Mix Challenge

Additional feedback is always appreciated - thank you @Ike H-mope.

It's the 03rd December 2024, 03:35 (UTC+1/CET) - the Voting Period extension has officially ended.

Unfortunately, not everyone has sent in feedback and / or cast a vote (still). We therefore have 1 disqualification.


Please no more changes to your feedback from this point forward.
I will post the results within 2-3 workdays. (this is not an automated process)


Please have an eye on this thread

Hello everyone,
One of these competitions ill get it correct. 1st submission was 086, I missed Feedback and some other mandatory things to do. And i submitted after the deadline.
Lol, This time page 3 has some feedback and later pages the rest, probably should have given a better feeling on the process description. Forgot about the Voting because believe or not, im still trying to figure how to actually use the site to post, lol. especially in the appropriate entry spots and formats. Its me, Ill get it though.
Win or not, I just love making music, Im in it for the challenge. Thank You Mister Fox, Please keep this going for years to come.

Ladies and Gentlemen, here are the results of Songwriting Competition 085

The winners podium consists of:

1. @PonySho (41 pts)
2. @OlliH (35 pts)
3. @Elcubano (28 pts)

Apologies for the waiting time, this is not an automated process.

<4 participant rule is not in use (staff comments and votes, my vote would count as bonus)
We have 1 disqualification (due to lack of feedback / a final vote)
We have 1 withdrawn entry (but counts as submission within the deadline, yet couldn't be voted for)
We have no users still in the game that tied

• no (more) users that tied

"Sole (License) Winner" rule does not apply - 3-position Winners Podium (>= 9 participants prior to the deadline)


STATISTICS SHEET:
Overview of Submissions (PDF - updated: 03-DEC-2024, full sheet)

!

Bonus Info

Short info: I am using Wavelab 10 for batch analysis, then I manually port the CSV export to a Microsoft Excel/Open Office Calc sheet with custom layout (this is not an automated process). As pointed out in this post from SWC047 / July 2021, Wavelab has different tolerances for dBTP max analysis compared to tools like iZotope RX, Youlean Loudness Meter, NUGEN Audio VisLM, etc. To find a common ground, I've implemented "allowed tolerances" (just like with the Mix Challenge). These are based upon allowed offsets mentioned in the white papers for EBU R128 and ITU-R BS.1770-4. Since no measurement tool is the same, to be on the save side, please export at -14,1 LUFS ILk max, and -1,1 dBTP max. As usual, I did list/analyze alternative releases (MP3s and FLAC). If you've submitted your entry in multiple file formats, the statistic sheet 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. In this case, FLAC and MP3 are merely for information purposes.

Here are the results as chart in image form:



Thank you so much for your participation.

⚠	Moderation Message from Mister Fox
	INFORMATION: As of January 2023, I am adapting the same voting mechanic as most other International Songwriting Competitions utilize. Nearly all of these games use(d) a 01 to 05 points system (top 5 entries) in some shape or form. The main difference to our game: these ones don't offer bonus points or penalty points, neither are they tiered (depending on the participant amount). I hope to get that properly sorted out in form of an extensive Rule Book update in the foreseeable future (serious apologies for the waiting time - there are only so many hours in the day). Breaking up a tie: There was no unbreakable tie that needed to be addressed. The fall-back mechanics were used. An explanation on the bonus points and penalty points: Due to exceeding the loudness specs, the following users could not acquire all 4pts bonus -- @R0boooo exceeded the maximum signal strength of -1,00 dBTP. I sadly had to withdraw 1pts bonus from @R0boooo and @mouse the singer for not using the filename template properly. Please check your white spaces and double-underscores in the future. In case of SoundCloud, you can name your songs different compared to the filename. Only 1pt bonus for giving feedback could be awarded to @R0boooo - feedback was only given to 6 out of 8 other participants (missing A Future in Noise and Elcubano, although there was bonus feedback for Ike H-mope. I gave A Future in Noise the option to add to the given feedback - he unfortunately opted to stick to the "bare minimum", so I can only award 0pts bonus. I sadly had to withdraw 1pt bonus from @R0boooo for not reflecting on the experience this month (feedback post). I hope you all had fun and learned something new in the process. I am also really happy about the general interaction - thanks to some dedicated participants giving feedback as the game went on, and even beyond that. Please keep it up! I hope to see even more participants in future games, which only adds to the learning aspect of our small community. Hoping for 15 participants on average throughout 2025. See you folks in the next game.

License selection:

We will now perform with the usual. Selecting of licenses is handled in public. In order of the winners podium (top spot to lowest), and only if you want to, please select one license/company out of the pool and mention it in this thread, then (important) please get in touch with me (via PM) with your full name, email address and your license selection.

As usual - you're not forced to pick up anything. You can pass and therefore offer more to select for the next person in line (if there is a spot existing / not available for "sole winner" mechanic). Just let all participants/winners/the staff know in a timely manner (within 5 days of this post). Once one company has been selected, it's out of the pool for the next person on the podium.

Since SWC084 has a 3-position Winner's Podium, we can also continue to test a possible new game mechanic that offers "low placed participants" a chance to pick up a bonus license - if somebody from the Winners Podium passes on a selection. You can read more about this in SWC083 - post #067. The follow-up post will have a summary to that concept.




I re-open the field for talking some more about each others' productions. If things drift a bit too off-topic, please use the General Gossip thread, or Discord.



See you in in the next challenge!



Songwriting Competition 087 (November 2024) has just started.
The theme is called "Strings attached", the genre is free to select (with a focus on guitars). So far there have been 0 entries.

See you there as well.

A continuation of the "Passing on Bonus Licenses" mechanic...

We've been testing this mechanic since SWC083. So far, this concept has been taken well. However, I think we can still fine-tune some things to make it more interesting and fair for everyone. One of the ideas was to "pass on to the 'runner ups' first". Great thinking, yet with a small participation amount this can also feel less fair to the lowest spots. And sometimes, a bonus license can be the right boost to elevate a production.

I would like to propose the following:

⚠	Moderation Message from Mister Fox
	INFORMATION: Starting with SWC083 - and depending on how many bonus licenses have been picked - I am now putting "passed on" license selections back into the pool and make a possible selection available for "low positioned participants". Mechanic Idea: This mechanic will be available with a 3-position (or higher) Winners Podium. This mechanic will now be tiered Tier 01 (9 to 15 participants) - the Winners Podium has 3 positions. Each passed on license will be added into a drawing pool (remaining participants), and additional winners will be selected at random Tier 02 (16 participants or more) - the Winners Podium will change from 3 to 5 positions. Each passed on license will be offered to up-to two (number: 2) "runner-ups" (position 6 and 7). Should these participants also pass on selecting something, then this passed on license will be added into a drawing pool (remaining participants), and additional winners will be selected at random. The draw is carried out using a tool such as the "Wheel of Names". Each participant is placed 5 times on the wheel and the wheel is spun 5 times. The winner of the bonus license is determined on the last spin. Once the "Podium" decided which route to go, participants in lower positions can decide upfront if they want to "pass on" a license. If this has been made clear before a draw is being done, this particular participant will not be added to the "wheel". if a randomly drawn participant also does not want to pick up a license, the "passed on" license will not be put back into the drawing pool (the offer can only be passed on once). This is to prevent an endless "draw", as this is an additional courtesy. Fine-tuning to this particular idea can still happen with future games.

We're all here to learn, grow from the experience, and spread positivity...
If this updated idea is well received, this might become a regular bonus mechanic for future games.

Let's experiment some further - until the game in January (last test run will be with SWC088 December 2024).

Congratulations to PonySho and Elcubano.

Clear and well-earned win for PonySho. He deserves to have also some bonus price as an insightful and active high quality commentator. I appreciate that very much.

Some years ago when I was a bit more active as a commentator, I noticed a strange thing: one learns more by commenting others than by receiving comments from others. When one really tries to write honest reviews, one really have to force oneself into such musical territories that one probably would never have gone into otherwise. And remember, you don't have to be musically skilled to give valuable feedback: just describe what's going on inside you when you listen to the song. For technically skilled music writers, that's more interesting than, say, a tip on how to cut a certain frequency range. And if you learn to observe what's happening inside you when you listen to music, it will automatically affect and improve your own music-making skills.

Congratulations @Elcubano and @OlliH.
A well deserved placing. I felt that both of your submissions were much better compositions than mine.
It seems that your compositions improve with every challenge - amazing actually.

To everyone else, thanks again for your diverse and interesting compositions. I REALLY love listening to new and original music and get an insight into how you pull it together. Every challenge is like a treasure trove for me.

I want to give a shout-out to @Paramnesia for their VERY indepth detail and posts about the instruments, process and more. It takes time, effort and interest to pull all that together - all with the goal of helping someone else. Top work on that!

@OlliH thanks for your comment about my commenting and feedback.
I made more of an effort in this challenge to provide useful and positive feedback, than I did in previous challenges.
And you're correct - it is rewarding to give insightful feedback, and it made me listen more carefully to the compositions.

@Mister Fox Thanks again for running the show and prioritising a positive vibe and a safe-space for on this forum.

For the prize, could I please have the Music Labs RealLPC?

I've been inspired to try it out after listening to how @OlliH used it/talked about it in his composition - thanks OlliH.