Mix Challenge

Hello and welcome to the Songwriting Competition 55 - March 2022


This is the introduction post, where we directly link to the challenge corresponding basics (theme and premise, submission information, sponsors) and start of the voting process.

Before you get started, please consult the official and very simple "Rules and Guidelines" (Rule Book - post #6) for the Songwriting Competition regarding principles of the game, it's engaging game mechanics (allowed editing/re-submission of your entry until the deadline has been reached) and upload/submission guidelines.

Read more about this month's competition further down below.




This post will be updated with the corresponding links as we progress, and of course the suitable thread headlines. So please watch this spot:


Submission Period: General Information and Sponsors
Cheat Sheet: A couple of examples / audio demos for this month's challenge (limited if genre is "free to select")
Voting: Summarized entries and start of voting process
Results of the Songwriting Competition: Results of the Songwriting Competition

CURRENT CHALLENGE - GENERAL INFORMATION

Time Frame: Tuesday, 01st March 2022 to Thursday, 24th March 2022 (24 days)

Challenge submission will end on 24-03-2022, 23:59 UTC+1/CET (Germany) - until further notice.


Want to find out if you're still within the deadline, please consult the following options:
The Global Countdown on it's dedicated page or the countdown on the home page. There will also be short reminders on Social Media.

Does the game time frame feel too long? Why not set a personal shorter one of 5-7 days absolute max to push yourself to focus on the essentials, then use the rest of the time to ask for feedback and possible refinements.



SONGWRITING THEME: "Key of D (Major)" (Special Task Challenge)
GENRE: Contemporary Pop/Rock



Image Source: Mix Challenge, by Mister Fox, 2022



A few word about this month's theme:

Staff (Mister Fox) wrote: I've been writing down many ideas for future and in some cases even recurring Songwriting Competitions throughout the recent months. Harmony theory is a very interesting topic, and something we do not tackle head on very often. So why not try it this month with a "special task challenge"?

Create a contemporary pop / rock production in the "Key of D (Major)".
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Your task for this Songwriting Competition:
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This month, you can create a production in any Contemporary Pop/Rock genre.

You are allowed use anything between 2-chords to up to 8 chords in terms of chord progressions (also known as "form"). You are not limited to just "basic chords". Going towards jazz/blues/etc rhythm and tone wise does make things more interesting (suspended chords, 7th and 9th chords, inversions, etc). You can even modulate the progression if you want to ("change the key ever so slightly", for example for introducing tension, or for a short section like a bridge). As long as the final product is in the Key of D Major, and feels like a contemporary pop / rock production that has been released in the last 20-30 years. Vocals are optional (as usual).

There are plenty of ways to go about this. Please check in with the follow-up post regarding guides and helper tools.

Important:
Please post your used chord progression with your entry (both the written chords and ideally the Roman Numerals well).


I'm curious about the results.


And please remember:
The more people join, the more interaction and feedback. If you think the 24 days time frame is too long, you can always set yourself a personal limit of 5-7 days absolute max, then post your entry, ask for feedback and use the rest of the time for possible refinements. Just by joining the game in the first place, you're already a winner in my book.

Songwriting Rule Summary / Add-On Rules:

• create a production fitting to the given theme, genre and general premise
• you can use any tool that is at your disposal (samples, virtual instruments and/or real instruments)
• IMPORTANT: if you use non-licensed material (as in: non royalty free material from sample CDs, etc), give full credit to the source material
• for newcomers: no finished productions that have already been released outside of the time frame of the current Songwriting Competition (Spotify, iTunes, Bandcamp, etc), no cover versions or remixes, no ripped acapella's -- please only showcase your own content
• do not go higher than -14,0 LUFS ILk/-1,00 dBTP in terms of perceived loudness (mastering). Music doesn't have to be squashed to bits in order to be impactful
• name your files properly prior to uploading and make the production downloadable. If you opt to present your entry through SoundCloud, the forum can also convert your links into a Soundcloud player through the [soundcloud] BBCode from the text editor (orange square with a white cloud in it)
• ADD-ON RULES:
  • Filename Template: SWC000_ArtistName_TrackName.wav and/or .mp3 (please use it!)
  • <no add-on rules specified>

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Please take note of the official rules - they can be found at the following thread:
Songwriting Competition - Official Rules and Guidelines (most notably Rule Book - post #6)

Please address any OT question in the official Gossip thread:
Songwriting Competition - Gossip and Discussion

If you like what the Mix Challenge (community) has been doing in recent months:
Please consider supporting the project

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SPONSORS (Prizes):

Prizes for Songwriting Challenge participants:

Note: All licenses are NFR (Not-For-Resale), except where noted.
Changes to available prices on short notice may be possible and will be announced separately.


RECURRING LICENSE SPONSORSHIP:


Cherry Audio is kind enough give away one license of Voltage Modular Ignite, plus either a license of "Year One Collection" or "Year Two Collection"
License will turn into NFR
More info on Cherry Audio: https://cherryaudio.com



IK Multimedia is kind enough give away one license of MODO BASS to the winner
License will turn into NFR
More info on IK Multimedia: https://www.ikmultimedia.com



Tone2 is kind enough to donate a license of Saurus3 to the winner (until further notice)
License will turn into NFR
More info on Tone2: https://tone2.com



kv331 audio is kind enough give away a bundle of either SynthMaster 1+2 Bundle, or a freely selectable set of 3 SynthMaster Expansions
License will not turn into NFR, you need to have a kv311 audio user account in order to pick up Expansions
More info on kv331 audio: https://www.kv331audio.com



JRR Sounds is kind enough give away any-1 sound sets or sample set of winner's choice (exception: Bundles)
More info on JRR Sounds: https://www.jrrshop.com/jrr-sounds



Luftrum is kind enough give away either a license of Lunaris, a license of Bioscape, or any two sound sets of winner's choice (exception: Bundles and Nano Electronics)
License will turn into NFR
More info on Luftrum: http://www.luftrum.com



Rekkerd Sounds is kind enough give away 1 sound set of winners choice (exception: Krezie EDM and Neurofunk Vol. 1)
License will turn into NFR
More info on Rekkerd Sounds: http://sounds.rekkerd.org/



Ghostwave Audio (Vincent Bastiat) is kind enough to donate any 2 sound sets to the winner
License will turn into NFR
More info on Ghostwave Audio: http://ghostwaveaudio.com



Hollow Sun is kind to donate one license of "Music Laboratory Machines - The Suite I" to the winner
License will turn into NFR
More info on Hollow Sun: http://www.hollowsun.com



Hornet Plugins is kind enough give away one license from the depicted tools (see image) to the winner
License will turn into NFR
More info on Hornet Plugins: http://www.hornetplugins.com



Sound / Graphic Designer, and honorary Mix Challenge staff satYatunes is donating one commercial product of winner's choice (until further notice)
More info on satYatune's page: http://www.satyatunes.com/





THANKS FOR THE DONATIONS!
And also a thank you to all former contributors as well.

If you want to sponsor content (please have a focus on instruments, samples and sound sets), please get in touch with the Mix Challenge staff.

Please spread the word of the challenge on social media.
For example with our dedicated Twitter Account or Facebook Page

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Good luck to all participants.
And most importantly, have fun!

AUDIO EXAMPLES:
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Articles and Info Pages:

A great starting point is the "Addendum"/Supplementary thread for the Songwriting Competition
Songwriting Competition - Addendum: Music Maps and BPM Charts

There are no clear pointers this month (Contemporary is another word for "modern" or "present-day"), but maybe some inspiration through the following links.




Music examples (selection):

Common Chord Progressions Every Beginner Should Know (by PianoPig, 2017)
10 Powerful Chord Progressions Every Songwriter Should Know (by LANDR, 2020)
25 Chord Progressions Great for Songwriting (by Marco Cirillo, 2019)
4 Jazz Chord Progression for Pop Songs (by Rick Beato, 2017)
Some D Major Chord Progressions for Guitar (by FretboardToolbox, 2019)
Chord Combinations (by Rick Beato, second Youtube Channel, 2021)
2-chord progression tutorials/examples (Youtube Search Result, 2022)

And as additional info, since things can get boring quick as well...
The Four Chords That Killed POP Music! (by Rick Beato, 2017 -- with mentioned references)

Please also utilize your go to streaming platform and search for "Contemporary Pop / Rock", maybe even with a certain decade (like 1990s, 2000s, 2010s) for more music examples. A starting point might be the following Youtube Search Result, offering you various playlists with hundreds of songs.

Songs in Key of D (Youtube Search Result, 2022)
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If you want to experiment with Chord Progressions and/or analyze certain mentioned chords and their relation, I can highly recommend the following pages / generators.

ToneGym Chord Progression Generator -- also offers an interactive list of Essential Progressions
ChordChord -- this tool can generate four random chords for you, based upon a given song key, and a mood. I recommend to edit the Generator Settings by turning off "Random Key/BPM/Drums) and only focus on the arpeggio and key scale
AutoChords -- is a more simplified version of that, doesn't generate many variations
Interactive Circle of Fifths by Rand Scullard -- very handy tools to see all available chords and degrees (in Roman numerals). It also comes with an extensive manual
MusicTheorySite Key Identifier -- if you recognize and/or know the chords, but are not sure in which key a song is in, you can use this as starting point.
Tonal Harmony Flowchart (Major/Minor) by miltonline -- one of many flowcharts on the web to get an idea on how to resolve chords from one to another
How to Use Chord Progression Formulas in Music by Musicnotes -- a more simplified explanation
Music Theory for Songwriters by Stephen Mugglin -- this is among the most detailed explanations out there. Please take note of the Chord Charts and Maps for both Major and Minor Chords,

!	Bonus Info
	To those being confused with abbreviations... Cm = C min = C minor Cmaj = C major And for our German participants: Dur = major (Modus major / cantus durus) -- from latin: durus, "hard" Moll = minor (Modus minor / cantus mollis) -- from latin: mollis, "soft"

Please also check in with the following threads in the the Gear Talk sub-forum, if you're on the look-out for new tools:
Places to fuel your GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) (the starting point if you're in need of audio tools -- from free to affordable)

Also recommended to check out the following tools, if you're new to/need help with songwriting:
Plugin Boutique - Scaler 2 (highly recommended tool!)
Xfer Records - Cthulhu (another highly recommended tool)
CodeFN42 - Chordz (Transition is also recommended, if you want more experimental/generative MIDI, Free, Windows only)
W.A. Production - InstaChord and InstaScale
Fabrizio Poce / J74 - Progressive (Progressive Standalone might not be available anymore, else the "Max4Life" version)



UPDATED: 27-FEB-2022 12:15 UTC+1 (sourcing content: several hours), updated 28-FEB-2022 22:20 UTC+1

Mister Fox wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 27, 2022 11:14 CET

You are allowed use anything between 2-chords to up to 8 chords in terms of chord progressions. You can modulate the progression is you want to (for example for a bridge)

Are D, D7 and Dsus4 counted as one chord? Or like three of those eight?

Those have the same root note, but are different chord variants. So the answer is "three of eight" (if you choose a 8 bar "form"), and this covers root chords with added notes.

Check in again with the harmony theory sources I've posted as starting point. Like LANDR and ToneGym,

I hope this is not a stupid question, but I still do not understand. The song I wrote very rapidly (2 minutes) modulates from D to G already at the first chorus. First: is this allowed? It is often said that the key of a work is the chord in which it begins and ends, and if this is the case, then there should be no problems, I hope?

Question 2: Now that the chorus is in a different key, do I have 8 "new" (or other) chords available? Because I'm already using 9 chords - without bridge.

You really do have a tendency to over-complicate things with every Songwriting Competition, or you're very ambitious.


You can modulate your chord progression or "steal" chords that don't necessarily always fit. You should ask yourself what are you trying to do? Are you trying to build excitement, or do you just want to experiment? Also, will you do this for half the song, just a 4-bar chorus and then drop down to the original key again. Can you even drop back to your original chord progression? If you can't, then why even go there and not keep it simple?

By constantly changing key, you could in theory ramp up endless chords. And this isn't a jazz or avantgarde production. (remember the genre: contemporary pop / rock)


Regarding the chord amount - you have up to 8 in the main key. How often and how long you "modulate" / "steal" adjacent chords, is up to you. Same goes for inversions, added 7th chords, suspended chords, etc. In the end it boils down to this: If I run your production through a chord analysis tool (think Hornet Songkey or zplane's Tonic), will the overall readout show me "Key of D (Major)"?

If it doesn't / is too far off, you didn't manage to cover the given premise.




I think I'll slightly modify the premise:

A this point, I'll please ask all of the participants to also post their chord progression in written form, in case things get lost in a cluster of sound. Thank you.



EDIT -- 2022-MAR-07:
Updated premise and made things a bit more clear that you're not limited to "basic" chords.

A friendly reminder:
Including today, 14 days left to submit your production


If you want to access the extended game mechanics of the Songwriting Competition (asking for feedback during production), please try to release your first edits within this week and to have enough time to get possible feedback (if needed/wanted) and continue to work on your song.

Our community is all about learning. So I highly encourage people listening in, to offer some insight and keep the conversation going.

Hello Everyone,

For my entry, I took influence from a few late '90s, early '00s bands like Linkin Park, Nine Inch Nails, A Perfect Circle, and such. I went for a heavy rock with some industrial elements such as EDM-styled drums and a bit of synth mixed in. Hope you all like it!



The chords aren't chords exactly because they are all pretty much just power chords (fifth plus octave). The progression during the intro and chorus is G-E-D-D-D and G-E-D-D-E. During the verses, it is just D-E. During the bridge it is D-E-D-E-G.

All aspects were created, written, and recorded by me using FL Studio 20.

Instruments:
For the guitar is used several instances of Shreddag 3
Drums were made from various samples and Addictive Drums 2
Bass guitar is Scarbee Rickenbacker Bass
Synth bass was made in Vital
For the synth lead I used Super 8

Effects:
Raum and fruity reverb 2 were used for reverb
bx_console SSL 9000 J was used for compression and levels on the drums
Bite for distortion
MIA Muscle used for saturation on the toms
Guitar Rig 6 was used for various guitar effects
RC-20 was used on a hi-hat to get a more mechanical/industrial feel during the chorus
Fruity EQ2 was used for general EQ-ing
Sausage Fattener and IHeartNY were used to fatten up the synth bass
The vocals are heavily processed (as I'm sure you can tell) using Auto-Tune, Nectar 3, Fruity Fast Dist, Vocal Finalizer, Voxbox, and Slice EQ. Part of the vocals were also processed with Vocodex for some fatter-sounding chorus effect.
I used a Patcher preset for multiband side-chain in order to fit the vocals into the track a bit better.

I just realized I forgot to post my chords in the description. I'm not really sure how to do that honestly. I did make sure that the song was in Dmaj using auto key though. I really need to put some time in to learning more (really any) music theory. If I have time I am planning on making some changes to the song and I will add the chords in too.

(Edit) I've updated my entry and added the chords to my original post.