Mix Challenge

Good night,

What a pity the number of participants this month. And besides, we haven't given each other feedback so far. I am also responsible for this.
But the proposal has been very stimulating. Creating soundtracks with the freedom of not having to follow a conventional song structure has given me more comfort to create something different.
Usually my wife doesn't like the sound of the synths I use, this time she liked the sounds I chose better.

@Doc Jon, you mention that you used a template from the SWC038 competition, so this was my first time participating in this challenge. Currently, this challenge has become my greatest excuse to keep making music.
Congratulations to all of you for the work I have done.

I will give you some brief comments.

a Future In Noise__BehindTheScenes
Risky and original proposal. surprising
It really seems to accompany some images, because there is no normal structure. This is not bad considering the music that accompanies the images.
But it turns out to be too incidental to listen to alone, it's hard to follow. And it baffles me: Foley, piano, orchestra, all a bit disjointed.
In the mix I miss a little more reverberation, to place the elements in various depth spaces.

Doc Jon__BehindYou
Good start!! You already predispose to a terrifying atmosphere. I like the rhythm of the bass, also very suitable for the proposal of the month. I like guitars with synthesizer sounds as a delay.
Good work of sound environment.
If I had to criticize something, I would say that you have developed the subject a little, but this is also not a problem because your subject fits the objective that Mister Fox has asked us to do.

KukoBass__TheSleepingBeast
Nice attempt to create a menacing atmosphere with the sound effects. The piano and strings also add to this atmosphere. What I don't quite like is the trumpet, I see it more in a detective movie than a horror movie. You should play more with the reverb to create more space.
He finds the sound of the beast too repetitive.

VCA-089__Blinds
I like the slow evolution of the theme. You are approaching something mysterious.
Very cool ending, with that distant percussion and distorted bass.
Good creation of sound environment. Nice mix, I like the reverbs you used.
I couldn't say what could be improved.

becsei_gyorgy__Ghostly
As always, good work. You know how to create a great sound environment. Very fit for purpose the month.
I like voices when they sound out of tune, they make me afraid.
What I find most debatable is the cut and the change of atmosphere it causes, they seem to be a bit out of tune and the final melody doesn't connect me too much either.
But, as I told you, you have achieved the purpose of the month.

(translated with google)


This month is very difficult to choose. All the subjects are very good.

Hi,
This month, the main challenge for me was the tight time limit. I rarely use the Phase Plant synth, so it was nice to have it out again.
It was difficult to compose a complete song, I could imagine the ambient piece more like a soundtrack, so I wasn't thinking about a standard song composition. I focused more on creating general mood and atmosphere and making and using better FX.

a Future In Noise - Behind The Scenes
A definite cinematic experience, like a soundtrack to a movie (esp. cartoon).
I really liked the orchestra parts in the middle and from 2:45 onwards. Very nice motif, good orchestration. The piano and whistle intro at the beginning builds up well.
I like the darker, more melancholic melody, good breaks and unexpected instruments (brass 2:12). I liked the composition, it was interesting. Not something you're used to doing, I especially appreciate you trying new ways.

DocJon - BehindYou
Immediately captivating atmosphere, good sound effects, nice sound choices.
I would occasionally break the synth bass pulsating in the background (unexpected break or change of rhythm) because it makes the song a bit monotonous in the same tempo all the time.
Maybe this could be used to make parts of the song better.
Anyway, it's a professionally put together little song, it's totally fine. I also like the mix.

EsteveCorbera - Crescendo Terrorific
Well constructed mystical intro. I like the little discreet FXs. I like how the music box starts from 0:48 and heightens the tension. I like the change at 1:36.
The suspense at the end is quite brilliant, both in composition and instrumentation.
After the end the FXs are superfluous in my opinion (they are very different from the part before it), without them the whole work is also closed.
It is a perfect horror soundtrack with amazingly good build-up, climax and closure.

KukoBass - The Sleeping Beast
Interesting atmosphere with the snoring monster, disturbing sounds and instruments at the beginning. Which are a bit dry, need more reverb.
The trumpet sound brings in a slightly jazzy, noir atmosphere.
I like the song, but the trumpet reduces rather than enhances the tension and sense of dread. For me, its improvisation is more melancholicly soothing than suspenseful.
(If I were to joke, I'd write that the snoring monster fell asleep in a dark, smoky jazz bar towards dawn instead and and it seems is completely harmless.)
The trumpet playing itself is good, by the way. The song as pleasant dawn jazz it's entertaining. I liked.

VCA-089 - Blinds
Nice starting, great atmosphere, nice wide stereo feel.
The percussive elements are great, the synthesizer sounds are also good.
The theme itself unfolds slowly, there is no real motive. It would be great as background music for an exploratory, crawling horror PC game.
Towards the end, the tension is given by the percussive elements, the synthesizer motif is a bit restrained, it is too much in the background in the wide stereo space. Perhaps I would strengthen this more, leaving not only the drums to increase the tension.

Each song was interesting, I liked that you had completely different ideas about the topic.

A friendly reminder:
We're in the final 24 hours to submit your feedback and cast your vote.


Please check post #016 regarding the feedback and voting mechanic. Please don't let yourself be put at a disadvantage by not participating (fully). The Songwriting Competition lives from the given feedback towards each other.

Outside feedback is welcome, of course.

This time I found (once again) that dark music and particularly the suspenseful ambient/electronic is my thing. I have a lot of drafts similar to my entry and I could make a whole discography of such music. But I don't really know for sure that people are gonna like it. Is this music could be described as "enjoyable" and some one could add it to the playlist like any other songs, or it belongs to the realm of cinematic and video-game soundtracks only?

My feedback:
Voting:

What I learned this month:
Feedback:
Voting:

It's the 02nd November 2023, 03:00 (UTC+1/CET) - the Voting Period has officially ended.

Everyone has sent in feedback and cast a vote, we therefore have no disqualification.


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


Please have an eye on this thread

Ladies and Gentlemen, here are the results of Songwriting Competition 074

The winners podium consists of:

1. @EsteveCorbera (57 pts)
2. @VCA-089 (55 pts)
3. @Doc Jon (54 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 0 disqualifications (due to lack of feedback / a final vote)
We have 0 withdrawn entries (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 apply - 1-position Winners Podium (<= 8 participants prior to the deadline)


STATISTICS SHEET:
Overview of Submissions (PDF - updated: 03-NOV-2023, 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). Breaking up a tie: There were no ties that needed to be broken. An explanation on the bonus points and penalty points: no bonus points have been withdrawn I did however opt to give everyone at least 1pt bonus for more fleshed out feedback this month Quick general thoughts on the entries (that doesn't fit anywhere else): While the idea is to "just make music", the task was still to tell a story that might send chills down one's spine. Some of you actually managed to do that. But there were indeed some entries that felt more like "detective suspense" stories (e.g. @ A Future in Noise and @KukoBass -- it's the instrumentation, really), while the rest was definitely more soundtrack oriented (especially @Doc Jon -- which had such an amazing twist in the end, or @EsteveCorbera -- which had a nice Carpenter-esque entry blended with some upbeat David Newman-type influences, @VCA-089 went full 1980s Carpenter style, and @becsei_gyorgy really embodied the topic "atmosphere"). Which isn't bad, mind you. You all made music in the first place, so you are therefore already winners in my book. I'm just pointing out that there was a specific task to handle. Maybe have an eye on that for SWC075 / November. Overall, you have all done an amazing job, despite the low participation. Please continue to spread the word, maybe we can get back to more than 10 participants on avg for the last two games of the year. See you folks in the next game.

License selection:

We will now perform with the usual. Selecting of licenses is handled in public. Please select one license/company out of the pool (in order of the winners podium) 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). Once one company has been selected, it's out of the pool for the next person on the podium.



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 075 (November 2023) is still in full swing.
So is the Sample Collection Thread for SWC077 / January 2024 (Community Scramble).

There is currently no entry for either.

Congrats @EsteveCorbera! Well deserved!

After many challenges, I finally managed to win one. I am very happy.
The truth is that if he was able to win it is thanks to you. Not because you voted for me, but because you have spent a lot of time helping me learn to make music, creativity, producing, mixing, mastering...
You taught me a lot!! I would even say that most of the things I know are thanks to you (and some courses and tutorials I've seen there).
I am very happy that you liked my song of the month of October.

As a prize I want to choose:
Luftrum Bioscape

Thank you so much
See you at the next challenge.

This type of feedback really makes me happy.

And this is what our small community is about: learning, and growing from the experience. Glad to read that this worked out for you in the long run.


I also already responded to your license request.
As usual, I'll leave the game threads open for additional feedback and interaction.