Mix Challenge

Hi all,

The voyage theme made me think about a trip down memory lane. You haven’t thought about something for a long time. Uncertain what you will rediscover and feel, you are still going there again to see if you can reappraise the past. To further emphasize the discovery aspect of this voyage, and the reluctance to rediscover the past, I went with a piano improvisation piece played with a more hesitant and (very) loose feel. I recorded a longer session and edited it down to a more manageable length and named it Rediscovery:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/eshj25m3uid86 ... y.wav?dl=0

I used Reaper, with Arturia Piano V2 played from an old Casio digital piano. Some eq and gentle compression with Neutron, and a Cinematic Rooms reverb. Ozone Imager and Satin tape emulation on the master bus. I managed around -16.5 LUFS ILk/-1.6 dBTP.

It is the 25th February 2022, 0:45 UTC+1/CET - this month's Songwriting Competition has official ended


STATISTICS:

• If I didn't miscount, we have 5 submissions this month (4 entries less than last month, and also 1 less than February 2021)
• We have 0 submissions after the deadline (as of 25-FEB-2022 0:45 UTC+1/CET)
• We have 0 submissions that has been disqualified (production released outside of the game's timeframe)
• We have 0 submissions that have been withdrawn (but counts as entry within the deadline)
• The "staff balancing vote" add-on rule does not apply (I might add final words regardless / step in if there are ties)
• "Sole Winners Podium" rule (equal or less than eight participants results in a single winner) does apply (1-position Winners Podium)

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 5 participants. That means that each participant can vote for 4 tracks, the staff will will not cast a balance vote, unless there is a tie that can't be broken (or if it would add a bit more spin to the game).

Please take note of the Rules and Guidelines (see post #7) on giving feedback (mandatory for all participants). Even if you already gave feedback prior to the deadline, please offer some final encouraging words, and maybe give some additional tips for possible improvements on the way. The only main criteria to drop out of the game, is if you do not participate.

Please cast your vote in collective form through the "spoiler text" bbcode, Please use the forum username of the participant to make it easier during the score collection to address what vote belongs to whom. To get an idea how this usually works, please take a look at the last two Songwriting Competition for how your feedback and vote could look like:

SWC053 - Song Collection and follow-up
SWC052 - Song Collection and follow-up



Feedback from non-participants and/or collaborators 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.




Have some general feedback? Please provide that here:
Songwriting Competition - General Gossip Thread



Please have an eye on this thread!

Let us kick off the VOTING PROCESS, which will end on Tuesday, 01-MAR-2022 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.


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Arelem wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 12, 2022 05:25 CET

"Hügelland"

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

GMoneh wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 18, 2022 06:22 CET

"The Cabaña Song"

EsteveCorbera wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 21, 2022 22:17 CET

"Passejada De Capvespre Per Palou"

VCA-089 wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 24, 2022 18:27 CET

"Mindrift"



FLAC: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_9tgJe ... sp=sharing
MP3: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Sl8rW0 ... sp=sharing


Bonus Video:

► Show Spoiler

phpBB [media]

mobiledrummer wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 24, 2022 22:56 CET

"Rediscovery"

WAV: https://www.dropbox.com/s/eshj25m3uid86 ... y.wav?dl=0

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

bedlamward wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 26, 2022 07:54 CET

"Lost As Sea"

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Please consult the Rules and Guidelines (see post #7) on how your vote could look like. And to make it simple for me for counting the votes - please use the forum usernames in your listing. Thank you!

SWC054 participants giving feedback to each other (to every participant) is mandatory. If you've collaborated with somebody, then only the one doing the main entry needs to give feedback and vote (everything else is bonus). Ideally, please focus on the "overall experience", and what you think could be improved in a future release of this production (technical or even instrumentation), maybe even provide the occasional tip for mixing. Please be open minded, objective and constructive.


INFORMATION: If you've submitted your entry in multiple file formats, the statistic sheet (posted alongside the results) will focus on the uncompressed material first (WAV), then FLAC, then MP3. The higher the quality, the less possible loss on bonus points for "Loudness Specs" due to offsets introduced by a used CODEC.


Good luck to all participants!




If you have an idea for a future Songwriting Competition, please post about this in the theme/genre request page.

I have updated my post with more details and YT video...

https://soundcloud.com/you/tracks

pno bass and drums basically . used studio one , Pianoteq 7 , Trilain , predator . wrote the basic song just Pno and voice . added the rest later . there,s plenty of fx . adaptiverb and Neoverb . and buffer effects used too . melodyne yes of course . thanks to Roland for your help . the link should take you to soundcloud and you should be able to listen and download . Lost at sea Swc054 Wav . looking forward to hear the entries and please keep this comp going and thanks for doing so . ED

⚠	Moderation Message from Mister Fox
	With me needing to move and update this post due to faulty links, you sadly can't edit this post anymore. This is a technical issue and can't be prevented. Apologies. Please check your email - for joining the game in the future. The actual link to SoundCloud should have been:

We got a late bonus entry by @bedlamward -- please give this one also a listen, and maybe some additional feedback. You can't vote for this entry however.


I've also updated the upper post with @VCA-089's bonus video on Youtube.

Hello Everyone,

Judging is always hard because music is subjective. Everyone did great! Anyway, here is my feedback and vote.

GMoneh - I really like the percussion and the panning creates a nice spacious soundstage. There does seem to be some off notes on the guitar, but nothing major. I think the track would benefit from being a little shorter or maybe a little more variation because it got a little repetitive towards the end. I could tell that there were some little changes here and there but with the limited instruments and similar melody throughout, they weren't enough to prevent that fatigue. The main guitar sounds good but the picking feels really aggressive. Given the feel of the rest of the song, it might have benefitted from a softer playstyle. Overall though, it is a very nice track, well done.

EsteveCorbera - The atmosphere is really nice in this track, I like it. The chimes come in a little too often or maybe just a little too loud, they were kind of distracting. Other than that I don't think there is really anything wrong with the track, but there really isn't much going on for the listener to get interested in either. Maybe adding something of a main melody to follow could help keep the listener engaged. As it is, it would be a good atmospheric track to a video game or something, but it isn't something I would just play to listen to. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but in the context of a contest, it might not be ideal.

VCA-089 - I really like your sound selection and use of foley. I feel like you did a good job of keeping the song interesting by changing just enough to stay interesting but not so much that it isn't cohesive. However, I think that it would have benefitted from some variation on the percussion or bassline. It took until some time after the 4-minute mark for me, but it did eventually get a little too repetitive. I do kind of wish that it had led somewhere more energetic because to me it felt like it was building but it never quite paid off. Very nice track overall though, good job.

Mobiledrummer - There's nothing technical I can critique especially since I don't play the piano. With that said, it sounds very nice and well played. However, it wasn't really that interesting. It kind of just sounds like someone noodling on a piano. There isn't a melody or common thread to help keep my interest. This probably has more in common with classical pieces, but even the most famous of classical music has a common theme throughout, or some sort of repeating pattern; maybe the notes change but the rhythm stays the same. Just something to keep the listener engaged.

Bedlamward - Nice track/melody. I think the mixing/mastering could use a bit more work. The kick is kind of boomy while the drums are buried in the back of the track. The vocal harmony doesn't quite work for me. I'm not sure if it's out of key with the track or what, but it sounds off. The vocals also sound too distorted/oversaturated. I think a little bit of refinement on the processing could really make this a great track, nice work.

@Arelem I think you forgot @mobiledrummer's entry...

VCA-089 wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 27, 2022 09:09 CET

@Arelem I think you forgot @mobiledrummer's entry...

It would appear that I did, my apologies. I'll update my post shortly. (edit) My post has been updated.

Hello,
I give you my opinion on your issues.

Arelem - Hügelland
Good soundtrack. The atmosphere you create with the piano and the orchestra helps you get into the world of soundtracks. Personally, percussion is the one I find less successful. Maybe I just put it in the end. You have too much power for a quiet topic like yours. What I am saying is a personal opinion.
The strings that come in around 1:20 are poorly integrated. Maybe they get out of time?
Good mix and good work on adjusting the limits of the mix.

GMoneh_The Cabaña Song
Good percussion game that gives it an exotic touch. I find the voices very curious. It reminds me of some Morricone experiments (in the 70's in Italy). But there are times when they seem out of tune. I like the final part when you add the wind section. I think it helps to make your proposal more compact. I like the melody of the guitar.

VCA-089 _-_ Mindrift
Good start percussion and ambient. It immediately makes you pay attention to the development of the topic. Interesting development of the topic, but in the end you are left with the feeling that something is missing. You’re preparing and evolving as if there’s something else, as if the subject is about to explode, but it doesn’t.
Of course, the mixing and selection work of the instruments is very good. The soundscape is also very good.

mobiledrummer_Rediscovery
Good piano improvisation work. The piano sounds great, better than my proposal (I see we used the same instrument as Arturia). But I find some mistakes. The theme lacks a repeatable melody and in the end the theme is too long. There is too much reverberation to lose focus on the subject and I think it gets dirty at some point.

bedlamward Lost At Sea
This track still needs work. You have not adjusted the earnings and it sounds very low.
Voices are forced or muted. Did you put too much distortion? The voice sounds too far away and the piano too close. The battery is low. You have to work harder on the mixture.

(translated with google)