lurksalot Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 (edited) [color=#4B0082][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif][size=5][b]February's Composition Challenge is up and running![/b][/size][/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif][size=5]Here's the image for your inspiration, chosen by me on behalf of January's winners Bleat and myself [/size][/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif][b]Spoilers , except I cant use that somehow, so here is the rules !![/b][/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]By entering the competition you agree to the Basschat Terms and Conditions and Forum Guidelines, which are designed to help ensure the forum remains free of offensive and/or illegal behaviour and material. In a nutshell:[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif][b]1) Please avoid any content that other forum users may find offensive. [/b]If your track contains explicit lyrics, for example, then please warn other forum users so they can choose for themselves whether to listen to it.[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif][b]2) Please make sure you have permission to use any 3rd party sounds included in your track [/b](ie. sounds that you have not recorded yourself, such as samples of other people's music). The owners of Basschat accept no responsibility for infringements of copyright or other forms of legal ownership, which are solely the responsibility of competition entrants. If we spot any breaches of copyright then your track will be removed from the competition.[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif][b]3) Entries should be no more than five minutes long and written/produced during the month of the competition[/b], taking inspiration from the photo provided. No cheating![/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]If you have any questions, just ask.[/font][/color] [color=#800080][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif][size=5][b]The deadline for entries is midnight on Tuesday 21st February.......[/b][/size][/font][/color] [color=#800080][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif][size=5][b]Its a few days shorter than normal so get your skates on [/b][/size][/font][/color] Edited February 1, 2017 by lurksalot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 Hasn't Diana Ross already done a song for this? I've got an idea... I might try singing again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 No idea :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonard Smalls Posted February 2, 2017 Share Posted February 2, 2017 [quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1485982994' post='3228317'] Hasn't Diana Ross already done a song for this? [/quote] And Lionel Ritchie! Looks pretty funky and perhaps a touch psychedelic... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 Here we go again... [url="https://soundcloud.com/dad3353/swot-happens-when-one-listens-to-jazz"]Swot Happens When One Listens To Jazz ...[/url] Once again, modest, but I'm quite pleased with it (fool that I am..! ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted February 5, 2017 Share Posted February 5, 2017 [quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1486316589' post='3230837'] Here we go again... [url="https://soundcloud.com/dad3353/swot-happens-when-one-listens-to-jazz"]Swot Happens When One Listens To Jazz ...[/url] Once again, modest, but I'm quite pleased with it (fool that I am..! ) [/quote] Nice. Jazz being my fave genre, I'm really digging this track. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mornats Posted February 7, 2017 Share Posted February 7, 2017 I'm in the mixing phase of mine now. I may have to change a synth bass as it's kinda dominating a lot of the bandwidth and I may start the master channel mix from scratch now that I've got everything else as balanced as I can get it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonard Smalls Posted February 8, 2017 Share Posted February 8, 2017 I'm in the middle of something loud and shouty, featuring a guest vocal by Donald Trump and crazed "guitar" solo in a variety of largely unrelated keys... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonard Smalls Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 I've rolled mine in as much glitter as it would stand, as well as a stain and 3 coats of varnish. And this is what happened! http://soundcloud.com/dredd-and-the-badass-weed/topsy-turvy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 Not long after seeing the pic, I saw the trailer for Stranger Things 2 & it's about everything getting turned upside down. So with that, I thought "80s sci-fi", so I give you Torino... https://soundcloud.com/gxmix/torino Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mornats Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 [quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1486668207' post='3233739'] Not long after seeing the pic, I saw the trailer for Stranger Things 2 & it's about everything getting turned upside down. [/quote] Ha! Me too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted February 9, 2017 Share Posted February 9, 2017 [quote name='Mornats' timestamp='1486671612' post='3233770'] Ha! Me too [/quote] Great minds, eh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christofloffer Posted February 11, 2017 Share Posted February 11, 2017 i managed to squeeze in a quick track. the mixing is a bit rough and the mic recording isnt the best but we are in the midst of moving house so its a bit rushed through. my mate kenny jumped in and did a sax track for me though which was interesting. i would have liked to get things a bit more polished and redo a couple of things but time is against me this time so i am just happy to get something in. https://soundcloud.com/christofloffer/from-the-ground-up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indy Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 After trying to capture a riff that in my mind symbolised a tornado, Ive just realised that the house has been placed there on purpose, and not by mother nature. Always read the question!! Quick effort as not getting much time at the moment. https://soundcloud.com/thevelvetknock/blue-boy-street-demo Blue Boy Street Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fingers211 Posted February 17, 2017 Share Posted February 17, 2017 Top stuff already in ! Nearly there meself,just some vocals,mixing etc etc..could be messy !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lurksalot Posted February 18, 2017 Author Share Posted February 18, 2017 I have had a brilliant couple of hours . I managed to get a focus on this one but I do need a vocal , I am going to give it a go because it is a bit personal the way it has panned out , but if I cant do it justice I will try and get someone. I have only had a short time to get it recorded , but its one of those that has been seeping into me since about 4 days after I posted the picture. I need angry , but tuneful , I can do angry , but the tune bit tends to be just beyond me, I'll wait till the house is empty till I get some screaming done , then we'll slap it through the autotune. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bastav Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 (edited) Yay, managed to finish in time Had a bit of trouble finding inspiration in the picture but decided to just put some words to it and work from there. [i]"The upside becomes the downside. Turn the world around"[/i] As a result the track is a bit too serious for the picture... but still, I´m quite pleased with it! All instruments played by yours truly, multitracked in cubase [url="https://soundcloud.com/organicpulseensemble/turn-the-world-around"]https://soundcloud.c...he-world-around[/url] Edited February 19, 2017 by Bastav Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lurksalot Posted February 19, 2017 Author Share Posted February 19, 2017 I have done as much as I can now while it is based on the picture, there is a darkness to this one, a close colleague has had a family tragedy and I couldn't help but be influenced by it. Ez drummer bashes out the beat, and I picked up my Ibanez 6 string and started making some dark tones using Waves Guitar3 , then when I had something close, I built a bass patch to suit it. The lyrics are simple but to the point on this one, enjoy Broken https://soundcloud.com/lurksalot/broken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mornats Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 (edited) Finally finished mine today although these things are never really 100% finished are they? I could have gone on for another month tweaking every single drum sound but there's a point where I have to say hey, I'm sick of listening to this now, just upload it! Just like xgsjx I had a Stranger Things vibe going on which I hope can be heard in the arpeggiated synth. The tempo was originally a bit slower than the final version so it sounded a bit more like the ST theme at first. This one was done entirely in Maschine and at the composition stage I'd say at least 80% of it was done entirely away from the PC and screen. I used a Maschine MkII, S61 keyboard and a Maschine Jam for this. It was the addition of the Jam that let me arrange the track pretty much entirely in the hardware. Amazing little thing and I've not really touched the surface of what it can do yet. I was quite pleased with how the mix came out. I've spent at least two weeks just on the mix. My Yamaha HS7 monitors have proved their worth already. I had a bit of a light bulb moment too, quite by accident. I'd popped Neutron on the master buss for some compression and EQ and was quite happy with the sound. It sounded a but duller than commercial mixes but that's very common home-produced stuff, at least for me. So one night I was listening to a mix using Poweramp on my phone and was a bit bored and started messing with some of the EQ curves. Most sounded awful (I usually keep it flat) but then one suddenly jumped out and it sounded clear and so much better! So I went and ripped out the master buss EQ and replicated what was in Poweramp. Just a drop from the low to high mids and a touch of a push from 4khz upwards. Quite simply really! (Here's the final EQ chart below if you're interested.) I also had a few reference tracks to refer to. This is something I know is a good habit to get into but I've been very lax in doing it. It helped with getting an idea of how the individual parts should stand out in the mix. Anyway, you've read this far so probably just want the link now [url="https://soundcloud.com/mornats/turned"]https://soundcloud.com/mornats/turned[/url] Edit: here's the EQ curve. I actually added a boost (number 5 on the curve) as the piano hits around this frequency and it had been pushed back a bit. The rest of the EQ curve just fixed any muddiness and gave it some nice high end clarity. [attachment=238523:turned-eq.PNG] Edited February 19, 2017 by Mornats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fingers211 Posted February 19, 2017 Share Posted February 19, 2017 I'm in..... https://soundcloud.com/nigel-jewell/tout-de-meme Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skol303 Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/300964-february-composition-challenge-voting/"][size=6][b]Voting thread is up![/b][/size][/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TorturedSaints Posted February 25, 2017 Share Posted February 25, 2017 I'm way too late to enter this month. For reasons various I didn't start work on the song until last night. It's missing decent vocals, decent production, a verse-worth of lyrics for the second verse and a proper guitar solo, rather than me noodling through Reaper's ReaPitch shifter into an amp sim! Anyway, should anybody be bored and short of listening material, here it is: [url="https://soundcloud.com/torturedsaints/turn-me-inside-out-demo"]http://soundcloud.com/torturedsaints/turn-me-inside-out-demo[/url] The usual suspects: EZ Drummer, Alchemy, vocals into Nectar Elements, DI bass into EZMix amp sim, EZMix mastering preset, all in Reaper using ReaPitch and ReaEQ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fingers211 Posted February 28, 2017 Share Posted February 28, 2017 That's a shame !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted March 1, 2017 Share Posted March 1, 2017 (edited) [quote name='RalphDWilson' timestamp='1488050934' post='3245466'] I'm way too late to enter this month... [/quote] A darned shame; it's as worthy as (very...) many entries for this Challenge. We all have, I suppose, differing criteria when listening to/rating these pieces; for my part, the 'quality' of the production is not at the top of my list. To me, composition implies a unique, personal use of harmony, rhythm, structure which can take many forms, but contains a 'statement', an exposure, a taking of risks, albeit on a modest scale. I'm not overwhelmed by a re-hash of a 12-bar blues (although one can be occasionally surprised...), nor a constant, monolithic form (although there can be merit in that, too...). Lyrics, when used, have to be intelligible (or used sparingly purely for effect...). Orchestration can be sparse or complex, but should be (in my view...) coherent and compatible with the style or genre presented. It's not an 'Abbey Road' polish that grabs me most; in fact, over-production can hinder the appreciation (I'm as guilty as others in this respect; when to stop adding stuff or tweaking..?). I hope to have the opportunity of hearing further entries, so get started earlier, or subject your best effort before the closing date, whatever its state. It's all good..! Edited March 1, 2017 by Dad3353 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TorturedSaints Posted March 1, 2017 Share Posted March 1, 2017 [quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1488332751' post='3248047'] A darned shame; it's as worthy as (very...) many entries for this Challenge. We all have, I suppose, differing criteria when listening to/rating these pieces; for my part, the 'quality' of the production is not at the top of my list. To me, composition implies a unique, personal use of harmony, rhythm, structure which can take many forms, but contains a 'statement', an exposure, a taking of risks, albeit on a modest scale. I'm not overwhelmed by a re-hash of a 12-bar blues (although one can be occasionally surprised...), nor a constant, monolithic form (although there can be merit in that, too...). Lyrics, when used, have to be intelligible (or used sparingly purely for effect...). Orchestration can be sparse or complex, but should be (in my view...) coherent and compatible with the style or genre presented. It's not an 'Abbey Road' polish that grabs me most; in fact, over-production can hinder the appreciation (I'm as guilty as others in this respect; when to stop adding stuff or tweaking..?). I hope to have the opportunity of hearing further entries, so get started earlier, or subject your best effort before the closing date, whatever its state. It's all good..! [/quote] Thanks Douglas and Nige! My day job is just too much sometimes. I really wish there was a Composition Challenge the month after the Composition challenge competition! Just like the Two Ronnies 'Mastermind' sketch . . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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