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May Composition Competition


charic
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OK, I'm done. What a month! I decided early on that I couldn't really do jazz any justice - not in its truest sense, anyway. So I just aimed for something "jazzy, urban and upbeat". Sort of trying to replicate the style of artists like Tribe Called Quest, Guru, Ronny Jordan, etc.

Trouble was, the vocal - I can't rap :blink: So I took a punt and collaborated with a guy via SoundCloud who goes by the name of Donnie Ozone, who was game for working together on something. It ended up being a fun project and definitely something I'd like to try again. Anyway, here it is...

[b]NB: this track is hip hop in an old skool, positive sense - so it's 100% cuss-free and family friendly [/b] :)

https://soundcloud.com/skollob/good-day

I've produced this solely using headphones, so any feedback on the mix itself would be hugely appreciated (especially the low end). Ta.

And cheers everyone for another good month of making music!

Paul

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Thanks guys, kind words.

Its really good that there are people here that will listen through anothers composition and critically comment.

Thats what actually makes this thing work, its as much about people bothering to take the time to help another bassist with their piece as it is about the arrangements we've submitted.

Crazy busy at work for the next couple of days but I'll have a proper listen of everything at the weekend.

I really appreciate anyone who has taken the time to listen to this.

Rob

Edited by CamdenRob
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[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1369034182' post='2084029']Its really good that there are people here that will listen through anothers composition and critically comment. Thats what actually makes this thing work, its as much about people bothering to take the time to help another bassist with their piece as it is about the arrangements we've submitted.[/quote]

Spot on! I couldn't agree more, Rob.

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[quote name='Skol303' timestamp='1369007017' post='2083970']
OK, I'm done. What a month! I decided early on that I couldn't really do jazz any justice - not in its truest sense, anyway. So I just aimed for something "jazzy, urban and upbeat". Sort of trying to replicate the style of artists like Tribe Called Quest, Guru, Ronny Jordan, etc.

Trouble was, the vocal - I can't rap :blink: So I took a punt and collaborated with a guy via SoundCloud who goes by the name of Donnie Ozone, who was game for working together on something. It ended up being a fun project and definitely something I'd like to try again. Anyway, here it is...

[b]NB: this track is hip hop in an old skool, positive sense - so it's 100% cuss-free and family friendly [/b] :)

[url="https://soundcloud.com/skollob/good-day"]https://soundcloud.c...kollob/good-day[/url]

I've produced this solely using headphones, so any feedback on the mix itself would be hugely appreciated (especially the low end). Ta.

And cheers everyone for another good month of making music!

Paul
[/quote]

Hey Paul

Really good track there - mix-wise it sounded good over my iMac speakers which is good as I always feel if something sounds good on them then the mix and overall sound comes over well on a computer then you've nailed the levels and EQ etc. I'm guessing you used some samples for the brass/sax parts but hey it grooves and more importantly made me think of rap tunes (the kind I like) from the 1990s, it was a bit Tribe Called Quest with a hint of Pharcyde - Jurassic 5 spring to mind as well - took me back top my days working in HMV in the late 1990s - good times! Maybe we should collaborate on next month's track - you give me the beats and I'll add some bass - and vice versa - I'll bung you some chords and bass loops and let you add some of your lovely dubby synths... but that might be deemed cheating...

Cheers

M

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[quote name='urb' timestamp='1369042698' post='2084098']...mix-wise it sounded good over my iMac speakers which is good as I always feel if something sounds good on them then the mix and overall sound comes over well on a computer then you've nailed the levels and EQ etc. I'm guessing you used some samples for the brass/sax parts but hey it grooves and more importantly made me think of rap tunes (the kind I like) from the 1990s, it was a bit Tribe Called Quest with a hint of Pharcyde - Jurassic 5 spring to mind as well - took me back top my days working in HMV in the late 1990s - good times! Maybe we should collaborate on next month's track...[/quote]

Thanks for the feedback Mike! (and to others who've left comments on SoundCloud). Greatly appreciated mate. I'm glad the mix sounds ok. The low end of things is especially tricky to get right using headphones - it's typically either boomy/muddy or thin/weak, so hopefully I got lucky somewhere in between. I've recently pinched an idea from BC's 51m0n and have started testing mixes on my mobile phone speakers, which is a fairly brutal and unforgiving method! (but nonetheless useful).

The brass instruments are indeed samples. I initially tried using synth-brass but it just didn't sound right, so I opted for pre-recorded sounds instead (from the Reason 'Soul School' collection). The bassline was played in several takes by yours truly; the drums were put together by chopping up 'live' loops into individual drum hits and using them to write the beat in MIDI - fiddly and time-consuming, but I think it gives a more natural feel.

Very kind of you to reference Pharcyde and Jurassic 5! That's [i]exactly[/i] the sort of vibe I was aiming for (I'm a big fan of that skool of hip hop myself).

PS: I'd definitely be up for collaborating on next month's track - assuming nobody cries foul play!? :D

Edited by Skol303
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[quote name='Skol303' timestamp='1369007017' post='2083970']
OK, I'm done. What a month! I decided early on that I couldn't really do jazz any justice - not in its truest sense, anyway. So I just aimed for something "jazzy, urban and upbeat". Sort of trying to replicate the style of artists like Tribe Called Quest, Guru, Ronny Jordan, etc.

Trouble was, the vocal - I can't rap :blink: So I took a punt and collaborated with a guy via SoundCloud who goes by the name of Donnie Ozone, who was game for working together on something. It ended up being a fun project and definitely something I'd like to try again. Anyway, here it is...

[b]NB: this track is hip hop in an old skool, positive sense - so it's 100% cuss-free and family friendly [/b] :)

[url="https://soundcloud.com/skollob/good-day"]https://soundcloud.c...kollob/good-day[/url]

I've produced this solely using headphones, so any feedback on the mix itself would be hugely appreciated (especially the low end). Ta.

And cheers everyone for another good month of making music!

Paul
[/quote]
Hi Paul, as usual really good track absolutely love it, mix sounds great through quality high fi speakers, great low end cant fault it. Who does the vocal, is it sampled? It sounds great, my kind of funky rap, brilliant

Edited by Stephen Houghton
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^ Thanks Stephen, and also for your kind words on SoundCloud! Good to hear it sounds ok over your hifi. My speakers are busted at the moment so I'm flying in the dark mix-wise ("use the force", etc...).

The vocal is from a guy in Brooklyn called Donnie Ozone. I found him on SoundCloud and he very kindly offered to collaborate. I really like his style myself. I'll pass on your feedback to him :)

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[quote name='charic' timestamp='1369210859' post='2086210']
No! :P

Ofcourse you have mate
[/quote]

I've just had a listen to some of the other entries & I don't think i have a chance unless I can add drums, guitar, keys & vocals! Not gonna get that done in a day. :lol:

I'll see what time I get. :)

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[quote name='Dave Vader' timestamp='1369211779' post='2086226']
Never tell them when it's going up, especially when you are bound not to do it til sunday at least. :)
[/quote]

I like being unpredictable, keeps everyone guessing :P

I'll tell everyone friday but... maybe it'll be thursday! Or friday morning or maybe... friday night. Who knows?! Well it won't be friday night, I'm out having a curry :lol:

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[quote name='Skol303' timestamp='1369053908' post='2084273']
PS: I'd definitely be up for collaborating on next month's track - assuming nobody cries foul play!? :D
[/quote]

id like to collaborate in general with other muso's if anyone is up for it, tinterweb based recording project or something

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Ended up finishing it anyway:

https://soundcloud.com/bobbass4k/cloud-of-achenes

Collaboration sounds interesting, what would be really fun is if we did one month of just collaborations, everyone declares their interest then pairs are picked at random, but probably too much of a pain to organize and too much to go to wrong.

Edited by bobbass4k
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Yeah - 'we didn't submit an entry because we split up over musical differences'

PS got a Zoom H1 yesterday so this opens up the options for me (i.e. if I can write tune for my trio and get it played within a month, I can record it and submit that way).

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[quote name='bobbass4k' timestamp='1369279384' post='2087266']Collaboration sounds interesting, what would be really fun is if we did one month of just collaborations, everyone declares their interest then pairs are picked at random, but probably too much of a pain to organize and too much to go to wrong.[/quote]

Well done getting your track finished Bob! I've not had chance to listen as yet but will do so. I actually quite like the idea of a 'collaboration month'... might be tricky to organize but plenty of potential for some very interesting outcomes! Food for thought anyway.

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1369311089' post='2087581']PS got a Zoom H1 yesterday so this opens up the options for me (i.e. if I can write tune for my trio and get it played within a month, I can record it and submit that way).[/quote]

Great idea Bilbo. Be good to hear more from your trio on here :) Those Zoom H1s offer good bang for the buck$ too.

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[quote name='Skol303' timestamp='1369314984' post='2087660']
Well done getting your track finished Bob! I've not had chance to listen as yet but will do so. I actually quite like the idea of a 'collaboration month'... might be tricky to organize but plenty of potential for some very interesting outcomes! Food for thought anyway.
[/quote]

Thanks man, I think another cool idea might be to do an "exquisite corpse", I've just pre-ordered an album based on the idea, it's an old surrealist thing. How they've done it for music is someone composes a few minutes of music, then passes the last 20 seconds on to the next person, who composes another few minutes from that as a launching point, then they pass on the final 20 seconds of theirs and so on, the idea being that you end up with one album length song that no one hears until it's completed (except the person who compiles it). I'm not sure how we could make it a competition, but it might be a cool thing to do one month.

Re: mine, I'm considering chopping the ending off, it seemed like a good idea at the time but now I'm not sure, how about a straw poll, keep the big noisy ending, yay or nay?

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