CURRENT CHALLENGE - GENERAL INFORMATION
Time Frame: Thursday, 01st September 2022 to Saturday, 24th September 2022 (24 days)
Challenge submission will end on 24-09-2022, 23:59 UTC+2/CEST (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 and on Discord.
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: "Devoid (of..)" (Mental Health Awareness Month)
GENRE: free to select
Image Source: Pexels, photo by Adrien Olichon, released under Creative Commons CC0
A few word about this month's theme:
Staff (Mister Fox) wrote:
I don't want to write a lot of text thing month.
We're in a world of conflicts, we are stumbling from crisis to crisis (energy, food and supplies, workforce, education, we're still in the middle of a pandemic, etc). There is only so much you can do and take at this point. Our world is exhausting currently, coping with things is not easy, ones mental batteries are starting to drain faster and faster, time management is far from ideal, etc.
This is where making music has such a high value - especially if it comes to mental health. Art and music making is a way to help us cope, understand, and heal. It also offers another form of communication, to channel emotions. This is why I'm running a Songwriting Competition with the topic "Mental Health Awareness" every year. To provide a platform to channel this.
This month is not as "
refined" as usual, including providing audio examples. I can merely provide you with a broad theme. Maybe you want to tell us a story, maybe you want to process something that has been chipping at you for months now. Maybe you just want to "create" something in the first place. The rest is up to you.
The genre doesn't matter.
It can be anything. A piano tune, it can be an ambient soundtrack, it can be an electronic track, it can be EBM with distorted vocals, it can be a hard rock production, it can be chaotic Drum and Bass, it can be a Hip Hop tune.
Just... make music. Tell us a story if you want to. One about yourself, about somebody you know, or maybe nothing at all (just whatever comes to mind). Process your emotions, channel it into art, and let it speak for itself.
The month (September) is about spreading awareness of Mental Health on the Mix Challenge audio community.
Not only on our audio community - I do want to spread awareness in general, maybe even some positivity in the process. We do need to get rid of the stigma that you shouldn't speak up and ask for help. That you should rather "man up", stick to yourself, pretend that everything is all right, even if it isn't. This is considered "a weakness" in our society - and we need to stop treating it as such.
A lot of people simply cope with art. May it be artwork of any kind, writing poems, humor, or in our case... creating music. Everything of that, is telling a bigger tale. And this is exactly what I'd like to evoke (again) this month:
reach out, tell a story.
Feel free to share the word via social media with the following hashtags, to get more people involved:
#MentalHealth and #PositiveMentalAttitude
Important Footnote:
If you know of somebody that is suffering from depression, showing signs of self harm or having suicidal thoughts - don't look away, do not lock this person out. Reach out, offer help - and may it only be an ear that listens to a story. If you know of somebody that is suffering anxiety or is showing signs of severe introversion, don't pressure this person, give him/her space, be mindful and understanding.
Never ever treat this person with disrespect or shrug away a subliminal cry for help. It is hard to judge how a person's mind works, sometimes the person you try to help is locking you out or will brush you away. The walls could be thick, they could be paper thin. Every single word can be measured in gold without you knowing. Be patient, be kind, just... be there.
If in doubt, contact local aid agencies that are specialized in this field.
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 (additional) add-on rules specified>
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 to 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 to give away one license of MODO BASS 2 to the winner
License will turn into NFR
More info on IK Multimedia:
https://www.ikmultimedia.com
Musiclab is kind enough to donate any 1 guitar of your choice to the winner
License will turn into NFR
More info on Musiclab:
https://www.musiclab.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 to 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 to 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 to 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 to 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 to 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
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Good luck to all participants.
And most importantly, have fun!