Mix Challenge

I fixed the double underscore issue in my entry name.

I probably should have waited until autumn to submit an entry, as it seems I completely missed the theme for this one. Live and learn. I did learn that, going forward, it's probably best to start with a blank canvas, and not try to make chicken salad out of a cheeseburger. I just want to say, there are some OUTSTANDING entries that did hit the mark on the theme. I took Mr. Fox's advice and listened to each one with speakers, then again with headphones. Most entries sounded much better on headphones. Time to invest some energy on acoustic treatment in my bedroom studio. Without fail, all submissions provided for a pleasant listening experience.

Here's my observations and feedback:
Here's my top Five:

I'd never composed with this kind of constraint before.
It was a challenge because I mainly play guitar, and it was the first time I'd done a track without guitar and in an electro style.
I tried to build a track around a central keyboard, gradually adding additional layers and different rhythmic elements with a drum sound reminiscent of the construction noises heard in some games.
I tried to adjust the mix according to Mister Fox's comments (panning, hi-hat, compression), but I think I made a compression error because the result is worse than the first mix (saturation appeared on the synths when the kick arrived...),
yet I thought I had reduced the compression well...I didn't listen to the headphones but with small monitor speakers...Big mistake!

My feedback: My top 5:

Some very good entries this month! Congratulations to everyone! And thanks to @Mr. Fox for the great feedback.

What I learned this month is the first idea is not always the best. Composing game music and not drifting into „epicness“ is a hard task for me. I need to learn more about this genre. I know, I had the drum hits a bit more upfront in the mix, I just wanted to give them some kind of space, maybe because I played the drums a lot recently.

Ok, so here is the feedback.

juhu:
cool piece of music, I like that funky vibe and that little musical twist before it gets back to the main „loop“. The sound selection is great, all instruments compliment each other well and it sounds like a band is playing. Maybe some velocity changes or changing a few notes here in there in the bassline/flute could push that feeling even further.
The mix is good and well balanced, each element has its own place. The only thing is I don’t see your entry fitting the year 2030 theme so much. I like your entry, it was fun to listen. Very good job!


KukoBass:
First few seconds sounds very cinematic then it changes to some synth pop vibe. The chord progression is catchy.
I find the shaker sounds and drum groove are clashing with very much with the overall rhythm.
Main lead sounds a bit cheap, and also that transition fx is not fitting the rest.
I understand, there is a B and C part, but that Bassline sounds really cheap and doesn’t fit to the rest of the instruments. Also, I find the drum groove to be out of place, it doesn’t fit the rest. Also, there are some timing issues overall (@ 01:17 drum fill) and sometimes in the main melody synth part.
Guitar reinforcing the melody is nice.
Mix could benefit from volume adjustments, there is some slight volume changes throughout the track and overall it sounds a bit flat and lifeless.
All in all, it is promising, but lacks that polish, in this form it sounds not finished to my ears.


DocJon:
Great intro, nice sounds selection and transition between the different sections. I like the odd rhythmic of the drum groove (is that ShaperBox/Halftime effect?).
Your entry sounds very cinematic and has a lot of emotional changes, from happy, industrial, dreamy to dark.
The only thing is the repeating harpsy melody, maybe altering a few notes here and there could add a bit more variety.
This is definitely some music I would enjoy while building my own city. Excellent job!


Crosshatched:
Intro sounds promising.
Piano sound is a bit cheap, maybe an octave lower in the register would give it more body and weight. ( wrong note happened @ 01:12?)
I like the different parts, but in that B part I hear some notes are clashing, c part sounds a bit „random“ music and diddeling on the keyboard with no clear structure.
To add more to the „story telling“ I would have added a few more instruments/elements to give it another layer. There are in fact only two instruments, the piano and that brass/horn lead if I hear correctly.
D part is musicaly in „nomansland“, the piano notes are very high and I have the impression you really tried to add something to it, but other than some chord changes nothing really happens, no new elements etc. Changing the horn/brass pad to another instrument in the different parts would create more variety. Overall, it sounds very promising but I think there is still some work to be done.


TrojakEW:
Nice atmosphere and sound selection. I like the tension and build up from start to end.
That deep horn hit sounds so nice! I have to critique here: it plays only the note A, would love to hear the impact from „resolving“ note F to have a slight alteration of the chord or even new chord to extend the progression and bring in a little twist. Also, I’m not sure if like that dotted? triplet groove of the constant string section @ 01.57. It definitely gives it an extra turn and makes it interesting.
Mix is well balanced, each element has its own place. But I have the impression it lacks a bit in the top end or adjusting the compressor settings could help to give it more openess. In sum, very good job!


Chasey24:
Instant good vibes on this one. Great composing and arrangement, nice sound selection.
This is a very good entry and fits the theme well. Piano could be more audible. Nothing else to complain about. Excellent job!


Elcubano:
Dreamy vibe, nice melody and great sound selection. The drum groove gives it the classic 80s/synthwave/pop feeling.
The concept is really great, the thing that bothers me a bit is the bassline. It’s not really the sound per se, it is more how it interacts with the rest, it sounds a bit too boring and like an arpeggio sequence. I would like to hear a more sophisticated bassline. A little drum fill @ 01:25 right before the drums come back would have been a great addition.
What I really like is that little twist @ 02:03, this adds something really nice to your entry.
Low end is a bit boomy and the overall sound is a bit harsh/clipped/saturated (audible @ 01:27).
In sum, your entry has a lot of potential. Good job.


EsteveCorbera:
Nice atmosphere and sound selection. I like the vibe, I think this is the best entry I’ve heard so far from you.
One thing that bothers me is the bass note @ 03:20, it doesn’t interact with the chord changes of the strings, this is why it clashes with the rest. Another thing is your „unusual“ way of writing drum parts, there is no clear path and therefore no structure. Sometimes the groove starts in the middle of a section and not from the 1. Would also like to hear more of that bass, I think it could be a bit louder in the mix. Overall, good entry.


FixInTheMix:
Classic city builder vibe. Great atmosphere and nice sound selection. I really like those strings and the deep piano.
Groovy little drum beat, the bassline and the percussion makes everything perfect. Great mix. Excellent arrangement and music writing.
Awesome entry!

And now the voting:

Hello everybody,

first and foremost, a big thank you to Mr. Fox for organizing this competition and taking so much time to simulate a developer-writer-interaction.

My experience this month:
I had not much time this month, so I only listened to one of the first audio examples, "Building" from the SimCity 3000 soundtrack, which is a pretty simple melody, accompanied by some arpeggios and instrumented with a few simple instruments. That is why I wanted to start the song with just a few, "classic" instruments (piano, acoustic guitar, cello). As the brief said, the presentation would run in 2030, I wanted to add some more "futuristic" synth sounds and used them for the melody and the bass.

In general, since April, I'm struggling as I have less and less time for music. On the other hand, I feel that I have to practice writing and producing more and more to make any progress.
I don't know how to solve this; I'm just glad I managed to write and put something out there.


My feedback:
As always, take my subjective criticisms with a grain of salt. I'm far from being an expert on anything, but the idea of the contest demands feedback anyway.

Chasey24 - A Better Tomorrow
I like this song, it has a great energy. I just feel it is a little too attention grabbing for a video game soundtrack. To me, it would be perfect as a score for the opening credits of a TV show.
I'd cut the first part of the intro (just the acoustic guitar and the strings) because it doesn't fit the style of the rest of the song and isn't really needed.
I really like the guitar melody, but to me, it seems the melody is off-key sometimes (eg. 0:48, 1:30, 2:18). At the bridge, (around 2:37) I like the first part, but I think the strings in the second part (around 2:53) don't fit the energy of the song.
The guitar melodies pass the "humming test", meaning I found myself humming them the day after I listened first to your song. Good work!

Crosshatched - City Background
The first part of the song would be great for a rain scene in the game. I like the swelling synth sounds in the part starting around 0:39.
Sadly, I feel that the part with the rhythmic piano chords (starting around 1:30) interrupts the mood and that the chosen chords sound a little random. I miss a harmonic idea connecting the chords. The second half of the song is missing some counter-melody or texture in the lower half of the frequency spectrum. I think you might have taken the deconstruction of melody a little too far in this part. All in all, not bad, but not a showcase soundtrack either.

DocJon - City 17
The swirly sounds at the beginning remind me of a computer startup sound. I like the stereophonic rhythmic synths in the part starting around 0:19, they remind me a little of Mike Oldfield. The mix sounds great and leaves every part its own space in the mix. I like that the main theme is repeated in different styles. The main motif passed the "humming test" easily. All in all, the concept of taking 16-bar-parts representing the different areas of the city is bold, very clever - and well executed.

Elcubano - Stranger City v2
I like the soundscape this song is building. It surely has the sci-fi-aspect of the city builder down.
The mix sounds very open to me, giving every instrument its own space. And it sounds good on (simulated) small speakers as well (checked with Audified Mix-Checker). I think this would work great as a game soundtrack for a game.

EsteveCorbera - Jazz A La Ciutat
I imagine a nighttime car drive though the city when I listen to this, much like the Hong-Kong-photo in the visuals-pack.
The bass and the drums work very well together, only the trumpet samples stick out a (very) little too much.
But I absolutely love the mood of this song, great work!

FixInTheMix - Bright New Day
This song reminds me somehow of Carl Orff. Maybe it is the slow melody with the faster instruments in the background. Anyhow, I like it.
The string arps and the pizzicato bass give the slow melody more drive. The mix sounds excellent to me, very much giving everything space.
I like the drums and percussion.
The melody did not pass the "humming test", but I think that is not a bad thing here. It is a beautiful melody, just a little too complex to hum it the day after. You can listen to it on repeat without getting bored, which is a main criterion for a game soundtrack. Beautifully done!

juhu - Sidewalk Mogul
The theme of this song has more a tv-show feeling, but I think I get what you were going for. Giving a nod to Quincy Jones, this would be perfect for the stage of the 70s in the game. The mix sounds good to me. I think the adittion of the tonewheel organ was a good idea and fills out some parts that would have been hollow otherwise. The song passes the humming test, and it has the cowbell! Great work!

MellowBrowne - We Run This Town
This song covers the sci-fi-aspect of the game and has a very dark and dystopian mood.
I like the instrumentation; only the taiko drums and timpani feel a little out of place. I like the muted horn section, it builds suspension.
The mix sounds good to me.
All in all a great song, but to me, it feels too dark for a city builder game. It would be great for a sci-fi game soundtrack.

TrojakEW - Mecacity Vibration
I like the soundscape with the "wooden rain column"-like sounds.
The chirping sounds in the quieter part and the splashing sounds in the louder part seem to grab too much attention for a game soundtrack in my opinion. Otherwise, the mix sounds good to me.
My main issue are the timing problems with the triplets in 4/4. Somehow, they sound a little off, a little delayed sometimes, especially around the 2:00 mark.
I think you nailed the concept of arps and ostinato representing building blocks. I imagine blocks falling from above like in Tetris, fitting in and building the city. Good work!


My TOP 5 for this month:
My main criteria was how well I could envision a building game while listening to the songs, but it's purely subjective.

Good night,

First of all thanks to Mister Fox for organizing this game and for giving us very valuable feedback. I've read them all while listening to the theme of each one so I can focus and learn more.
Personally, this month I wanted to do different things, which maybe didn't quite connect with the typical sound of a construction video game. But look, I felt like doing it that way.
Things I learned, as I told you, from some samples that were at 120 BPM I modified them with IrcamLab TS2 (which I now realize was not in the list of tools I used) and I left them at 90 BPM. I found that if I adjusted the tempo with Reason, they didn't sound good, so I processed them with the external tool TS2 which did it better. I also tweaked the notes of the samples, this time directly in Reason, to fit the project.

Thank you all for participating. It's a pleasure to enjoy such a variety of music.


Thanks.

I leave you comments about your work:


juhu – Sidewalk Mogul
Good approach to accompany a video game. I like the bass and the flute sounds great too, but I still feel like it sounds more distant than the rest of the instruments.
Maybe he needs a longer break to break the monotony. You made a good mix too.

MellowBrowne - WeRunThisTown
Composition appropriate to the topic of the month. I'm imagining myself playing and as time goes by and the game evolves, I'm busier and busier.
I like the part between 2:05-2:23 that goes up, makes an interesting crescendo. But then something is missing. You've created an expectation that unfortunately goes nowhere. I would suggest adding a more orchestral and melodic part at that point. good mix

KukoBass - Stadtentwickler_v3
Music that is also very good as an accompaniment to a video game.
The theme is cheerful and to a point retentive, in this aspect very well.
But I'm having sync issues with it. The synthesizer melody sometimes collides with the beats of the rhythms. As colleagues say, the sounds have too much MIDI reminiscence. By playing with speed you can create more life. Maybe the rhythm is a little poor, it lacks more elements.
The mixture can be worked a little more.

DocJon - City17
A great sonic journey. I love the opening harp, I miss it when you repeat the piano melody.
The transitions between fragments are too long and prominent, perhaps a bit distracting. But I guess you used them to highlight changes in the imaginary video game. So nothing to say against it. (Personally I see that I need to do tests with the BABY Audio Transit, which I haven't had time to look at too much yet).
I miss that the topic evolves more.

Crosshatched - City Background
Promising start, you immediately made me pay attention to see where it was evolving.
The sound of the pianos has a synthetic tail that I don't quite like.
Some notes seem out of scale to me. I couldn't tell you which ones, but it's a feeling I have.
It would be necessary to give it a little life with speed changes.

TrojakEW - MegacityVibration
Another theme that creates a spectacular sound environment. Also a very good mix.
I think it looks great as a complement to a video game. Nice feeling from MEGA, like the title of the track.
I don't have much to criticize or propose to improve, because I do everything very well.

Chasey24 – A Better Tomorrow
Powerful and cheerful theme. Maybe too much to accompany the video game, but it's not too bad.
I like guitars and their melody. But they need to be adjusted. Especially in the position, which is fluctuating, at times it seems as if they changed rooms, for example at minute 2:03 something strange happens. But other than that I like it and I think it's a good job.

Elcubano - Stranger City_v2
Good synthwave track, with a melody that ends up lingering. The constant arpeggio is fine, but maybe it gets a little tiring in the end. Spatial distribution is pretty good, maybe I would pull the hi-hat back a bit more. Good work and correct mix.

FixInTheMix - Bright New Day
Good start, catches my attention right away. I see the construction of the city at full speed, a building here, another there, going up quickly, cranes coming and going to another building. I like this guitar (or harp) that sounds a little distant and creates maximum interest. But too bad, when the real thing starts, it ends too soon. Ohhh, I would have liked a longer topic where you could have developed it more. At minute 2:44 I said NO, I don't want it to end already.
Very good work but the interesting part too short. good mix

(translated with google, sorry for the imperfections that the translation may contain)

Perhaps I am posting this technically too late due to timezones. I came up with comments, which are more significant than my ranking. It might be better just to discard my piece and my ranking anyway, since my piece is... sort of annoying.

But regardless:

My comments on my process: My comments on pieces: My ranking from 1 to 5, which takes into consideration the prompt in addition to my preferences (basically I berate you all for being epic, even well-done.)

A friendly reminder:
We're in the final 24 hours to submit your feedback and cast your vote.


Please check post #044 regarding the feedback and voting mechanic. Giving feedback is mandatory (the only criteria to become disqualified). Please don't let yourself be put at a disadvantage by not participating (fully). The Songwriting Competition lives from the given feedback towards each other. Don't just "collect" and then move on - this is unfair to all other participants.

Outside feedback is welcome, of course.

Things I have learned during this month’s competition:
This month I learned that Halion in Cubase is an undiscovered gem that I will certainly be using more in the future, it has some truly excellent synths contained within. I also learned how to use Baby Audio Transit for the first time in a track, it is a wild tool that is a lot of fun

Feedback Voting

It's the 02nd August 2024, 3:55 (UTC+2/CEST) - the Voting Period has officially ended.

All participants have submitted final feedback, we therefore have 0 disqualification.


Please no more changes to your feedback from this point forward.
I will post the results, plus a "client vote" and some final words of encouragement within 3-4 workdays. (this is not an automated process)


Please have an eye on this thread