My Reflection
This is my first time in a song competition on Mix Challenge. I'm grateful for the opportunity because it pushed me to be productive. I wrote the chords/sang the melody on an acoustic guitar in just a few minutes, initially. Then, I refined the tune and wrote some lyrics. As I said in my initial post, I really didn't like the song later in the process because it sounded way too cliched, but I believe there's great value in seeing stuff through to the end.
I also wrote this song style (not my chosen style) as a personal challenge to create something of substance within a limited time frame. I usually stress over the details, particularly with mixing/balancing, but I just let that go for this project - it was quite uncomfortable for me. My mix is very substandard, as is the production, lyric choice, vocal phrasing and arrangement.
I know this sounds like an apology for turning out substandard work, but when you work in the mindset of 'limitation leads to innovation,' with a clear mandate (write a radio-friendly song in 5 minutes) it can be quite revealing what you're forced to create. For example, besides the time limit to write the song, I limited the range of instruments and didn't allow myself to use any ear candy sounds. I limited myself to one drum loop with a couple of drum fills. I didn't allow myself to use any other voices but my own.
Anyway, I had fun, and it was satisfying to finish and submit something. I especially enjoyed hearing the music of others on the forum. It's fascinating to me how we've all interpreted and been inspired to create a piece of music from a single photo.
Great work, everybody. I take my figurative hat off to you all!
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MY VOTES from 1 being my favourite
1 Doc Jon - City 17
2 VCA-089 - I Walk Alone
3 Elcubano - Leave
4 TrojakEW - Light in A Dark
5 EsteveCorbera - Passejada Tots Tres
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FEEDBACK
VCA-089 - I WALK ALONE
A good punchy-sounding track with a great balance. Good contrast between sections like the change at 1.13 where the musical vibe hangs for a moment, then at 1.18 with the progression change adds a nice musical build. I like the width and spaciousness in this track. The change at 1.55 has a sinister vibe. This sounds like a movie soundtrack - in a good way. I was hoping that there might have been a melodic line to really hook me in but I feel like that wasn't your intention with this piece of music.
If I picture somebody walking to this song, it seems like a confident, almost arrogant individual with a clear destination in mind. I like the way you've settled the kick and snare well into the track but still kept them punchy. Great work. Remember, it's only an opinion.
ESTEVECORBERA - PASSEJADA TOTS TRES
I like the texture of elements at the beginning of this song. There is an interesting disharmony at 0.55 that creates a lot of tension - not sure if this was intentional, but if not, I'd call that a happy accident :-). The emotion I'm getting is a kind of vanilla daydream, like there's no angst or emotion, just a 'chilled out stroll with nothing on my mind' kinda vibe. I did find the two-chord progression a little mundane (sorry!) like the music just rocked back and forward and didn't really take me on much of a journey. However, it's a relaxing and well organised piece that I enjoyed - thanks. Again, a nice soundtrack vibe. Great work and remember, it's only an opinion.
KUKOBASS - SUMMER EVENING BRAKE
I like the real acoustic drum sound and the spacial depth that puts them further back into the mix right at the start, but I would have liked the drums to be a little more prominent. Another relaxed and chilled-out instrumental. I liked how the progression moved to new places - this kept the song interesting. I thought the acoustic guitar sample was a bit loud in the mix and kind of floated above the rest of the instrumentation. Anyway, really good work and remember, it's only my opinion.
ELCOBANO - LEAVE
I really like the intro to this song. It builds tension and the expectation of good things to come. The female harmonies were a nice touch. I felt that the electric guitar solo was fighting with the vocals. The soloing was SO GOOD that it should have been made a feature, as in, those vocals stop and the guitar steps into the limelight as a lead element. I would have preferred a little contrast/relief earlier in the song by way of some variation in the arrangement. The chord progression gave a strong emotional sense of yearning - it's awesome to be able to impart any emotion through music so well done. The song finishes abruptly on a snare hit, which I like because it's unexpected. Great work. Remember, it's only an opinion.
DOC JON - NATURE'S THERAPY
Initially, I didn't connect with this song, but as it progressed it seemed very much like a Beatle's song without the vocals, which I quickly appreciated. I found the chord progression to be a bit overused (1-5-4?), but I really do like the way the song builds, especially with the climatic bagpipe solo at 2.10. This is a well organised arrangement of instrumentation that develops into a full and interesting production with lots of space and depth. You've really handled frequency masking well in the mix. I like the many different melodic and pad elements that have clearly been crafted with some effort. Quite an uplifting piece of music. I had this feeling of the 'elation of a homecoming' vibe. I think a lot of effort has been put into this track. Great work and commendable effort IMO.
TROJAKEW - LIGHT IN A DARK
What really appeals to me about this song is the Middle Eastern vibe of the female voice. I was hoping there would be more of this vocal and I felt a bit disappointed when it stopped at around 0.34 seconds in. I like the balance of the percussion/drums - punchy but nicely mixed. The guitar solo at 1.04 was pleasant, prominent and nicely balanced in the mix. As the song progressed, I wished that there might have been a bit more movement in the chord progression as this song remained on essentially one chord throughout. I got a slightly solemn and 'groundhog day' vibe from this track - not a criticism just a comment on my experience of the emotion I got from listening - if that's what you were going for, then great! You nailed it! Great work and remember, it's only an opinion.
CHASEY24 - THE STROLL
It was good to hear a blues entry in this competition. It liked how the blues progression transitioned into a jazz-style chord progression as the song developed at around 1.25 - this added a freshness to the production. However, I think the song could have been improved if it avoided the 'always on' syndrome that plagues so much music, that is, having all instruments playing non-stop from start to finish. There's so much magic in contrasting song sections; less elements in the verses and more in the choruses...light and shade, if you like. I would have loved to hear a melodic hook that the song kept returning to. To add realism to your sax, it's good to have a bit more space between runs to simulate a real player taking a breath. It's clear that a lot of effort has gone into your song based on the many instruments playing. I'd love to hear this song played by a real band! Please take my comments with a pinch of salt and keep on pushing yourself to make great music.
How do we go from there?
