SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC043 March 2021 - Winners announced

[VCA-089]

Here is my score and feedback. I can see that people have slightly different understanding of an ambient genre, which is a good thing anyway. Personally, I found a way to discipline myself in ambient music. There is a strong tendency to go into minimal set of sounds, trying to sqeeze the best from them. A focus on a sound itself, it's timbre and how it evolves throughout the track. Every small detail matters. You could spend literally hours tweaking just one sound, finding the sweet spots. It is good that technology allows you to use a virtual emulation of an old analogue synth, the software nowdays sounds almost as hardware. What I really don't like is a MIDI editing for acoustic sample libraries. I appreciate a human playing techniques, and most of the libraries sound sterille, mechanical and boring, so I simply try to awoid them. It may clarify my decisions while making an entry and in the voting process.

Now to the feedback...

1. TrojakEW - Nature Awakening

Solid work. Fits the theme pefectly. Good selection of sounds and effects. May be there is too much noise, so it is quite noticeable throughout the track. Besides the potential of this entry it feels a bit undeveloped, as an author already mentioned about the lack of time.

2. A Future In Noise - Spring Getting Grown Up

It has some ambient parts, but mostly it is more like background instrumental pop. There is some good ideas in arrangement, but everything feels kinda cluttered, like some one trying to fit everything that went his mind. Also, the water sound feels kinda wierd and out of place.

3. AskAndy - 2 Day Bloom

Good sound design in this track. The atmosphere and mood fits the theme, but some sound effects are too loud and unexpected so they could be disturbing. There is some nice variations in the main theme, but the composition still feels too long and lacks the feeling of progression. It would benefit if there could be some chord or scale changes, representing different stages of blooming.

4. becsei_gyorgy - Melting Point

This track represents more a very early spring, or a current cold spring that we are experiencing. It is a bit off but still fits the theme. The synthetic sounds is great. The building of tension feels good. The second part could be a bit shorter, with the sound effects coming earlier. Overall, very good production.

5. SoundBeing - Alien Communication

A very good dark ambient track. It expresses the current state of my mind very well. Could be a great soundtrack for some psychological thriller, or an opening horror theme.

6. Blang - Spring 2053

A very calm and relaxing jam. Fits the theme perfectly. Personally, I found that ambient is a genre that benefits from "less is more" statement very well. Sometimes only one instrument is enough, it matters how you treat it.

7. Clueless - Cold Spring

This track certainly drifts away from our theme, but it is pretty good on it's own. There is some dark industrial quality in it for sure, but it still sounds quite mellow. The distortion and some extreme effects works really well for it's atmosphere. I think it could find it's place in some sort of a documentary about ecological disasters.

8. EsteveCorbera - Spring Bloom

Overall very good relaxed ambient track, but there is some strange decisions here and there. The piano sound feels like it was recorded in separate room. It is too dry and upfront, besides a very mellow synthetic soundscape. The synth lead fits better, but still too upfront. This track fits the theme well though.

9. Canese - Morning decay

There is some technical issues to this track. It is much more quieter compared to the other tracks, feels like it is not mastered properly. And also the piano sound has a very brad dynamic range. Sometimes it is too loud and sometimes it is almost lost in the mix. But besides all of that, this is the best composition and arrangement this month. There is something magical about this track, it forces you to push play button again and again. Great work!

10. Shea - Bloom

An interesting track for sure. A very cool experimental soundscape. The kick drum and some rhythmic elements gives it a slight techno feel. I think it fits the theme of this month while doing it's own thing. The mix is pretty good, but there is some harsh transients around 3k. Also, there could be some bass.

► Show Spoiler

01 (10 pts) Canese - Morning decay
02 (9 pts) Blang - Spring 2053
03 (8 pts) TrojakEW - Nature Awakening
04 (7 pts) becsei_gyorgy - Melting Point
05 (6 pts) Shea - Bloom
06 (5 pts) EsteveCorbera - Spring Bloom
07 (4 pts) AskAndy - 2 Day Bloom
08 (3 pts) SoundBeing - Alien Communication
09 (2 pts) Clueless - Cold Spring
10 (1 pts) A Future In Noise - Spring Getting Grown Up

[SoundBeing]

I’m not really a listener who focuses any time on the technical aspect of things unless it takes me out of the moment. My focus is traditionally on “how does the track feel/make me feel”, and how does the songwriter craft the material to take me on a journey. I respect the technical aspect, but I also have to go with what makes the most sense as a listener. What do I like?

TrojakEW

Xylophone, echo with a pingpong delay. Seems like everyone is using frogs and birds. I hear bells, synths, harp and do I detect some rain in there? Female vocal is nice and the transition into that bending pipe sound is interesting as well.

A Future in Noise

Water, wind, synths. Nice little piano moments. More water plus a guitar. The guitar and synth & piano are mixed rather well together. There seems to be a lot going on however. Hard to lock into a feeling. I really like the sound of the little melodic lead that begins in 1:41, but then you respond with the piano and the idea becomes a little too much. It gets pretty funky, with a hint of gospel towards the end.

AskAndy

Nice opening with the quick watery sounding synth pulses. I appreciate very much the subtleties. Cello along with the arrival of birds that have been tweaked with delay. I guess its a guitar, very soft, but it adds nicely to the composition. Little surprise DJ scribble in there for the changeover. Is that a jar? I like it. Here come the birds again. Didgeridoo works until you hit the pitch-bend? A good fadeout at 6 mins and you’d be in good shape, IMO.


György Becsei

I enjoyed the moment at 2:22 where it felt like tension you were building suddenly splashed away like a drop of water creating the waves around with the sound. But, the dunk splash at 2:30 was a little distracting from the softness. It’s all subjective you know. This track seems like everything is loud. There’s lots of layers side to side, but theres nothing going on front to back. Like those whistling birds could be 10dbs softer and still be affective sonically. The changeover in the end adds a nice dynamic shift, but it’s the only one in the entire track.

VCA-089

Is that crickets or frogs? Hard to tell. More birds and hey, some water. The keys are nice. Nature, water, birds, synthesizers. Zippers, a screen door, trees rustling. Zip-ties, piano, rain. Nice moment at 2:46, until you hit the pitch-bend. No offense, I find the pitch bend offensive. It’s so unnatural and digital. More rain and birds.

Blang

Wind and a plucked string harmonics. Synthesizer with a ton of reverb. Sitar or harpsichord? I like it. Reversed hits are cool. 1:48 is a nice moment. An absolute wash of echo. I like the play of the delay like in moments around 2:22 and I appreciate the low end peeking its head in finally but it doesn’t stick around very long. I think there is room for something down there to add foundation to all the floating mid & high frequency delays.

Clueless

Steel drum with a ton of echo that synths out as it holds. I think you could have faded in from the 1 minute mark to get right to the sizzle rain stick. 2:37, the track hits some really nice moments. Submersible vibes. I really like when you implement some low-end in there around 3:40. There seems to be a lot of distortion in the overall tone of the track. Kind of makes the whole thing seem a little tight rather than open and ambient. By 6 minutes I’m waiting for a fade out or a completely new vibe.

EsteveCorbera

Now this is mos def something I could do yoga to. All synth.The entrance of the bass is very unflattering to the mix. It just doesn’t sit well at all. The piano as well. Sounds so raw and hovers way on top of everything. And why is it panning left to right? The panning is taking me out of it for sure, especially on the entrance of the bells and again, they have no space to live in, it’s like they’re just punched in on top. Every new entrance is punched in on top of that nice synth pad layer, but hey, at least theres no rain or birds or frogs.

cenese

Nice soft opener. Mood set. It’s tough to not wanna reach for the volume knob on this one, it’s so quiet. Nice subtle and soft change at 1:30. The piano is treating me just right and it sits right where I want it. Some smooth Ooohs in there, singular, monotone. I like it. There’s not a lot of action in this track and yet it still holds me through. The subtle little sizzle on some of the synth hits are placed well. Nice work.

Shea

You get rid of the frogs and crickets, you’d be my favorite, but alas. That’s all I hear. I like the simplicity of the rest. The subtle pulse. The odd percussion jangling along and then with the reverse hits. The little double hits on the lower register are a nice treat as well. It seems like those pesky frogs got louder somehow, they just won’t go away. The entrance and performance of the Mbira is sweet too, tho maybe overused a little along with the chime. Or it could be the delay that just keeps them around a little too long. Cue the water drops. I like the addition the quarter note pulse, that adds some nice tension and as far as I can tell, the frogs are gone but then here come the birds. But the rest of it is going swimmingly towards the end.

► Show Spoiler

10 pt cenese - Morning Decay
09 pt AskAndy - 2 Day Bloom
08 pt Shea - Bloom
07 pt Blang - Spring 2053
06 pt György Becsei - Melting Point
05 pt A Future in Noise - Spring Gettin’ Grown Up
04 pt VCA-089 - Back to Life
03 pt Clueless - Cold Spring
02 pt EsteveCorbera - Spring Bloom
01 pt TrojakEW - Nature Awakening

[TrojakEW]

Xylophone, echo with a pingpong delay. Seems like everyone is using frogs and birds. I hear bells, synths, harp and do I detect some rain in there? Female vocal is nice and the transition into that bending pipe sound is interesting as well.

I would like to hear more. What should I change, improve, remove or fix? There is no information what so ever. Your post sounds more like very very short commentary and not feedback.

[becsei_gyorgy]

Because of comments I have reviewed my mix and would like anyone to do me a favor and compare it with my previous one if it is better. It should be because I tried to tame some peaks and some resonation in some areas. Especially the first part of track was really bad sounding for me with a lot of resonance.

I listened to both and compared with MetricAB. Overall I think the resonance in the first version is less disturbing than the noise in the second.
I like the low end boost and mid range cut, but the second version is very noisy I think.
When switched between the two versions, there is indeed less resonance, but the noise will be very audible.
I think the first version also fits well with the ambient style (compared to other songs, for example, it is much clearer and brighter than others).

I edited it & played @ 25 percent slower and it felt a lot more absorbing

You hit it well, originally I started making the song at a 20-25% slower BPM, but it’s hard to restrain myself and later I liked the faster better. I'm not a relaxed ambient fan

Like those whistling birds could be 10dbs softer

Birds? Where?

[TrojakEW]

I listened to both and compared with MetricAB. Overall I think the resonance in the first version is less disturbing than the noise in the second.
I like the low end boost and mid range cut, but the second version is very noisy I think.
When switched between the two versions, there is indeed less resonance, but the noise will be very audible.
I think the first version also fits well with the ambient style (compared to other songs, for example, it is much clearer and brighter than others).

Thank you very much. Can I ask you also what are your listening environment. I would like to know what you use speakers, headphone for listening.

I have quite cheap speakers that do not sound that great but they are not bad either for the price. I do not use speakers because I'm living in noisy environment, I mean noise neighborhood. So for mixing I'm using headphone Magnat LZR 980 because they are really sensitive to mix quality. Then I also checking it on Beyerdynamics dt 880 pro. I do not use Beyer for mixing since they are not good to hear problems in low spectrum and they are also bit too bright. Then I also checking mix on two cheap pair of headphones. Regarding my attempt to fix resonation the biggest difference in sound is on cheap headphones and Magnat. Beyer tends to sound good almost with everything .

[SoundBeing]

Xylophone, echo with a pingpong delay. Seems like everyone is using frogs and birds. I hear bells, synths, harp and do I detect some rain in there? Female vocal is nice and the transition into that bending pipe sound is interesting as well.

I would like to hear more. What should I change, improve, remove or fix? There is no information what so ever. Your post sounds more like very very short commentary and not feedback.

Understood. I'll try to listen and critique from that direction moving forward. Listening to 10 tracks, some of which were 8+ minutes lead me to not be able to invest as much time in what I think everyone should do differently. I just typed what I heard and, your right, made commentary. This process is new to me. I'm finding that you all seem to have the same ideas and sonic perspectives, I'm not sure I fit in to this vibe. But I'll keep participating when I can.

[becsei_gyorgy]

I'm finding that you all seem to have the same ideas and sonic perspectives,

I’ve been following the forum for about a year and a half and can assure you that’s not the case - and it’s okay anyway. it is always good to look (listen) to things from a different perspective.

Can I ask you also what are your listening environment. I would like to know what you use speakers, headphone for listening.

For similar reasons I use headphones. Mainly Beyer DT-990 Pro. I have an Akg K72 and Samson SR-850 also just for checking music on different devices.

[Shea]

TrojakEW - I dig the nature sounds. Pretty quickly I notice an excessive noise floor issue - sometimes form recording or sometimes plugins create this for desired effect but it does not help this song. Nice evolution. I like the vocals and wind instrument sound (whatever its called). This sounds like Deuter whom I like. Oh no!! It just ends - way too soon. Keep the progression going and lower the noise floor and this would be a legit ambient/new age song

A Future In Noise - I liked the water ambience. Song seems a bit uppity for ambient. Still, a peaceful listen with an interesting progression. Many changes and might benefit from more consistency.

AskAndy - Cool intriguing intro. Definite ambient vibe. Mostly peaceful sound with a little melancholy here and there. The drone low frequency pad is to eerie for vibe already established, but that is just my opinion.

Becsei Gyorgy - I can here something that kind of sounds like rain which fits the Spring goal. The synth pitch riser didn't fit that well but then song opens up nicely. Hearing a bit too much noise - would benefit from a cleaner mix. I would've liked more dynamics between sounds... levels were consistent - too consistent. Brought in some tension near the end that didn't make me feel 'Spring time'.

A Sound Being - Tense intro... suspense remains. Im not getting Spring vibes... kind of opposite, like good for a horror film. Cool composition but not for this months goal of 'Spring Ambient'. It is a dark spring indeed.

VCA-089 - I like the intro with nature and the subtle synth! Hits that Spring ambient target. Nice tension around 2:50 but not overly tense. Decent composition but didn't quite hold my attention the whole time - which is ok for ambient genre.

Blang - Definite ambient vibe. Very spacious. Mix felt somewhat dull but this isn't a mixing competition. Nice and interesting use of stereo field. Overall nice ambient composition that would benefit from more attention on sound quality.

Clueless - Intro ws interesting but was a bit noisy and didn't hold my attention the whole minute and 30 seconds. I do get a sense of cold spring so the title fits. the noisy and muddy mix is distracting. Was a bit long and didn't hold my attention the whole time but that is still fitting with the ambient genre.

Esteve Corbera - Nice to hear a mix without excessive noise! Good intro that evolves nicely. Theme target was achieved. I liked the panning automation. Overall a decent ambient composition.

Canese - Interesting intro that draws me in. The pad layers work well. I like the minimal piano sound. Nice progression - it feels very natural. Well done - one of the more professional sounding songs this month.

SCORING - I based it off of whom hit the theme target and which songs I enjoyed most within that. This is not a mixing competition so my mixing comments did not feed into scoring.

► Show Spoiler

Canese 10 points
TrojakEW 09 points
Blang 08 points
VCA-089 07 points
EsteveCorbera 06 points
AskAndy 05 points
Becsei Gyorgy 04 points
A Future Noise 03 points
Clueless 02 points
A Sound Being 01 point

[Clueless]

I'm finding that you all seem to have the same ideas and sonic perspectives,

I’ve been following the forum for about a year and a half and can assure you that’s not the case - and it’s okay anyway. it is always good to look (listen) to things from a different perspective.

Can I ask you also what are your listening environment. I would like to know what you use speakers, headphone for listening.

For similar reasons I use headphones. Mainly Beyer DT-990 Pro. I have an Akg K72 and Samson SR-850 also just for checking music on different devices.

So maybe I should try using HeadPhones, may give me a better perspective, as I only have a cassette tape in my camper, so its not possible to listen in other environments
As I tend to mix on speakers, pretty quietly
I also tend to dL the tracks so that any Soundcloud conversion is not taken into account when reviewing

[A Future in Noise]

This entire entry (including this introduction) has been translated from Swedish to English by Google translate. I did not have time to sit and look things up in dictionaries this time. So probably some strange or laughable words and sentences slip through; Google translate does not do the job perfectly.

I had a hard time getting through Mr. Fox's music examples. Some of the longer compositions made me so bored that I was afraid I would fall asleep and fall to the floor and have a concussion if I had listened through it all. However, I previously had an LP with Brian Eno that was released around 1980, so I tried to recall it, instead.

I have to admit that I still have a bit of a hard time getting a grip on what ambient music is. When I (briefly) review your contributions, I will proceed from: the flower in the picture, the wording "… the start of the (meteorological) spring in the northern hemisphere" under "A few words on this month's theme" and the wording "… ambient is also synonymous with relaxation and meditation through the use of slow and ever-changing soundscapes. ”

Written after having listened to the ten songs: I had to do something else while I was listening, otherwise my restlessness would have taken over or I would have fallen asleep and fallen to the floor. I devoted myself to Facebook, email and similar chores. Ambient music is really not my thing.


VCA-089 I immediately liked this song. In addition, it fulfilled the function of making me relaxed. I was sitting in a cafe when I listened to it for the first time; I was super stressed but managed to unwind a bit when I had the music in my headphones from the phone. I have no objections. Nice mix. It never becomes completely stagnant, a continuous development takes place, but slowly. Nice crack from tree branches at about 1:45. Maybe the synth blipping that gradually increases in volume from about 3:00 is a bit too loud, but that's just a detail. Here at home in my studio monitors, it still sounds good (but a little too loud in volume right there).

Canese There is only a little variation / development here. I didn't find any the first time I heard this contribution. The trick with dull, obscure and rhythmically recurring piano chords seemed too simple to me. But when I now listen again, I like the song, quite simply, even if everything goes extremely slowly.

Blang This contribution has a relatively slow pace and is also developing slowly. Completely as desired, that is. Nice effects on steel-stringed guitar at 0:55 (if it is a guitar?). A little creepy though. But varied. Elegant in its own way, I feel rather scared than relaxed. But apparently it is a pleasant form of fear.

Clueless Yes, this is a cold spring. The pace is slow and there is a constant development. At first I had intended to write that it is impossible to relax to a cold spring, but while I was listening a second time, I noticed that it was possible, in part, even if it felt like facing death. But I got up again! This contribution is much better than my own.

TrojakEW This contribution has a relatively slow pace and is also developing slowly. Completely as desired, that is. But what does China / Asia have to do with this month's theme? There is probably a connection, although at first I felt puzzled. I perceive it as if some form of hissing sound is constantly in the background. It's just disturbing. On the whole, still a nice production. This contribution is much better than my own.

AskAndy This contribution has a relatively slow pace and is also developing slowly. Completely as desired, that is. At 7:00 after having listened both passively and actively, I came to the conclusion that the whole thing was quite pleasant; however, more to be regarded as a slow and protracted war in space than as the return of spring. This contribution is much better than my own.

SoundBeing This contribution has a relatively slow pace and is also developing slowly. Completely as desired, that is. Above all, it creates anxiety in the listener, among other things through swaying tones and bellowing bass tubas (?) towards the end. Cross throw at 2:50 does not change my assessment. Skillfully done, but no relaxation is achieved. This contribution is much better than my own.

becsei_gyorgy This contribution has a relatively slow pace and is also developing slowly. Completely as desired, that is. As in one of the other contributions, there is something in the background almost all the time that almost hisses. It bothers my ears. 3:15 something that might represent seabirds but that could just as easily be sirens from police cars. Very loud. Sorry. But this contribution is much better than my own.

Shea I can not really identify the sounds on the right side at the beginning. Do not think they belong with the pulsating synths. Not so relaxing. Happened to notice that Bitches Brew is mentioned before SWC044 just now. My thoughts go in that direction rather than in the ambient (this strange term this month). It gets too monotonous, though. Not too much development. At 6:00 something rhythmic happens, but it's too late. There is also plenty of some kind of rock riff, just on one key (marimba?) that comes back again and again. d d g e, d d g e. I don't really think it fits here. Sorry. This contribution is much better than my own.

Esteve Corbera This contribution has a relatively slow pace and is also developing slowly. Completely as desired, that is. The piano tones from 1:30 seem to belong elsewhere (too little reverb?). They are dull while the rest is bright. Too much contrast. At 3:43 comes synth sounds that are a little too reminiscent of sirens; for me it will not be relaxing. This contribution is much better than my own.

► Show Spoiler

10pt VCA-089
9pt Canese
8pt Blang
7pt Clueless
6pt TrojakEW
5pt AskAndy
4pt SoundBeing
3pt becsei_gyorgy
2pt Shea
1pt Esteve Corbera