Mix Challenge

Arelem - Glass Alloy
Good strong beat and great distorted synth riff. Great as that distorted synth sound is however, I felt it made the track feel modern rather than retro. To my ears we didn’t really get a proper synthwave vibe until the other synth patch comes in at 2:00. I really liked the ducking effect with the percussion and the whole fade/false ending section at 2:45 was very effective. Sounded very well mixed to my ears, overall great track but probably not enough of a Synthwave feel for my taste

APi_ZZ - WynthSaved
Nice vocoder intro! Authentic 80s synth sounds and drum machine percussion with that typically bright reverb. That synth riff is very familiar! The bassline was definitely a strong element within the track, great choice of synth patch, and helped to consolidate the various other overlying elements in the various sections throughout the track. Nicely mixed

KukoBass - Bit By Bit (Things Are Getting Better)
A great selection of authentic Synthwave patches in this track. I love a nice string machine patch as you have used here, but it is perhaps a bit too loud in the intro where the drums need to be more upfront in the mix. A more punchy set of drum sounds would also have helped to achieve this and I would have brought the bass line higher up in the mix to sit alongside and get a stronger drums/bass combination to drive the track. The vocoder sections work very well and fit well with the synthwave feel of the track. I even liked the Casiotone style synth sound that we first hear at 0:30

TrojakEW - Move Forward
Really great intro. I though this track had a fairly modern feel to it while managing to keep the authentic synthwave vibe throughout. Nice choice of drum samples and synth patches, particularly the Roland D50 style sequences and pads. Good mix although I would have liked even more reverb in keeping with the 80s feel

becsei_gyorgy - Never Grow Up!
This is like a great demo track for a Synthwave soundset. A good selection of authentic sounds. I found the ducking of the pad sound a little unnatural although that may have been the effect you were aiming for. Very nice arrangement, I thought the quiet section at 1:40 was very effective. Well mixed overall and a great Synthwave track

EsteveCorbera - HomenatgeAlsVideoJocs
Feel those retro vibes!! This track positively oozes retro charm with such a great choice of sounds. The synthesized speech was great. I would have liked a stronger melody for the game sections, it did feel in places that there should be a synth lead line overlying some of the sequences. Really good effort and very much in keeping with the theme for this month

Chasey24 - Getting_Chippy
Great octave sequenced bassline, very authentic, together with some great synth patches, I particularly liked the synth keys sequence that first appears at 0-:25 and then runs alongside the bassline, in fact I would have brought this much higher in the mix to make it much more of a dominant feature. This is one of those tracks which is crying out for some vocals, I can just imagine some Human League style vocals fitting very nicely with this. Overall a very nice track which only just missed out on my top 5

StoryGirlOz - Thank You to the Warriors
Welcome and well done for adding vocals to your track!
This is definitely an interesting track and has a definite feel of its own. I like the way you have used the full stereo field with the synth sounds and sequences but I would probably have also spread the drums sounds a bit more with some of the percussion and toms to the left and right, to my ears the drums sound more or less mono for a lot of the track and the ride cymbal is the only component that seems to be away from the centre. Is it Synthwave? I’m not sure, I think the autotuned vocals probably make it too modern to my ears. However, I look forward to hearing what else you come up with in the future

FixInTheMix – Virus
Great filtered opening and some authentic synthwave synth patches, I really liked the saw stabs and the DX style slap bass. The drums are definitely a strong point in the track, highly repetitive sounds with no effort made to add any variation, round robins were still many decades away at this point, just the way it used to be!! Nice arrangement, I liked the interplay between synth and guitar in the later sections of the track. Excellent mix, perhaps a little more reverb in keeping with the 80s style would have been nice but otherwise I cannot really think of any changes to suggest, well done!

VCA-089 - Inevitable Progress
Great intro, nice bright mix and plenty of reverb, typically 80s style production - all that’s missing is the ghetto blaster to play it through! I liked the arrangement and synth sequences, I did perhaps feel that a synth lead riff melody would have really added another layer to the soundscape, something to sing along to but that is just me being fussy. Mix was great, excellent track

BenjiRage - Corneria Capcom
This is more 80s than the 80s itself and I should know, I was there! This is an excellent track, great arrangement and well mixed, lovely choice of patches and great drum arrangement with the panning toms and very skilful use of fills and ear candy embellishments. It does have your ‘signature sound’ which I recognise from your previous track a few months back, I seem to remember that was my favourite at that time, and this is no exception. I really cannot think of anything to change here you have done a truly professional job, well done

Koekepan - I am not a Cyborg
Another great string machine style patch but again a bit too loud in this context and the volume changes are a little offputting, at points it does also swamp some of the other synth sequences later in the track. The gated reverb drums work very well here in my opinion, I liked the slightly unusual choice of drum samples and I would probably have made them even more up front in the mix to really make them a focal point of the arrangement. I did keep imagining how great it would be to have a vocoded ‘I am not a cyborg’ vocal at various points in the track to add some additional interest. Overall a very good effort that just needed a few changes to the mix to be a winner

1) BenjiRage
2) FixInTheMix
3) VCA-089
4) TrojakEW
5) Gyorgy Becsei

1. Arelem - Glass Alloy

This song perfectly fits into the modern Darksynth/EBM genre (not quite "retro" as you can guess).
The main beat is very strong. Works well with the distorted bass patch.
Good synth arps and pad sounds. They create a very deep atmosphere.
I think the melodic section in the middle doesn't support the mood, like it's from another song.
The production is quite good. The track feels very loud and "punchy".

2. APi_ZZ - Wynth Saved

This song could fit into a low-budget 80's sci-fi movie I think.
I really like the main bass riff, it's very catchy and groovy.
The main lead melody sounds typically 80's and reminds me of several famous songs simultaneously.
The atmospheric sections where many different parts join the soundscape is much more convincing to me.
The main drum beat could be a bit more developed (some hi-hats, toms maybe?).
The overall production is pretty acceptable to me.

3. KukoBass - Bit by Bit

This song goes far into 70's electronica/spacesynth. It sounds retro, but still it's a slightly different thing.
The phasy strings, minimalistic synths sounds, analog rhythm machine style drums, vocoded vocals - all sound very authentic and work together.
Still, the sound palette could be a little bit more diverse.
The production is pretty good to me.

4. TrojakEW - Move Forward

This song represents the month's topic pretty well in my opinion. It has a retro aesthetic, yet there is a very progressive set of sounds.
The song evolves nicely, adding new sounds and textures. It goes very dramatic at the end.
It has that "epic" cinematic feel, could be an opening to a TV show or a movie.
Alot of synth sounds reminds me of digital samplers and FM keyboards of that time.
Great production, mix and sound design.

5. becsei_gyorgy - We Will Never Grow Up

Somehow this song sounds to me like a modern pop with a bit of retro flavour.
The big ethereal piano sounds really nice. The rest of the instruments are quite common synth patches.
The guitar part is kinda lost in the mix, it sits in the same frequencies as the soaring lead.
The song is pretty short and feels like a draft. The production could be done better in terms of mixing.

6. DocJon - Death By Degrees

The song drifts away from synthwave to something more techno-ish with early hip-hop influences.
It has a lot of Kraftwerk vibe in it (particularly it reminds me of "Radioactivity").
The beat and electronic parts are really cool. Very groovy and energetic.
I'm getting a bit tired of hearing those news reports throughout the whole song. Also, the bunch of "F" words in the lyrics weren't that necessary.
The production in this song is quite acceptable.

7. EsteveCorbera - Homenatge Als Video Jocs

The sound palette in this song reminds me of 16-bit consoles, but I think the source of influence was a bit different (C64 maybe?)
The arrangement feels very random and chaotic to me, it lacks direction and intrigue.
I think those abrupt cut-offs with spoken phrases and effects are not really satisfying, breaking the flow and vibe of the song.
The song has a lot of different sections, but it repeats the same one again and again.
I think the mix needs to be adjusted in terms of levels and frequency balance.

8. Chasey24 aka Jerry Payne - Getting Chippy

This song feels very early 80's spacesynth/disco influenced.
I liked the uplifting vibe in the main section, but the melody is kinda unsetting and perhaps it isn't in key with the harmony.
The drums are getting lost in the mix (particularly the bass drum), they could be compressed a lot more harder.
The song feels a little bit repetitive at times.
The mix gets very muddy when more instruments are involved (the massive choirs at the end). The production could be a lot better.

9. Story GirlOz - Thank You To The Warriors

This song reminds me of underground 80's techno compilations on YouTube. The synthwave aspect is kinda off.
The vibe in this song is very atonal and crazy, some kind of "avantgarde" feel.
The vocals sound very robotic with that autotune. They also don't fit into the mix and feel off the key.
The mix feels lo-fi, like an old cassette tape, probably on purpose.

10. FixInTheMix - Virus

A classic 2010's outrun song, I think I heard 1000 songs like that.
Pretty common synth sounds and beats. The "guitar-like" solo was interesting, but the tone isn't convincing enough.
The FM style bass sound fits better with the chord stabs compared to 16th bass.
The mix is good, but a little bit too dry. Adding more reverb, delays and modulation effects could be nice.

11. BenjiRage - Corneria Capcom

This song seems to be hugely inspired by videogames, but I think it would fit for an 80's style TV show or anime opening.
The authentic atmosphere of the era is preserved. It does feel a little overused and "corny", but it always works.
The main beat is very strong and energetic. The drums are processed with care.
The song feels a bit too long. Too many repetitions of the same section. Been waiting for a solo or a change in the mood.
The overall production is very balanced to me.

12. JanKoekepan - I am not a Cyborg

This song is like a B-side from a very moody darksynth album.
The vibe in the song is kinda unsetting but very chilled at the same time.
I like the sound palette, it feels very old school cyberpunk.
The song is very long and there are very few things happening. It is good for background listening though.
The production is quite acceptable to me.

1. BenjiRage - Corneria Capcom
2. TrojakEW - Move Forward
3. APi_ZZ - WynthSaved
4. FixInTheMix - Virus
5. JanKoekepan - I am not a Cyborg

01 BenjiRage
02 VCA-089
03 FixInTheMix
04 KukoBass
05 Koekepan

APi_ZZ: I really like the arp in the B section. Does it have a delay or is it straight? It's a little hard to tell, but I like the effect it gives either way. The production is very 80's which I am not personally a fan of. I would have liked to have heard some kind of modern influence rather than a strict recreation. I think artists like The Weekend or Dua Lipa do a good job of blending retro with modern to create something new. I know those are pop examples but they are widely known.

KukoBass: I like the atmospheric elements here. Has a chiptune feel to it which I can appreciate. The vocoded vocals feel offbeat a bit to me. The main melody is intriguing, so good job there. The playing feels a bit choppy which works well in parts but not so well in others. I don't know how to better articulate it other than it feeling 'off' to me.

TrojakEW: I really like the wide soundstage setup in the intro. The drums sound a little too upfront to me. I think they were a bit dry and centered compared to how wet and panned everything else was. It gave a weird balance to everything. I didn't really catch much of a melody to help engage the listener, but the different elements helped keep it interesting.

becsei_gyorgy: Definitely a strong 80's inspired theme here. I like the melodies and the sound selections fit well. The piano helps for me because they are not strictly 80's which helps keep the song from feeling instantly 'dated'. A little slow tempo-wise for my tastes, but that's simply a preference thing.

Doc Jon: The foley sounds sprinkled throughout add a lot of interest to your track and shows some good attention to the details. I think you have the bulk of a good track here, it just needed some editing. The documentary portion was well integrated but it was too long in my opinion. If it was used to accent the song rather than build the body of it, I think the track would have benefitted.

EsteveCorbera: The percussion is nice and interesting, I like the rhythm of it. The lead synths have a bit too long of a release with the quicker notes and make it sound very messy. The more plucky lead worked a lot better. As a chiptune track, I think it works very well. I also like that you didn't stick strictly to an 8-bit sound profile as a lot of artists tend to do in this realm. Apart from the one critique of some of the sound choices, this is a really solid entry, nice job!

Chasey24: The lead is a little buried in the mix making it hard to hear the melody. What I can make out sounds good though. It sounds like it's maybe in a similar frequency range as the arp while also being pretty quiet. The track is also lacking a bit in the low end. I think you have the foundation of a pretty good track that mostly needs some additional mixing to get a better balance out of the different elements.

StoryGirlOz: The drums fit with an 80's estetic well. Wasn't a fan of the off-beat hats that came in in parts. The vocals are too loud compared to the rest of the track in my opinion. The song could have used a little more variation to help keep it interesting, but overall a solid effort.

FixInTheMix: A very solid 80's inspired track with a more modern production. Good sound selection and nice melodies. I really don't have any feedback that I could provide. Just a well-done synthwave track.

VCA-089: Nice intro; nice big soundstage. The drums fit perfectly into the genre. The melody gets a little buried behind the snare which is maybe a little too present. The lead melody could have been a little more interesting. Not really sure what about it was 'boring' but it didn't keep my interest very well. Too long of a pattern, or too slow maybe? Apart from some pretty minor details, a really good track.

Koekepan: I really like the soundscape that's created by the drone and synth. Even though the song does evolve over time, the different parts run on too long in my opinion. This would work well as background music to something else rather than a song to just sit and listen to. There isn't anything specifically wrong with the track but it is pretty minimal and lacks a strong element to really engage with.

1st - FixInTheMix
2nd - VCA-089
3rd - EsteveCorbera
4th - becsei_gyorgy
5th - Doc Jon