Mix Challenge

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).
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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. Please also do not just collect feedback, and give nothing in return. The concept of the Songwriting Competition is interaction and "learning by doing". 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.

1 PonySho, LittleBlueShips
2 EsteveCorbera, AlTornarDeLaFeina
3 Elcubano, Distress
4 Koekepan
5 Dasein, Black Sunset Updated

APi_ZZ: Conciliation
Hi APi_ZZ. At 6.56s long, your track sure gives the listener lots to enjoy. I like the track, particularly the choir harmonies. I appreciate how smoothly one note transitions to another. The flute occupies a great spot as the focal point, but I think the melody lines feel like basic riffs. I'd like to hear the flute play a 'hooky' melody that anchors the song for the listener. As I stated in a previous comment, I feel that the song needs contrast so that the sonic texture changes and creates more interest for the listener. I think only a few tweaks could make this track outstanding.


burakxmusic: Echoes Of The Night
This track is very engaging with its rhythmic start. From the beginning, this song reminds me of Massive Attack, mostly because of the synth sound and the clean airy female vocals. I appreciate the way the topline melody is unwavering by the interaction of the lead vocal and the lead synth. To my ears, you are very sensitive to melody when songwriting, which I think is critical when crafting an engaging track. The track also has a lot of contrast, for example, at 0.49 there's a needed break from the singing and you have perfectly placed a percussive/pulsing pad turnaround. Well done. The only negatives for me are that the song is too short at 2.03, the song ends abruptly (I get that this could be deliberate but it feels like the song still has more to offer), and the lead vocals really need a bit of tuning for this pop style (the singing is consistently flat). One more gripe (sorry!) listening felt a little uncomfortable because the mix sounds lopsided. But don't get me wrong, the positives far outweigh the negatives. I really like this track and understand the effort that went into it. Kudos to your singer, she sounds great.


Dasein: Black Sunset
I find this track interesting in a peculiar way. The timing of the guitar playing is inconsistent, but that could be deliberate to create tension - which it does. The dramatic pauses at the end of each turnaround are interesting as they create tension while wondering what is happening next. The layering and the panning moving across the stereo field also create an interesting effect. Then the strings get introduced. This is another musical piece that screams 'movie soundtrack' to me. There are odd progressions that come in around 3m into the track. These progressions, textural changes and tempo variations give me a strong sense of emotional turmoil. I appreciate how this track makes me feel. On the not-so-plus side, the track sounds a bit like a musical jam, as if there's nothing that anchors the listener in terms of a repeating motif. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. Whatever your method is, I think it's successful in terms of creating an emotional vibe.


Elcubano: Distress
I like this track a lot. I love how it builds with each turnaround, particularly when it reaches 0.34 with the full band sound. The repeating melody guitar riff really anchors the song melodically for me. Great contrast occurs throughout the track with the simple arrangement changes. And just when the gat solo was getting a bit too jammy for me, you returned to the original solo melody but added a harmony layer. This track has all the hallmarks of a great piece of professional songwriting. And, the perfect length for radio. I don't want to comment on the mix other than to say that the song is translated well by the mix.


EsteveCorbera: Al Tornar De La Feina
You’ve clearly put a lot of thought into your track with all the layering you’ve done. The track has a soundscape feel to my ears. If I could suggest one thing, it would be to introduce some contrast throughout. Right now, the track maintains the same texture and energy all the way through, which could benefit from a bit of variety. You might consider switching up the arrangement at certain points—reducing the instrumentation, using warmer tones, bringing in fresh sounds, or adding some rhythmic elements. I noted a few spots of disharmony that appear to happen at some chord changes, e.g., at 2.02s. Again, this might be by design if your aim is to create tension.


Koekepan: Misguided Meditations
First off, I love the originality of this track. The distorted narrative under the music. The music is simple with minimal elements, which I think is perfect as a complex arrangement that could be distracting from the vocal narrative. I liked the distortion and lower level of the narrative because you forced me to listen hard to hear what was being said. However, I found the narrative to be excessively academic in the way that much of it made little sense to me (I read through the lyrics in your original post). It almost seemed like the text was generated by AI or taken straight from a psychologist's reference text. (BTW, I'm not accusing you of using GenAI). I thought the track was a bit long at almost 5 minutes duration. This is perhaps the most unique track submitted for this competition. Also, it was cool to see your gear setup - thanks for sharing an insight into your workflow.


TrojakEW: Mind Prison
Nice to hear another track from you, TrojackEW :-). The song has a warm and inspiring intro with the synthscape and 'yearning' vocal. It's very emotive. I closed my eyes while listening, and it transported me to the Scottish Highlands, of all places!!! So, to me, immediately your music is screaming 'movie soundtrack.' I liked the gentle transition between chords - such an easy flow. Unfortunately, at 1.42, the track is too short. I was a bit disappointed because the music was clearly developing into something bigger and better, but it never arrived. I think you have great potential and you could surely develop your songs further and make them A LOT better in the process. I agree with OlliH that it sounded like a taster/sample for a client. I suggest you aim for 3m - 3.30s for your next song...radio style!


OlliH - Tammomen
This is a very mainstream-sounding production suitable for radio with its fairly standard progression, format, and 3.09 duration.
Nice work, and thanks for taking the time to translate your lyrics - I read these as I played the song, and it was far more engaging to 'hear' the lyrics in English. The descending progression at the bridge prior to the solo at 1.58 was a great refresher. Well done.

#1 Elcubano: Distress
#2 TrojakEW: Mind Prison
#3 burakxmusic: Echoes Of The Night
#4 Koekepan: Misguided Meditations
#5 Dasein: Black Sunset

For this competition, I wanted to try something a bit different from the type of song I would normally write. However, it didn't turn out as differently as I had intended; I really wanted to song to sound a little more weird/odd. I guess I'm a bit locked into my own ways. I'll try and fix that for the next competition.
One new thing I tried was creating a rhythm by sidechaining a kick drum pattern to the bass tone in the verses.
The other difference was having a call-and-return between the lead vocal and the backing vocals while having the lead vocal up front in the mix and the BVs sitting backwards a little deeper into the mix.
I regret that I didn't have the time to get the mix sounding the way I wanted it; the kick drum was a little overbearing in some parts, and the midrange sounded weak. I used a Haas effect plugin to set the panoramic position the guitars, but the density of the mix made them sound too vague and blurry. I should have used standard panning for punchier and more precise positioning.
I was very happy with my lyrics - something I enjoy. Thanks for taking the time to listen and critique.

burakxmusic "Echoes In The Night"

Sound Design: Solid derivations of modern dance/pop sounds, and nicely delivered vocals.
Harmony: Straightforward, but nothing wrong with that.
Melody: Pleasant, good voice leading but without a strong leading element that should emerge from the vocals.
Composition: Solid modern stuff. The abrupt ending lets it down a bit. There should have been a better outro that wraps it up - instead it just loses momentum and stops.
Theme: Unfortunately, this doesn't really seem to capture the theme much. It feels like a dance track, it sounds like a dance track, I could easily see it playing in the early evening in a goth/EBM club. It's not bad, it just doesn't stake its position well.

3.5/5

TrojakEW "Mind Prison"

Sound Design: Nice! From the first bent notes it draws me in. It paints a picture that opens the mind's eye.
Harmony: We're definitely stepping up here. It's not a simple progression but one that moves everything forward.
Melody: Excellent choice of vocal work, with the lilts lending it some shape and variation.
Composition: I wanted more. It's shot - which isn't a showstopper, but it feels incomplete. It feels like a prelude, but without a conceptual sonata to follow. This is a shame.
Theme: The connection to the theme here is very tenuous. It's not inimical to the theme, but it feels like any lament.

3/5

APi_ZZ "Conciliation"

Sound Design: I have gripes. The opening bass rumble feels out of keeping with the other design elements. This also leads me to question other elements of the sound, because it feels, to be generous, very syncretic, very theosophic. I hear middle eastern overtone strings, I hear european choral elements, I hear metallic percussion from further east, and while everything does blend well in the mix it feels, without context to bind it together, rather like a burglar's bag of mismatched oddities.
Harmony: Lovely - even the dissonances sound intentional and ultimately resolved.
Melody: A bit aimless and wandering. As musical meditation, it works, but as a deliberate presentation of a musical idea it's weak. I like meandering lines, don't get me wrong, but this feels more like a jam band after the fourth or fifth passing of the bong than an offered idea.
Composition: It is not empty. But it is also not purposeful. If the purpose of music is to communicate a sense of emotion, place or occasion then you have successfully communicated something other than the intended theme, and even that you presented ambiguously.
Theme: I get the antithesis to the stated theme; I get a place of peace, in which the silent screams would wash away.

2/5

Dasein "Black Sunset"

Sound Design: Guitar and strings; a winner with me. Simple, workable, respectable. I'm happy.
Harmony: A little unconventional without being outlandish. It captures the attention without grating. This is good.
Melody: This is not a very melody-forward piece, but it works as such because it leaves the mind space to find melodies in the structured context that it offers.
Composition: It has a structure, and it stays true to that structure without being bound by it. It also has a direction. It communicates opening, internal divisions, and closing. This is good.
Theme: The combination of the sonic structure and the title tells me what is going on here, and I can work with this as a source of thematic connection. It isn't just a tune cast adrift and while it is not always the strongest connection, it is one that tells a consistent story.

4/5

Elcubano "Distress"

Sound Design: Another band-feeling song, in its way. Still, a well-structured one that tells me that I could be in front of a stage, listening to this being delivered. The sonic landscape also develops well, and this is a good thing. I want lyrics on this. It's just begging for a lyricist to scream - but that is silence. Intentional? I don't know. I almost want a youtube challenge to vocalists to put something on top of this.
Harmony: Solid, on point, works well for melodic metal.
Melody: Yup, it's there, it's clear, and it tells its story.
Composition: It is what it sets out to be, and it's pretty good at that. It didn't quite make me want to throw up the horns, and the delivery felt restrained, but it was a good choice.
Theme: Definitely on-theme, no complaints here.

4.5/5

EsteveCorbera " Al Tornar De La Feina"

Sound Design: Very cinematic. Very Hollywood. Well done.
Harmony: Good use of tension, while not stepping outside convention.
Melody: This is a weak point. It doesn't really have a melody as explored other than as a top line of the harmonies, and as such loses some of its impressiveness. This makes it feel like a Vangelis pastiche, without remembering that Vangelis often had really clear motifs and melodies at work.
Composition: It's through-composed in its way, and this works, but it also mostly moves through sound design and harmonic shifts. This makes it sound more cinematic because much music for cinema leaves room for dialogue.
Theme: It's largely thematic, but doesn't strongly state its position in the theme. It could have had more here.

3/5

PonySho "Little Blue Ships"

Sound Design: Nice - we're in prog rock territory here, and I like it. The good quality of the mix helps to deliver the sounds well, and that counts.
Harmony: Oh yeah - prog rocking along.
Melody: Clear, well-shaped, like it. It changes shape with the progress of the song. Good stuff.
Composition: Well-constructed and well-considered. I would have liked a better coda, but this is my biggest gripe so far.
Theme: Good work. I get it - almost as a sort of internal monologue, and it paints a picture of where someone is.

4.5/5

OlliH "Tämmönen"

Sound Design: Nice work. It sounds as if it could be delivered by a live band in a bar, and works well. This communicates a feeling that lends to the whole.
Harmony: Really nice. Uncomplicated, but again it feels like a bar band song, and goes well at that.
Melody: Still, the feeling of integrity goes well with great voice leading, carried through the turn at about 2:00.
Composition: Once more, uncomplicated but true to its genre. My only real complaint is that the genre itself is sufficiently broad in its application that going by sound alone, this could as easily have been a song about how you'll see every dog you ever have die, except the last. This again isn't bad, but it dilutes the song's value in this particular context.
Theme: Here I have to rely upon your translated lyrics - and I think that they nail the theme, or at least one solid approach to it. The only limitation here is that the choice of composition doesn't quite carry the theme as strongly as the lyrics do, as I alluded to above.

4/5

1st PonySho "Little Blue Ships"
2nd Elcubano "Distress"
3rd OlliH "Tämmönen"
4th Dasein "Black Sunset"
5th burakxmusic "Echoes In The Night"

For me this challenge brought together several practices that I have been refining. The synthesis of these techniques (precomposition on sticky notes, synchronised recording of backdrop elements, hardware mixing with extended use of effects through the send system and recording wet/dry channels) has worked well. This wasn't an occasion of deep revelations, but cementing a workflow that promises to serve me well in future.