April Contest: Gossip

[shrikant]

Edited double posting (internet problem)
Sorry.

[slartibartfast]

Some reviews.

I will post these five at a time, as KVR seems to be a bit slow and flaky at the moment

RuediRena - Silence
Hmmmm..... At least this was a little more original than an abbreviated version of John Cage's 4'33" (which was tried in the June 2005 KVR contest), however the same arguments that surround Cage's piece also apply to this piece.

spirulence - Thirty Second Blues
Wonderful stuff. Simple drums and bass pattern overlaid with some great blues harmonica, excellently played and with a real groove to it. The subtle, but excellent organ tops it off nicely. Wonderfully mixed and produced. The only minor quibble is that I wish the drums had a more definitive ending - but this is being incredibly nit-picking.

Emerald Tablet - It Was Clear
A really sweet little vignette. Nicely layered instruments with a chillout feel. In the second half, I couldn't help feeling that the lead wind instruments (oboe?) was buried a little deep in the mix, and if it were played live, rather than being sampled, would have brought an even more emotional feel to this track. Pity we don't all have a handy oboe player available when we need one!

nikp2000 - april's fool
Similar chillout feel to Emerald Tablet's. It all comes together nicely, although the overall volume is a lot lower than some of the other tracks this month. Sweet, but without a hook that makes it stand-out memorable. Would be great supporting music for a film (a Western?).

knockman- teenage level 4
An interesting contrast in styles - some 80's synth sounds at the start - vocals that sound rather like they are attempting to be punk - guitars that are way too melodic and clean to be punk. One of the more "complete" entries this month, and a very enjoyable listen.

[slartibartfast]

pljones - sigh
An extended version of this could easily have been a great submission for last month's hypnotic theme. This style of music isn't ideally suited to a 30 second time limit - but I really like what you have given us, and would love to hear the 5 minute version that I can totally immerse myself in. Like nikp2000's entry, the overall volume level is comparatively lower than others.

evo2slo - Live Well
In complete contrast to pljones' entry, this is mixed too hot for my taste, with some serious pumping and crushing going on in the mix. A pity because otherwise this is one of the most memorable tracks this month, with a great guitar hook, lyrics that suit the short format well, and excellent playing.

DrApostropheX - Lost Cat
Interesting premise for a song, but you pull it off. Another very "complete" entry. The video goes really nicely with the track, and makes it extra memorable. Well mixed and produced - I particularly like the "Lost Cat" vocals in the Left channel in the second half of the track. Lots to like about this one.

shrikant - Sunny Rains on the Plains
Not quite sure what to make of this one. It rather sounds as though there are too many ideas (and very varied) instruments trying to cram into a 30 second track, and it is not quite coherent as a result. I am struggling to identify the connection between the music and the track title also. It is definitely original, but not really connecting with me, I am afraid.

Daniel Pompougnac - Les papas
A lovely evocative track, with some highly effective piano playing. Very French! The accordion samples you used for the instrument seemed a bit "fixed" in terms of attack and decay, and as a result some of the possible emotion is lost, where a bit more sustain and legato would have been beneficial - particularly later in the track with the faster note runs. Overall, simply lovely, though - among the best tracks so far.

[shrikant]

slartibartfast

shrikant - Sunny Rains on the Plains
Not quite sure what to make of this one. It rather sounds as though there are too many ideas (and very varied) instruments trying to cram into a 30 second track, and it is not quite coherent as a result. I am struggling to identify the connection between the music and the track title also. It is definitely original, but not really connecting with me, I am afraid.

Thanks for listening and the review.

Shrikant

[pljones]

pljones - sigh
An extended version of this could easily have been a great submission for last month's hypnotic theme. This style of music isn't ideally suited to a 30 second time limit - but I really like what you have given us, and would love to hear the 5 minute version that I can totally immerse myself in. Like nikp2000's entry, the overall volume level is comparatively lower than others.

Thanks for the review. Agree on the theme - I doubt I could have stretched it coherently, though! Overall level... well... I don't remember the details but I always master to -3dB peak rather than 0dB, so that's probably a lot of the difference. I guess with this piece, it really didn't need the headroom as it's so much smoother than many things I've done.

[slartibartfast]

I always master to -3dB peak rather than 0dB, so that's probably a lot of the difference. I guess with this piece, it really didn't need the headroom as it's so much smoother than many things I've done.

That will be the reason it sounds quieter than others, then. Why master to -3dB peak? I have heard of mixing to -3dB or -6dB peak (pre-master) to supposedly give the mastering engineer some headroom to weave his magic (although there seems to be some debateregarding why even that is necessary in this digital age), but I have never heard of a completed master being limited to -3dB peak as a matter of course. Is there a reason you do this?

[slartibartfast]

Some more personal opinions, for what they are worth.

forw - Captain Crashy's Sky Taxi
Loving this - in particular the chord sequence about half way through. Smooth and cool. Great selection of sounds that work really well together.


Mister Natural - Aging in the Mirror
Nice swirling soundscape that progresses through a variety of chords. Perhaps the lack of a definite melody or clear structure makes it seem a little less than fully "complete", but this is a very pleasant track to listen to.

Laguna Rising - Urban Traffic Driven
This track nicely captures the frenetic and slightly chaotic feel of urban traffic. The lead guitar is excellent, and the counterpoint synth in the opposite channel complements and contrasts nicely. The ending seems a little contrived, but this one is definitely growing on me.

beanpole - Every Night
Bob Dylan meets the Proclaimers? Nicely constructed track, with verse AND chorus - no mean feat in 30 seconds. The percussion in this seems a little tinny and could use a bit more body - particularly the snare. The mix also seems to be missing some meat in the lower-mid frequencies. Overall a very enjoyable contribution.

robojam - The Fallen
First impressions were that the piano was a little mechanical and wooden, but I think it is actually more that it is being played to a strict beat, where a more flowing, rubato approach would benefit a clearly emotion-driven piece such as this. The background synth sounds complement the mood perfectly, and the ending is to die for (excuse the pun).

peppy197 - Long Johns
Good to see some real guitars being played here Discomforting dissonance creates a mood of tension, and you are never quite sure where the track is heading. Nice variation in dynamics throughout. The ending comes a little suddenly, but works.

GMoneh - Footsteps on the Hallway
Catchy tune, and certainly a "complete" piece of work. Perhaps the drums (in particular hi-hats or ride cymbal) could have been brought forward a bit in the mix to accentuate the swing and get the toes tapping even more, and the timing on the bass seemed to go slightly awry (behind the beat) right towards the end of the track.

farlukar - Dumil
Great bass playing. This is crying out to be the theme music if Seinfeld ever makes a comeback with a new TV series. The distorted tone right at the end seemed rather superfluous, given the excellent feel to the track up to that point. Strange to say it, in a 30 second track, but I think it would have sounded a bit more complete if you had ended it early (at 0:22)!

Patrick9 - Crash and Burn
Wonderful sound on this track, with the chorused rhythm guitars, bass and melodic guitar all working together to give a solid and very professional tone. The double-tracked vocal didn't quite work for me, as the tracking wasn't quite tight enough - and I think your voice is well and truly good enough not to need this type of trickery in any case. But overall a very good piece of work, and truly a "complete" track.

SJMmusic - The Decision
Orchestral pieces tend not to do too well in these contests, which is something of a pity. Especially as this is a lovely sounding crescendo which would not at all be out of place at a key point in a movie. If there is a weakness, it is the violin, which is panned too far left (as it is clearly a key sound at that point in the piece) and sounds a bit thin in comparison with the robustness of the cellos, basses and brass. Not a particularly original piece in concept, but very well executed.

D.H. Miltz - Gobbets
Some really curious and interesting sounds in this (sounding rather like something reversed). The subtle variations in pitch create an interesting atmosphere, and the analogue sounding strings in the background fit perfectly. This one could also have been a potential entry into last month's hypnotic contest, with its repetitive guitar string pick. Really interesting listening.

[Laguna Rising]

Laguna Rising - Urban Traffic Driven
This track nicely captures the frenetic and slightly chaotic feel of urban traffic. The lead guitar is excellent, and the counterpoint synth in the opposite channel complements and contrasts nicely. The ending seems a little contrived, but this one is definitely growing on me.

Thanks so much for the kind words, I'm glad you enjoyed the simple lead lines

Cheers

[robogone]

robojam - The Fallen
First impressions were that the piano was a little mechanical and wooden, but I think it is actually more that it is being played to a strict beat, where a more flowing, rubato approach would benefit a clearly emotion-driven piece such as this. The background synth sounds complement the mood perfectly, and the ending is to die for (excuse the pun).

Thanks - I actually played along to a click track, so that's probably why it sounds that way. I'm not actually that good of a pianist, so I tend to think the timing sounds bad when I play without a click, but you're probably right that it wasn't needed.

Glad you like the final sound. It probably took me 5 minutes to get the piano part recorded, 10 minutes to find the background synth sound and about an hour to find that final sound...

[pljones]

I always master to -3dB peak rather than 0dB, so that's probably a lot of the difference. I guess with this piece, it really didn't need the headroom as it's so much smoother than many things I've done.

That will be the reason it sounds quieter than others, then. Why master to -3dB peak? I have heard of mixing to -3dB or -6dB peak (pre-master) to supposedly give the mastering engineer some headroom to weave his magic (although there seems to be some debateregarding why even that is necessary in this digital age), but I have never heard of a completed master being limited to -3dB peak as a matter of course. Is there a reason you do this?

I listen to my tracks on:
- on-board sound card / Sony 12" LCD speakers (crap quality)
- on-board sound card / Technics RP-F350 headphones (you can really hear how bad the onboard sound is...)
- Echo AudioFire4 / ViewSonic VG2427wm LCD speakers (not great)
- Echo AudioFire4 / Technics RP-F350 headphones (best quality I've got available)
On the last of these, using the max dB level (without clipping, of course) has no noticeable effect. However, as the listening quality goes down (i.e. earlier in the list), I find the lower level causes fewer problems with things like drums (snare and cymbals in particular) and distortion on guitars, even in the mix. This may well be because I'm rubbish at mixing, of course! (No EQ, rare use of per-part compression, etc...)

Based on the track notes, I was also less aggressive with the overall compression than I sometimes am -- but I can't remember exactly so I can't quantify it. I think didn't want to lose too much of the character of the few components that were there... So that also contributes to the lower overall volume.

As it's been asked for, I've produced the extended remastered version of the track in both MP3 and OGG format. Standard rates for these sought-after re-issues are expected...

[GMoneh]

GMoneh - Footsteps on the Hallway
Catchy tune, and certainly a "complete" piece of work. Perhaps the drums (in particular hi-hats or ride cymbal) could have been brought forward a bit in the mix to accentuate the swing and get the toes tapping even more, and the timing on the bass seemed to go slightly awry (behind the beat) right towards the end of the track.

The bass is fine, it's the damn drummer who got ahead of the beat (he was a little drunk by then )

Kidding aside, thanks for the feedback. Good suggestion about the ride. I plan to work on this one a bit more (got more ideas than I could fit in 30 seconds), so I'll certainly take that into account.


G.

[D.H. Miltz]

D.H. Miltz -Gobbets
Some really curious and interesting sounds in this (sounding rather like something reversed). The subtle variations in pitch create an interesting atmosphere, and the analogue sounding strings in the background fit perfectly. This one could also have been a potential entry into last month's hypnotic contest, with its repetitive guitar string pick. Really interesting listening.

Thanks, slartibartfast. There is some reversed guitar. And a badly trimmed repeating wav of another guitar part could give that impression too (I'd planned to fix it initially, but then I decided I liked the noises the bad trimming made).

A question for you and for Emerald Tablet: is the offer to host submissions a standing one, so that I should add you to the list posted in each month's submission thread? No problem if not, but if so let me know.

[slartibartfast]

A question for you and for Emerald Tablet: is the offer to host submissions a standing one, so that I should add you to the list posted in each month's submission thread? No problem if not, but if so let me know.

Happy to be added to the permanent list. If, for any reason, I won't be able to respond in a timely manner (I travel a fair bit for work reasons), then I will let you know, and you can remove me for that month.

I notice that there are a few people on the list who don't seem to frequent this contest any more (kovacs, watto - and given the manner in which scoops departed the contest, I am not sure how happy he would be to host any more), so it may be worth checking that they are still OK to host also.

Also, is it worth mentioning Soundcloud as an option in the submission instructions, with a link to the instructions on how to make the link downloadable (as well as mentioning the 100 download limitation)?

[folderol]

Well, I really can't see me being able to do anything this month (day ending before the work does) but I'll see if I can at least find time to listen through the submissions.

[inboxzero]

Still struggling with my entry, been through a plethora of synths but can't find a sound that works with the rest of it, (plus my keyboard skills probably won't match in my head).

So whilst searching for the elusive sound, I have added a 2nd drum kit (like last month's entry) a bass part and two more pads. Not sure there will be any (Sonic) room left for the lead instrument, when I find it.

Plus repeated listening to 30 seconds looped is driving me mad!