KVR Audio

kryptonaut · Post by **kryptonaut** » Wed Apr 18, 2012 10:35 pm

Ok, mine's up. I found it much harder than I had anticipated, to get something sounding vaguely complete in such a short time. This was about the third or fourth attempt.

I'm very much enjoying listening to all the entries so far, with the advantage that I can get to hear all of them a couple of times each on the drive to work

I hope to post some mini-reviews soon.

D.H. Miltz · Post by **D.H. Miltz** » Thu Apr 19, 2012 12:11 am

slartibartfast wrote:
D.H. Miltz wrote: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)?

Thanks, I've added you to the list on my generic submissions document.

Good points about checking with the others on the list and about SoundCloud. Added a note (and a link to kryptonaut's tutorial) about SC to my generic submissions document, and will PM those on the hosts list some time tonight.

kryptonaut · Post by **kryptonaut** » Thu Apr 19, 2012 9:57 pm

Ok, for what it's worth here are some of my thoughts on this month's entries so far...

beanpole - Every Night
Nicely played track, and a well contructed lyric that makes a virtue of the 30-second format.

danielpompougnac - lespapas
I really liked the sounds of the piano and accordion with a tasteful amount of reverb. I felt it lost its nice simplicity a little bit in the second half, but that little touch near the end that sounds like strings (but might be a low accordion note), that's very nice.

DHMiltz - Gobbets
Love that mellotron and those reversed sounds! The whole piece works nicely, and the title seems very appropriate for the mental image the music creates.

DrAX - Lost Cat
Nice song, tells an interesting story in a succinct manner. I enjoyed the lead synth sound at the end, and the vocoded(?) 'lost cat' in the background.

EmeraldTablet - itwasclear
A very clear mix, well chosen sounds, and interesting things happening at different levels that appear when you listen carefully.

evo2slo - Live Well
Powerful sound, full-on, and a very appopriate song for the short format. In the past I've felt some of your vocals were a bit buried, but here I think it's just right. Yes, I like this one.

Farlukar - Dumil
Nice sounds, especially near the end when the fuzzed guitar appears. Some complex rhythms - I found it a bit difficult to 'lock onto', I think I needed some more obvious cue when the start of a bar happened. In the second half I must admit I was a bit lost rhythmically, I think the key change made the on-beat even more ambiguous. I think a longer version would be easier to get into - but maybe disorientation was your intention?

forw - CaptainCrashysSkyTaxi
Quirky lyric! Enjoyed the tune, and I like the horn-like sound that appears in the second half.

GMoneh - FootstepsOnTheHallway
Well balanced, with a nice feeling of having been played live. Could be a theme tune for a TV series!

knockman - teenage level 4
Good stuff! A blend of punk/mod sounds, well put together. Enjoyed listening to this one!

LagunaRising - UrbanTrafficDriven
Yes, this sounds like its title! Well played, with your trademark sound stamped all over it. I felt the end was a bit abrupt - maybe that's a reflection of urban traffic too?

MisterNatural - Aging in the mirror
I've never quite understood what 'tone poem' really means, and I confess I never really 'got' haiku either. But I like the breathy sounds you've used here, makes for a nice abstract atmosphere. The panning is a little odd with headphones, better on speakers I felt.

nikp2000 - aprils fool
Quite quiet, but I guess that's what the volume knob's for! A rather wistful feel to this one. I like that deep bass sound, is it slightly tremoloed, or phased?

Patrick9 - Crash
It's nice the way something that's just 30 seconds long can still sound so complete. I think this song perfectly fits the format.

Peppy197 - LongJohns
I found some of the sounds here a bit disturbing - not a bad thing! The ending seemed a bit hurried, as though maybe you had more to do but ran up against the time limit?

pljones - sigh
A nice melodic soundscape, and I'm glad you left yourself enough space at the end for the long reverb to tail away nicely.

robojam - The Fallen
Sorrowful piano, with subtle noise in the background which rises to the fore to bring the piece to an end. Nice idea, well executed.

RuediRena - Silence
Ok, I'm intrigued as to how you generated the speech, but I have to admit that having listened to the silent portion a few times, this become the only track this month that I felt I could skip when I was listening to them in the car. Maybe if the computer silence had contained a hint of computery noises, like human silence contains human noises?

shrikant - Sunny Rains on the Plains
I think there's too much happening in this one, I would have prefered to hear fewer ideas developed a bit more, rather than lots of ideas. Having said that, they mostly fit together ok, it's just that there's too many of them!

SJMMusic - The Decision
Great sense of rising tension in this piece, well executed. I think the solo violin sound might have been better as a fuller string section or something - the violin sounds sad rather than tense to me, but that's a minor thing and on the whole I think this is great!

slartibartfast - Awaken
Yes, very good! Can't help tapping my foot to this one. The middle section reminded me of something I can't put my finger on, but whatever it was, it was good!

Spirulence - Thirty Second Blues
Very professional sound, with the organ rounding things off nicely. The ending felt a tiny bit 'unresolved' to me? The harmonica is great!

forw · Post by **forw** » Thu Apr 19, 2012 11:13 pm

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.

wow, thanks alot, slartibartfast! really appreciate it. thanks for taking time to comment.

forw - CaptainCrashysSkyTaxi
Quirky lyric! Enjoyed the tune, and I like the horn-like sound that appears in the second half.

thanks for your comment, kryptonaut! "quirky" meaning i used the wrong english words?

oops.. what would have been the correct english words?

knockman · Post by **knockman** » Fri Apr 20, 2012 2:28 am

Thanks for the reviews folks!

Daniel Pompougnac wrote:Knockman : broken cars

In a JG Ballard kind of way? I hope so.

slartibartfast wrote: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.

I'm disappointed you find it too melodic to be punk - I'd been listening to the Damned and the Misfits. 'Attempting' is the apt word for the vocals - I used the Tony Rivers technique as employed on his version of 'Pretty Vacant' for Top of the Pops, Volume 60. See here, first paragraph: http://www.craftweb.org/web/tony/totp3.html

kryptonaut wrote:knockman - teenage level 4
Good stuff! A blend of punk/mod sounds, well put together. Enjoyed listening to this one!

Cheers kryptonaut

By the way, in case anyone needs to know, I'm not a teenager. If I divide my age by 4 I'd be almost 12 so not even a level 4 one. Still, my downstairs neighbour did once ask, "How many children do you have now?".

slartibartfast · Post by **slartibartfast** » Fri Apr 20, 2012 3:38 am

knockman wrote:Thanks for the reviews folks!

I'm disappointed you find it too melodic to be punk - I'd been listening to the Damned and the Misfits. 'Attempting' is the apt word for the vocals - I used the Tony Rivers technique as employed on his version of 'Pretty Vacant' for Top of the Pops, Volume 60. See here, first paragraph: http://www.craftweb.org/web/tony/totp3.html

On reflection, my comment was due to my attempt to shoehorn your entry into some narrow stereotypical preconception regarding what is, or is not "punk". The fact that it doesn't fit that preconception shouldn't bother you too much - I enjoy listening to the track.

knockman wrote: By the way, in case anyone needs to know, I'm not a teenager. If I divide my age by 4 I'd be almost 12 so not even a level 4 one. Still, my downstairs neighbour did once ask, "How many children do you have now?".

Given how long you and I have been involved in these contests - if you were a teenager now, then you must have been a child prodigy when you first started!

Laguna Rising · Post by **Laguna Rising** » Fri Apr 20, 2012 8:56 am

kryptonaut wrote:LagunaRising - UrbanTrafficDriven
Yes, this sounds like its title! Well played, with your trademark sound stamped all over it. I felt the end was a bit abrupt - maybe that's a reflection of urban traffic too?

Thanks so much for the kind words.
tbh I tried different kind of 'Finale' and each one was too bad or too long.
well, this one is the least worst ending I had...

Cheers

kryptonaut · Post by **kryptonaut** » Fri Apr 20, 2012 9:15 am

forw wrote:
thanks for your comment, kryptonaut! "quirky" meaning i used the wrong english words?
oops.. what would have been the correct english words?

No, by "quirky" I meant "original and humorous" - there's no problem at all with your use of English!

robogone · Post by **robogone** » Fri Apr 20, 2012 2:30 pm

Thanks to those of you who reviewed mine - will post my own as soon as I can. Busy as hell right now, but will get round to it soon.

kryptonaut · Post by **kryptonaut** » Fri Apr 20, 2012 2:45 pm

Just edited my 'review' to add DHMiltz - apologies for leaving you out the first time, Dan!

pljones · Post by **pljones** » Fri Apr 20, 2012 4:55 pm

kryptonaut wrote:pljones - sigh
A nice melodic soundscape, and I'm glad you left yourself enough space at the end for the long reverb to tail away nicely.

30 seconds can be forever...

Thanks

D.H. Miltz · Post by **D.H. Miltz** » Sat Apr 21, 2012 4:26 am

Thanks, kryptonaut.

shrikant · Post by **shrikant** » Sat Apr 21, 2012 5:33 am

kryptonaut

shrikant - Sunny Rains on the Plains
I think there's too much happening in this one, I would have prefered to hear fewer ideas developed a bit more, rather than lots of ideas. Having said that, they mostly fit together ok, it's just that there's too many of them!

Thanks for the review

Shrikant

Mister Natural · Post by **Mister Natural** » Sat Apr 21, 2012 2:42 pm

Daniel Pompougnac wrote: Part 1

Mister Natural : doors and doors

What's on the other side of each door ?

thanks for the lovely thought

Mister Natural · Post by **Mister Natural** » Sat Apr 21, 2012 2:48 pm

slartibartfast wrote:
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

thank you - Robojam helped me enormously with the submission this month. Earlier in this thread, I spoke about how difficult a time I was having at creating "structure" for a 30sec piece. He said to flush that thought & just make something pleasant.

So that's what I went for in 5/4 time

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