SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC032 April 2020 - Winners announced

[Mister Fox]

Hello and welcome to the Songwriting Competition 32 - April 2020


This is the introduction post, where we directly link to the challenge corresponding files (theme, submission information, sponsors) and start of the voting process. There will be no Round 2.

We have another change this month. The Rules and Guidelines saw a slight update regarding maximum signal levels for your entries and submissions though Soundcloud. Please get yourself acquainted with the changes. Additionally, as with the Mix(ing) Challenge - to avoid confusion regarding submission deadlines, we're switching from the 12-hour clock system (a.m./p.m.) to the 24-hour clock system, and adapt UTC+2/CEST instead of GMT+2/CEST (Germany is currently observing Daylight Saving Time).

Read more about this month's competition further down below.



Please take note of the following

• Please consult the official "Rules and Guidelines" for the Songwriting Competition regarding principles of the game and upload/submission guidelines (Updated - 30-MAR-2020)
• If you only post a SoundCloud link, please name the file properly before uploading and make your song downloadable
• IMPORTANT: please use the following naming convention for your productions (artist name = forum username):
  • SWC000_ArtistName_TrackName.wav and/or .mp3
• IMPORTANT: if you only submit your production through Soundcloud, name your files properly prior to uploading and make the production downloadable. The forum can also convert your links into a Soundcloud player through the [soundcloud] BBcode from the text editor

This post will be updated with the corresponding links as we progress, and of course the suitable thread headlines. So please watch this spot:


Submission Period: General Information and Sponsors
Cheat Sheet: A couple of examples / audio demos for this month's challenge (usually not available if genre is "Free to Select")
Voting: Summarized entries and start of voting process
Results of the Songwriting Competition: Results of the Songwriting Competition

[Mister Fox]

CURRENT CHALLENGE - GENERAL INFORMATION

Time Frame: Wednesday, 01st April 2020 to Friday, 24th April 2020 (24 days)

Challenge submission will end on 24-04-2020, 23:59 UTC+2/CEST (Germany) - until further notice.

Want to find out if you're still within the deadline, please consult the following options:
The Global Countdown on it's dedicated page or the countdown on the home page. You can also consult the World Clock at the top of the forum or alternatively the following tool - in this case please select "Berlin (Germany)" as location 1, and your location as location 2: Time and Date - World Clock Meeting Planner. We do post reminders via our Twitter account and Facebook page.



SONGWRITING THEME: Together At Home (let's be creative)
GENRE: free to select



Image Source: Pixabay, photo by Yannick McCabe-Costa, released under Creative Commons CC0


A few word about this month's theme:

March and April would have been the months of a lot audio events. Most notably the GDC 2020 (Game Developers Conference) in the US, the German based trade shows Musikmesse (Frankfurt am Main) and of course the synthesizer focused trade show Superbooth (Berlin). Sadly, due to current day world-wide events, that is not going to happen. AES Vienna (AES Convention #148, May 2020) is also in jeopardy.

I am being honest with you - I actually planned a tie-in Songwriting Competition for "Superbooth 2020". With a heavy focus on synthesizers (theme: "Synth Galore"). But oh well... However - this doesn't mean that we can't celebrate making music regardless!

Forced to stay at home? I'd say that is a great opportunity to be creative, to test and learn new tools that we would not have time for otherwise. Then there is also the fact, that a lot of companies are currently offering outstanding deals on software synthesizers (Korg, Cherry Audio and KV331 Audio instantly come to mind), samples and tools. With more and more outstanding tools and add-on content released every single day.

We are "Together At Home" - to fight this currently ongoing pandemic. Let's make the best out of it, and have fun in the process.

Spread the positivity!



Your task for this Songwriting Competition:
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This month, you can create a production in any genre you feel like ("free to select").

But there are three small twists:

1. you must use at least use two synthesizers in your production
2. the production should sound like as if it was created sometime between 1985 and 2005 (that is a 20 year time span - not that big of a limitation)
3. it should not sound like "Vaporwave" (bit-reduced, constantly wobbling in pitch), neither can it be straight up looping "Noise" (yes, that is a genre - also certain "Industrial" offsprings)

This gives you a huge range of various music genres that have an abundance of synthesizer (Synth-Pop/Rock, New Age, Soundtrack, various types of Electronic, Industrial Rock, Trip-Hop, etc). If possible, keep your production more on the melodic side. But if you create mid 90s "Oldschool Techno", then the "melodic" parts usually comes from the pitched beats. Though please, don't just create various layers of white and brown noise.


IMPORTANT: this is not a "One Synth Challenge"! You do not need to create sounds from scratch. You can do that (if you feel like it), especially with very simplistic synthesizers or modular synthesizers. But it is not a requirement. Neither is it a must to only use synths from the given time-span (1985 to 2005). Use whatever you have at your disposal and just create outstanding music.


Please stay save out there - be creative - have fun! I'm looking forward to your entries.

Songwriting Rule Summary / Add-On Rules:

• 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)
• IMPORTANT: if you use non-licensed material (no royalty free material from sample CDs, etc), give full credit to the source material
• do not go higher than -14LUFS ILk/-1dBTP or K-12v1 (avg)/-1dBTP in terms of perceived loudness (mastering). Music doesn't have to be squashed to bits in order to be impactful
• for newcomers: no cover versions or remixes
• ADD-ON RULES: <no special rules declared>

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Please take note of the official rules - they can be found at the following thread:
Songwriting Competition - Official Rules and Guidelines

Please address any OT question in the official Gossip thread:
Songwriting Competition - Gossip and Discussion

If you like what the Mix Challenge (community) has been doing in recent months:
Please consider supporting us

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SPONSORS (Prizes):

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:


IK Multimedia is kind enough give away one license of MODO BASS to the winner
License will turn into NFR
More info on IK Multimedia: https://www.ikmultimedia.com



Tone2 is kind enough to donate a license of Saurus2 to the winner (until further notice)
License will turn into NFR
More info on Tone2: https://tone2.com



kv331 audio is kind enough give away a bundle of either SynthMaster 1+2 Bundle, or a freely selectable set of 3 SynthMaster Expansions
License 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 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 give away either a license of Lunaris, or any 2 sound sets of winner's choice (exception: Bundles and Nano Electronics)
License will turn into NFR
More info on Luftrum: http://www.luftrum.com



Rekkerd Sounds is kind enough 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: http://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: http://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 give away one license from the depicted tools (see image) to the winner
License will turn into NFR
More info on Hornet Plugins: http://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: http://www.satyatunes.com/





THANKS FOR THE DONATIONS!
And also a thank you to all former contributors as well.

If you want to sponsor content (please have a focus on instruments, samples and sound sets), please get in touch with the Mix Challenge staff.

Please spread the word of the challenge on social media.
For example with our dedicated Twitter Account or Facebook Page

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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:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthesizer
http://synthmuseum.com/
http://www.vintagesynth.com/
https://music.ishkur.com/ (Ishkur's Guide to Electronic Music)


Please also check in with the following thread in the the Gear Talk sub-forum, if you're on the look-out for new tools:
Free Tools, Samples and deals (collection thread)

[A Future in Noise]

Mr. Fox:

Since MODO BASS isn't a sample based instrument, would it be possible to consider it as one of the two required synths?

[Mister Fox]

It is physical modeling, true (so are many organ and e-piano synths). But this month is a bit of a special case - so I'd actually declare "physical modeling" based instruments that recreate real instruments (like: MODO Bass, MODO Drums, AAS Lounge Lizard, GG Audio Blue3, GSi VB-3 and MrRay, 4front TruePianos, etc) as "real instruments" this time around. Even if they are technically synthesizers.

Other than that, it's not "that" difficult (for example) to find a suitable substitute for a string sample library. Maybe use a pad synthesizer or rompler this month (so instead of a big VSL library, maybe to Indiginus Audio Solid State Symphony -- which comes really close to an E-MU Virtuoso 2000, IMO and all that). Or, you could switch out acoustic drums for a drum machine (Linn Drum, Oberheim DX). Instead of an acoustic piano, go for a DX7 or MKS-20 E-Piano, the SQ-80 pianos were also great. etc.

The possibilities are quite endless.

The idea with the small twist is to "think different" and pull you a bit out of your comfort zone.

[GmfSongs]

Hi,
Physically isolating, hit a shop, smoked a doobie, played a super simple bass line. Went down the rabbit hole....

Shadow to a Stone



https://www.dropbox.com/s/s10l4wkpwt9zw ... e.wav?dl=0

Composed, produced, performed, yada, yada by me.

Drums: Addictive Drums Linn Kit
Bass: Fender Jazz, Studio Devil Bass, Waves Lo
Guitars: Fender Strat, Guitar rig 3
Synths: AAS Tassman, Ultra Analog, Juno 106
Kontakt: Gamelan, piano.

Protools. Not much processing or eq. 1 Lexicon plate reverb. 1 stereo DDL

Enjoy.....

[Clueless]

Hi,
Physically isolating, hit a shop, smoked a doobie, played a super simple bass line. Went down the rabbit hole....


Shadow to a Stone

https://www.dropbox.com/s/s10l4wkpwt9zw ... e.wav?dl=0

Composed, produced, performed, yada, yada by me.

Drums: Addictive Drums Linn Kit
Bass: Fender Jazz, Studio Devil Bass, Waves Lo
Guitars: Fender Strat, Guitar rig 3
Synths: AAS Tassman, Ultra Analog, Juno 106
Kontakt: Gamelan, piano.

Protools. Not much processing or eq. 1 Lexicon plate reverb. 1 stereo DDL

Enjoy.....

This is

[functionform]

It seems you had a bad run in with some white and brown noise . I started on my track last night, it's a very different direction for me but one I've always wanted to try out, I'm finally at a place confident enough to give it a go!

[ontrackp]

Can we use more than two synths?

[Mister Fox]

Of course you can.

You need to at least use two synthesizers (although see my last post regarding thoughts on Physical Modeling synths for this month), but you can use as many as you like.