January Contest: Gossip

[Mister Natural]

I'm in this month with a piece that I'm not at all certain meets the criteria of stopping and then starting again. I won't try to explain or "excuse" the piece except to say that, to me; it is two starts of different pieces

More than anything; I was having so much fun with the changes and with the piano / GTR layers . . .
ultimately, I do this for my own amusement
:=)

peace

[Laguna Rising]

I do this for my own amusement

Same here

[erictracks]

ultimately, I do this for my own amusement

same

[donkey tugger]

Keeps me out of boozer, for a bit.

[Hellfog]

I do this for my own amusement

Same here

Me too

[skipscada]

I was going to do reviews, but in the process I listened to my own track and got too depressed to continue. The difference between the mix I thought I was hearing after finishing it on headphones late at night and the one I heard on the hi-fi at daytime a few days later is staggering. Lesson learned. Until I forget it again.

[Hellfog]

donkey tugger:

Thanks for the comment and vote.

Yes completely agreed with you about the drums, they sounded pretty good with the studio phones, later at work heard the track with earbuds they sounded awful.

[Laguna Rising]

Laguna Rising - mix is a bit off kilter - drums don't seem 'big' enough for the rest of the music (eq, volume?) Love the freaky 70s style of it though and for that it scores highly

HI DT, Thanks.
I take mental note...
I did 3 or 4 different mix attempt. The more I worked on it, the more I weaken those drums (less loud and emptied of fundamental freqs...)
Next time I have to work harder to find a balance
Thanks for the vote and comments

[donkey tugger]

Bleeding double post!

[donkey tugger]

donkey tugger - smoke -..... groove which seemed to get heavier as it worked on...

And should have got a little bit faster as it went on, but I've just realised when I went back in to look at what effect I used on the '12 string' guitar, to re-use it somewhere else, I managed to delete the tempo automation track somehow before finishing it.

[skipscada]

Since I like reading others' comments on the tracks, I felt obliged to write some myself.

Laguna Rising - Time Loop
Dry rehearsal room sound that fits the material well. A subtle chorus on the bass gives it personality, but it can never compete with the organ, which is given all the sonic space and time in the world to wig out. The organ is possibly too forward, but it defends its prominence with some nice lines, especially when the mod wheel gets abused. The complete stop is on theme, but also consistent with the overall angular quality of the track.

Jazzaria - Carbonado
Very forward guitar. The ultra-even dynamics, ultra-precise tuning and general ultra-precision of the guitar (did someone call that OC/DC - all the right notes in exactly the right places?) creates a highly unnatural, but witty effect. Reminds me of some extreme Hatsune Miku tracks. The use of articulations with little guitar screams here and there underline the (in my interpretation) tongue-in-cheek-ness.

Mister Natural - Sun Shining on My Face
Good balance with both a sense of big space, but also clarity and proximity. Open 3D sound. Very musical arrangement, parts interacting and making real contributions all through the track. Keeps up interest with changes of tempo and intensity. Rising tension towards the end brings a feeling of completeness. Great resonant guitar sound adds grit and personality.

Donkey Tugger - Smoke
Louis Balfour would love this. Nice! That emphasised double bass sound always gives a track a beard-stroking element, but the line is strong enough to defend it. Echo effects and interesting play between intitmate sounds and more expansive sounds add life. Also some percussive details to underline and expand on the rhythmical side of the track. Subtle variations and rising tension.

ClaRago - No Strings Attached
Conveys a tense mood, a sense of foreboding. Intertwining lines sometimes produce that good feeling of lots of things going on at the same time without getting in the way of each other, but other times they are perhaps let down by being too consistently on grid.

Beanpole - Gravity
Old school ominouos synth sound in the beginning. Something's coming ... and it's a no-frills 1st generation post-punk song, but with a 90's beat. The metallic, slightly boxy reverb so typical of early eighties alternative guitar music works well in this context. Great attitude in the vocals, and nice second vocal line effect at the end. Like the lyrics.

Lemmond - Distant Lights
This makes me want to drink overpriced margaritas while pretending to keep up a conversation with someone I've never talked to before near a dancefloor where young girls with outré clothes and a recently acquired tan dance awkwardly on high heels while they're worrying whether the overly self-confident guy they just talked to at the bar dropped roofies in their mojitos

Yeager - Once again
A great, meaty, slightly crunchy guitar tone that really defends its prominent position in the mix, and is alive enough to maintain the interest even if the guitar line ends up a bit repetitive. As for constructive criticism, I think perhaps the drum fills and variations in the drum track are rendered less efficient than they could be because the cymbals follow a very straight pattern and drown out the rest of the drums to a certain extent. Also, a more defined kick drum would be a plus, in my view. Actually, just a small tweak on those things would probably lift the whole track significantly, I think. Could be my listening environment, though.

Hellfog - One Day Out
Very yin yang. Well captured guitar and an intriguing synth sound that deserves to be brought to the front, like it is towards the end. The change between segments is perhaps too abrupt to make sense to me, and I get the feelings that the sum is less than the parts.

erictracks
Very organic, real vintage feel. I can practically hear the elbow patches, tight corduroy trousers and beards. Many wonderful, classic guitar tones on display, and put to good use. The many quirky details lift a good arrangerment. The backing vocals really work and also lift and add variety to the track. All those little details that seem to swirl out of other sounds put the delicate and elegant finishing touches on a well-crafted song. However, the strange ending sounds like an emergency solution.

[Mister Natural]

wow, thanks for the terrific feedback Skip ! These are much more meaningful to me than the votes . . . I'm sure most here would feel the same way

peace

[Hellfog]

Thanks to Mister Natural and all the other who voted and comment.