SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC090 February 2025 - Winners announced

[Elcubano]

hello @Mister Fox
Regarding 'ADMIN INFO: entry can't be downloaded,' sorry, it has been corrected.

[Mister Fox]

Adjusted the post above, and got the file. Thanks for the update.

[ThomC]

Hey everyone!

Here's my feedback and vote for this competition :

Feedback

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Arelem - Oblivion : Solid riffs and edgy sound! It kind of reminds me of a combination of Marylin Manson (in the lead vocal with that semi-sung and screamed texture) and Sepultura. The whole tone of the composition really fits the idea of an uncertain, dystopian future. Great composition overall and artistic vision. Well done!

Hincore - Goosebumps : I really like the long sustained distorted guitar textures. The track has a psychedelic and Trip Hop feel to it in the vibe, the rhythm and the reverberated sound. I like the way the bass in combination with the guitars adds that funky vibe. I really like how you programmed the drums, they have a natural feel to them. Same with the horns, they're very tricky instruments to program and you did really well! Nice orchestration! In terms of improvements, I think that some elements could be a little bit tighter in the performance, but it's a songwriting competition and not a recording challenge.

Estevecorbera - Futuritzacio : Well, to start off, I was on the fence about buying 8Dio's choirs, but you sold them to me haha! Great use of these in this composition. I like how the composition goes from post-apocalyptic textures to a contemplative and melodic theme. I really like the textures at the start, I think they have enough complexity to make me imagine a futuristic and uncertain world. One of the areas of improvement would be the drums, I feel like they could be a bit more varied in terms of tone and blend a little bit better with the rest of the track. Some of your elements lean towards a more 80s sound, and others towards a more modern cinematic approach. It's not bad in itself, just a question of fine tuning for maximum impact . Great composition nonetheless!

JeroenZuiderwijk : I love that you recorded your guitars with a BR recorder, I have a smaller one of those (the Micro BR) I don't use it as much as I should but still love it haha. I really like the fact that in the choruses your track has a Queens of The Stone Age feel to it! There's a dark-vintage rock to the whole track, it's actually quite cinematic. I'd say that production-wise, I feel like the drums could have more depth in the velocities used and more grit to match the texture of your guitars. They're a bit too straight and to-the-grid. But that's kind of a detail to be honest. The lyrics are simple and straight to the point. Re-listening to your track, it really has that Foo Fighters - One by One album feel as well, very dark and I have a particular affection for that tone haha!

Toadhjo - Analog Sun, Binary Dream : Nice Lo-Fi track! I love that you stuck to using two chords up until that descending chord line at the end. I really like the tempo slow down to finish the track as well. Great use and combination of instruments. One of the things that I liked most is actually your bass lines, they work really well at giving a pulse to the whole track. There's a nice blend of detuned sounds as well, it kind of reminds me how differently tuned instruments sometimes adds depth to a production. Nice job!

simiansoundlab - Mindless Void : This is really cool! There are a few very interesting inspirations there. I love the whole coherence of the sounds you used, there's a great vision for the track's textures. I really was wondering where the track was gonna go after the intro, you went from a glitchy, edgy intro to a Trip-Hop cinematic track in the likes of Craig Armstrong, to a Spaghetti Western chorus that's kind of reminiscent to 28 days later... Great depth and compositional ideas in this one. I especially love how the track moves from the intro to that lo-fi / Trip Hop piano feel. The ticking clock effect works really well as well. One of my favourites!

VCA-089 - Hope Remains : Your track has an 80s vintage horror-movie feel to it. The fact that it's absolutely drenched in reverb is pretty cool, I found it especially interesting when the drums came in, there's a progressive aspect to it that I felt went in the right direction. Nice ambient atmosphere. I'd say that mix-wise, some of the synths could be a tiny bit less resonant in the high end, but that's a detail. Other than that, to me, the real identity of the track is in the reverbs you used, that washy vibe definitely adds to the eerieness of the track. Well done!

Elcubano - Threshold of Collapse : Solid guitar intro, I like the depth of your instruments considering how low-tuned they are. Fantastic work on the stereo field in the distorted guitars when they go left to right at some point. Great thinking behind your riffs! It's funny how I noticed at the end that your track is somewhat loosely inspired by Chopin's Funeral March, which kind of is a statement to how effective this chord combination is .
Great composition all in all, definitely one of my favourites too!

J.Ruegg - Desolation : Funny you used Bioscape, I used it too in mine haha! And when I heard the voice samples in your track I thought "why didn't I think of using NI's Mysteria in mine?", I then checked your post and noticed that's what you actually used, looks like I spend to much time with sample libraries haha! Anyway, the whole vibe of your track is great, I didn't expect to hear a Drum & Bass pattern. What really adds the character is your basslines, there's a nice combination of centered and stereo elements working together. Very well executed!

Vote

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1. Elcubano
2. simiansoundlab
3. Arelem
4. EsteveCorbera
5. JeroenZuiderwijk

Self Reflection

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I really enjoyed this one, the idea of an uncertain future and anything that's got a post-apocalyptic inspiration behind is likely to get my interest and make me want to create. To go further with my track, I think I might want to add some lyrics and vocals to it, even though sometimes it can get in the way of the ideas that were primarily used in the composition. I naturally went with a longer format, I liked longer, progressive, tracks at times and this is one of those. I felt like the movements and themes I had in mind couldn't just stop around the 2-3min mark. I didn't really make it a goal to write a longer track but the ideas kept flowing so I went with it.

[hincore]

Hello everyone, here is my review for this month’s challenge.


FEEDBACK

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This time, my feedback will focus more on the perceptible technical aspects, because after listening to this month’s songs, I honestly didn’t find what I was expecting. And I apologize if this is misunderstood—I’m not saying they are bad, nor do I want to offend anyone. All of them sound excellent and are great work. However, I don’t feel a clear structure or harmony in many of them, which is fundamental for a song to be considered as such. As sound design, a musical idea, or a soundtrack, they are fantastic since they achieve their purpose and create an atmosphere that can easily be associated with the image.


Toadhjo: This song makes me feel like I’m in a video game or on a quest in a retro RPG, and I loved it. The piano chords and arpeggios are amazing, and I really liked the sound you gave them. The overall vibe is well-executed—it’s not overwhelming, and that 8-bit wind-like effect moving from side to side is hypnotic. In general, I really liked your song, and in its own way, it conveys the essence of an uncertain future.

Elcubano: The sounds are impeccable, and everything feels very well-integrated in the mix. The drums sound great and very natural, just like the bass, which is always present. I would have loved to hear a melody or a more interesting dynamic, and maybe even a voice (why not?). With these sounds and the mix you’ve achieved, it would be an absolute hit.

JeroenZuiderwijk: Definitely one of my favorites. There are two negative aspects I can mention:
1.The guitars are always in the foreground, even when the vocals come in, competing for prominence. Consider applying sidechain compression to the guitar bus or using dynamic EQ to reduce frequencies that clash with the voice.
2.I couldn’t really connect the song with the challenge’s theme, and I spent the entire time trying to find that connection without success.Other than that, I could say a thousand positive things about your song. Great job!

Arelem: I liked your song overall. The mix sounds pretty good, although there are some frequencies that become irritating. At first, you may not notice them, but by the end of the song, they become more apparent. Try experimenting with some elements in the 500Hz–650Hz range to see if you can improve it.

ThomC: Overall, the instrumentation sounds good and achieves the intended goal. However, the drums feel disconnected from the song, as if they don’t belong. Try playing around with compression on the mix bus and drum bus to fix this issue. The rest of the mix sounds good soft and balanced.

VOTING

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1. JeroenZuiderwijk
2. Elcubano
3. Arelem
4.Toadhjo
5.VCA-089

SELF REFLECTION

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As a personal reflection I can only say that I have loved participating and listening to your works, each one shows an important part of who we are and what we have in our minds when creating. I am not a composer or a musician, but I have a great passion and love for creating music and living that process from beginning to end and finally making some art through expression. Again, all the works have impressed me since I see it from the point of view I mentioned before and they show a part of you. Congratulations to all of you since we managed to complete the task and participate. I hope to be able to participate in future challenges or listen to the progress of your works.

[JeroenZuiderwijk]

Many very good songs this month. So it was difficult to pick a top 5. But the good thing is that it was a joy to listen to all your songs. I had great fun writing a song for this month SWC.

Thanks to mr Fox again for organizing the competition! I realy appreciate it.

Cheers,

Jeroen

My experience:

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This month I wrote music from the heart and back to my roots, with just a guitar and a recorder to start with. I think writing music on the computer can be fun and I enjoy experimenting with weird electro musictracks. But writing a song is just, for me personally, so much more easy on guitar. Something I am planning to do more often with coming SWC's.

Feedback:

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Aralem:
that is one pro quality song. The drum is grooving, the drumbreak are sounding great. The composition has got lots of layers. I think the heavy distortion on the vocal is masking some of the other instrumentparts...that is too bad because there is interesting stuff and hidden melodies in the seemingly (or actual?) chaos going on. The piano / synth part would sound better if it had more room in the mix to name something. But overall a very cool song and composition.


Hincore:
Dark atmosphere,the guitar works great in this track.The bassguitar gives an extra vibe that I like. The shift in atmosphere when the cleanguitar comes in is unexpected but it gives a progression to the song and tells a story. I am missing some cohesion in the buildup,I do like all the elements, it feels like it is there are multiple songs glued together (atmosphere wise…..). But if you listen to the song a couple of times it starts to make more sense. With most strong musical pieces, you need to give them time to grow. So I like this song very much, it is creative and it is telling a story. It is also fun to listen to more then just one time.


EsteveCorbera:
The intro buildup is very cool. I must confess that, after the intro buildup I was expecting a high energy song with aggressive beats etc..turns out to be something totaly different. But still very cool. The choir effect sounds a bit spooky and adds to the atmosphere of the song I guess (if that is what you where aiming for). You did a great job blending all the sounds together. The extra sound effects makes it all sound extra professional. The synth sound (at the end of the song) gives me a feeling that something is missing. That you could have explored the possibilities of that sound in the song a bit more. An unexpected element with a twist in the energy of the song. Because although there s a lot going on, there is also not much variation in the feeling of the song. That could be a good thing but for me personaly it makes this composition a bit less interesting to listen to.


Toadhjo:
At first this sounded to me more like a sounddesign work of art and less like a song. Probably because the sounds and notes felt a bit random to me. Could be jazz. But then I listened to it a couple of more times and things somehow started to get more interesting. The atmosphere is very relaxing. It does could use some extra variaton in my opinion. At the end of the song I was like..."is that all?", I was hoping for a twist in the arrangement or anything. I feel like this is the start of something beautifull but hasn't reached its full potential yet.


SimianSoundlab:
An out of tune piano is always a bold move...it can work or it can ruin your song. I think this time it worked fortunately and I like it! At around 1.20 minutes the guitar comes in. I think that is a great element to lift the song and a good choice. I do feel I am missing something there. I was expecting more bombastic drums I guess (or actualy exploding drumsound) with tons of reverb ;-) Like a climax of the song....just an idea. I think the basics are there (sounds, composition), personaly I feel there is room for some extra elements to give it a bit more depth.


VCA089:
I like the deep bass of some of the synth sounds. It gives the sound some body and fullness.It is an interesting combination of instruments but somehow seems to work together. There is a tension buildup and after the rister at 0.40 minutes I actualy expected some extra layer, a boost in energy. the build up is slow and at 2.45 minutes I was happy that you decided to through in a drumpart. Sounds great. This is some intens stuff to listen to. For a sci-fi soundtrack this could be a great song by the way.


Elcubano:
Imediately this sounds interesting. The rythmguitar with the distorted guitar in the intro grabs my attention. This is a joy to listen to, the different layers and energetic drums are very cool sounding. I like it that you decided not to overdrive all the guitars...there is room for the arrangement to breath. One of my favorites this month.


J. Ruegg:
This one sounds great. The atmosphere, the buildup,the beat....very very good. Sounds like a professional track. Very smooth, also the mix. There is lots of energy. The drop comes in at the right moment for another buildup, keeps things interesting and no problem listening to it for 4.31 minutes. I like the bass that it goes all over the place but not in a bad way. I do think the bass is a bit overprominent in the mix, just a detail. Well done!


ThomC:
A beautiful piano part in the intro, the thunder in the background fits the sound very good. This is a very special song, almost forgetting I am listening to a track for a songwriting competition. So relaxing to listen to, the composition is very good, the parts flow from one to another and the sounds are all well chosen. With the explanation in my head about the scenery, this is extra intens to listen to. There is a story in the music and it sounds epic and great! After 7 minutes I didn't want it to stop.....just amazing. My favorite this month!

Voting top 5 (was not easy, so many great songs again)

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1. ThomC
2. J.Ruegg
3. L.Cubano
4. Aralem
5. Hincore

[toadhjo]

I just noticed my track wasn't enabled for downloading. I changed the settings and it should be available now.

Sorry about that. It's been a few years since I've used Soundcloud.

I'm downloading everyone's tracks now. Looking forward to them

[Mister Fox]

I just updated the song collection post - now all tracks can be downloaded in WAV form. Thank you, @toadhjo.

[toadhjo]

What a strong selection of entries! Lots of different genres too. Choosing a top 5 was tough and mostly came down to my personal genre preferences.

Feedback

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Arelem: I'm torn about this one. It's a really cool composition but the fizzy distortion in the mids and highs makes my ears feel uncomfortable. You nailed the performances and drum programming though -- cheers!

Elcubano: Great slow buildup. I like how you explore the same riffs and leads multiple times in different contexts. Sounds more like "certain destruction" than "uncertain future" to me, especially at the end there when the guitars are chugging full blast, but that's a valid interpretation of the prompt.

EsteveCorbera: A slow droning buildup and then those choral voices at the minute mark. Perfect introduction. I think the second half could use a bit more oomph -- maybe another percussive element to drive it forward a bit? -- but I do really like your use of dissonant chords in the final minute. The reappearance of that thick digital stab is a great way to close it out.

Hincore: What a wild ride! I love the intro and the general vibe. I thought you were about to lose me around the one minute mark, but then you started adding in funky guitar riffs and synths/horns that really captured my interest. Compositionally, excellent. In my opinion the mix is holding it back a bit -- it could use more bass punch. You might consider opening up a visual EQ and comparing your track to some reference tracks -- I'd suggest Rage Against the Machine's self-titled album. RATM is probably more aggressive than you're going for but the mix on that album is a good reference in terms of kick and bass tone.

JeroenZuiderwijk: Great work! It reminds me of Queens of the Stone Age -- your falsetto even sounds a bit like Josh Homme! Cool guitar riff, solid verse/chorus structure, and the lyrics are fitting too. Great balance on the instruments too -- the vocals are a bit buried but I think it suits the vibe. Technically speaking, I think MT Powerdrumkit is the only thing holding it back -- it's just a bit too robotic for this style. Excellent track overall.

SimiamSoundlab: Hot damn! I got chills listening to that part from 0:29 to 0:58. This one reminds me of the music from The Nonary Games (Zero Escape) series of video games. I really like the piano melody. The second part doesn't resonate with me as strongly but it's solid nonetheless. In terms of the mix, I think the bass has too much energy. Maybe turn it down and find more ways to fill out the midrange of the sound?

ThomC: This is a lovely composition, taking the listener on an epic journey. It definitely fits the short description you wrote and it feels like the most complete piece among all the entries here. Great mix, too -- clear, balanced, and good use of the available dynamic range. I guess my issue with it is that it feels a bit too safe? It's 7 minutes long and sounds wonderful but there isn't any one particular element that really grabs my ear.

VCA-089: Immaculate sound design! I'm feeling the cyberpunk vibe and I love those CZ brass sounds. I like that you were able to create big, boomy bass without turning the entire soundstage into mud. Personally, I'd probably turn down the highs (10khz and up) a bit, but that's not a deal breaker. You have some cool little melodies in there too, that I found myself appreciating more on repeat listens.

J.Ruegg: Cool sounds! While listening to the intro I wasn't expecting drums but their gradually entry felt perfect. The whole track has a lot of energy -- I do wish there was a bit more melodic development but that's my personal taste. As for the mix, perhaps roll off the highs a bit? Also, there's some energy below 20hz that's inaudible but probably eating into your headroom.

Voting

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1. Hincore
2. SimiamSoundlab
3. EsteveCorbera
4. JeroenZuiderwijk
5. VCA-089

Self-Reflection

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I had fun participating and listening to everyone's tracks. I tend to operate in my own bubble a lot of the time and sometimes I don't get much feedback, so it's nice to hear what others have to say about my work. My goal is to create a new track every week this year, so if some of them sound more like fragments rather than full pieces, that's probably why. (Also, I'm heavily influenced by video game music, which by its very nature tends to be fairly short and loopable.) This month's theme was in alignment with my personal goals, and March's rule seems like a good fit as well, so with any luck you'll be seeing me more regularly around these parts.

Have a lovely March and keep writing, everyone!

[Arelem]

Self Reflection:
This month, it was nice to get back into the contest. I’ve still been making little bits and pieces of music but this helped motivate me to dedicate the time to finishing a track. I am in a temporary position and don’t have access to all of my usual equipment so I tried to fudge the vocals a little bit. I really learned the lesson that good vocals start at the singer. I know I am not great, and better equipment does help me a bit, but at the end of the day, I made the best I could with what I’ve got. I was really happy with the drums in my track though. It takes a lot of extra time but putting little touches on midi-drums really does help them feel more real. Anyway, it was a lot of fun.

Feedback:

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hincore – Your track creates a really enjoyable atmosphere and the drums have a nice groove to them. The sections with the horns feel a little more fleshed out than the other parts of the song. At a couple of points throughout the song, it feels like there is a lead element missing from the track and it is more like a band practice where the singer is missing or something. Overall, a solid track, it just needs a little something extra to stand on its own in my opinion.

EsteveCorbera – I really like the bass synth and the overall progression of the track. I feel like the low end gets a bit busy as the track goes on. Maybe there were some other elements that occupying that space that could be low-cut. Some of the sound choices were a little corny in my opinion and that took away from the feel of the track. At times, I did get this sort of weighty-ness to the track, but I would be pulled away from that with an overly buzzy synth that didn’t fit with everything else.

JeroenZuiderwijk – Really fun groove here. The mixing feels like it could use some work to me. The vocals are especially buried in the mix to my ear. You mentioned in your post that the bass was prominent in the mix, was it playing pretty high up the scale? I was hoping for some more low end as the whole track feels tilted high to me. I just want to point out that I am being a bit critical as I did really enjoy the track and those are just the little things that I would have done differently.

toadhjo – Your entry has a hopeful interpretation of the prompt to me. I really like the jazzy bass parts in the track, its got a nice little groove to it. The song is pretty minimal so there isn’t a lot to judge. What is there sounds good but it just doesn’t quite hold my attention. The metronome-like percussion gets a little tiresome over the course of the track; maybe some variation here, or some parts without it would help that.

simiansoundlab – Nothing to critique here really for me. It is a little “background music”, but that isn’t a bad thing necessarily. The ambience and scale of the track make it feel like this big action movie/video game and the lull sections help emphasize the bigger parts of the track. Nicely done.

VCA-089 – The first thing I noticed is the nice full low end. The use of panning to create space works really well. The plucky synth coming in really took the mood down for me. It’s a little cheesy in this otherwise grand production. The same can be said for the organ-synth to a lesser extent. Otherwise, a really solid track. The progression of the track fit the theme well in my opinion but lacked a focus-point for me. It felt a little messy, but I guess that works with the theme too.

Elcubano – Good melodies, good playing, good mixing, good midi drums(which can be quite hard). Overall a very solid track, nice job.

J.Ruegg – Fun track overall. The main synth/bass could have used a little more low end at a lot of points IMO. I think you were in a higher register of the synth and layering it with a pure sub would have given it more presence on the lows. The high-pitched squeaky in the intro and middle was hitting some frequencies that really were not fun to listen to. Other than that though, a pretty fun track, well done.

ThomC – Wow, there’s a lot going on here. A lot of changes throughout the track, some of which were a little abrupt. Some sweeps or downlifters could maybe help ease some of that in places. The mixing sounds appropriate to me. The drums that come in first, almost don’t belong IMO as they don’t quite match the vibe of the song at that point. The second time is a little more fitting but that choice of snare is maybe a little off to me. The ambient sounds support the track and theme well. It definitely felt like you were trying to score a scene (or several scenes) from a movie or video game. A nice track overall with just a few little hiccups, good job.

Voting:

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1st – Elcubano
2nd – simiansoundlab
3rd – JeroenZuiderwijk
4th – J.Ruegg
5th - ThomC

[Mister Fox]

A friendly reminder:
We're in the final 24 hours to submit your feedback and cast your vote.

As of this moment, 5 participants are missing. Please get that sorted out today.


Please check post #029 regarding the feedback and voting mechanic. Giving feedback is mandatory (the only criteria to become disqualified). Please don't let yourself be put at a disadvantage by not participating (fully). The Songwriting Competition lives from the given feedback towards each other. Don't just "collect" and then move on - this is unfair to all other participants.

Outside feedback is welcome, of course.