Skol303 Posted November 24, 2013 Share Posted November 24, 2013 (edited) Voting has now started on November's Composition Competition! Here's the inspiration for this month's music, chosen by the previous winner Zenitram: And here are the compositions. Please listen to each track and pick your favourite: Dad3353 https://soundcloud.c...ot-be-long-love paul h https://soundcloud.c...ghost-wedding-i Spoombung https://soundcloud.c...mbung/slow-glow EliasMooseblaster https://soundcloud.c...-headless-bride AL-the-Bassman https://soundcloud.c...er-looking-than lurksalot https://soundcloud.c...rksalot/no-body the boy https://soundcloud.c...ysings/stranger Skol303 https://soundcloud.c...nholy-matrimony [CONTAINS SWEARING] Voting ends at midnight on Saturday 30th November. Well done to everyone who took part this month - sterling work as always! Paul Edited July 11, 2020 by Dad3353 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted November 24, 2013 Share Posted November 24, 2013 (edited) Flippin' heck, you lot do like to make life difficult, don't ya..? How the blazes is anyone supposed to choose between all that..? Yes, I know the criteria, compo, association with the pic, "Would I buy that..?" and all, but, seriously, how to differentiate there..? I've listened to all, of course. Every one that finishes, I think to myself "That's it..! That's the clincher". Then I listen again to 'em all, and the same happens. If I listen in a different order, it makes no flippin' difference whatever. Each is 'better' than its predecessor. There's an essence of nonsense here; whichever I plump for will be doing a disservice to all the others. How am I to resolve this..? Surely not by use of suitably rolled crocodile bones (...and where will I find them before end of voting, eh..? I ask you..!). No, I'll have to sleep on it. Maybe inspiration will strike, and a wild dream starring missing body parts and divers pieces of clothing will unconsciously guide a decision. Why, oh why did I heed those siren calls from that there Skol..? Every time I get caught. This time, however, I'm stumped. I'll listen again tomorrow; g'night all... Edited July 11, 2020 by Dad3353 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skol303 Posted November 24, 2013 Author Share Posted November 24, 2013 ^ I couldn't agree more Douglas! I had a very quick skip through each of the tracks last night while setting up the voting - just pressing 'play' from a random point to make sure they all work ok - and each time I ended up listening through to the end. Really good entries from everyone this month and all very different. I'm looking forward to listening to them all properly... that is, in a darkened room with a glass of red Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockfordStone Posted November 24, 2013 Share Posted November 24, 2013 sorry i've missed out on this again, my computer is being a complete twat at the moment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBus Posted November 24, 2013 Share Posted November 24, 2013 (edited) As above, all really interesting entries. Some really imaginative stuff. Well done all of you. However, one stood out for me. Edited November 24, 2013 by BassBus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lurksalot Posted November 24, 2013 Share Posted November 24, 2013 This has to be the best set of entries in a single month so far , outstanding , I may end up doing a lucky dip to pick one to vote for Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EliasMooseblaster Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 Christ on a bike...to echo all the above sentiments, I honestly don't know which one stands out above the others. They're all really impressive - and all really different! Hopefully a few more listens will do the trick - I don't want to have to resort to closing my eyes and sticking a pin in the screen... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roland Rock Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 Really really difficult choice this month. Well done everyone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowdown Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 (edited) A hard choice, but in the end [size=4]one really hit the picture vibe for me, [/size] [size=4]with thoughtful arranging, [/size][size=4]a good strong theme [/size][size=4]and avoided a lot of repetition.[/size] [size=4]Good stuff all round, top marks to everyone.[/size] [size=4][spoiler]Spoombung[/spoiler][/size] Edited November 27, 2013 by lowdown Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krysh Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 great work from all of you, I made my choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the boy Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 Very hard this month. My favourite isn't the best suited (in my mind) to the picture. There are others that really suit the picture but don't harmonise with my ying-yang. I need time on this. Don't pressure me guys.......... Please. Lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the boy Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 I'm down to two…………. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EliasMooseblaster Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 Yep, have grudgingly narrowed it down to two. (Which is not to speak ill of any of the others, of course!) Whether I can force myself to pick between the two will be a different matter! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xilddx Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 There are some cracking tracks this month, but one was so beautiful and sad that it had to get my vote. A truly beautiful and elegant piece. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skol303 Posted November 25, 2013 Author Share Posted November 25, 2013 Go Spoombung! A superbly crafted piece of music and well deserving of its votes. I'm keen for you to spill the beans on how you recorded and processed the bass - it's fantastic. I'm currently torn between this track and two others... I'll post up some feedback on all of the entries once I'm done voting. Great work everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 I voted days ago (first, IIRC) without comment and went for Spoombung. I love his stuff generally anyway but this was, for me, the one that spoke to me the most. Hope to get to rebuilding my studio next weekend (7/8th Dec) so maybe next month (not another Santa picture, purleeeese!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpaceChick Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 Wow! Another fabulous month of entries...... I am on my third listen of my short list and I still can't choose who I want to vote for! I have to say that these have kept me entertained all day. I know I have to make a decision...... Hmmmn hmmmn...... why does this have to be so hard. OK, in reverse order, as there were 3 that stood out for me. 3rd place - [b]EliasMooseblaster[/b] - very atmospheric start and gave me all feelings of a gothic, Dracula style wedding. The fretless bass in parts was inspired. And I loved the differing styles of the guitar solos. 2nd place - [b]AL-the-Bassman[/b] - the chord sequences had an equal blend of chilled and spooky! It was a real easy listening tune, with subtle changes in moods. The bassline is beautiful. 1st place - [b]the boy[/b] - the intro grabbed me, I love a prominent bassline on an intro. Then the lyrics came in and actually made me laugh out loud. Which when you are having a real pants day at work is great. So, for brightening my day, you had to win in my head. I think my favourite line is "You bought your cake and made your list of of things to do", it just made me smile. I must have listened to it about 7 or 8 times today. Fantastic entries, and every month I get inspired to enter.... guess I just need to get my fat butt into gear and do it! LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the boy Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 [quote name='SpaceChick' timestamp='1385562915' post='2289671'] Wow! Another fabulous month of entries...... 1st place - [b]the boy[/b] - the intro grabbed me, I love a prominent bassline on an intro. Then the lyrics came in and actually made me laugh out loud. Which when you are having a real pants day at work is great. So, for brightening my day, you had to win in my head. I think my favourite line is "You bought your cake and made your list of of things to do", it just made me smile. I must have listened to it about 7 or 8 times today. [/quote] Thanks space chick. I have to say your entry about the wolve people always sticks in my head when I think about the competition. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EliasMooseblaster Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 [quote name='SpaceChick' timestamp='1385562915' post='2289671'] 3rd place - [b]EliasMooseblaster[/b] - very atmospheric start and gave me all feelings of a gothic, Dracula style wedding. The fretless bass in parts was inspired. And I loved the differing styles of the guitar solos. [/quote] Thank you very much, glad you enjoyed it! You've also forced me to go back and listen to my own piece again as I didn't realise the bass sounded like a fretless - it's actually a (fretted) T-bird, though I guess the neck pickup does have that kind of woody, not-quite-an-upright tone about it! While I'm here, a more general thanks to everyone that's commented on the clip so far - it's very encouraging to see that it's gone down well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul h Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 [quote name='EliasMooseblaster' timestamp='1385565214' post='2289712'] Thank you very much, glad you enjoyed it! You've also forced me to go back and listen to my own piece again as I didn't realise the bass sounded like a fretless - it's actually a (fretted) T-bird, though I guess the neck pickup does have that kind of woody, not-quite-an-upright tone about it! While I'm here, a more general thanks to everyone that's commented on the clip so far - it's very encouraging to see that it's gone down well. [/quote] Well I didn't comment...but you did get my vote Wait...am I allowed to say that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 (edited) OK, I finally came up with a decisional method which (with some difficulty still...) allowed me to plump for one, without disparaging the others. A bit 'out of the box', to be totally honest, but I found no other way that let me sleep easy. The result of my tractations..? Hidden away here; don't look if you've not already voted... [spoiler] I chose the entry that had not, as yet, received a vote (in fact, there were two, so I had to choose anyway..!). It was in getting to sleep, and waking up, with the voice of Lurksalittle in my head which swung it. All, without exception deserve at least a vote, imo, so I 'bumped' the Lurksalot score. Will it win..? At this level of performance, I hardly think it matters much. It would be somewhat unfair to have no votes at all, though. There are no losers in this bunch. [/spoiler] Edited November 27, 2013 by Dad3353 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpaceChick Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 [quote name='EliasMooseblaster' timestamp='1385565214' post='2289712'] Thank you very much, glad you enjoyed it! You've also forced me to go back and listen to my own piece again as I didn't realise the bass sounded like a fretless - it's actually a (fretted) T-bird, though I guess the neck pickup does have that kind of woody, not-quite-an-upright tone about it! [/quote] Gosh, I really thought it was fretless! I'm going to listen again with a new ear! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpaceChick Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 [quote name='the boy' timestamp='1385564573' post='2289698'] Thanks space chick. I have to say your entry about the wolve people always sticks in my head when I think about the competition. Thanks again. [/quote] Bless you, that's a really kind thing to say x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skol303 Posted November 28, 2013 Author Share Posted November 28, 2013 (edited) I've had a question from AL-the-Bassman on SoundCloud about how I got the tone on my bass in this month's track (during the Heavy Bit™). Thought I might as well reply here because a) the SoundCloud comment boxes are too titchy for the necessary waffle and b ) in case anyone else wants to know. So here's how: - It's a 5-string bass played with a pick. - The bass was DI'd (plugged directly into) my audio interface and recorded dry with no effects - just some gentle EQ'ing: a slight boost in the mid-range. - Once recorded, I normalised the track and fed it into an amp simulator (the Line 6 Pod that comes bundled with my DAW software: Reason). For anyone who has it, I chose the 'Fuzz Comp' preset as a starting point. For everyone else I basically added a mild 'fuzz/distortion' effect to the sound. I then dialled in a further boost in the low mids (around 300Hz) and high-mids/treble around 1kHz. The fuzz effect helps to kick up lots of new harmonics, which helps the bass cut through in a busy mix like this one. - I then added a saturation effect (in essence warming up the previous fuzz tone and reducing its 'brittleness'). - Then I added a compressor: vital in this case for giving a nice, even signal to mix with. - Finally, I added a second compressor - with its side chain input to linked to the kick drum, making the volume of the bassline duck a little every time the kick hits (around -2db), which just helps the kick stay punchy with all that low end going on. Et voila! PS: for plug-ins I highly rate [url="http://www.softube.com/"]Softube[/url]. They're fairly pricey, but if you're patient there are some real bargains to be had from time to time. Edited November 28, 2013 by Skol303 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the boy Posted November 28, 2013 Share Posted November 28, 2013 [quote name='Skol303' timestamp='1385600589' post='2290264'] I've had a question from AL-the-Bassman on SoundCloud about how I got the tone on my bass in this month's track (during the Heavy Bit™). Thought I might as well reply here because a) the SoundCloud comment boxes are too titchy for the necessary waffle and b ) in case anyone else wants to know. So here's how: - It's a 5-string bass played with a pick. - The bass was DI'd (plugged directly into) my audio interface and recorded dry with no effects - just some gentle EQ'ing: a slight boost in the mid-range. - Once recorded, I normalised the track and fed it into an amp simulator (the Line 6 Pod that comes bundled with my DAW software: Reason). For anyone who has it, I chose the 'Fuzz Comp' preset as a starting point. For everyone else I basically added a mild 'fuzz/distortion' effect to the sound. I then dialled in a further boost in the low mids (around 300Hz) and high-mids/treble around 1kHz. The fuzz effect helps to kick up lots of new harmonics, which helps the bass cut through in a busy mix like this one. - I then added a saturation effect (in essence warming up the previous fuzz tone and reducing its 'brittleness'). - Then I added a compressor: vital in this case for giving a nice, even signal to mix with. - Finally, I added a second compressor - with its side chain input to linked to the kick drum, making the volume of the bassline duck a little every time the kick hits (around -2db), which just helps the kick stay punchy with all that low end going on. Et voila! PS: for plug-ins I highly rate [url="http://www.softube.com/"]Softube[/url]. They're fairly pricey, but if you're patient there are some real bargains to be had from time to time. [/quote] Wow, that sounds like a lot of work mate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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