November Contest: Gossip

[D.H. Miltz]

Hi. I'm kinda "new" here. Just a few posts. I'm not sure if i'll enter yet, but i do have some questions...
Since the vocals don't have to be considered an "instrument", could aditional background vocals (2 max) follow the same rule? It would make sense since trios can and do have their instrumentalists singing at the same time.
About the voting, 20 posts minimum... So, i guess i'd have to start posting quickly before i can vote?

Cheers.

I think that would be within the spirit of the theme.

I did consider a stricter three voice/sound wording, but then I started to think of possible questions and objections and since I was having to pause every five or ten second to blow my nose I said "enough" pretty quickly and went with the possibly-too-leaky wording we have.

As for post count: If you've entered the contest, you can vote no matter how many posts you have.

[D.H. Miltz]

Another note: SoundCloud seems to have changed something so that (for example) copying and pasting the link to download instead of using the little arrow in the embedded player no longer works. Or is it just me?

[Wopelka]

a friend of mine pointed out that the drum mix in my submission is out of balance. The kick is too mucho.
I think it's a result of two things; still not being accustomed to my new studio space and the monitor balance therein & the difficulty of mixing just three instruments - one of which is a drum set.
Kinda feel like withdrawing the submission this month but . . . I'm torn. It won't place highly in anyone's voting b/c the drum mix is annoying(to anyone not listening to my monitors here :=) but . . . I put the piece out there for a reason. I do this competition, as mentioned in an earlier thread, to have fun - not to win.
On the other hand, if anyone wants to hear my work, they can go to my soundcloud and dig there.
I dunno . . .

With what I use here for listening, I don't find your mix so unbalanced. The relation between bass and drums is good. The piano is a bit fuzzy, far sounding as an ambient tapestry. Good vibe.

[Mister Natural]

OK thanks gentlemen
I'll leave the piece in as I had so much fun creating it. It really hits the "vibe" I was shooting for sans a little less kick

peace

[mvrasseli]

Last month we were talking about scoring a film...well, I found an amazing resource and I don't know if you all know it yet. I'm talking about Pound5 Public Domain Videos, what a great resource, definitely It worth a look!

[mvrasseli]

Two almost real-time soundtracks I made using those footages:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GlVCy9jqYo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7R-zFpBb90

[Yeager]

Two almost real-time soundtracks I made using those footages:

Nice, I like'm both

[wolverine6]

I'll submit an entry - photosound looks neat for testing by the looks of it.

[D.H. Miltz]

Prize note: UVI Mello is out, replaced by SONiVOX Pulse, SONiVOX Wobble, or SONiVOX Twist.

[wolverine6]

hmm, pulse is not bad..

[Hellfog]

Laguna Rising;

Your track have four instrument.

[Laguna Rising]

Laguna Rising;

Your track have four instrument.

Yeah, in the end my virtual keyboard player plays background chords with left hand while soloing with the right one on moog.
I guess it doesn't betray the true spirit of "trio", does it ?
I took inspiration from those old ELP virtuosic tracks, where sometimes Keith Emerson plays two instruments, one with each hand.

That was my intent(ion)

There could be a trio with drums, bass, and the guitar player while strumming his guitar could alternatively sing or play harmonica.
It would be equally acceptable, imho.

I think it is fair to replicate what three people might play together, despite the number of instruments
I tried to evaluate and keep inside a reasonably boundary the difficulty of each part

Cheers

[D.H. Miltz]

Submissions thread is locked, voting thread is up.

Next month:

Free for all, four minute limit

[Wopelka]

Next month:

Free for all, four minute limit

[skipscada]

Some comments that aren't supposed to be taken very seriously. I made a point system for working out my top ten. Total = (TRIO+MUSICAL IDEAS+TECHNICAL SIDE) * MY CUP OF TEA.

Mister Natural - Music From a Dream About a Total Solar Eclipse
TRIO: 3/3
Most certainly
MUSICAL IDEAS: 1/3
Off-beat, meandering. A certain lack of focus and development.
TECHNICAL SIDE: 1/3
Balanced, good choice of complementing sounds. Plenty of room, letting the rhythmical echoes come through wiothout clutter. Good quality sampled instruments means it's relatively simple to get a good mix.
MY CUP OF TEA: 1/3
TOTAL: 5 * 1 = 5


Wopelka - L'Oiseau Bleu
TRIO: 1/3
3 instruments, but most of the track it feels like 1 solo instrument and 2 accompanying instruments.
MUSICAL IDEAS: 1/3
Nice melodical lines, but they sort of just float by.
TECHNICAL SIDE: 1/3
Quality sampled instruments, so no surprise that this sounds good. Could be a bit more adventurous with choice of articulations. The clarinet is perhaps too forward in the mix, especially considering it's a trio piece.
MY CUP OF TEA: 1/3
TOTAL: 3 * 1 = 3

ClaRago - Made of PVC
TRIO: 2/3
Lots of interaction between the piano and violin, but I hear the clarinetist complaining about those multi-bar rests.
MUSICAL IDEAS: 2/3
The wooly mid-register piano and dry violin complement each other and create a nice atmostphere. Love those wild glissandos or whatever it's called (did you actually play that or did you draw a cluster in the piano roll?).
TECHNICAL SIDE: 1/3
Quality sampled instruments etc. The clarinetist complains about being low in the mix.
MY CUP OF TEA: 2/3
TOTAL: 5 * 2 = 10

ballacr75 - Virtual Jazz Trio
TRIO: 3/3
Definitely sounds like 3 musicians playing together, sharing the limelight.
MUSICAL IDEAS: 2/3
Not very original (and hardly jazz), but definitely inspired and fun.
TECHNICAL SIDE: 2/3
Novel sound with potentially tricky effects, and you make it sound very good and convincing. The kick drum could definitely be turned down a notch or two, though.
MY CUP OF TEA: 3/3
TOTAL: 7 * 3 = 21

Hellfog - Dream of Ghosts
TRIO: 3/3
You are a feline Yellow Music Orchestra
MUSICAL IDEAS: 1/3
Establishes a great soundscape, but then sort of just keeps going forward without very interesting developments.
TECHNICAL SIDE: 2/3
Good choice of synth voices that gel very well. You manage to avoid clutter despite overlapping registers/frequencies.
MY CUP OF TEA: 2/3
TOTAL: 6 * 2 = 12

Laguna Rising - Black Mass in the Swamp
TRIO: 1/3
Good interaction, but you have an extra keyboard player hiding somewhere.
MUSICAL IDEAS: 3/3
I believe you whan you say it was great fun to make, and it's a fun listen as well.
TECHNICAL SIDE: 1/3
It has an unsophisticated, raw demo sound that works for the material, although the B4 is probably too forward while the drums disappear sometimes. Riding the volume, compressing a bit and perhaps adding a touch of reverb could pull things together. Love the vocals. A plus for successful integration of recorded and sampled sounds, and the recorded ones are the ones that sound the best.
MY CUP OF TEA: 3/3
TOTAL: 5 * 3 = 15

Yeager - Ménage a trois
TRIO: 3/3
Typical rock power trio with an active bass player and all three equally engaged.
MUSICAL IDEAS: 3/3
Lots of things going on, but it all sticks together really tight.
TECHNICAL SIDE: 3/3
Great tones from both guitar and bass, and genre-correct drums. Very good mix.
MY CUP OF TEA: 2/3
TOTAL: 9 * 2 = 18

Shangsean - Three
TRIO: 3/3
All three sisters on an equal footing, creating a bed for those vocals, whose wordlessness keeps this from being vocalist + backing band.
MUSICAL IDEAS: 2/3
It would be so easy for you to just be happy with the initial sound and let it go on and on, but there's a clear and successful effort to shake things up a bit within the atmosphere you've created.
TECHNICAL SIDE: 3/3
You manage to create a lively tapestry of intermingling sounds.
MY CUP OF TEA: 2/3
TOTAL: 8 * 2 = 18

Beanpole - Every Night
TRIO: 2/3
Yes it's a trio, but there's clearly a division between frontman and rhythm section, and we all know he's going to go solo sooner or later.
MUSICAL IDEAS: 2/3
Reliable classic guitar pop as usual. Keeping tradition alive, not reinventing the wheel.
TECHNICAL SIDE: 1/3
Successful amalgam of recorded and sampled sounds. Fittingly lo-fi, simple drums. The high frequencies of the guitar should be tamed, and the vocals deserve some more attention.
MY CUP OF TEA: 2/3
TOTAL: 5 * 2 = 10

erictracks - Everyone's Everyone Else
TRIO: 0/3
Nice try, but you won't fool me. Possible isn't the same as plausible.
MUSICAL IDEAS: 3/3
Quality songwriting, full of nice touches, variations and just-unexpected-enough turns.
TECHNICAL SIDE: 3/3
The drums sound underwhelming and a bit out of their league among this band of multi-parellel-instrumentalists, but it's nitpicking for the sake of it. Slick, powerful, balanced sound overall.
MY CUP OF TEA: 3/3
TOTAL: 6 * 3 = 18

skipscada - Three's a Crowd
TRIO: 3/3
The drummer is of course by far the best musician, but it's software. Unfortunately it's programmed to leave an equal amount of space for the guitarist and bassist to show off their ineptitude.
MUSICAL IDEAS: 0/3
Reapeatedly stumbling over the same notes doesn't make a theme.
TECHNICAL SIDE: 1/3
Noisy, uneven. Don't hype the sound with compressors presets with promising names just for the hell of it. Remember high pass filters. Actually, put a high pass filter on the mix bus next time and set the frequency to around 20 000 Hz.
MY CUP OF TEA: 0/3
TOTAL: 4 * 0 = 1 (bonus point for entering the contest)

bzur - Licence to Chill
TRIO: 2/3
These three cats play together, but I get the feeling the pianist wrote this one, and the other two aren't that enthusiastic.
MUSICAL IDEAS: 2/3
A decent melody played with tasteful restraint. Not the highlight of the night at the jazz club, though. The kind of thing where the pianist grabs the mic and says "now we're gonna take this down a bit..." and several people get up to go to the bar or toilet to be ready for the juicy stuff they know is coming up.
TECHNICAL SIDE: 3/3
These quality instruments sound good in isolation and your production doesn't get in the way.
MY CUP OF TEA: 2/3
TOTAL: 7 * 2 = 14

P.N - Western Breakup
TRIO: 1/3
Mathematically a trio, but musically this is a guitarist/vocalist duo who's brought in a cellist because it looks classy.
MUSICAL IDEAS: 2/3
Classic songwriting with building tension and a climax. Not original, but well executed.
TECHNICAL SIDE: 1/3
The vocalists gives a performance and the guitarist digs in - good stuff. Weird vocal effects aren't necessarily bad, but here it trades a good performance and gets very little in return. Spiky guitar and subdued cello could be improved. The music still comes through, but there's a lot more potential than this mix brings out.
MY CUP OF TEA: 1/3
TOTAL: 4 * 1 = 4

D.H. Miltz - Nevertheless
TRIO: 3/3
I definitely see three persons sitting on the floor, focused, picking up and putting down percussion, heads nodding as they drift in and out of a groove together.
MUSICAL IDEAS: 2/3
Dynamic in terms of intensity, varied in terms of articulations. Surprisingly coherent for an improv, but (fittingly for it's intention, of course) it's not a developed piece of music.
TECHNICAL SIDE: 2/3
Limited danger for clutter here since the sounds are so sparse. Slightly noisy recordings, but that just seems to bring out an authentic feel.
MY CUP OF TEA: 2/3
TOTAL: 7 * 2 = 14

key88 - Violin Trio
TRIO: 2/3
Three musicians sharing the limelight, but it doesn't always sound as if they listen to or care what the others are playing.
MUSICAL IDEAS: 0/3
Sounds somewhat simple and random, but plausibly like folk music of some kind.
TECHNICAL SIDE: 1/3
Good recording quality. Very basic mix, but there's nothing wrong with it. Abrupt stop.
MY CUP OF TEA: 1/3
TOTAL: 3 * 1 = 3