed. In fact, it's not your typical 4/4 production beat, but has some interesting repeats in places, while some felt out of place ones in other places. It's very repetitive, and I wish there was more than just a low rumbling bass, a kick, and the soft finger cymbals (which are fairly lo-fi). Mix wise, you clearly hear a lot of lowend on studio headphones, which results in (sadly) a lot of muddy soundscapes with small speakers. I miss a balance in the upper midrange and high frequency. Maybe because of how simplified (ambient) this arrangement is.

I really wish you would have been more active on the community and continued working on it. I also miss documentation on what tools you used - half of the production doesn't sound like simple sample playback, but spectral synthesis. Just... more info, please! And... keep your files accessible for longer than 4-5 days!

Loudness Readouts: -18,1 LUFS ILk, -4,0 dBTP (WAV 44/24) -- at a little bit more than 2min runtime, there is room for more



@reaby

I am looking specifically at v5 of your song. Your provided video was very informative and hopefully also inspirational to other participants. I am amazed what you made out of the pure C64 sounds alone, and all of that with iZotope Iris2 (may it rest in piece)? I should try keeping this synth alive on my HDD for as long as possible. This has a nice "Amiga" Soundtrack / 1990s Synth Pop feeling. However, mix wise... it feels a bit "boxed in", as in.. as if there is a blanket over the song, most notably in the upper mid ranges.

Take a look for example at ranges 2,35kHz, 5,64kHz and the "fairy dust" range at 16,5kHz. You can definitely add some healthy +2dB boosts here to make the song a bit more "bright" and lively. You could also try a Tilt EQ (for example the one in SlickEQ GE) at the crossover point 650Hz and then boost the high-end by +1,8dB to hear what is going on, and where you could still tinker a bit further. Another thing I'd do, is give the snare a bit more EQ boost (to let it stand out more), and since the overall song is already very 1990s, I'd also give it a touch of gated reverb.

Listening to small speakers makes this even more apparent (here, the kick vanishes a bit, the bass is almost non-existent, the snare cuts through nicely but still feels a bit dry) - so maybe take another look during the last days of this game.

Loudness Readouts: -11,4 LUFS ILk, -0,5 dBTP (WAV 48/24) -- this would result in a loss of 4pts bonus on the final score sheet



@Marius L

There are a lot of hidden details in this production, especially on the percussive work and the very subtle soundscapes in the higher frequency range. It's interesting to hear what you made out of the scraping noises and the creaking door (you turned them into trumpet like drones). Very interesting. Although I can't figure out what you made out of the Kurzweil Piano (I might hear a "faint" melody at the 0:40min mark?).

I would have placed the shaker/hat type instrument (right side of the stereo spectrum) a bit more centered, or maybe moving ever so slightly off-center with an auto-panner. The Crash cymbal does have a bit too much flanging going on, and the transitions could be better. But this is a matter of preference. Parallel to the "hand-pan" type sound, there is a synth melody, that is barely noticeable however. At least not on headphones. On small speakers, sadly the kick vanishes way too much, and the hat on the right feels way too loud. You should maybe take another look in this case.

Loudness Readouts: -14,6 LUFS ILk, -0,4 dBTP (MP3 44/16) -- this would result in a loss of 2pts bonus on the final score sheet. Please check your limiter settings and keep in mind that MP3 encoding alters your signal peaks.



@EsteveCorbera

It is very interesting what you made out of the Kurzweil Piano - which doesn't sound like a Piano at all anymore - unless you're only using the piano very subtle in the background. Other than that, there are a lot of flanged sounds, making this track a bit more otherworldly for sure, but not what one would expect. This is a matter of taste. As with most of your productions, you definitely need to work on the signal balance.

For example, the kick feels right loudness wise, but the single hit snares vanish in the production (the more rattling snare sound is okay). The Crash cymbals on the other end, are a tad too loud. Even on headphones, the bass vanishes a bit (funny enough, on small speakers, I do hear the melody lines) - maybe add some compression and saturation to it, to let it "stick out" more? The kick, although it has a lot of lowend, could maybe still get just a touch more <120Hz (maybe +1dB), just to make it a bit more fitting to the overall concept of your song.

What I get from your creation, is that it should be a dreamy, warm and embracing experience. You're on good track, it just needs fine tuning. And then please listen on small speakers as well, to hear which sounds stick out a bit too much (like the bells, or the glitchy transition FX), then find-tune that some more.

Loudness Readouts: -14,1 LUFS ILk, -1,1 dBTP (WAV 44/16)



@JeroenZuiderwijk

This one does indeed feel the most WIP from all the current entries, and I see where you struggle. You got a lot of interesting ideas going on with the pads and synths (although the main synth feels a bit too reverb heavy and "bright").

I think the part that throws you off, is the beat section. For example, I would stick to one kick drum, maybe two. And not have it a "Psytrance" style distorted kick, but one that is punchy, but lowend heavy. The kick should also side-chain the bass, or the bass. Or have second bass (triangle, short attack) that plays 8th notes (still side-chained) as additional. The beat section should definitely be louder (the production is overall fairly quiet), maybe try to work with group compression or even use the old "console overdrive" trick (that was commonplace in the 1990s) to get more out of limited sounds (e.g. 808 and 909 drum machines). You could also try using the white noise sample, and create some transitions. Some of the sounds created with Virtual ANS for example could work well for that. Time stretch, reverb, bounce in place, reverse, etc.

There are good ideas here - something that feels very late 1980s/early 1990s techno inspired. Please keep at it. Maybe take a dive on Youtube to get some more inspiration?

Loudness Readouts: -26,3 LUFS ILk, -10,8 dBTP (WAV 44/24)



@hincore

Wow! First impression - I love what you did with the Bass (both in terms of sound and how it is played - including slides!), and how you sliced up the drums to create a 1970s type groove. Although the kick might be a bit too strong, and the snare a touch too tame - but this is also a matter of taste. Maybe try adding a bit more 2,3kHz for the snare, for that "extended" smack. Center Brass (around 2:30min mark)... maybe have a bit more reverb or even just more noticeable delay, and more upper mids to stick out in the very dense wall of sound.

The thing that kind of confuses me... where does the guitar come from? And if it's your own recorded one... you are aware that this is technically allowed - but the focus is still sound design, not just "record through an amp"? (see post #002 again).

In fact... listening to this whole production, I have a feeling the focus here was not just "take community provided samples only, make something new out of that" (like... where does the tambourine come from? A "Güiro" can be somewhat faked with one of the zipper sounds, etc).

Please tell me you understood the concept of this month's game? This is also where the documentation is important, not just mentioning "I used Live 12 as my main DAW, mostly native plugins and Waves Suite".

Let's assume that you did stick to the given parameters of this month's game (which is one of the most high tier sound design I've heard with the "Community Scramble" so far)... I think your focus is mostly on instrument balance. Loudness, and more documentation, please.

Loudness Readouts: -11,0 LUFS ILk, -1,0 dBTP (WAV 44/24) - this would result in a loss of 2pts bonus on the final score sheet.




I think this about covers it. I apologize in advance, that I might not be able to give more feedback than this.


Including today, there are still 4 days left.
So far we have 06 entries (with one currently not being accessible).

Looking forward to more by the time the deadline has been reached. We need 9 active(!) entries/participants for a standard sized podium, and more than 15 for an extended one.

[EsteveCorbera]

Thanks for the comments.
I made 4 changes following Mister Fox's guidelines.
I updated the original post