Ready, Steady or Go

[lurksalot]

Well , 'twould appear the nights are drawing in and we have limped through to just past the autumn equinox and that means just one thing ...

 

its the September Composition Challenge voting thread 

 

The compositions are based on this picture , chosen by last months winner @Doctor J

 

The entries are as follows 

 

1 @Dad3353

 

I'm in a sombre mood, and it reflects in the result. A bit dark; more 'black' than 'white', I'm afraid. Despite this, no kittens were hurt in the making of this piece.

 

 

 

 

2  @Nicko

 

Pigeons.  Dirty, Dirty things.  I hate them.  The death of Lee Scratch Perry was in my mind when I started this, so you'll be pleased or not to discover an attempt at Dub Poetry in the comp.  

 

 

 

 

3 @Leonard Smalls

 

 

Pigeons? They're Funky!

So here's a bit of Old Skool rap/rock to reflect this

 

 

 

4  Lurksalot

 

I googled the photo and found all the fodder I needed , of course this is Alain Delon , this led to a veritable mine of information, which I mostly ignored and took liberties !

 

 

 

5 @Doctor J

 

I have no specific ill will toward pigeons, unlike some of the other lads here, though I'd never fully trust one. From the perspective of the young gentleman looking through the lens, that pigeon would seem quite large. I thought of a conversation between Ted and Dougal about some cows.

 

 

6  @Nail Soup

 

 

The image bought to mind the saying that kids at school used to say if they thought someone was looking at them - "do you want a picture?".

As I was falling asleep the musical idea came. I decided to do something different - and recorded real drums, including my home-made suitcase bass-drum.

 

 

 

7 @upside downer

 

 I struggled to get a handle on this one. I went with a pop rock tune for a busy bunch of black and white birds and a bemused bloke. 

 

 

 

I for one really enjoyed listening through those , the production is getting better and better and I reckon some of those toons are worth real money ! 

 

Anyway if you just want to listen, rank them and offer 3 ticks in the appropriate boxes, I am sure it will be reward enough.

 

the votes will close at midnight on 30th September 

 

Good luck and enjoy the toons 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 24, 2021 by lurksalot

[SH73]

Voted, song writing is getting better and better.

 

 

Question for @Dad3353.. did you record your own drums?

 

[Dad3353]

7 minutes ago, SH73 said:

...Question for @Dad3353.. did you record your own drums?

 

Not this time; I'm good, but not that good. These are Superior Drums 3, using a sound set called, appropriately enough, and by coincidence, 'Birds'. I do, on occasion, record 'live' drumming with my e-kit (usually, again, Superior Drums...) and, on even more rare occasions, my acoustic Camco kit. I tire very quickly these daze, so I tend more and more to opt for the 'armchair' solution, but it all depends on the inspiration of the moment. 

[SH73]

5 minutes ago, Dad3353 said:

 

Not this time; I'm good, but not that good. These are Superior Drums 3, using a sound set called, appropriately enough, and by coincidence, 'Birds'. I do, on occasion, record 'live' drumming with my e-kit (usually, again, Superior Drums...) and, on even more rare occasions, my acoustic Camco kit. I tire very quickly these daze, so I tend more and more to opt for the 'armchair' solution, but it all depends on the inspiration of the moment. 

The sup. drums 3 you produced sound realistic, very natural to me. I have now been toying around with acoustic drums recording , but can`t get the kick/bass drum right..maybe a mic for kick drum would improve the recording quality. (all reso heads off, my preferred choice). 

[Dad3353]

1 hour ago, SH73 said:

... I have now been toying around with acoustic drums recording , but can`t get the kick/bass drum right.. Maybe a mic for kick drum would improve the recording quality. (all reso heads off, my preferred choice). 

 

 

Sorry, but there's no help for it; it's a whole subject, with much (or all..?) subjectivity. It depends on what sound you're aiming for. Do you have any reference examples, any tracks that have the sound you're after..? Could you post a sample or two of what you're already getting, with your comments as to why it doesn't 'float your boat'..?
The basics for drums start, as with the bass, with tuning. If we leave aside the snare and toms (you seem to be content with those...), the bass drum has to be tuned to the sound you want, before getting into mics and stuff. If you've no resonant head, this makes things a little simpler, so lay it down on its reso side and tune the batter head to the sound you want. The short version is: loosen all the rods off, then tighten them each to just starting to move the head. Once they're all at this same point, go around in 'star' fashion, tightening one turn at a time, until the drum starts to 'sound'. from then on, tap lightly on the head (finger will do...) a couple of centimetres from the lug. Listen to the pitch, tap each lug and tighten each until they all sound the same pitch. This pitch can be altered to suit the resonance of the shell (there are several; take your pick...); you'll need to have the drum sat on its feet for this. Get the head to the tension you want, testing now with a beater, but making sure that each lug has the same pitch. That's the important part. Normally, a quarter turn of a rod will be quite enough to adjust finely, once you're 'in the zone'.

I'm assuming, again, that, if you're no resonant head, you're looking for a 'thud' or 'thwack', rather than any 'boom'..? You may want to dampen the batter head, in that case, with a folded towel placed inside the drum, between the bottom and the head. Again, adjust to taste. Once all this is done, you can think of recording. If it's this 'dead, cardboard box' sound you want, any decent mic, inside the drum, aimed at the spot where the beater strikes, will get you started. No real concerns about placing in the room, as it's the 'dry' sound you want (no resonance, remember..?). For my taste and style, it's pretty much the exact opposite of how I go about drums in general (I'm not a fan of 'concert toms'; they had their use at the time, but Time marches on...), and consider the resonant head as being an essential part of the 'soul' of a drum, but that's just me. If you're playing without, then well-tuned, very close-mic'ed will be the entry point.
Any special mic needed..? In theory, yes, but a lot can be done with any decent mic with enough resistance to sound pressure (so no ribbon mics up close...). A good mic recording a badly-set up drum won't help, though, so get the drum sounding at its best first.
Any help..? 

[SH73]

8 hours ago, Dad3353 said:

 

 

Sorry, but there's no help for it; it's a whole subject, with much (or all..?) subjectivity. It depends on what sound you're aiming for. Do you have any reference examples, any tracks that have the sound you're after..? Could you post a sample or two of what you're already getting, with your comments as to why it doesn't 'float your boat'..?
The basics for drums start, as with the bass, with tuning. If we leave aside the snare and toms (you seem to be content with those...), the bass drum has to be tuned to the sound you want, before getting into mics and stuff. If you've no resonant head, this makes things a little simpler, so lay it down on its reso side and tune the batter head to the sound you want. The short version is: loosen all the rods off, then tighten them each to just starting to move the head. Once they're all at this same point, go around in 'star' fashion, tightening one turn at a time, until the drum starts to 'sound'. from then on, tap lightly on the head (finger will do...) a couple of centimetres from the lug. Listen to the pitch, tap each lug and tighten each until they all sound the same pitch. This pitch can be altered to suit the resonance of the shell (there are several; take your pick...); you'll need to have the drum sat on its feet for this. Get the head to the tension you want, testing now with a beater, but making sure that each lug has the same pitch. That's the important part. Normally, a quarter turn of a rod will be quite enough to adjust finely, once you're 'in the zone'.

I'm assuming, again, that, if you're no resonant head, you're looking for a 'thud' or 'thwack', rather than any 'boom'..? You may want to dampen the batter head, in that case, with a folded towel placed inside the drum, between the bottom and the head. Again, adjust to taste. Once all this is done, you can think of recording. If it's this 'dead, cardboard box' sound you want, any decent mic, inside the drum, aimed at the spot where the beater strikes, will get you started. No real concerns about placing in the room, as it's the 'dry' sound you want (no resonance, remember..?). For my taste and style, it's pretty much the exact opposite of how I go about drums in general (I'm not a fan of 'concert toms'; they had their use at the time, but Time marches on...), and consider the resonant head as being an essential part of the 'soul' of a drum, but that's just me. If you're playing without, then well-tuned, very close-mic'ed will be the entry point.
Any special mic needed..? In theory, yes, but a lot can be done with any decent mic with enough resistance to sound pressure (so no ribbon mics up close...). A good mic recording a badly-set up drum won't help, though, so get the drum sounding at its best first.
Any help..? 

Thank you for a thorough response as always. I have done all the tuning , dampening etc. The bass drums sounds great on its own but again I play with ear defenders as I would not want to go deaf.  Miced up it's ok ish after I eq compress etc. But not quite what I'm after. I'll work it out. Maybe I should put the reso heads back but Toms and floor Toms sound so much better and kick drum too. it'll come .thank you sir.

[Dad3353]

And the winner is...

@Doctor J ..!



Here, then, is your Winner's Certificate (download and save as pdf file, then proudly print and frame...) ...

BC_Chal_Cert_2021_09.pdf

... which looks like this (but bigger, of course..!)...
 

Edited September 30, 2021 by Dad3353

[lurksalot]

Well done doc , an excellent composition and very deserved of making a ‘double’

I'm looking forward to your next picture choice already 👍

[upside downer]

Well done, Doc! 👏

[Nicko]

Congratulations @Doctor J

[Doctor J]

Thanks everyone, that was a particularly strong selection of compositions, I thought. Well done, all 👍

[NickD]

Congratulations!

It was really hard to pick again this time, a quality set of tracks!

[Nail Soup]

Thanks to the people who vote even though not entering a song!

[lurksalot]

October is ON