SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC079 March 2024 - Winners announced

[TrojakEW]

This challenge is different. At least on my side of it.
First: Considering myself more of a proghead (uh? synthwave, what's up?), I realised (by a serious look on my HD) that I own tons of albums considered (somehow) related to synthwave. Well, then that ain't bad at all.

Well this have definitely synthwave vibe but ...

Even round before your description about tools used to make the tracks is almost non existing so my question is

So there are samples from these departments: drums, bass, synths (kinda obvious), sequences, pads, mallet (bells), FX and voices.
Carefully mixed and aligned and (partly) processed.

What does it mean? There is no instrument used in the list? What samples? Loops? Because based on this limited description it looks like you use loops. Just want to make sure before I will say anything. So if you can please elaborate bit more about tools you used. Thank you.

[APi_ZZ]

@TrojakEW
I use rows of samples with lengths of up to several bars, so the term loops is totally fitting as well.
No tools are in use besides basic DAW manipulations (pitch shifting, time stretching and FXing like reverb or EQing).
There then are ten tracks with finally some simple mixing applied (volume levels, panning), nothing fancy.
The final stereo FLAC goes through Audacity for adjustment of LUFS. That's it.

[TrojakEW]

This round was fun, but also struggle for me. Even I do a lot of electronic/synth music I have never try to go for particular style. So let me show you the result of this challenge. I have listened to a lot of synthwave music in order to get some pointers. I always create hybrid and this track is not exception. As some soundtrack from 80's incorporate different non synthetic instruments I decide to do so too. Just some high strings and Damage 2 drums to bring some more flavor to it. I was lucky to have Retrowave library that was become foundation, including LinnDrum drum machine. The rest is experimentation, sound design with some other libraries and synth sounds. I have also tried to use Lunaris 2 that I get in previous round.



Made using FL Studio 20.6
Kontakt Instruments used:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4x SplashSound Retrowave
1x Impact Soundworks Sonic Forest
1x 8Dio Hybrid Tools 1
1x 8Dio Hybrid Tools 4
1x 8Dio Hybrid Tools Neo 2
1x Heavyocity Damage 2
2x Orchestral Tools Metropolis Ark 4
1x Output Substance
2x Output Signal
2x Rigid Audio Atheos
1x Rigid Audio Perception
2x Luftrum Lunaris 2

Used Effects:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1x Izotope Ozone 10
1x Noveltech Character
1x Pro Audio DSP DSM V3
3x Fruity Filter
1x Fruity Peak Controller
10x zOne.sk Arx One
2x Izotope Neutron 4 Equalizer,

Statistics (Izotope RX 10):
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Max momentary loudness -9.0 LUFS
Max short-tem loudness -12.2 LUFS
Integrated loudness -14.1 LUFS
Loudness range 4.6 LU
True peak L -1.11dB
True peak R -1.11dB

[Mister Fox]

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

So far, we have 4 entries, and some interaction (also on Discord). Please keep it up!



If you want to access the extended game mechanics of the Songwriting Competition (asking for feedback during production), please try to release your first edits within the next 3 to 4 days to have enough time to get possible feedback (if needed/wanted) and continue to work on your song. Please also remember, vocals are not mandatory -- instrumentals are just as welcome.

And to those sitting on the fence - please don't feel scared off and think "the bar is set too high, I will never make it" - set yourself a shorter private deadline. Just make music, submit your entry, join the conversation. See where this goes.

By joining, you're already a winner. The rest is bonus.

[becsei_gyorgy]

Hi

I haven't listened to much synthwave so far, but now I've tried to join the nostalgia month.
I experimented with the synthesizers until I finally managed to get almost every track to be played by a different synthesizer. It may not be very elegant, but that's how it was done.
I stuck to the traditional synthwave basics. Simple A minor scale, simple 1-6-4-5 chord progression, if I remember correctly.
Nothing too complicated, which I tried to be authentic with

phpBB [media]

► Show Spoiler

VST:
Algonaut Atlas
KORG Polysix
Arturia Mini V3
Arturia EMU II
Softube Model 84
Softube Model 82
UAD PolyMax
bx_oberhausen
Kontakt 6 (Ethera Gold)

FX:
Pro-Q3
Neold U17
UAD LA2A
Shaperbox 3
SSL Drumstrip
Decapitator
Saturn 2
Echoboy
U-he ColourCopy
Valhalla VintageVerb
Liquidsonics HDCart
PanCake2

Oxford EQ
Fabfilter Pro-MB
Ocford Limiter
Ozone 11
IK Teac A-6100
TDR Limiter GE
SPAN
Tonal Balance Control
Youlean LM

[Mister Fox]

I've just caught up on listening to all entries. And I do hope that those that either posted on Discord, or reached out to me in private, will also eventually post on the forum.

There is a tendency to go "more 1980s", which is nice to hear. The biggest thing that stands out though with all entries, is the balance of instrumentation vs the beat section (in one entry the snare is a bit loud, in another the kick feels a bit thin).


Which brings me to the following.

... For this month's theme/genre, I struggled a little bit because I'm not a fan of synth-wave in particular. However, I was able to make something that I really think came out great! It is a cross between mid-tempo and synth-wave.

First and foremost, great to have you back.

Your entry is indeed a nice attempt at something you're not a fan of, but you did step out of your comfort zone. So that is already a win in my book. The only feedback I'd like to give here, is to look at your instrumentation balance, and maybe consider using a different kick drum.

As of the moment, the kick is way too overpowering and the distorted bass is the "leading sound". "Synthwave" (umbrella term) is more rounded out / mellow. Unless you go hard-hitting like French "Retro-Wave"/EDM type productions. But even then, these songs tend to have a DMX type kick drum with the synths that cover the mid-frequency being more distorted.

Since we still have more than 4,5 days left on the clock, you can still fine-tune things at your own discretion.


05 entries so far. I'm curious if we can exceed 10 this month again.

[Arelem]

The only feedback I'd like to give here, is to look at your instrumentation balance, and maybe consider using a different kick drum.

As of the moment, the kick is way too overpowering and the distorted bass is the "leading sound". "Synthwave" (umbrella term) is more rounded out / mellow. Unless you go hard-hitting like French "Retro-Wave"/EDM type productions. But even then, these songs tend to have a DMX type kick drum with the synths that cover the mid-frequency being more distorted.

Since we still have more than 4,5 days left on the clock, you can still fine-tune things at your own discretion.

Thanks for the feedback. I'll see if I can find something suitable. At this point I've spent so much time on the track with it the way it is I fear a different kick might never sound quite right. I'll try leaving it for a day or two and hopefully, that will distance me from its current iteration enough to let me be more objective.

[Doc Jon]

I have tried to create a synthwave track incorporating some classic sounds of the 70s and 80s including vintage drum machine samples, string machines, Vox Humana, various simple polysynth patches and an assortment of chiptune percussion/sound Fx. All heavily quantized and with no velocity variation, all served up at 120bpm
I also took inspiration from those songs in the early years of sampling when news speech was a popular addition to synth tracks, and as Greenpeace came into the public eye at around the same time I decided to go with the perhaps slightly more modern topic of climate change

**Please be aware there are a couple of F-bombs in the lyrics

Lyrics

► Show Spoiler

Death By Degrees

Cranking up the heat
We all do as we please
The temperature is rising
And the world is on its knees
Take away the oceans
Then take away the trees
The earth has got a fever
And man is the disease

We saw the warnings but we chose to ignore them
Now tell your kids how we f***** it up for them
We have this world but we choose to pollute it
We might as well just take a gun out and shoot it
Upward spiral going to the top
Temperature rising, never gonna stop
Heading to destruction baby, how long ‘til we drop
Pushing past the limit baby, something gonna pop

Cranking up the heat
We all do as we please
The temperature is rising
And the world is on its knees
Take away the oceans
Then take away the trees
The earth has got a fever
And man is the disease

We seem to act like the world should admire us
When all the time we behave like a virus
Sky high fever, we’re the f****** disease
Warming up the planet causing death by degrees
Upward spiral going to the top
Temperature rising, never gonna stop
Heading to destruction baby, how long ‘til we drop
Pushing past the limit baby, something gonna pop

Never
Gonna
Stop

Tech specs

► Show Spoiler

Host
Cubase 13 Pro

VST
Drums/Percussion - iZotope BreakTweaker, AudioThing miniBit
Synths - Tone2 Saurus, GForce impOSCcar 2, Arturia Solina, u-he Zebra HZ
Spoken words - https://elevenlabs.io/ using climate change information from National Geographic website
Vocals - Dreamtonics Synthesizer V (Solaria and Ritchie)

Fx
FabFilter Timeless delay
Fabfilter Saturn saturation
iZotope Trash 2 distortion
iZotope Nectar 4 on vocals
SoundToys Microshift stereo spread
Voxengo MSED
Baby Audio Transit
Valhalla Room reverb
iZotope Ozone 11 on master
IK Multimedia TRackS metering and Voxengo Span keeping an eye on things

[EsteveCorbera]

Dear fellow challengers and Mister Fox.

This is my track of the month

Description.
It's a tribute to the computer games of the 80s. With a sound that starts out drier and older, and evolves into a more modern sound as the game progresses.

Game and track structure:

• Loading the game

• Start of the game

• First level

• Second level

• Bonus screen

• Third level

• Fourth level

• End

In the end, I was left with something nice, with no more pretensions than to make a reminder of my teenage years.

Thank you colleagues.

(translated with google)




Equipment:
DAW:
Reason 12.7.4d3

Reason Instruments:
NN-XT Advanced Sampler
Layers Waves Edition
Europa Shapeshifting Synthesizer

Reason Effects:
RV7000 MkII Advanced Reverb
The Echo
Quartet Chorus Ensemble
Sweeper Modulation Effect
Pulveriser Demolition Unit
MClass Stereo Imager
Channel EQ

Reason Players:
Scales & Chords
Dual Arpeggio

Reason Utilities:
Combinator
Mixer 14:2
Pulsar Dual LFO

Reason Packs (like Presets):
Expressive Arpeggios Vol 2
BV-X Game Voices

Reason Rack Extension:
Kilohearts AB kHs Frequency Shifter (Effect)
Kilohearts AB kHs Gain (Effect)

Other instruments outside of Reason:
UJAM Beatmaker VICE
Arturia CZ V
Arturia DX7 V
Arturia SQ80 V
PluginBoutique VirtualCZ
Bedroom Producers Blog BPB64
NilsSchneider NilsK1v

Other effects outside of Reason:
AIR Music Tech Creative FX Collection Diffuser Delay
Antares DUO Automatic Vocal Double
Denise Audio My Crush

Samples:
https://elevenlabs.io/text-to-speech (Male voices)
Blastwave FX Old School Video Games
Retro_FX Samples
Soundtrack Loops C64 Adventure

Other tools:
Plugin Boutique Scaler2
Evabeat Melody Sauce 2
iZotope Ozone 9
Plugin Alliance SPL HawkEye
HoRNet Plugins HoRNet VHS

[Chasey24]

Good Day Everyone!

Just to be clear, the artist name I go by is "Jerry Payne", but my forum name is "Chasey24".

Here's the final edited link to my submission:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/mgsw2dkg ... 0zkpf&dl=0

I actually grew up listening to a lot of "Synthwave"(yes, I'm older than dirt). I'm sure it has had some influence on my composing style. I went through my usual routine of composing for this competition using Cubase 11. This consisted of researching, assembling a chord progression or two, expanding on the idea, melody writing, supporting parts, etc. I chose to structure with an intro, verse x 2, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, verse, chorus x2, outro. I then added some effects and "ear candy". Once I was happy with the overall mix, I mastered in Ozone 9.

Virtual Instruments:
Dexed
Retrowave
DR-84
DP-06
Retroverse light
Vital Synth
Resonate
Portal
Twenty-Five
Factory Library 2 Arcade kit
HW Backup Singers
Solaris Guitar
Retromania
Synthetic Materials

Vst FX:
Valhalla Supermassive
Neutron 4
S Doubler
Century tube Channel strip
Native Drumstrip
Native Flexverb
OTT
AutoPan
Brightness Panner
EC300
Trueverb
NA Doubler
Objeq Delay
Little Plate
Replika
Digital multiply

Also used some WAV SFX and voice files.

Had a lot of fun with this, and I look forward to your feedback!
Edit: Thanks to valuable feedback I received from Mister Fox, I was able to give my drums a little more presence in this mix, as well as tame some of the HF information.