SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC076 December 2023 - Winners announced

[A Future in Noise]

Here's a (temporary) remix made by @alavault, if anyone is interested. Punchier drums, eGtr is handled in a different way, e.g.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rGhGq1 ... sp=sharing

Because my submission was, in fact, just a demo / rough draft. And that's because it usually takes me an average of three weeks to find a new and exciting chord progression with a melody. Something that is catchy but still has some kind of originality. After that the work with the "final product" can begin. Six competitions a year would be fine with me. I might have looked at this differently if I hadn't cared about melody + chord progression, in the first place, but concentrated solely on sound and mixing. But I have my ideals, and that's just the way it is.

[KukoBass]

My experience this month:
This month, I had some time on my hands from the beginning of the contest, and it really helped. I usually need a lot of time to play around with different ideas before deciding in which direction to go. This month, I had a clear idea what kind of song I wanted to write and could directly start to work on it.

In the end, I had even some extra time to play around with production techniques like doubling tracks and layer different instruments. The feedback really helped me to improve the song, though of course there still is a lot of room for improvement. I'm usually reluctant to change a song because I had a tendency to overdo it and make the song worse in the end. This month, it somehow worked out and that makes me very happy.

Feedback:
As usual, first my disclaimer: I'm still new to writing and producing music, so my feedback is from a listener's perspective and very subjective.

I really enjoyed your songs and the different approaches. I have the feeling that the quality of all contributions in terms of writing and production was very high this month.

► Show Spoiler

1ktone - The Infinite Light
First, I'll have to admit that I'm envious that you managed to write and produce this in one day! It sounds like you worked on it a lot longer.
I like the slow evolving synths and arpeggios. The song has a kind of "live" feel. The only thing I'm missing are some recognizable recurring motifs in the melody. On the other hand, it is easy to let oneself fall into the music and let the mind drift away.

A future in Noise - Avenues Full Of Lights
The song reminds me of "classic" music, like the basslines of J. S. Bach. I like the melodic bass part, the guitar solo and how it is interwoven with the bass line. The ending was a little disappointing for me; the song somehow just stops. I would have expected the harmonies leading back to the main chord, with all instruments.

APi_ZZ - Lights In Odd Meters
A unique approach to the theme, very cool. I like the melodic-percussive motifs and the odd meters setting surprising accents. As it is not comparable to "normal" songs, I would not know what to improve. Maybe a string-like bass sound calling and responding to the upper strings?

Arelem - Spotlight
Very well produced, especially the voices in the chorus. This song has a lot of impact!
I had no problems with understanding the lyrics despite the distortion of the voice in the verse. But it is too much a beat and too little a song in my opinion; it seems to be based on only two chords and gets a little boring when listened on repeat. Still, it works as a beat very well.

becsei_gyorgy - The Lights Of Christmas
This song feels like a film score to a Christmas movie. Beautiful harmonies, excellent orchestration. Only the ending feels a little unfortunate, with the instruments fading away while the choir is still singing. I would have preferred an ending with the full orchestra.

Brandon740- Broken Lights
I really like the A-Part and the movement in the Bass part. The B part sounds like it is lacking something, vocals or a lead melody.
The bass sounds a little thin when it goes to the higher octave.
The guitar solo starts a little sudden and could be introduced with some notes on the 4 of the previous bar. Also, it could be doubled in some parts and panned left-right for a wider sound.
The Ending surprised me with the guitar fading out and the synth pads staying; I think it is a nice alternative to a "normal" fadeout ending.

colorado weeks - LEDs
Very melancholic mood, the melody is memorable. The bell sounds are a little cheesy, but I like the synth strings very much. The vocals are good, but could be a mixed a little more to the foreground in the chorus. I like that the instruments all have their own space in the mix.

Doc Jon - Christmas Lights
Very well written and produced. I like the bass lines, the vocals, the bridge part and especially the musical tension on the "tight"-chord. Yet, somehow the music seems to miss something during the first verses. I guess this is a side effect of making room for the increase for the chorus and for the bells in the last verse, but still it sounds a little too sparse for my taste.

Esteve Corbera - Els sons de Nadal
Very calming. I like the musical ambience. Unfortunately, the melody sounds a little random and repetitive over time, especially in the part around 1:48 - 2:17. The orchestral percussion and the drums shift the feeling of the song to a more energetic, uplifting vibe. The offbeat sounding drum fill around 2:17 is a highlight of the song. I think you could have even gone further with the drums, in the direction of Hidden Orchestra (e. g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knPkobD ... 52G2gRXPwE).

Jeroen Zuiderwijk - Lights Dancing In The Night Sky
I like the overlaying arpeggios and delays, like drops of water or dancing lights. As I said before, in my opinion the song would benefit from more natural sounding drum samples; the drums sounds you used sound to me like they belong to a different song.

Lady Incognita - Kiss me under Starry Skies
Beautiful song, great vocals, but I miss a little harmonic or rhythmic variation within the song. But the sultry vocals and beautiful lyrics alone make the song worth listening to.

Mellow Browne - Liquid Flux
A very cool DnB track, like it a lot. It reminds me of the music I used to listen to while I studied. The chord progression is wonderful, but it gets a little repetitive over time. The song might profit from more or longer breaks like the one around 1:44.

merci ferdi - Lampes Magiques
A cool and beautiful song. I really like the instrumentation. The delay on the vocals in the chorus make it difficult to understand, especially if French is not your first language. The vocal fade in around 1:20 does not work so well; it makes the beginning of the vocals hard to understand. In general, the vocals could be a little more in the foreground for my taste.

MSGsaltsweet - Lights
I like the minimal approach of the song. If I had the chance to change something in the mix, I would replace the synth sound (pad) in the higher octaves. In my opinion, the song could profit either from a string sound or a more distinctive synth sound (like the sounds Jean-Michel Jarre uses for leads).

VCA-089 aka Infravolt - Lights
Very relaxing. I really like the slow and processed drums.
As I said before, the main thing that feels off for me is the intro, because it sounds like an intro to a different song. I'd think the song would be better starting right off with the part around 0:48. And I think the glitch effects in the intro and at the ending are a little too prominent.
That said, I adore how you manage to write songs in different genres and somehow keep up your own style doing it. Respect!

My voting:
Ranking the songs will always be difficult for me; it always feels unfair towards the ones not appearing in the top choices even if they were top in their genre.

► Show Spoiler

1. colorado weeks - LEDs
2. Lady Incognita - Kiss me under Starry Skies
3. becsei_gyorgy - The Lights Of Christmas
4. Mellow Browne - Liquid Flux
5. Esteve Corbera - Els sons de Nadal
6. MSGsaltsweet - Lights
7. Jeroen Zuiderwijk - Lights Dancing In The Night Sky

[Mister Fox]

It's the 04th January 2024, 01:25 (UTC+1/CET) - the Voting Period has officially ended.

Sadly, not all participants have submitted final feedback, we would therefore have 3 disqualifications.

I will send out another newsletter/message to those particular participants (@Brandon740, @merci ferdi, @Arelem), give you until the end of Thursday, 04-JAN-2024 as per the rule book on the voting process ("overtime mechanic"). If there is a feedback and a vote by the participant in question, only -5 points will be deducted from the scoresheet. Else, sadly a disqualification.

Once I have this feedback as well, I will post the results within 2-3 days and take "late feedback" into consideration.
(this is not an automated process)


The only disqualification criteria is by "not participating" with feedback at the end of the game.
Time constraints can happen -- but I do not consider entries to be "withdrawn" at this point. You unfortunately just didn't have the time.

Everyone else, please no more changes to your vote. Thank you.
However, if you miss some fine tuning of certain paragraphs, and/or your "reflection on this month's game", please get that sorted out.


Please have an eye on this thread

[A Future in Noise]

The song reminds me of "classic" music, like the basslines of J. S. Bach.

Thank you very much! A comparison with J.S. Bach is probably the finest praise you can receive!

[JeroenZuiderwijk]

Here's a (temporary) remix made by @alavault, if anyone is interested. Punchier drums, eGtr is handled in a different way, e.g.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rGhGq1 ... sp=sharing

Because my submission was, in fact, just a demo / rough draft. And that's because it usually takes me an average of three weeks to find a new and exciting chord progression with a melody. Something that is catchy but still has some kind of originality. After that the work with the "final product" can begin. Six competitions a year would be fine with me. I might have looked at this differently if I hadn't cared about melody + chord progression, in the first place, but concentrated solely on sound and mixing. But I have my ideals, and that's just the way it is.

Sounds great! I did hear the quality behind the initial less mixed song....personaly I thought the rough edges (and more overdriven guitar) also had some character. But this is very cool to share with us the more polished version of your song.

Cheers,
Jeroen

[A Future in Noise]

... personaly I thought the rough edges (and more overdriven guitar) also had some character. But this is very cool to share with us the more polished version of your song.

Thanks I'm not sure which way to go here, actually.

I listened to your submission again, now that I had some spare time. It begins very promisingly, with the dreamy, somewhat unpredictable notes from the piano. But for me, I have to say that the drum sound, which seems to have the same function as a kick, scares me away from the loudspeakers. It's way too loud, in terms of dB, and doesn't quite fit in, genre-wise either. With my subwoofer on I simply can't listen, it's too harsh for my fragile ears. So I turned off the subwoofer and listened through the song. And my conclusion is, not so unexpected, maybe: the dreamy tonal landscape seems to have been created with care, but the drums - especially the kick - have nothing to do there. (Often eighths from the kick; first on one and then one and a half. For me, personally, it gets very stressful.) The bass is better – is it a fretless bass (plugin)? It works well that it is a bit diffuse, kind of floats around (a lot of chorus FX?).

Cheers, A Future in Noise

[merci ferdi]

hello everyone, first of all thank you for your feedback on my composition. To be perfectly honest, I don't really feel like giving feedback to each participant. I know I'm going to be disqualified, but that's okay, I had a lot of fun working on this challenge! It's a great exercise in self-improvement.

for those who wanted the lyrics of my song, here they are:

J'ai vu des trucs dans la lumière j'ai vu des trucs dans la lumière
J'y vois des choses que je pense, des choses que je pense avoir
La silhouette blanche de mon reflet
Et l'accès à mon moi intérieur sans visages et sans ardeur

Oui il y avait de la musique dans mes oreilles
Et puis il y avait de la lumière s'échappant des réverbère
Le froid mes pas et ma parka j'y pensais pas
Juste moi et moi dans un monde loin de la planète terre

Aaaaaaaah

have a nice evening and thank you!

[Mister Fox]

It's the 05th January 2024, 00:35 (UTC+1/CET) - the Voting Period extension has officially ended.

Unfortunately, not everyone has sent in feedback and cast a vote (still). We therefore have 3 disqualifications.


Please no more changes to your feedback from this point forward.
I will post the results within 2-3 days. (this is not an automated process)


Please have an eye on this thread

[1ktone]

Here's a (temporary) remix made by @alavault, if anyone is interested. Punchier drums, eGtr is handled in a different way, e.g.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rGhGq1 ... sp=sharing

Because my submission was, in fact, just a demo / rough draft. And that's because it usually takes me an average of three weeks to find a new and exciting chord progression with a melody. Something that is catchy but still has some kind of originality. After that the work with the "final product" can begin. Six competitions a year would be fine with me. I might have looked at this differently if I hadn't cared about melody + chord progression, in the first place, but concentrated solely on sound and mixing. But I have my ideals, and that's just the way it is.

It’s an interesting thing to consider. If it’s a mix competition then you just focus on the quality of the mix. If it’s a song writing situation we seem to want to incorporate our subjective requirements as to how we want it to sound on top of the melody, harmony, lyrical content etc. I still think the core song is good and the only reason I went for mix adjustments as a suggestion is that I didn’t discover any obvious problem with the song itself. If I wanted to I could sit down on my piano or pull out a guitar and play this on my own without any other accompaniment which speaks to the quality of the composition.

[A Future in Noise]

I still think the core song is good and the only reason I went for mix adjustments as a suggestion is that I didn’t discover any obvious problem with the song itself.

I feel very flattered, 1ktone. And when it comes to distinguishing between the song per se, on the one hand (chord sequence + melody), and the mix on the other - it's very difficult. Because everyone, including me, is influenced by what they actually hear, that is, the current mix. A song that is mixed completely wrong sounds bad, and then the listener naturally reacts by thinking: I don't like this! In any case, I sometimes wish that a little more attention could be directed to the song "per se" in this community. But mixing tips are always valuable, of course.

And BTW: the two notes connected to “driveway” in the extended chorus has been raised three or four semi-notes. We don't often go into details like that, but why not?