Mix Challenge

We are trying something new!

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, valid for February 2023).
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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.

Arelem "First Wrld Problems":

Great tune. I love the irony in it. The lyrics and rap are awesome, I got lonely island vibes. The beat is Good, I think it could be a little bit more punchy and it has a Deep base pedal note in the chorus that bothers me, maybe a little more dynamics and a Melody would’ve helped the chorus stand up.

denny7794 "W$W"

Very naughty and corky, it has something of value, it’s unique. I think, mix-wise it can improve. Bass and kick are not very punchy in the low end and I feel every element it’s on its own song but they are not blending in the mix. Maybe Little compression and a parallel and short reverb ( 7-15ms predelay) Will make the beat sound more together.

KukoBass Trapped In My Head

I can’t find a genre to fit this. The sound and timbre choose it’s very odd. I like mostly everything except for the strings. At the end when the strings disappear, it sounds a like liquid drum and bass tune and there I find it interesting. With a melodic rap, it would be an awesome track.

The Exponent Haters

Excellent. This song bangs. I like the beat and strings. IMO, the bells are just too childish, they don’t fit quite well in the aggressiveness of the rest of the song. Maybe, staying with brass timbres, like in the buildup and chorus would be a nice replacement for the bells. The build-up is just amazing when the chorus hits it’s just incredible.

Ronson79 "Was"

Good vibes, I like german rapping even if don’t get anything. The snare timbre takes me away from the vibe, it’s too dry and the same every time. Maybe blending with other simples every two or four hits or playing with automation (loudness, attack, reverb, etc). Maybe a breakdown or a build-up (like the one in the exponent song) would help carry the energy on until the end.

Mellow Browne "TrapHouse"

Nice beat. Drum samples are very good altogether. Especially the kick, it has interesting parts and when it comes, you bounce your head immediately. I would pick something more organic for the background synth. The arpeggios are interesting but I hear too much resonance in the uppermid frequencies that distract me a lot Maybe adding more effects would help, but I’ll try it with a more "plucky" sound that has less decay and sustain time, something more rhythmic.


EsteveCorbera_ LaRutinaDiaria.

Has an interesting vibe. Drum samples maybe can be improved in timbre and dynamics, they sound like every other sample template. I think the vibe it’s not very gangster but it has a happy vibe I dig. In the end, it gets very interesting with those plucks, but the drums are staying the same, maybe changing the drum patterns to make it follow the energy of the song.

Treyt Captive.


Woah, dude, you have talent. If this is your time rapping, you have Flow and bar spitting in your DNA. The rapping style reminded me a lot of epic rap battles of history, very artistic and theatrical. The beat is well-rounded, it has interesting parts and nice melodies and timbres. The only thing I hear that I would try to change is: It sounds very squashed, very compressed, and crying for dynamics. But I can’t say more, it’s just awesome.

JeroenZuiderwijk "leegpapier"
Chaotic but very artistic. Delays are just killing me, I’m just hoping for a breakdown and a part where everything just rounds itself but it’s never coming. Just more and more chaos, lol. That’s why I don’t get why it ends like that, like fading away. I thought the intention was to stay in that kind of high energy and chaos but in the end, I got the opposite.

1-Treyt - "Captive"
2-The Exponent - "Haters"
3-Ronson79 - "Was"
4-Arelem- "First Wrld Problems":
5-Mellow Browne - "TrapHouse"