SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC021 May 2019 - Winners announced

[donkey tugger]

Enjoyed listening to these this month- don't think there was a bad entry in there, which is always nice. Made marking a bit of a bugger though...

Giancarlo - Vocal production is probably a bit 'modern' for the theme (very tightly pitch corrected), but in all honesty, who gives a toss? Lovely song, complex in it's simplicity. Great stuff. - 10

TheNeverScene - Great intro! This one absolutely nails the sounds and style. I'd see it more as an 80's TV/film type of thing rather than a pop tune (can imagine Don Johnson with his jacket sleeves rolled up, chasing some ne'er do well...) but I'm not letting that affect my marking as despite having no vocal it retained my interest all the way though. Good job- 9

Erictracks - Long time no see! I hate FM electric pianos, but it fits the theme! Nice composition with the key changes, but I think it throws you a bit in terms of the vocals at times as as you seem a little hesitant at times, perhaps also led you to mix the vocals a bit low? Nitpicking mind, really nice song and great production overall. - 8

Leonard Bowman - An interesting one this. I don't think the production is as good as some of the other entries, and some of the chord changes seem a bit 'off' for wont of a better word...but...it has a great hook to it, which some of the others lack so I'm marking it highly as a flawed little gem! -7

VCA-089 - The intro reminds me of something- bugging me now..it'll come to me.... Great production and the sounds are all chosen well (obligatory huge digital sounding reverb- normally I'd be complaining - it's a plus point here!) Definitely missing a vocal though for me. - 6

Functionform - Got that OMD sound sorted there. I like the vocal production much more in the later section as the early one (and when it comes back in) has too much low end in the reverb, and probably needs a bit of predelay to let the vocal come through a bit more before the reverb kicks in. you have a nice voice - be more confident!- 5

Sima GT - Hehe, love the cheesy 80s guitar sounds - nailed it! Another great production and nice composition, but again I think let down by the lack of a vocal - it's crying out for it here especially for me - 4

Canese - I like the downtempto, dreamy feel of this , still has that 80s vibe despite the dreamy nature of it. Again, some vocals (whispered perhaps?) would have took it up a level. Ends a bit suddenly? -3

MarkS - When it started I thought it was going to go into 'A Forest' by The Cure! Probably owes more to early techno than pop, espexcially with the slightly discordant pad chrords. Nice and clear produxtion and quite engaging in its own way. Probably missing a bit of build and drop and some changes - 2

[TheNeverScene]

Very cool tracks this month. It has been a tough vote and I'm not 100% positive of how I placed things...there was a lot of shuffling around...even still while typing this.

Donkey Tugger--The Lady Vanishes
Great track from start to finish. Started off with an almost Lou Reed attitude about it and went into Peter Gabriel. I like the use of Sample/Hold in it's rare form, you don't hear that much anymore.Catchy chorus with a nice lift to it. Great job!

Giancarlo--Psycholove
Well done track with nice vocals that helped out a lot. Lyrics are a little cheesy, but hey, it's the eighties

MarkS--Happy Journey
Some decent sounds that fit the theme, but a little disjointed throughout.

VCA-089
Once it gets rolling, it drips with eighties goodness.Really like the lead at 1:49, and the regroup at 3:22. Track might be a little long with the intro, but no big deal.

EricTracks--Burning Down the Night
Nothing much to say but fantastic! It's like Thompson Twins or something, but that lead towards the end is straight Depeche Mode and I just can't get enough of it Great vocal lines and lyrics. Very well done!

SimaGT--Driveway
This is a cool track and the mix is very well suited to the era. The cheesy guitar is spot on lol. I think some more melodic content would have been a nice addition. If the track went through some modernization, it would be Carpenter Brut-ish. Good job!

Functionform--River
Loved it. Ping pong delay bouncing around, nice melody, minimal, peaceful and haunting at the same time.

Leonard Bowman--The Last Minute
Definitely DIY eighties, like the bands recording themselves to a 4-track cassette. Just cheesy enough to be cool and the lyrics are very catchy,as well as the main synth melody. Kudos!

Canese--Masterpopp
Very nice atmospheric sound and I love that guitar pluck stab that pokes it's way through the wall of pads at times. Great track overall, but is a bit on the modern side, at least for this, and I feel like some things are trampling each other in spots.

► Show Spoiler

EricTracks 10
DonkeyTugger 9
VCA-089 8
Functionform 7
Giancarlo 6
Leonard Bowman 5
SimaGT 4
Canese 3
MarkS 2

[Mister Fox]

It's the 02nd June 2019, 5:00am - the Voting Period has officially ended.

I'm still catching up from BTS work (behind the scenes work) from the last couple of days, so the results (and my feedback/votes) might be pushed back to early next week. Please have an eye on this thread.

[functionform]

Ah for some reason I thought I had until the 6th. Sorry about that.

[functionform]

My apologies, I thought we had until the 6th to rate. I humbly submit my late ratings, but I understand if I am disqualified.

donkey tugger
Be honest, you're a retired peter gabriel just playing with us.
Great production, I love the presence of the drums that aren't overwhelming.
If only there was a high female vocal behind you in the chorus, this track is ready for radio!
Great job!

VCA-089
Great guitar against the washes/strings backdrop. Like a missing track from
Never Ending Story soundtrack. The mood carries well, but maybe is a tiny bit repetitive.

giancarlo psycholove
It's got a nice mood, I like the rhythm section which has a
nice blend of guitars, synth and bass. The mix is missing a little something -
maybe reverb sprinkled? or a little more compression? I feel like it could use a tiny bit
more umph whatever it is. Still nice job!

Never Scene
Great intro, the track is pure 80s gettin' shit done soundtrack.
I love the marimbas and the end, you got the period down perfect.

Eric Tracks
I love the envelopes you went with. waow on the plucks and on the bass really evoke the period for me.
I also like how you say "disorder". I like the breakdown in the middle of song - reset the rhythm expectations.
My only comment is to center a little more. Everything is so nice and wide, but I feel like you could have
put another item in the center behind the voice. Nice job!

SimagGT
Strong sound design referencing the period. I like triads you chose, I feel like it kind of nails
the AOR style of some 80s tracks. You need a little something more to mix it up a bit, but you got the mood down.

Nicolas Canese
Nice opening swell. The modulation in the lead is really expressive. I feel like a little more direction in
some of the chord changes would have really brought this piece to a higher place, but I really also like where it is now.

Leonard Bowman
I really like the vocals. The layout of the piece reminds me of Berlin's Metro in a good way.
You got the minimalist angle of those early 80s track well.

Mark S
I like the opening pluck sounds. The organ sounds are a little forward for me.
I think what's needed here is additional harmonic development to make these sounds
come to life a little more.

► Show Spoiler

10 Never Scene
9 donkey tugger
8 Eric Tracks
7 VCA-089
6 Leonard Bowman
5 giancarlo psycholove
4 SimagGT
3 Nicolas Canese
2 Mark S

[Mister Fox]

Hi everyone,

a short update:
I've listened to every entry. Several times even (all entries are good), and you really didn't make it easy for me this month. It pains me to see that functionform is sadly disqualified (due to lack of feedback prior to the deadline). But we have rules, and constant reminders were sent out. I sadly can't put a blind eye this time around (also in fairness to all other participants).


I'll post the feedback/results either later tonight still (Wednesday), or sometime during Thursday.
Apologies for the waiting time.

[functionform]

No worries, thanks all for your critiques!

[Mister Fox]

Hello everyone,

as announced - my feedback on all 10 productions. Let me point out that all of you created some outstanding material to listen to. And it's been really, really hard for me to create a suitable ranking. This is why this took me a while - also... behind the scenes work, plus insane heat in the studio.

But no more distractions - let's get started:



donkey tugger - Lady Vanishes

You said you really dislike long reverbs, but this is what I find the most fascinating in your productions. The song is IMO very well produced. But three main things stand out the most: 1) the kick is too boomy for that time-frame, 2) I'd have used a different reverb on the snare (and gated!), 3) vocals feel a bit out of place with your reverb use, although the added effects like delay and spacey reverb were outstanding.

Other than that, this fit the premise really well. I also like the attention to detail here (80s drums, fairly clean bass, lots of harmonies). Although I'd definitely put the arragement more towards end of 80s, if not even early 90s. But this is always a matter of preference.



GIANCARLO - Psycholove

Right off the bat, instant 80s "Italian Synthpop" feel - premise met. Roland Juno, Yamaha DX7, Korg like synth with "The Bloo" (Full Bucket synths are outstanding), Roto Toms, oldschool Yamaha drums (I also like the off-beat rhythm in the background), slightly overdriven e-guitars. Pure pop cheese. I like it. I also like the balance in the mix (music). Would have maybe done something different with the vocals (reverb wise), but that's just me.



MarkS - Happy Journey

Now this is definitely darker Synth-Pop - borderline scraping at EBM. I really like that basically everything came out of old Siegfried Kullmann's "SQ8L" (Ensoniq SQ-80), and it makes me sad that this VSTi was never continued. The production is a bit monotone though, I wish it had vocals and a bit more melody. Not necessarily chart radio material, but definitely creative and something that would have been cut to vinyl back in the days, or played as part of an action movie soundtrack.

Big faux pas however is the bad cut off in the end. The song basically has no ending, or it was supposed to "loop", but it doesn't properly loop.

I really, really admire your continued efforts, and I feel so bad for you to constantly see low scores. Maybe you should try taking a closer look at another host (like Reaper or Cubase AI, Studio One, etc). Magix Music Maker can only get you so far after all. I am really looking forward to what you pull off in SWC022.



VCA-089 - Winds of Spring

I'm reading a lot of outstanding synths in that list. U-HE Repro (Sequential Prophet), Full Bucket synths (String Synth, Korg), Oberheim OBX (the open source project), Roland Juno's plus a whole lot of long forgotten VST effects from Variety of Sound. This production lacks vocals (as you lamented yourself), but it didn't need vocals to bring "that 80s feeling" across.

Although, it was a bit overprocessed and very lowend heavy (TR-707/TR-808). The (fake) guitars (right speaker) could have also been a bit louder, but the overall production hits the premise fairly well, although the 4-to-the-floor beat patterns feels a bit too modern in places. If you'd ever so often switch to Kicks to the 1st and 3rd downbeat, while the snare is only on the back beat (2 and 4) - totally different feeling. Really like the breakdown section. Bonus fun fact - your WAV file got song markers rendered in (Intro, Verse, Chorus, etc). Wavelab actually read that out quite nicely.



erictracks - Burning Down the Night

The first chords already told me "hey, this is early 80s", and the follow up didn't leave you hanging either. Oberheim DBX Drum machine, lots of Oberheim and Roland Synths. And the vocals... buried (maybe a bit too much for my taste), reverbed, delayed... I really like them. Although the chorus voices drown out a bit. Pity that I barely hear any guitar stuff. But okay, you wrote you "muted the solo" - don't know if that nests you an award though, heh. The overall mix also feels a bit "dull" (feels like a blanket on the upper mids), but nothing that can't be fixed during mastering.

If I wouldn't know better, I would have thought "wait - this was released during the 80s", but no - it's from May 2019. Premise met, outstanding work!



SimaGT - Driveway

Your first entry, and it doesn't disappoint. You definitely hit the 80s mark. Very interesting instrumental, and I love the guitar arrangement. Although what kills this for me a bit, is that it's samples. Not that this is bad (the 80s also used a lot of fake guitars back in the days) - but there is some imperfection missing, the chords sound too cut off and sterile (no vibrato), the solo doesn't have any... I don't know... "human effect" (including legato notes). This pulls you out of the immersion a bit - but I understand the limitations if you can't play guitar yourself.

I would have also used more reverb on the snare while removing reverb from the kick(!, or is that a slight chorus?!) and guitars, not to mention make the latter more "bright" to let them cut through the arrangement (they're very muffled). Along with the heavy kick drum, this leaves a hole in the middle of your production (IMO). Great entry - you should really revisit it.



functionform - River

This definitely has some David Bowie vibe. Reading the equipment list also puts a smile on my face. Linndrum (VDRUM), U-HE DIVA, Sequential Prophet (U-HE Repro), Fairlight CMI II (CMI V). The intro arpeggio is maybe a bit loud and "too clean", the hats are also a bit loud. But both are a matter of taste. Definitely enjoyed the vocals. They're not super clean (doubled even, unless that's all delay work), although very mid-heavy (especially on small speakers). As with erictracks production, vocals could be raised a little bit. Though the overall concept definitely fits the premise.

I agree with you that modern synths are way too wide, so narrowing the stereo field was a great attention to detail. The intro arp is still super spread out though. Nothing that can't be fixed during "mastering" however. And the production is a bit "hot" (loudness).



Leonard Bowman - The Last Minute

Looks like there is a lot of love for the Full Bucket Music synths (no wonder, they sound great), and also WaveAlchemy's free samples. Interesting production. Although the vocals have an interesting melody line, the dissonance to the rest of the production really pulls you out of the immersion. We could consider this as "punk", and it's not like the 80s wasn't full of off-key singing to great songs. I'd have used a different reverb for the vocals though. The delay also feels a bit too clean. Plus I'd have thinned out your vocals a bit and pulled down the low mids (around 470Hz). I also see what you did there with the lyrics.

Two other things that stand out: 1) the beginning of the song is like "bam, I'm here" - you don't even have a couple of ms of silence in front. This could have a negative side effect during encoding (intro cut off/weird fade in). 2) While the vocals are almost too bright (exciters for the win), the overall production feels like as if there is a blanked over it, and bit reduced. Try it for yourself. You've used Thrillseeker XTC on your vocals. Run the plugin on your summing bus, turn off the mojo and all bands but the Air one, set it to 5kHZ and pull up the gain to about 5-6. Then A/B to your hearts content.

Cool idea, might definitely be worth a revisit.



The Neverscene - Leg Warmers

Interesting intro with the radio sweep. Although the bass was way too much here (try it, cut it up to 120Hz even in this section). It feels more like a VHS tape than "radio". But cool transition to the actual production. Happy to once more read Linndrum, Roland Juno, DX7, Oberheim OB-X Synth 1, and actually... K6B's drum sample library (definitely an insiders' tip).

The song would definitely fit into an "action movie/show" soundtrack category as well (I can easily imagine something with Kurt Russel playing in it) - feels monotone, but there are so many little details going on in the background. You could listen to this on loop and still find something new (like in my case - the guitars, which are really subtle - almost like a synth addition). Your mix is a bit bass heavy though. But nothing that a quick 6dB/Oct LPF can't fix at about 40-60Hz.

Definitely good work. Would have been interesting to hear vocals on top of that



canese - Mister Popp

This is definitely the most modern production of all the entries. Pity that it's so over-processed (distorted) though. I even tried to "de-clip" it while taking a listen and cutting away the massive low-end below 35Hz (12dB/Oct). Definitely more enjoyable this way - but due to the over-emphasis on saturation tools, the production sadly suffered. Doesn't mean that the arrangement is bad - it has a strong 80s feel (I like that chord progression), but it's not "80s". It's more like EDM blended nicely with "Retrowave" (think Taylor Swift's album 1989).

You should revisit it, get rid of the over-processing, pull down the loudness a bit in the process. Then the listening experience should already be way better. If you want to change the overall tone and go more 80s, then maybe add some cliche Roto toms, change the kick and snare a bit (kick less distortion, snare more gated reverb), maybe add an e-guitar. You've been so close IMO. This production is very enjoyable - and impressive work for a 1-day composition - but sadly misses the premise by a couple of inches.




Summary:

You folks did outstanding work this month. As mentioned a couple of times, I think this is really the closest to the premise that we've ever gotten. Every entry was good and had it's own flair. Which makes this really, really hard to me to find a suitable top 10.

Some things that stood out in all productions though:

• too much lowend on big speakers and certain headphones (remember, the early 80s didn't have widespread digital recording technology yet, so audio engineers went the save route for Vinyl and Tape)
• super wide stereo field (mostly an issue from the used synths)
• sometimes really loud (loudness)

Nothing that can't be fixed though with a suitable Low Shelf or Low Cut/High Pass Filter, neither with an M/S tool to narrow the stereo field. Should we really want to check off all marks on the clipboard. If you want to go more in-depth on signal strength statistics, here is a PDF with results for all entries.

Pity that we only had 10 entries - I would have loved to hear some more "blast to the past" material. But it's a good start.



Here are my Top 10, remember - my vote count double

► Show Spoiler

01 - functionform (20pt)
02 - erictracks (18pt)
03 - GIANCARLO (16pt)
04 - TheNeverScene (14pt)
05 - SimaGT (12pt)
06 - VCA-089 (10pt)
07 - donkey tugger (8pt)
08 - canese (6pt)
09 - MarkS (4pt)
10 - Leonard Bowman (2pt)

The entries by TheNeverScene, SimaGT and VCA-089 are equally great IMO - it felt really unfair to create a top 10 in this case. DT and canese have been pushed back a bit, because the production felt a bit too modern.

[Mister Fox]

Ladies and Gentlemen, here are the results of Songwriting Competition 21

The winners podium consists of:

1. erictracks (84 pts)
2. donkey tugger (77 pts)
3. TheNeverScene (72 pts)

Apologies for the late response, this is not an automated process.

<4 participant rule is not in use (staff comments and votes)
Add-On Rule: Due to the "month exclusive sponsorship" (and their value), staff feedback and votes present, results will count double
We have 1 disqualification (no feedback/vote given)
We have 0 users that tied
"Sole (License) Winner" rule does not apply - 3-position Winners Podium

IMPORTANT: We sadly had one disqualification due to a misunderstanding of the deadlines. Just out of curiosity, I added the missing vote to the final score sheet regardless, only to see that this sadly had no real effect on the winners podium or the top 10 ranking regardless.



Here are the results as chart in image form:


If you're curious about the result chart with the missing vote (submitted on 5th June), you can do so here:

► Show Spoiler

Thank you so much for your participation.



License selection:

We'll now perform with the usual. Selecting licenses is handled in public. Please select one license/company out of the pool (in order of the winners podium) and mention it in this thread, then (important) please get in touch with me (via PM) with your full name, email address and your license selection.

As usual - you're not forced to pick up anything. You can pass and therefore offer more to select for the next person in line (if there is a spot existing / not available for "sole winner" mechanic). Just let all participants/winners/the staff know in a timely manner.



Feedback about the "Songwriting Competition" is welcome (please do so here).

See you in in the next challenge!

[Leonard Bowman]

Thank you @Mister Fox (and everyone else, too) for that feedback! I'm always trying to improve my writing and production, and looking through the suggestions you gave for each track opened my eyes to some things.

Congratulations to the winners, and everyone who entered. This was a fun round, both for making music and listening to the entries. I hope to hear y'all again soon.