February Composition Competition - Voting Time

[charic]

Excellent turn out this month, apparently landscapes are popular! 10 entries!



RockfordStone - [url="https://soundcloud.com/robslusarmusic/week-2-aurora"]https://soundcloud.c...c/week-2-aurora[/url]
lurksalot - [url="https://soundcloud.com/lurksalot/radiation"]https://soundcloud.c...salot/radiation[/url]
urb - [url="https://soundcloud.com/munkio/trippy-tundra-oslos-revenge"]https://soundcloud.c...a-oslos-revenge[/url]
stephenhoughton - [url="https://soundcloud.com/9thaspect/beyond-words-entry-for"]https://soundcloud.c...words-entry-for[/url]
xgsjx - [url="https://soundcloud.com/xgsjx/the-auroral-zone"]https://soundcloud.c...he-auroral-zone[/url]
Dave Vader - [url="https://soundcloud.com/plastic-squirrel/the-rola-cola-polar-bear"]https://soundcloud.c...cola-polar-bear[/url]
Skol303 - [url="https://soundcloud.com/skollob/aurora"]https://soundcloud.com/skollob/aurora[/url]
lowdown - [url="https://soundcloud.com/garrycribb/magical-lake"]https://soundcloud.c...bb/magical-lake[/url]
bigredx - [url="https://soundcloud.com/bigredx/february"]https://soundcloud.c...igredx/february[/url]

[bobbass4k]

Sorry to put a dent in your figure, but mine was not an entry, that was a sample mix of the intro I put up for comment, unfortunately I didn't get chance to finish it and I don't think the intro in isolation is up to the standards of the other entries, so could you please remove it?

[Stephen Houghton]

Voted, nice entries from all involved, listened to all of them, went for the one that fitted the image best, really liked Skols, Lowdowns and Urbs, hard choice!

Edited February 23, 2013 by Stephen Houghton

[lurksalot]

quality entry again this month , some beautiful entries , it will take a few listens to decide on those .

[RockfordStone]

some strong entries this month, as usual, i went for the one that struck a chord for me most, well done guys

[Dave Vader]

will sit down with some proper speakers and a bottle of wine later, have a good listen and then vote.

[xilddx]

[quote name='RockfordStone' timestamp='1361657078' post='1989046']
some strong entries this month, as usual, i went for the one that struck a chord for me most, well done guys
[/quote]
Agreed. There was one that really struck me.

[Dad3353]

Once again, a difficult choice. I tend to go for the compositional side, rather than either the technical playing or absolute sound quality, as well as being 'appropriate' to the theme suggested by the conjunction of photo/zique.
if you don't want to be influenced (who am I kidding..?), don't open the 'spoiler'...

[spoiler]Special mention for the 'Penguins in Bondage/Yellow Snow'; just missed the mark by being a tad off the pic's appeal (to me...). Not such a techno fan (but several were appropriate, just the same...), so went for the classical piano, [i]à la Grieg[/i].[/spoiler]

Well done, all (again..!), a hearty round of applause is due...

[url="http://www.smileyvault.com/"][/url]

[discreet]

Just listened to all the entries from beginning to end. A lot of skill and talent on show again... there is one stand-out piece that IMHO is not only imaginative and emotional, but fits the picture very well and features some nice production. Less is more!

Edited February 25, 2013 by discreet

[lurksalot]

voted , and it appears to be a popular one , but it is superb .

[Dave Vader]

Voted, couldn't not vote for that once I'd heard it, utterly lovely.
Not telling who though.

[BigRedX]

Excellent choices once again. There were three compositions that I really liked but ultimately only one could get my vote.

Well done everyone once again!

[seashell]

Voted. Difficult choice as always.

[RockfordStone]

yay i got a vote

[lurksalot]

[quote name='RockfordStone' timestamp='1361898906' post='1992726']
yay i got a vote
[/quote]

Same here , I am chuffed .

[Roland Rock]

I've logged in after a period of self imposed BC detox, just to vote in this. Well done all, some great stuff.

btw, if you see Soundcloud comments by a piece of toast, that's me :-)

[Pinball]

Lots of very relaxing stuff there. I voted-shame I could only vote for one as it was a tough choice.

[fumps]

Yeh i find this very much like torture lol
fantastic guys

[Skol303]

Ok, I've finally found time to listen through them all and choose a favourite. Brilliant work as always folks! Really. I thoroughly enjoyed listing to them.

Here's some feedback I scribbled down for y'all...

[b]Rockford Stone[/b]: Really like the organ during the intro. Nice vocal as always from you mate - I especially like the chorus, very 'singalong' and had me joining in by the end. The guitar(s) and bass could do with being a bit louder and more forward in the mix. It sounds like you may have rolled off a wee bit too much of the low end - I really wanted the guitars to bowl me over! - but that's a minor criticism of what is a very catchy anthem.

[b]Bobbass4k[/b]: I know this is unfinished, but what is finished sounds great! You obviously had a good idea going here - it'd be well worth getting round to competing this IMO.

[b]Lurksalot[/b]: Lovely warm bass synth right from off; I also like the wave sounds in the background. What I really like is how the track builds gradually throughout! You do a good job of introducing each new instrument towards the crescendo, then tailing off. Good mix too - my only comment on that would be that it starts off a bit 'lop-sided' until the instruments begin balancing out (too much panned right, or was it left? One of the two). Maybe try panning more centrally at the very start, and automating the pan setting so that the mix widens as it progresses. But anyway. Good job!

[b]Urb[/b]: Another great intro! Sublime playing as always from you Mike. Nice mix too - sounds great thru my cans. I love the breatbeat and synth that kick in around the half-way mark! Also the build that follows and then the re-introduction of the break/live bass, and the mellow outro… you move it from one to the other very well indeed mate. What's great about your music is this fusion of jazz and electronica that you seem to be nurturing - it's a quirky blend but you manage to pull it off and it sounds very new and fresh. Me like

[b]Stephen Houghton[/b]: Suitably mellow and atmospheric; it almost reminds me of Chill Out by the KLF in places… I think it's the guitar sounds you have going on. Nice playing throughout and the mix itself is very well done - good use of panning; everything fitting together nicely. I think it's probably my favourite track of yours to date - it sounds like I'm hearing a different side of your music this month and I really like it.

[b]xgsjx: [/b]YES! I'm a big fan of old skool jungle so this one is right up my alley. It sounds almost like it's come direct from the late 80s/early 90s… brought back lots of happy memories. Lots of sketchy, happy memories Love the drums and the baseline itself made my teeth rattle, As it should! All good. Could do with some compression - maybe - to fatten everything up a little; I'd also have chosen a slightly smoother, more sinewave-ish bass tone myself but that's all I can really offer in terms of constructive feedback. It made me smile, so job done.

[b]Dave Vader[/b]: Superbly quirky, funny, borderline insane and very well played/produced. This one caught me by surprise and the lyrics/theme genuinely made me LOL. I like it! Funky baseline right from the off and the guitar parts work well too - damn you multi-instrumentalists!! (I'm jealous ). There's perhaps too much 'verb on the vocals but I understand you had some mic issues - no big deal and a minor criticism to be honest. Very unique and very Vader!

[b]Lowdown[/b]: Gobsmacking!! Top-quality sounds; superb production (it literally exploded thru my speakers); great arrangement - very cinematic and 'picturesque'; fits the image perfectly and all in just over 2 minutes… anyone would think you do this sort of thing for a living Truly inspirational Garry. Great work.

[b]Big Red X[/b]: I had to Google 'Tenori-On'… and now I want one too. This track is just great for so many reasons. It sounds good for one (did you do any post-recording mixing, or is this straight out of the 'box'?). It's very hypnotic and builds nicely throughout. It has a sort of 'Continental' vibe, if that makes any sense? (I think Discreet mentioned something similar in the SoundCloud comments). Caught my attention anyway and all the more impressive for having been played/improvised live. Very creative.

Any my vote this month goes to...

[spoiler]Big Red X! As always it was a tough choice. Mike (Urb) and Garry (Lowdown) were VERY close runners up for different reasons: Mike because I just really dig this fusion stuff you're producing; and Garry because, well, it's just bloomin' awesome! But BRX's track really stood out for me this month - it's very original, I like the simplicity of it and I had to give bonus points for the instrument itself and the performance. Nicely done.[/spoiler]

Edited February 27, 2013 by Skol303

[lowdown]

Had a couple of listens over the last two days - Some interesting stuff going down from all [well done all]
Hard choice in the end .......

[spoiler]Down to BRX [great idea & approach] and Urb, liked them both. But Urb's motif kinda stuck in my head.[/spoiler]

[urb]

Thanks for the comments Garry and Paul - glad to get one vote - it's all good as I'm using these monthly 'deadlines' to actually explore stuff I might have held back from if I were producing some more conventional fusion type nonsense... I'm planning on making a video to go with this month's tune as I played a lot of the synth parts via my Sonnus i2M gizmo - hence the closing dubstep b-line wigout is all played in 'live' complete with matching analogue bass - hence I get actually get time feel and expression into the synth parts... so there you go!

[BigRedX]

[quote name='Skol303' timestamp='1362006582' post='1994527']
[b]Big Red X[/b]: I had to Google 'Tenori-On'… and now I want one too. This track is just great for so many reasons. It sounds good for one (did you do any post-recording mixing, or is this straight out of the 'box'?). It's very hypnotic and builds nicely throughout. It has a sort of 'Continental' vibe, if that makes any sense? (I think Discreet mentioned something similar in the SoundCloud comments). Caught my attention anyway and all the more impressive for having been played/improvised live. Very creative.
[/quote]

Glad you like the piece and sorry if I gave you additional GAS!

I was lucky enough to catch a demo of it at the 2007 Music Live and was so taken with what I saw that I bought one there and then. This was just after the initial launch event, so I have quite an early model (it's still on the V1.0 software which I need to update as the current version has some useful new features).

I'd been waiting for a suitable image to use it on and this month's was just the thing. Everything was done "in the box" - what you are hearing is a straight recording of the stereo output, with just the beginning and end of the audio file trimmed to the start and end points of the piece.

I terms of what the Tenori-On is capable of, I've kept it fairly simple. I didn't explore any of the more extreme polyrhythmic aspects (you can set the sequence length for every step layer individually) other than to run some of the layers at double speed. And while the piece was played live I did spend some time preparing what I was going to do, working out rough ideas for each pattern and assigning appropriate sounds to each of the layers. The two rhythm patterns were pre-programmed and then their layers muted and un-muted as I needed them. Everything else though was programmed into the sequencer as it ran. It then took a couple of hours of "performance" to get a take I was happy with.

If you are serious about getting one for yourself, unless you particularly like the look of the white and titanium, require completely stand-alone battery-powered operation, or the double-sided display (for the audience), the cheaper TNR-O model will do everything you need. It even has MIDI (in for clock synchronisation) and out for controlling external sound sources.

Oh and thanks for the vote!

[RockfordStone]

[quote name='Skol303' timestamp='1362006582' post='1994527']

[b]Rockford Stone[/b]: Really like the organ during the intro. Nice vocal as always from you mate - I especially like the chorus, very 'singalong' and had me joining in by the end. The guitar(s) and bass could do with being a bit louder and more forward in the mix. It sounds like you may have rolled off a wee bit too much of the low end - I really wanted the guitars to bowl me over! - but that's a minor criticism of what is a very catchy anthem.

[/quote]

Cheers man, in all honesty i spent no time at all on this track.

i did it as part of my one song a week thing, so didnt really concentrate on the mix, the whole thing was very much thrown together in a short period of time

[Dave Vader]

[quote name='Skol303' timestamp='1362006582' post='1994527']
[b]Dave Vader[/b]: Superbly quirky, funny, borderline insane and very well played/produced. This one caught me by surprise and the lyrics/theme genuinely made me LOL. I like it! Funky baseline right from the off and the guitar parts work well too - damn you multi-instrumentalists!! (I'm jealous ). There's perhaps too much 'verb on the vocals but I understand you had some mic issues - no big deal and a minor criticism to
[/quote]

Thanks Paul, I am still struggling with mixing vocals right, and blaming my Sm58 for it. Also there was no way I had the time to double track them properly like I normally would with this one, so the shifted second track added extra verbyness. I was trying to hide my terrible voice in effects, and maybe went too far. Might buy myself a condensor, and then use a lampshade, old sofa foam, a coathanger and some old tights to sort the extra reflections etc.

Might not make next month, as I have been challenged to write a folk album by a friend and want to knock it out in a month. Unless the picture fits what I'm doing....

[Dave Vader]

Oh and my vote went to in case we're all interested....

[spoiler] Lurksalot, cos it was brilliant and sounds like what I normally do. [/spoiler]