SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC038 October 2020 - Winners announced

[TheNeverScene]

Been a while since I've entered anything into anything. I'm 99% sure this is done, but who knows.

Submitted tracks so far sound great! Mine is much less fancy and orchestrated. I did, however, only use hardware synths



https://www.dropbox.com/s/unuz3uh3g2z8t ... t.wav?dl=0

Synths used are:

Roland JP-8000, JV-1010, Integra 7
Korg Minilogue, M-50
Behringer MS-1, TD-3

Daw:
Reaper

FX:
ReaEQ, CraveEQ, ValhallaVintageVerb, ValhallaDelay, Trash2, ADHD Leveling Tool, TB ReelBus3, SatsonCS, BX MasterDesk, Ozone 7

Vocal lines done using cheesy Text2Speech, but it sorta works for creepy.

Feedback good or bad much appreciated! Thanks!

Mike

[Mister Fox]

A friendly reminder:
Including today, 7 days left to submit your production.



Additional info:

If you want to take advantage of the new game mechanic and get feedback to your song in a "Work in Progress" state, you should ideally time your submission so that you still have three days to process the replies and edit your production as needed. I recommend to not post later than the 21st of the month in this case.

If you post a revision, try to update your old post (add a new version, point it out) while only mentioning in a new post "Hey, check out post #<nr>, I did some changes". This makes it easier for me to find the actual entries for the global song collection.



And if you have some sparetime, please give some feedback to the following:
viewtopic.php?p=8869#p8869

[TrojakEW]

Rough mix completed, will look at perhaps adding a few more elements and fine tuning the arrangement before closing date

Like the theme. That hearth beat bass is good at the beginning but with that faster tempo it is quite dominant for me. Mix is not bad but in last part when strings and choir play together is bit cluttered. Strings fight with choir. Also not sure what you use but that strings sound bit synthetic. In other hand that wind instrument is cool and spooky.

I did several sketches but i can't lie to myself and I voted for this slightly hybrid, slightly epic version

Yup the track have really epic feel. If I do that I will add that piano theme from intro into that epic part of track with choir but with strings spiccato section instead of piano. Not for whole part of this track nut just to bring back that intro mood to this part of track.

Submitted tracks so far sound great! Mine is much less fancy and orchestrated. I did, however, only use hardware synths

First welcome back. Second I do not feel I can say much to it in regards of what you used. I do not not have any experience with hardware synth and stuff and do not know what are possibilities and what are limits. Making spooky track with synths only could be a real challenge. For me it have great atmosphere. Only what I would change is drums rhythm in that last part. I'm not saying that it is bad but it change that spooky atmosphere in track and make it bit more relaxed. I would like more spookiness at the end. But it is great and I can not say that track is less fancy then others. It is different and this is cool to have different take on theme.

[gruskada]

This song was inspired by an early morning bike ride. It was very dark out - I had a light, but I nearly ran into some lady walking the other way, dressed in all black, who didn't have a light (??). I started thinking why she would be out like that, and for fun, I came up with a scenario where she was a watcher for a satanic cult. If anyone came near, she would alert others, who would alert the beast to take care of the imposter, in a ritual sacrifice with chanting. For the song, I switched the protagonist to a person walking (and then running) in the woods.

The title, "Daemon", is yet another reference to computer programming. It just refers to a linux program running in the background. Some pronounce it "day-mon", but it is correctly pronounced "dee-mon".

The image is heavily Photoshopped from an old YouTube video that I produced.

Instruments:
- OTS Dracus (some guitar w/ MIDI pickup, some played via keyboard)
- OTS Texas Twang (Telecaster) (some guitar w/ MIDI pickup, some played via keyboard)
- Ernie Ball Music Man Axis guitar
- UJAM Carbon
- UJAM Iron
- Fluffy Audio Haunted Choir
- Spook Keys (theremin emulation)
- Soundiron Requiem Light
- Kontakt Factory Library (pipe organ)
- AIR Hybrid 3
- Arturia Pigments 2
- Image Line Harmor
- u-He Hive 2
- Soniccouture Tape Choir
- Fluffy Audio My Piano
- EW Symphonic Orchestra (just for anvils)
- IK MODO Bass
- NI Battery 4

Effects:
- NI Guitar Rig 5
- Polyverse Wider
- Sound Toys Echo Boy
- BionicDelay
- NI Phasis
- NI Replika
- Nectar 3
- Softube Saturation Knob
- Valhalla Room (reverb)
- Izotope Neutron 2

Post:
- Izotope Ozone 8
- Soundtheory Gulfoss

Sound Effects:
- Whispers (some) - me
- Monster - my son
- Heavy breathing - my daughter
- Freesound.org (razzvio - tibetan-chant-high-pass, razajac - thai-chanting (reversed by me), chimerical - marble-church, unchaz - crowd-chant-kill-him (pitch adjusted by me), robinhood76 - running-through-forest)
- Freesoundslibrary.com (Whispering, walking, rain, thunder, night ambience, wind, heart beat, chains)

[TheNeverScene]

@TrojakEW Thanks for the warm welcome back! I agree about the drums at the end. I'm still tinkering around with other parts and "spookiness", so who knows how the drums will end up. It's hard NOT to tinker, especially when you're having fun haha. Using hardware is a new level of trial, error and mishaps lol It's very "commit to tape", but there's something about the interaction with a piece of physical kit that I enjoy.....even if I want to smash it to bits sometimes! The amount of spaghetti/cables I have in here is starting to look like Devo.

[GMoneh]

Here is my contribution for this month:

The Fall of Odin


The track tells the story of Ragnarok: The end of the world in Nordic mythology.

Act I: It's a normal day in Asgard. The Æsir gods go merrily around their business in their golden city.
Act II: Suddenly, an invading army approaches. Odin, King of Asgard, gathers his host and leaves to meet the invaders in battle.
Act III: The battle rages on. Odin engages in combat with the giant wolf Fenrir. His son Thor meanwhile, the defender of Midgard, fights the serpent Jörmungandr.
Act IV: The gods have fallen! Asgard is no more! Odin has been swallowed whole by Fenrir. Thor was able to slay the serpent, but died from his wounds. Tyr, Freyr, and the other gods have fallen too. The end of the world as we knew it is upon us...


I may have gone a little bit "epic" there against the Mod's wishes... (sorry)...


Technical info:
Composed and performed by GMoneh.
Recorded, mixed and mastered in Studio One 5.
Instruments used:
True Strike Kore Expansion (yes, I still use Kore :-))
Camel Audio Alchemy (yes, I still use Alchemy... what is this, 2012??)
Cakewalk Rapture (yea, it must be 2012)
U-he Dark Zebra
13 instances of SpitFire BBC Orchestra (ok, finally something released this year)
Effects:
FabFilter Pro-C, Pro-Q, Pro-L
HOFA IQ-Reverb
PSP Vintage Warmer
U-he Satin
PSP Old Timer

[TrojakEW]

The title, "Daemon", is yet another reference to computer programming. It just refers to a linux program running in the background. Some pronounce it "day-mon", but it is correctly pronounced "dee-mon".

I also do know Dameon tools . Looks like you do really like guitars just like me so you got my attention. Solo guitars are great. Mood is good too. Your track lean towards to action spooky genre as my. More info later .

Here is my contribution for this month:
I may have gone a little bit "epic" there against the Mod's wishes... (sorry)...

I do not see problem the track is more epic but I wish it fits theme more. Also percussions sounds bit synthetic because of dynamics and lack of RR. Track is not bad but as I said it doesn't fit much the theme for me.

[EsteveCorbera]

Hello,
I am new to this world and this is my first time participating in this contest.
My knowledge of the more technical aspects is quite low, so I apologize if I can’t make a very interesting critique of your work.
What did I want to do here?
Well imagine me we are at a summer camp and we are all around the fire telling scary stories. This story is the last story we tell in camp. The music wants to illustrate the end of the story. There has been the final battle and then, when the conflict has already been resolved and the story is over the children in the camp go to rest. Therefore, the music has two parts, the final battle and the farewell. I hope you like it. I will be grateful for your contributions.
Greetings mates!

Download: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bmPGX1 ... sp=sharing

DAW
Reason

Instruments
Output Exhale
ProjectSam Symphobia 4 Pandora
Rigid Audio Viego
Reason Radical Piano
2getheraudio Cheeze Machine2
Sonivox Singles Classic Bass
Reason Europe
WAProduction Ascension

Loops & MIDI
Ghosthack

Effects
Reason MClass Stereo Imager
AIR Music Technology CREATIVE FX COLLECTION PLUS

[GMoneh]

I do not see problem the track is more epic but I wish it fits theme more. Also percussions sounds bit synthetic because of dynamics and lack of RR. Track is not bad but as I said it doesn't fit much the theme for me.

Thanks for the feedback.

I apologize for the ignorance, but what is RR?

[gruskada]

I apologize for the ignorance, but what is RR?

RR = round robin, which means that a different but similar sample fires every time you play a note (up to x times before it starts over again). Many libraries include it, though in some cases you need to make sure it's turned on, or the patch your using has it. More expensive libraries will most likely have round robin, but many cheaper ones do as well.

The result is that it sounds a lot more natural. Severe cases where round robin isn't used and notes are played in quick succession is called the "machine gun effect", which sounds really obvious and terrible.