One Synth Challenge #71: Hive by u-he (Jasinski wins! 2+ hours of epic music)

[photonic]

Wondering who voted for the top 5 if so many people here don't really like it....

Well I voted with 5 points for Jasinski and Z.Prime. And I do not listen to such music beside OSC. I tell you why.

I joint OSC with OSC#35, with Diva. This was in December 2011. The voting system was different, because we only gave 1 to 5 points for our top 5 favorits. I allways gave my points to those who fits more to my taste. But over the time I understood more and more to value what others are doing with the same synth. They are making sounds, I never would think of before I heard them. And this did not change till today! Listen to them more closely showed me to use a synth in a differnet way. I am far far away to sound modern, but my sound design improved a lot. They helped me to get out of the bread and butter sounds. But instead of making dub sounds, I often have fun to make sounds which are not so expected from the synth, by going into the acoustical direction, like in my last track.

So listening to other gengres is opening the horizon.

Bjporter had a very good question: "Could I easily re-produce this track?" So if I can hear interessting sound design and when I can feel the huge effort of the production and I have no glue how this was done, I can easily respect the job and give higher points.

But there is one issue I can agree to some statements: I also do not understand, why so many tracks are so compressed. It seems that the loudness war is still ongoing. But every genre benefits from more dynamic!

[ImNotDedYet]

@Z.Prime ... well said- I hear you ...

Basically you can look at the voting in 2 ways ...

1. People liked my track, but they liked others more.

2. People hated my track, but hated others less.

OSC is about making music, across genres (some you like, others you like less), being creative with making sounds from a single synth, mixing/mastering, but most of all having fun and learning.

I have learnt that my "style" of music is not likely to appeal to enough people here to get into the high spots (except when there were only a few entries hehe!) - but, enough people DO like it and say so, which is a nice pat on the back for this old-timer. I get plenty of "advice" on here via comments and PM's. I like the interaction, and well, if you like my track, all good and well, if you hate it, well, that's your choice (not necessarily your "problem" - hehe).

Remember, everyone loves their own musical baby born out of one month's hard labour!

dB

Based on my three participations in this comp, you're easily the most creative and diverse of the people I've heard regularly. Great sound design, musical content and playing, plus you're done by the 2nd of the month with 28 days to tweak. (whereas I'm usually done by the 28th day of the month with 2 days to tweak)

And I agree to an extent that certain musical styles are better suited for the competition - not to say you can't place without making these styles, but the odds of you getting into the top five are much higher as many people vote based on what they like. Having said that, my favorite song by far from this month placed 7th and was my style of music - so yeah, it's definitely possible.

Ironically, I've found that a lot of stuff I've posted - be them songs I produced or DJ mixes often result in the opposite reaction as I'd expect. Stuff I'm really not that fond of oftentimes is very well received and other things I think I've just nailed and done beautifully and really love the musical content isn't so hotly received. It is what it is...win some, lose some, as long as I try to get better each time.

[Doc Jon]

Well done to the winners!!!

Every time I come back here I'm amazed by how much the competition has progressed from 3-4 years ago, and this month was no exception with some staggeringly good tracks!

Well done all I shall continue to reappear from time to time when the synth of the month calls to me!

Jon

[ThePresent]

Reading throughout a lot of replies here: Some people saw all their favorites in the top-5, some saw some favorites and some saw none of their favorites in top-whatever

It's the beauty of human's own free will with all its merits and hazards.

And now, let's get a drink

[H-man]

It's the beauty of human's own free will with all its merits and hazards.

And now, let's get a drink

Cheers to that

[bjporter]

Results playlist is up here Yippeerrreeeeeeeeee

[bjporter]

It's the beauty of human's own free will with all its merits and hazards.

And now, let's get a drink

Cheers to that

Here's a Beet Juice to that!

[ontrackp]

I think Z Prime makes some very good points. I've tried to separate my personal taste in music from how I score the OSC entries, because, first and foremost, entries in the OSC have to demonstrate abilities in multiple areas -- sound design, composition, arranging, production -- and even if the overall song falls outside my preferred genres, the skills demonstrated in all of the areas should be recognized. Second, by entering a piece in the OSC, we go out on a creative limb, and all creativity should be supported, regardless how you feel about style or genre.

I look forward to the constructive criticism in the comments -- not just the praise, but also the substantive comments from other skilled composers and producers.

One of the nice things about participating in the OSC is the supportive and friendly community, so the more direct negative comments have been a little jarring as they feel out of character to this normally genteel group.

The fact is, voting is subjective and it's hard not to take it personally. I know I'm not the greatest producer, but I feel like my songs are better than a 1 on any scale. That does not prevent some people from giving me a 1. On the other hand the people who gave me 5's were 100% correct!

Seriously, I think the winners all brought something special to the table. Starting a track with a minute of noise is a bold creative choice -- and I think Jasinski pulled it off -- and I learned something from that.

Entering this contest gives us a chance to expand creatively, to learn, and to be inspired and hopefully inspire others.

[H-man]

It's the beauty of human's own free will with all its merits and hazards.

And now, let's get a drink

Cheers to that

Here's a Beet Juice to that!

Ah so there it is, your special OSC weapon

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8186947.stm

[doctorbob]

... But not just good - the best of the month. If everyone is good than no one is going to stand out for the top spots... and obviously some talented people are submitting tracks all the time.

Sorry, I was meaning that all those elements had to be good, and that the top tracks would be the ones where those elements were judged to be the best of the good in the context of the track, if you see what I mean! I was perhaps too vague there ...

... and yes, I agree that Spanish guitar sound, the playing and subtle nuances was outstanding and certainly justified its placing.

We could all get rather too caught up in trying to emulate instruments though as perfectly as possible, including percussion. If I was recording the track without the constraints of the OSC, then of course, I would use the real thing, and how good that sound was in the mix would probably be down to how well I could record that sound - e.g. a beautiful Spanish guitar played by a master!

For me, I quite like the idea of making sounds which fit into my perception of the soundscape I have created. If it calls for a "guitar" sound, I will program something like a guitar, but then refine that patch in the context of the mix not simply in the context of its own track (if you see what I mean). If the patch then leads me away from the original guitar sound I had in mind, then so be it - this is where I like to be creative in my "selection" and "programming" of sounds.

So, in my latest track I have the notion of a "vibraslap", but I have progrmamed it such that it's a "tuned" instrument, has the typical "boing" type sound, and then is autopanned to create the idea of movement which befits the type of sound! Hope that makes some sense - just my approach to sound design within any/all of my OSC entries.

dB

[jasinski]

Controversy in the ranks!?
Well I'll be the first in line to notice the short-comings of my music. Strangely to think I fall in with the 'old guys', I'm 40 yrs old. I grew up on Brian Eno, Tomita, Depeche Mode, and other synthpop bands. My musical tastes have always been eclectic. I enjoy and listen to everything from Bill Monroe, Boston, Beastie Boys, to Bartok and most things in between. I went through an Industrial phase, a grunge phase, a rave phase, an indie phase, a jazz phase, a punk phase, a shoe gazer phase, and on and on. When Dub Step came along, I was kind of too old to be in the 'scene' but I appreciated the technical editing and sound design skill that went in to it. I appreciated the new territory that is being discovered and the miracle of the internet to make it accessible! I don't ever want to get stuck in a past decade, that's just me though. I try to take the time to understand what is going on now and somehow fold it into what ever I'm doing creatively. So when I try dubstep I don't feel like I ever really 'get' dubstep. It's some strange amalgamation. Same with house or electro or what ever. Sometimes it works. A lot of times it doesn't (I'm rarely satisfied). But I'm trying to have an inner dialog between what I hear (new and old) and what I want to create.

How I approach OSC (on the rare occasions that they have a OS X plug in)

For what ever it's worth:
1. You something that will 'stand out' or be unique in the playlist of entries. This could be a great melody. A stunning preset. Mind blowing percussion. A multi-section epic of micro songs. Or a talking robot You need an answer to what does your track do differently than the others.

2. I love designing sounds so that is where I start. I find that drums can be the weakest point in a lot of entries so I spend a lot of time getting drum sounds that fit the style I'm doing- that sound believable and nuanced. Take a sample and use that for comparison. Get the synth patch as close to the 'real' sound as you can. I layer sounds a lot. My kicks are usually 2 instances deep. (top and bottom). My snares sometimes go up to 3 (a high, low, and a clap to fill in the gaps). Basses- well, I've had up to 8 or more.

3. Since the challenge is to create everything with one synth, my constant goal, regardless of genre or the software is to make a track that sounds impossible to have been made with just one synth. That for me is the contest. Period. My past submissions have ranged wildly from indie rock, ambient, an homage to the Cure's style, and a lot of electronic stuff. This includes your mixing and mastering (which I still have a ton to learn about). It includes your production or writing (Does feel put together? Is everything in tune? If it's not quantized does it feel on purpose or is it just sloppy? Are your transitions or builds polished and convincing?) If it sounds like a built in keyboard demo (I'm not knocking them because they often demonstrate a lot of skill!) it probably won't do as well as one that sounds like it's ready to be released on an EP.

OSC is great!
Sorry some of you didn't agree with the winning track. I hope it won't stop you from participating again. One thing for sure, OSC has helped me improve my music making skills, been a playground for me to make presets, learn more about mixing, and best of all- I've met some great friends!

[z.prime]

... and best of all- I've met some great friends!

... and lifelong enemies! Muahahahahaha!

[H-man]

Since the challenge is to create everything with one synth, my constant goal, regardless of genre or the software is to make a track that sounds impossible to have been made with just one synth. That for me is the contest. Period.

That fellow OSCers is a huge breadcrumb for us all to follow. In my experience, the top tracks always seem to have developed to a point where it's almost irrelevant that only one synth was used.

And my 2 cents on voting? I have always considered my lack of knowledge or enthusiasm for a particular genre to be my shortcoming, not the artists. Tracks that don't immediately appeal are just a bit more work for me but I can't dismiss a track based on genre and still consider my voting process to be fair.

As a result of this, I have learnt a lot over the last year or so.

[trance_lucent]

I know I'm not the greatest producer, but I feel like my songs are better than a 1 on any scale. That does not prevent some people from giving me a 1.

Same here. I've got 1s too, and I would be happy to hear from these people why?

On the other hand the people who gave me 5's were 100% correct!

[dave dove]

@jasinski
i know loads of people dj/write/dance to dubstep older than you....
and me...
well done

dave