SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC041 January 2021 - Winners announced

[Mister Fox]

Folks, please don't forget to document (within the deadline) what tools you used. Just a general overview would be nice.

This months is special, because of the sound design aspects. Maybe focus on a sound you're really proud of creating, and tell us how you did this.


Looking forward to more entries. I'm really enjoying the submissions so far.

[becsei_gyorgy]

Hi guys,

This month is always harder because not only the composition has to be made, but also the sounds have to be done one by one.
In the first 7-8 days of this month, I was able to learn more about sound design than I had since January last year. Thanks to the competition (and Mister Fox).

I only used Phase Plant in the project.
I have created a number of sounds partly based on tutorials, partly by studying/modifying existing presets/fx chains of the synth and partly from scratch just playing with the samples in the synth.
(Youtube channels like Dash Glitch, Ghosthack, ARTFX, Venus Theory, Sadowick Production, Composing Gloves, Protostar were extremely helpful.)

Due to the task of the month, I thought about mostly electronic music from the beginning.
It may have been a bit long song, but it’s impossible to tell a story in two minutes



VST:
Kilohearts Phase Plant

FX:
Pro-Q3
Maag EQ4
Vertigo VSC-2
Purple MC77
RVox
TR5 White 2A
bx_console Focusrite
Decapitator
BOZ Transgressor 2
LFO Tool
PHA-979
Trackspacer
Audiothing Megaphone
Endless Smile
Panagement 2
Echoboy
EW Spaces II
Valhalla Vintage Verb
bx_tuner

Ozone9
Ozone 9 Maximizer
Gullfoss
Waves SSL Comp
Youlean LM
Tonal Balance Control 2
Correlometer
SPAN Plus

I created 5 wavetables in Phase Plant (used in many presets) from:
sin_440Hz_-6dBFS_0.3s.wav
rect_-6dBFS_10samples.wav
Three Bleeps.wav
(i used only one frame from the wavetables in the presets, all i needed was a simple waveform (e.g. sin, rectangle).

Direct used Samples in Phase Plant sampler:
3x pink_-6dBFS_3s.wav
19x white_-6dBFS_3s.wav
4x sin_440Hz_-6dBFS_0.3s.wav
6x Three Bleeps.wav
1x hereWeGoYall.wav
1x Violin Tuning A-String.wav
1x ummh.wav
2x everybodyGetYourChildrenOffTheStreet.wav
1x Dog - Angry Shih Tzu.wav

► Show Spoiler

I'll keep the Phase Plant presets on Drive for a few more days for anyone interested in sounds.

PP presets (more than I used in the project) (106 MB)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/17UOZ23 ... sp=sharing

If you need the Reaper project file, send PM.

[Square]

ill make a new post to so i wont be editing my previous post with my submission. (if i should just edit that post i can do as well)

I used moslty the stock cubase granular synth (pad shop 2 ) and breaktweaker for the most percussion type parts

Bass Drum _ Water Bowl Warble and some of the low sine wav
Snare - Lightswitch
Percussion - Leshy samples, swoosh and fridge door
Bass - Low and mid Sine wavs
Bass Organ - Sine wave 440
Sub Bass - Low Sine
Square Sounding Synth - Hit Metal Barrel
Nasally Synth - Hit Metal Barell
Pads - Stereo Singing Bell, Water Splashes and Leshy Samples

So for the percussion stuff, i used breaktweaker to isolate parts of the waveform that i like, use a transient designer to determine its oomph and then use the beat machine in breaktweaker to come up with rhythmic ideas that are mostly quite abstract and digital glitch type sounds.

The Bass - Built off of sign waves in padshop, distortion added

Square Wave sounding synth is made by isolating a nice part of the metal barrell hit and using some gating to creating a square sounding instrument which is then arpeggiated and put through some delay.

Nassaly Synth that gets its texture and movement from the granular synth changes positions on the waveform giving it a bit of a living feel.

For the vox i tried to link them together to make something coherent.

The overall vibe of this piece is very much a disgruntled sound play.

Peace and Love ¬

Square

[Shea]

This was a nice challenge where it took a lot more work for me to get to what I thought were interesting sounds.
I had a couple sample VST's that did really well. I got some great sounds by loading one of the presets and then replacing the source sample with one of the ones provided for this competition. Unfortunately I wasn't able to give the song the attention I meant to, hope it doesn't show too much. A family emergency took me from home.

Luftrum's Bioscape was my main choice of VST for this competition.
Guitar was achieved by using Bioscape
Bioscape also did well with the spacey FX sounds
I used the Bawu samples and pitched
Bass ws from flute sample
Drums I used the provided samples and mangled very little
Organ sound was derived from Reaktor's Form plugin
Also used Form for the distorted pluck sound near the end

Some FX I used were CLA's epic verb
Valhalla verb
Soundtoys Echoboy
Gullfoss
Ozone 8

Looking forward to hear what you all came up with

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ydvactvflj1n6 ... o.wav?dl=0

[satchboogie]

Hi !
Thank you for the opportunity.
Here is my song: https://drive.google.com/file/d/15BFE9Z ... sp=sharing

I created the song in Ableton. Mostly used sampler to create instruments.
Wavs i used: https://drive.google.com/file/d/190RUy2 ... sp=sharing

Workflow: I created the instruments and made the song with midi then i rendered all to wav and did some mixing. Plugins used: stock eq and overdrive, autofilter, neutron3, bx_townhouse, HG2 Blackbox, bx_V3 digital, and Weiss limiter

Getting the right instruments and song idea took a long time.

satch

[Mister Fox]

It is the 25th January 2021, 1:30 UTC+1/CET - this month's Songwriting Competition has official ended

A very, very warm welcome to all new faces on the forum.


If I didn't miscount, we had 7 participants overall, which is 5 entries less compared to last month (12 entries), and 0 more/less compared to last year (7 entries). Please scroll further down below to read up on an update of the game mechanics this month for the voting process



The "staff balancing vote" add-on rule does not apply
"Sole Winners Podium" rule (equal or less than seven participants results in a single winner) does apply. (1-position Winners Podium)

There was no (number: 0) production submitted after the deadline
No (number: 0) entry has been disqualified (productions released outside of the game's timeframe)
No (number: 0) entry has been redacted



How do we go from there?

Over the course of the next (hopefully) 24-48 hours (usually up to 6-12 hours maximum after the game has ended), I'll gather all links into one post and hot-link to that from the first post of the thread. Please, no more changes to your entries, but please do check your links that these entries are downloadable. We then perform with the final feedback and "public vote" system.


We have 7 participants. That means that each participant can vote for 6 tracks, the staff will will not cast a balance vote.

Keep the Rules and Guidelines in mind. As long as we're not exceeding 20 participants, let's give feedback to all participants and(!) cast your vote for all of them.

The Top 6 list can look something like this:

01 (10 pts) - Mr Moon
02 (09 pts) - Mr Sun
03 (08 pts) - Mrs Venus
04 (07 pts) - Mr Mars and his companions
05 (06 pts) - ...
06 (05 pts) - ...

Please take a look at the last two Songwriting Competition for how your feedback and vote could look like (sans the super technical information):
SWC040 - Song Collection and follow-up
SWC039 - Song Collection and follow-up

Please cast your vote in collective form through the "spoiler text" bbcode:

Code: Select all

[spoil]01 participant
02 participant
03 participant[/spoil]

Please use the forum username of the participant to make it easier during the score collection to address what vote belongs to whom.



Please also take note of the Rules and Guidelines on giving feedback (mandatory for all participants, failing to do so results in a disqualification). Even if you already gave feedback prior to the deadline, please offer some final encouraging words, and maybe give some additional tips for improvements on the way.

Feedback from non-participants is highly encouraged (voting not needed!). The same goes for entries after the deadline, or those that sadly do not count for the current running game (even if you've exceeded the deadline, why not post your entry regardless?). Musicians and Engineers are always after constructive criticism. This is what this forum is about.


I also need to address an overhaul of the game mechanics, starting with SWC038. You can read up about the new concept here:
viewtopic.php?p=8957#p8957 (will be implemented into the Rules and Guidelines during Q1/2021)

Basically, disqualifications will only happen from this point forward, if you have submitted a production from outside of the game's timeframe and you're not participating in the feedback process. Everything else is handled through bonus points. This overhauled mechanic has been a test run from September to November and has been taken positive so far. If you don't want your bonus points go to waste, please update your posts with documentation by 3:00 (morning, German Time), and check that your files are properly named / downloadable.





Have some general feedback? Please voice your feedback/opinion/concerns here:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=97



Please have an eye on this thread!

[Mister Fox]

Let us kick off the VOTING PROCESS, which will end on Monday, 01-FEB-2021 23:59 UTC+1/CET latest


There is a GLOBAL COUNTDOWN to check for deadlines.
Just follow this link: Global Countdown (on homepage)



Here is the collection of productions from all participants (in hope that I didn't forget anyone). As usual, if you click on the small upwards-arrow right beside the quoted name, you can jump to the original post and read up on the documentation for this production.


.

"Too Many"

phpBB [media]

MP3 Format (320Kbps, 44100): Download .mp3
Wav Format (32 Bit Float): Download .wav

"Uncharacteristic Departure"

"Save Yourself"

WAV: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TIHmKT ... sp=sharing

INFO: Documentation in follow-up post

"Needs Squeezing"

WAV: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-RH3U9 ... sp=sharing

"Beyond The Tales"

"Time 2 Go"

WAV: https://www.dropbox.com/s/ydvactvflj1n6 ... o.wav?dl=0

"Everybody"

WAV: https://drive.google.com/file/d/15BFE9Z ... sp=sharing

.



BONUS ENTRIES (submitted after the deadline - feel free to give feedback, but you sadly can not vote for these entries)


<no bonus entries>
.


Please consult the last post of how your vote could look like (which links to more sources). And to make it simple for me for counting the votes - please use the forum usernames in your listing. Thank you!

SWC041 participants giving feedback to each other (to every participant) is mandatory, else you will be disqualified. Please also keep the bonus point game mechanic in mind.


Good luck to all participants!

[DSPplug]

Leonard Bowman - Uncharacteristic Departure
The flute style at the beginning had a few minor notes which felt like attempts for character and displacement. I did not have a reaction to that effect, until at about 20 seconds where it veered off into a strange idea. I like the way you chose the most becoming portion of the vocal and you made it sound very commercial. Impressively placed. But the minors you rely on with the flute seem a little strained. I like the beat later. There was too much flute and not enough beat. I questioned the simplicity based upon the skill in mastering. I was disappointed because I feel the jazzier part could have been the main attraction. If not for the amount of drawn out minors placed in your track I would have put you up a notch.

Square - Save Yourself
The beginning was a bit too simple for My tastes, I'm a bit vain and impatient. I stopped being kind in My skills of listening. Thoughtfulness comes and goes in phases throughout life. This seems more like a statement to Me that you wished to share with people rather than a piece of music. Messages which would provide the listener with meaning. I like the music after 1:55 and I think it sounds cool. In music you impressed Me, but through imagery I was less impressed. Given that this is a contest and not a real world piece, if you had merely made your track longer listeners would have "had" to entertain this imagery and you could have added more music to the end proving your skill. Like in the way that Györgey made some strange statements also with imagery but then proved he could provide diversity and skill; with a finish sounding triumphant. If his song had not been longer; I would not have considered it so. Sometimes making music for a contest means that you have to just make a longer song than everyone. When in Rome.

Blang - Needs Squeezing
To be honest your vocal treatment was exciting. Likely if you were to work with My vocals you could make me sound as if I could sing well. I sing ok; but it's really more just safe attempts, I do not sound good by actually singing. You however, do some of both. Your song's kind of weird; and yet given it's the time of Covid, the humor is well placed and timed. It's not that I'm old fashioned, but this seemed more like a song for one of those cartoons from the comedy network where they use a computer program to make the animating a simpler matter. I'm jaded and the worst person to give a judgement of such fun-ness. Good points for skill. I was reminded of Weird Al. I like Weird Al, and I like your stuff I guess too.

Györgey Becsei - Beyond the Tales
Hmm, it's between you and Shea frankly for a classic, couth piece. Yours in places tries to draw imagery; is it that you wish to appeal to those who liked James Bond movies that had cold war anthems during the unveiling of something sinister that was to be the intro? Are you younger and gearing towards the older of us in that light, I wondered. Sometimes you choose off-key notes; and that can be strange but then you choose diversity. While Shea provided a similar piece and style, you were able to be both strange, un-couth; and maybe a bit droll but you finished with real skill.
I look at Shea's track and it feels unfair to give you a better score because his does not deviate and all the way through it has far more consistency. Yet, you made a longer track and won in that regard. Kudos to you; but really that's a bit unfair. You've proven your skill, while Shea did the same and made a far more couth example without a single hiccup. Yet, by providing a longer track you win, because you knew you were being scored in a contest. If this was a movie soundtrack though, and I was buying content, I'd ask you to re-submit and I'd hire Shea. You understood the criteria and your environment.

Shea - Time to Go
Your entry was the most couth and I felt that your example had the most momentum. Yet, like I stated earlier, someone merely overshadowed you with time and diversity. I think you might have beaten Györgey if you'd made a longer track. Vocals are the only wildcard: You know, if you can make a good one. You know the saying about anyone able to play a guitar? It infers that not everyone can sing.

Satchboogie - Everybody
I like the way you used the guitar samples. The shaker, the flute; everything's good. I get the impression that you felt that this contest was a medium to share a responsible, couth message regarding the ever present and very real danger of Covid. Yet, that's what every responsible adult should be doing. Your song suffered a bit by insist-ency, yet because your attitude is moral and right you get more points than others. I also felt gloom and sobering realization was important. I mentioned burning from the inside and fighting just to breath etc. It's important. I've made tracks and posted them about Covid and awareness too. Maybe I'll post a link to that elsewhere on this forum in a few days when this is all done to show My example in kind.

► Show Spoiler

01 (10 pts) - Györgey Becsei - Beyond the Tales
02 (09 pts) - Shea - Time to Go
03 (08 pts) - Satchboogie - Everybody
04 (07 pts) - Blang - Needs Squeezing
05 (06 pts) - Leonard Bowman - Uncharacteristic Departure
06 (05 pts) - Square - Save Yourself

[satchboogie]

Thank you. I am sorry for being late. I will be ready tomorrow to publish my votes.

satch

[Leonard Bowman]

Here we go
Feedback and voting time.

satchboogie - Everybody
Intro guitar is nice, programming is pretty and the part is good.
Personally i found the vocal bits were more distracting than useful. lots of them didn't line up well to any particular rhythm of the piece and the emotion of some of the words didn't realy match up to the emotion of the rest of the song.
I really like the percussive elements, I think they worked quite well as a whole. The kick gets somewhat lost but this music works well enough without a kick drum.
My favorite part is definitely the synth solo up through "gonna take y'all back" - it's really well executed.


Shea - Time 2 Go
impressive sound design right from the start. all of the sounds seem intentionally chosen, and you've worked nicely with the characteristics and limitations of the sounds.
The intense panning on some of the FX sounds gets a bit distracting at times but all in all I like the variety.
Pacing of the track is very nice, you take the time to explore different sound combinations but move on quickly enough to keep the piece interesting.

becsei_gyorgy - Beyond the Tales
FX design is excellent, love the crows and lots of the other details you've added.
The opening lead has a weird attack that I'm not personally a fan of but it works well enough.
The marching snare sound lacks some expression and tonal character for something that prominent in the mix - I'd love to hear some velocity changes and ornaments at the very least.
in the start of the trancy section (1:35 or so) you suddenly change scale, tone, and melodies in a way doesn't really match up to everything before it; it feels like you've started a completely separate musical work. Both are good but they don't fit together as is.
Really good sounds and production but as a composition it seems to lack a bit of organization; you have several clear themes but they don't fit together well to create a cohesive story.

Blang - Needs Squeezing
Really fun sound design throughout.
Between your voice and instrumentation in the beginning this sounds a fair bit like something by Phoenix. Great stuff. Vocal work is really, really, really good and all of the other sounds & compositional elements compliment it nicely.
I must admit I have a bias against anything that uses the word "booty" this promimently but I'm trying to look past that since this is a really well crafted track.

Square - Save Yourself
Kick is really tight which I like - I think it fits the style pretty well although it's maybe a bit loud in the mix
The vocals around (1:14) don't really add much for me - it's so many words that don't really add up to much of a narrative. I feel like you could probably cut about half of the clips to focus what you're trying to say through them.
The sounds overall are good; well designed and effective.
I'm missing a sense of overall structure in the first minute and last 30s. sounds come and go without much reason (at least no reason that I can tell). Since you don't really have a chord progression or fills at longer intervals it's hard to find something to lock into and follow.

DSPPlug - Too Many
Vocal flow is good but the beat doesn't do you any justice.
Most critically, it's lacking bass - there's almost nothing below 200hz and that makes the beat feel really empty and thin. Even when you do have a bass sound playing it's fairly quiet and in the background.
Then there's the snare/clap/punch which has an interesting tone but it's really loud in the mix and never changes tone. changing the sample or changing the processing on the sample could really add some depth and variety to the beat.
As it is, with the rather minimal beat you have, the vocals work nicely with whatever light processing you've done.

and the votes:

► Show Spoiler

10pts: Blang
9pts: Shea
8pts: becsei_gyorgy
7pts: Square
6pts: satchboogie
5pts: DSPPlug