SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC073 September 2023 - Winners announced

[BenjiRage]

Sounds good, especially for not really producing any songs as you said. I was more impressed with the vocals until I saw that you used SynthV to do them. I mean, they still sound good, it's just that they are synthetic. I'm still a bit impressed because when I tried checking it out, I found it quite cumbersome to program and manipulate. My favorite part was at about 2:50 when it goes intramental honestly; so don't feel like you NEED to add vocals to your productions. I tend to do vocals on mine because that is the type of music I enjoy and also to get practice working with vocals. I don't really like my own voice so I do tend to either bury it a bit or cover it in effects. Anyway, I don't really have any critiques for you. The mix sounds good and all that. It does feel super retro but I assume that you meant to do that (it would be weird if that was on accident). Good job!

Hey, thanks for your comments Yeah I agree that SynthV is not the easiest program to work with. The basics are quite quick to learn but how to go further and refine things is not very intuitive at all (and the official documentation is woeful!). Once I'd got to grips though, it's quite jaw dropping what it can produce and how human it can sound with a bit of work.

I'm a bit the same too in that that I don't feel confident enough with my own voice when singing lead parts, I just sound too low and nasal so barring trying to rope a friend in to help sing I'm left with SynthV as my only real option for writing any kind of song with lyrics. Might leave them out for the next one though, tbh I think I too enjoy listening to instrumental melodies the most

[EsteveCorbera]

Dear fellow challengers and Mister Fox.
I present to you my song of the month.
Initially I thought of doing a quiet theme, in terms of ambient sound, but I realized that in the previous months I had already done the same thing.
In the words of Mister Fox:

Sometimes, you just need to stop what you're doing, take a step back, and reassess things. Maybe your mind is doing that all by itself already. Forcing you to take on a different point of view, observe, contemplate what is currently happening. And if you are able to, start with a fresh mindset. Trying to do better.

I took a step back and tried to change the style and do something a little more lively.
I have divided the theme into three parts: the quieter opening, the more animated second and the darker finale. A bit wants to represent different moods, which can be different phases of our life or our mental state. These states can also be reflected when we go through a depression. There are difficult moments, moments of hope, moments of fall, moments of rise,...

I hope you like it.

Thank you colleagues.

(translated with google)





Equipment:
DAW:
Reason 12.6.2

Instruments:
Europa Shapeshifting Synthesizer
Objekt Modeling Synthesizer
Thor Polysonic Synthesizer
Humana Vocal Ensemble
Parsec 2 Spectral Synthesizer
Subtractor Polyphonic Synthesizer
Malström Graintable Synthesizer
Rytmik Drum Machine

Effects:
RV7000 MkII Advanced Reverb
The Echo
PEQ-2 Two Band Parametric EQ
Sweeper Modulation Effect
MClass Maximizer
Channel EQ
Scream 4 Sound Destruction Unit
Pulveriser Demolition Unit
Audiomatic Retro Transformer
Polar Dual Pitch Shifter
BV-X Multimode Vocoder Multimode Vocoder
RV-7 Digital Reverb
UN-16 Unison
MClass Equalizer

Players:
Scales & Chords
PolyStep Sequencer
Pattern Mutator
Quad Note Generator
Beat Map Algorhythmic Drummer

Utilities:
Combinator
Line Mixer 6:2

Reason Packs (Presets):
Meditative Pads
Objekt - Physical Sequences
Cyberpunk
90s Dance Synths
Ballad Essentials
Parsec - IDM Pads
Objekt - Sonic Textures

Reason Rack Extension:
-

Other instruments outside of Reason:
-

Other effects outside of Reason:
Bedroom Producers Blog BPB Saturator
Arturia Dist COLDFIRE
Arturia EFX FRAGMENTS
Beatskillz Slam2

Samples:
-

Other tools:
iZotope Ozone 9
Plugin Alliance SPL HawkEye
HoRNet Plugins HoRNet VHS

[KukoBass]

Hello everybody,

while thinking about this month's theme and the picture, I thought about how different we are seen by the people around us and how unable we are to see ourselves through their eyes.

Due to some unforeseeable circumstances, I started very late this month and had less time than usual to write a song. I had no time to write full lyrics or polish the song, I'm just glad I could finish and enter something:



The .wav-version is here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SaJ08W ... drive_link

DAW: Ableton Live 11

Piano: Sonivox EightyEight Ensemble, "Grand Piano A EQ-Warm Light"-preset

E-Piano: Applied Acoustic Systems Lounge Lizard EP-4, "Tine-Based Warm Model V"-preset

Strings: Native Instruments Session Strings Pro 2, "Celli - Modern"-preset

Lead Synth: Air Loom II "Altitube"-preset

Panning of all Synths: Valiumdupeuple pAnarchy (Max4Live-plugin)

Drums: IK Multimedia ModoDrum "Rock Custom"-preset

Drum bus: sonible EntropyEQ+ and Ableton Live Compressor

Voice: Recorded through my Zoom H4NPro recorder
Voice Effects: Klevgrand Brusfri to remove background noise, Nectar 3, and bx_chrispytuner to transpose the background voice

Bass: Ibanez Soundgear 505, recorded through my Zoom H4NPro recorder, Ableton Live EQEight to cut off the lowest low end and above 3 kHz

Master bus:
Hornet ThirtyOneMK2 EQ
Hornet Syncpressor
TBProAudio Isol8 to check for frequency problems
brainworx bx_masterdeck True Peak to make the song louder and to make bass frequencies below 120 Hz mono
LUveler to make sure the loudness is below the target of -14 LUFS integrated -1 dB peak
spl Hawkeye to check for possible sound problems
YouLean Loudness Meter 2 Free to check for loudness problems
Hornet VHS to calibrate the frequencies for my Superlux HD 681 headphones for mixing

Lyrics:

► Show Spoiler

Whatever they say, all I can see
are reflections of the fractions
of my shattered personality

[Mister Fox]

A friendly reminder:
We're in the final 24 hours to submit your production.



Please get your production ready and submitted (through the forum) today.

And to make it easier for me to create the collection post, please update your initial post with the appropriate links (final version), or explicitly mark your entry as "final entry". Thank you.

If I didn't miscount, we have 4 entries so far.

[jinjer93]

EDIT: I can't seem to get the imbed for the soundcloud link, but I will list the link as well as the public drive download link

https://soundcloud.com/user-507744109/v ... al_sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fQjY-e ... sp=sharing

Hi everyone, I'm a little anxious to put my newer music out. I was looking around for mix contests to keep me distracted during a hard time..
Needless to say I was moved by the OP and the current releases. I can't believe I've never seen this site before, but I'm excited to see what the community is like here and be a part of it. I threw this one together upon reading "Reflection" lol

I come from a pop punk / hardcore background and this song was a new low. I was used by all of my friends for my songwriting and production capabilities and the band got into some weird stuff at the end - becoming poly and shunning one of the girl's who didn't like the idea when they actually began to do it.. I thought long and hard, and knew I'd eventually see past it, go back to writing songs and forgiving them in time. So I took the lowest road I could, and took her side. This girl funded everything, nurtured us, and was dogged on for not wanting to be a part of something.

I helped her pack her bags, empty her house, and we burned all the memories of this time period. Losing all of my friends was the best thing I could have ever done, because now I am left with my 'real friends' from my childhood. My new music is allowing me to reconnect with my childhood.

I look forward to seeing what the future holds, and I thank everyone here for nudging me to make this teeny move toward progress.
Cheers, everyone!

- Scotty (s3x_bRa!n)

As far as resources used, here goes:

DAW: Studio One 6 Professional

VOCALS
Recording:
Rode NT1 into SSL2 interface (HD mode OFF)
WAVES SSL Channel and CLA-76
Mixing:
WAVES SSL Channel
SLATE MetaTune
WAVES RDeEsser (2x), CLA-76, CLA-2A

Bussed into VMR:
FG-N, Virtual Channel, Stressor, Lift, and Custom Opto

Some layers had FabFilter Saturn and Waves VocalBender

GUITARS
Recording:
Fender Jazzmaster DI with maybe kHz Transient
Mixing:
WAVES PRS V9
SLATE TH-U for compression, EQ, and reverb

SYNTHS
All VI from Slate packs using ANA

DRUMS
A combination of loops from Slate, samples from Slate, my own personal samples and Waves.

MIX BUS
Ozone 10

[VCA-089]

My submission:

phpBB [media]

WAV | FLAC | MP3

When I saw the month's theme and the cover image I thought of a character with serious mental issues like schizophrenia or split personality.

I wanted to make a song in between of postpunk, shoegaze and grunge styles for a long time. My main intention for this time was to make a song that leans towards postpunk the most. To be short, it's a lo-fi garage rock that benefits from minimalism and monotonous vocals. This is actually my first "real" song and I did vocals in the manner characteristic for this genre (the thing is that I can't do it better any way). I never ever wrote a song before (while having some ideas), but it took me around fifteen minutes while riding the bus to my job. The result reminds me of several famous songs of the early 90's (you may write which ones).

Instruments & techniques:

1. The drums are samples from Yamaha RX series drum machines (a very cheap and lo-fi);
2. The bass guitar is IK's "Modo Bass";
3. The guitars are MusicLab "RealLPC" (the distorted fuzzy rhythm guitar, the clean guitar with rotary effect and the lead guitar);
4. The synth-strings are Cherry Audio's "Polymode";
5. The vocals recorded on the phone mic, edited, pitch shifted and passed through cassette recorder emulation. It also has an echo with high feedback.
6. All instruments passed through cassette deck emulation to make "cheap amateur recording" quality.

Lyrics:

► Show Spoiler

Verse 1

My own reflection
In the broken mirror
Misprojection
Like boiling water

Chorus 1

Is that me at all?
A different shape of being
Fractured but whole
My pain

Verse 2

The broken thoughts
Tears me apart
Scattered shards
Razor sharp

Bridge

Could I gather them all?
Could I put them together?
Bring them back on the wall
Nothing is clear

Verse 3

My own reflection
In the broken mirror
Self diffraction
Shattered terror

Chorus 2

What have I become?
A different shape of being
Would I overcome?
This pain

Technical details:

► Show Spoiler

Produced in FL Studio 21

Used plugins:

Generators:

x1 FPC
x2 IK Multimedia "Modo Bass 2" (Free)
x3 MusicLab "RealLPC"
x1 Cherry Audio "Polymode"

Native effects:

x1 Balance
x1 Parametric EQ 2
x4 Delay 3
x1 Wave Candy
x1 dB Meter

VST effects:

x16 TDR & VoS "SlickEQ GE"
x12 AdHd "Leveling Tool"
x1 TDR "Kotelnikov"
x1 TDR "Nova"
x7 Thomas Mundt "LoudMax"
x1 D16 "Frontier"
x5 ToneLib "GFX"
x1 U-He "ColourCopy"
x2 Audiority "Xenoverb"
x1 VoS "epicVerb"
x1 Eventide "Blackhole"
x7 Wavesfactory "Cassette"

Master chain:

TDR "Nova"
TDR "Limiter No6"

Total:

x7 Generators
x65 Effects
x21 MIDI Patterns
x27 Mixer Tracks
x14 Audio Clips
x6 Automation Clips

[Doc Jon]

Pleased to have completed something this month as I have been away from my PC for most of the time
For this month's theme I took inspiration from the idea that AI will likely very soon be used for counselling therapy in the treatment of depression (listen -> reflect back -> listen some more etc) and the problems this may cause when the program glitches.
I found an old acapellas collection which contained a file with the female chorus line and decided to build the track around that, using my own vocal for the verse and then harmonising with the female vocal during the chorus

Production Details

► Show Spoiler

Host
Cubase 12 Pro

Vocals
Function Loops Acapellas pack
My own vocal recorded with SE Electronics X1 mic through Steinberg UR28M interface using its built in channel strip and reverb

VSTs
Drums - iZotope BreakTweaker
Additional percussion - ujam GM One
Bass - u-he ACE and Arturia CZ
Guitars - RealStrat and Steinberg Virtual Guitarist 2
Synth arps - u-he Hive
Synth pads - Steinberg Retrologue
Synth leads - ARP Odyssey (Korg)

Fx
iZotope Nectar 3 for the vocals
iZotope Vocodex and Soundtoys Little Alter Boy for the vocoder sections
iZotope Trash 2 and FabFilter Saturn 2 for distortion
FabFilter Timeless2 delay
Soundtoys Microshift
iZotope Stutter Edit and Steinberg Loopmash for the glitchy effects
Baby Audio Transit for some of the transitions
Ozone 10 on the master bus with TrackS metering and Voxengo Span keeping an eye on things

Lyrics

► Show Spoiler

Here it comes, comes again
Filling my head like a tragedy
Stealing my thoughts, stealing my emotions
Sucking my strength and my energy
Lost in shadow as the colours fade
Everything a thousand different shades of grey
Wanna shake it off but it's not so easy
Wanna flick a switch, make it go away

Prechorus
Go away, won't someone make it go away
Go away
Go away, won't someone make it go away
Go away

Chorus
All I want to be is happy where I am
All I want to be is with someone who cares
All I want to be is happy in my own head
All I want to do is live with no regrets

Here it comes, comes again
Just ain’t where I want to be
Feel so lost
Show me please which way to go

Prechorus

Chorus

[Mister Fox]

A friendly reminder:
As a one time only "grace period", I'm leaving the door for submissions open for another 1,5 hours (so until Monday, 01:30 UTC+2/CEST).

No point deductions will happen. And I am only offering that for this September.
Please get your entries submitted now. You can still edit in your documentation during the voting period.

[Mister Fox]

It is the 25th September 2023, 03:00 UTC+2/CEST - this month's Songwriting Competition has official ended


STATISTICS:

• If I didn't miscount, we have 07 submissions this month (4 entries less than last month, and also 5 entries less than September 2022)
• We have 0 submissions after the deadline (as of 25-SEP-2023 02:45 UTC+2/CEST)
• We have 0 submissions that has been disqualified (production released outside of the game's timeframe)
• We have 0 submissions that has been withdrawn
• The "staff balancing vote" add-on rule does not apply -- but special game mechanics do apply
• "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 accessible and downloadable. We then perform with the final feedback and "public vote" system.


We have 7 official participants. We are adapting the overhauled vote mechanic, as talked about in the following news blog:

Songwriting Competition - game mechanic changes: Voting Process (October 2022 Update)
(Info: I am aware that the Rule Book has not been properly updated yet. Time constraints, apologies for the inconvenience)


Summarized:

!

Bonus Info

Participants can (and must) vote for their Top 3 entries (tiered mechanic). You're furthermore asked to please reflect on your experience this month (2-3 paragraphs max), what you have learned, what you would like to do different in the future, etc. (personal growth) You are also asked to give feedback to at least three (number: 3) entries (tiered mechanic) that either stood out to you and you would like to provide some additional final thoughts, or where you could provide constructive feedback for possible improvements. To add to the learning experience of our community, it is recommended that these entries are outside of your personal "top entry" voting. Have the chance to get additional bonus points if you decide to invest the time to provide more constructive feedback than the requested minimum. It must be more than just "nice production, please keep up the good work" however. This is to boost more interaction and can balance out your overall points on the score sheet. (get 1 point if you give constructive feedback to 1-2 more participant, get 2 points if you give helpful feedback for everyone) The "Voting Process" mechanic is mandatory for all participants, and the only criteria to drop out of the game by not partaking. The overall "Bonus Point" mechanic still applies. Please update your posts with proper production documentation, most notably regarding whom you have collaborated with (as in: proper credits -- not doing so will result in a 2pt deduction on the score sheet at the end of the game). You got until the voting period has ended. Please cast your vote (not the feedback) in collective form through the "spoiler text" bbcode (button on the WYSIWYG editor that features the orange triangle with an exclamation mark in it). Please use the forum username of the participant to make it easier during the score collection to address what vote belongs to whom.

.

⚠	Moderation Message from Mister Fox
	For transparency: The staff (Mister Fox) will not give feedback to all entries and/or cast a vote this month. (unless there is a tie that can not be broken otherwise)

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, or on Discord.



Please make sure your files are accessible, and please have an eye on this thread!

[Mister Fox]

Let us kick off the VOTING PROCESS, which will end on Sunday, 01-OCT-2023 23:59 UTC+2/CEST 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.


.

"Anxiety"

"Above the Clouds"

WAV: Google Drive playback and download

"TresFasesDeLaMent"

"Shattered"



WAV: Google Drive playback and download

"Virtue Signals Demo"



MP3: Google Drive playback and download

"Broken Mirror"

WAV: Google Drive playback and download
FLAC: Google Drive playback and download
MP3: Google Drive playback and download

BONUS VIDEO:

► Show Spoiler

phpBB [media]

"Happy"

.



WITHDRAWN (not participating - feel free to give feedback, but you sadly can not vote for these entries)


<no withdrawn entries>
.



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

"My Friend The Priest"

<no bonus entries>
.



GAME MECHANIC SUMMARY:

► Show Spoiler

Please consult this news blog post regarding an overhaul to the voting mechanic. To make it simple for me for counting the votes - please use the forum usernames in your listing. Thank you!

Please also consult the previous post that features a summary for this month's mechanic (see "Bonus Info" in the red colored box).
.


This month's SWC participants giving feedback to each other is mandatory, it is the only criteria to drop out of the game by not partaking. If you have collaborated with somebody, then only the one doing the main entry needs to give feedback and vote. Bonus feedback is always welcome. However, please be open minded, objective and constructive.


INFORMATION: If you have 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 (e.g. lossless format), 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 or on Discord.


Post updated: 25-SEP-2023 21:10 UTC+2/CEST