One Synth Challenge #107: VK-1 Viking by Blamsoft (Jasinski Wins!)

[TheNeverScene]

@Progtronic, I completely agree. Not all music is supposed to be crystal clean and lovely. Sometimes it's the total ugliness of something that appeals to me.

But I listen to bands like Electric Wizard

[doctorbob]

@TNS - yes art is art. Ugly art is still art! Beauty is in the eye of the beholder! We, as artists, will get good and bad criticism, and we have to acknowledge this fact of life. Sure, a really bad comment can hurt, more so if you had put a lot of work into something which gets slated. But ... that said, we have to take it, and learn from it. Hopefully we will all reach our true potential before we push up the daisies.

I just love this challenge - sometimes the synths can inspire me, or bring back memories of olden times, due to the nature of their sounds. My first OSC was #61, OBXD, and I have managed to complete one each month since then - some better than others of course.

dB

[TheNeverScene]

Oh yeah, dB. I wasn't knocking criticism at all...that comes with the territory.

I just mentioned OBX-D to someone else. That was my first too, but #93 with the DiscoDSP version! What a great synth, even better than the commercial OB from a different developer. I actually pulled it into my OSC 108 project to help with some initial patch comparison.

[TheNeverScene]

Viking really surprised me though.

I think that if there was ever a Three Synth Challenge (with freebies of choice....not in the spirit, I know, and won't happen anyway), I'd choose OBX-D for the meat and potatoes, Viking for the drums (minus cymbals:/), and Diodow for the the element of WTF.

The OSC forces you to really explore a synth, whether you want to drone, dance, jazz it or just make some noise.

[moonstrucktimberwolf]

A couple people have already clarified their scores, so I think I should too given that lower scores from me may be misinterpreted.

2-5 are all relative to a sequential ranking I did of the whole field, so as to minimize what one might think of as quantization error in the scores. All of the submissions are pretty good, so it's easier to draw distinctions for the purposes of the "competition" phase of the challenge if I have more buckets that are allowed to contain good tracks.

A score of 1 I reserved for things with serious issues (none of the submissions in this field as far as I'm concerned), because that's going to sting people no matter what I say.

[Wyrrdbryyngr]

Since there seems to be some interest in scoring criteria, here's mine: I start from a base score of 3 and add or subtract points based on production value, composition, originality and personal taste.

1. Rarely giving because it seems a bit insulting, but occasional there are tracks that don't show much in the way of skill, effort or inspiration and produce in me only an active distaste. The track probably makes me wonder if the composer cared at all about the track, because it's a mess. I really don't like to give these because maybe it's just a beginner who needs some encouragement. Usually reserved for when it's a major struggle to listen until the end.
2. Has some issues and I definitely didn't enjoy it much, but there is some potential, or ambition evident. Don't give up.
3. Most tracks will fall here because I'm either neutral or conflicted (problematic sound but I still like the track, or I didn't care for the track but the mix was decent). Songs that fit squarely in some genre and aren't outstanding in other ways.
4. Either I liked it a lot or the composer has mad skills. The track might have a superb mix and some unexpected and interesting elements that put it ahead of the pack. Some definitely strong elements, but maybe it's not very original. I found much to appreciate and it tipped the scales.
5. Nailed it. Thoroughly enjoyed and everything works wonderfully. Skillful and moving. Maybe still not perfect, but nothing is. You've done something special here and impressed the hell out of me. Also rarely given because, well, I'm hard to impress.

I do a bit of a "sliding scale," relative to the overall quality of tracks that month. I also should note that I don't usually listen to songs more than once, maybe twice if it's short and I have a long comment to type (which maybe isn't 100% fair), so my opinions are largely first impression.

@TJ Shredder - thanks for your feedback, though I can't hear the "unbearably out of tune" aspect myself. To me it's "just enough dissonance." I'll have a more critical listen later.

@ Taron - Yea I'm not aiming for a top 5 spot necessarily (though I could surely use some of those prizes!). I'm not sure what I've learned specifically, but its definitely helpful to get confirmation from others of where I was successful in what I was attempting or when there are problems I had overlooked. I certainly find that listening back to my own track with a progression of comments in real time throughout sharpens and enhances my perspective, whereas a bunch of numbers on a spreadsheet...not so much. You generally do give great feedback, so no complaints there. Thanks.

[TheNeverScene]

@FoxAsteria, I'm curious...how many tracks had you not commented on yet before you came out of your foxhole with ultimatums? Funny thing...I liked your track before even starting the voting process, despite the heinous clipping. Went and commented, and actually gave you a 5 based on originality, a catchy as hell detuned melody, and the drum I considered to be a Bodhran that was very well executed.

I then returned to this thread after being slightly consumed by OSC 108, only to find......

Your score stands, but I've yet to see a comment from you on my track...good or bad.

Practice what you preach.

[Frostline]

S
1. Rarely giving because it seems a bit insulting, but occasional there are tracks that don't show much in the way of skill, effort or inspiration and produce in me only an active distaste. The track probably makes me wonder if the composer cared at all about the track, because it's a mess. I really don't like to give these because maybe it's just a beginner who needs some encouragement.

Ok, so I'll ask you too, how on Earth can you make any determination of the amount of effort a participant puts into their work?
I'm sure that there are some people can spend a good afternoon with a synth and produce a top 10 track.
And I am quite sure there are others that can spend a week just trying to make a decent percussion set and still end up with it sounding awful.
Yet you can somehow judge the effort involved? You can somehow claim the poor sod with crappy drums didn't try?

I don't really mind a 1 if it based on the result of my work and it just doesn't appeal to you or anyone. All tastes are different and I readily admit I am not very good.

I don't really mind a 1 because someone might think I'm a prickly s.o.b.(would be nice to know if that is the reason so we can both use the same standard next time though).

But it sure as heck rubs me the wrong way that ANYONE thinks they can judge the amount of work/effort I put in unless they are in my studio every single minute I am.

[ontrackp]

I have to respectfully disagree. I would hope we've all been around this long enough to know what a quick knock-off sketch that has no detail, just a loop going over and over and some sloppy overdubs. That's a throw-away. Remember when Wags would say he spent one hour on his piece? It always sounded like it and deserved a 1.

Don't know what you mean by "the heck of it". If someone posts an entry they are taking a deliberate action asking people who are creating high quality, thought-out, detailed and produced pieces to spend time listening and to grade it. I'm usually short on time but always try to leave constructive comments on every track, because I feel that people who spend time and energy creating a produced song deserve that courtesy.

[schiing]

Ok, so I'll ask you too, how on Earth can you make any determination of the amount of effort a participant puts into their work?

I agree with this. I'm voting for the first time this month, and I quickly decided that the best way for me to approach commenting and the point scale is to assume that everyone gave it their best shot within the limits they were operating at the time (be it lack of time, musical proficiency, synthesizing skills or any other number of things). I didn't always understand where people were coming from with their tracks, but when you're submitting your track to a challenge like this for critical evaluation, why shouldn't you put an effort into it? Of course you did! And even if someone didn't, I'd rather be played for a fool once in a blue moon than knock anyone down (easy on the cliché idioms, there, son!) purely based on speculation.

[ontrackp]

Oh... and to put things in perspective. In all the OSC's I've been in (I think I started in the 60's), I think I've only given 2 1's. Generally people do try to bring their best game, which is part of what makes OSC so much fun.

[generaldiomedes]

Voted!

Enjoyed so many.

May I also say congratulations to Generaldiomedes!

Thanks! And I assume you mean my new arrival and not my track hehe I am surprised I had any time at all to finish anything!

Alas this month wont happen for me - trying to juggle a newborn and learning Diodow at the same time just ain’t possible!

[TheNeverScene]

Definitely a big congrats Generaldiomedes! I've had many new arrivals. They keep you honest and SLEEPLESS!! Wouldn't change that for anything, though

[generaldiomedes]

Definitely a big congrats Generaldiomedes! I've had many new arrivals. They keep you honest and SLEEPLESS!! Wouldn't change that for anything, though

Nope - best feeling in the world no doubt about it!

[generaldiomedes]

But I listen to bands like Electric Wizard

Electric Wizard has just the best stoner guitar tone of all time .. makes you feel stoned just listening to it.