One Synth Challenge #72: Eclipsis by VSTZONE (Richard Semper Wins!)

[tatanka]

Hello Z-Prime,

I am very happy about your mastering tips cause that were exactly the tools (MHORSE P3, Kotelnikof, Limiter No6) I figured out for myself never knowing if I was maybe totally wrong.

So I was not

It dont prevent me from that aprupt ending you recognized, but I think no software will ever prevent from not listning carefully and just getting confused

I would in the context of the contest interprete MHORSE P3 absolutely as Freeware cause you can use it for free, Terry West only states that Donations are welcome (and of course more then well-deserved for all his great stuff he gives just for free)

[BlackWinny]

Also not sure if 'MHORSE P3' is 'donationware' or not; but as donationware is not precisely 'free' it would not generally be allowed; but I didn't see anything on the site saying one way or the other, just noticed the donation buttons...

I think, humbly, that there should be an explicit (to avoid any confusion in the minds) distinction in the OSC rules between "donationware" (therefore not freeware because the donation is required for the license of use) and "donation appreciated" (which are real freeware, the donation being simply an invitation to say thank you to the developer, not an obligation for the license).

[z.prime]

I think, humbly, that there should be an explicit (to avoid any confusion in the minds) distinction in the OSC rules between "donationware" (therefore not freeware because the donation is required for the license of use) and "donation appreciated" (which are real freeware, the donation being simply an invitation to say thank you to the developer, not an obligation for the license).

There is. Donationware is not allowed. "Donations accepted" are perfectly fine.

[BlackWinny]

I think, humbly, that there should be an explicit (to avoid any confusion in the minds) distinction in the OSC rules between "donationware" (therefore not freeware because the donation is required for the license of use) and "donation appreciated" (which are real freeware, the donation being simply an invitation to say thank you to the developer, not an obligation for the license).

There is. Donationware is not allowed. "Donations accepted" are perfectly fine.

Nice. I had missed the line.

[fluffy_little_something]

Since a donation is by nature voluntary and optional, I don't see the difference, frankly. If you have to pay in order to get what you want, it is not a donation no matter how you look at it.
I hate it when people abuse that word in order to appear more generous then they are.

[Mojo42]

For to make it finaly clear: I asked this question already on page 7 and bjporter said:

Any plugin (Mastering, non-mastering, etc) can be used as long as it's:
1. Freeware, or in the Native Daw (So Cubase Reverb is fine, but Valhalla VintageVerb isn't)
2. Not a chorus / flanger / phaser / rotary thing (those are typical modulation effects)
3. Doesn't use any sampling / pitching like a tapestop
4. Distortion or any other powerful effect should be used sparingly

Hopefully that helps. And For the specific things you mentioned:

"What`s about mastering tools?" -> If they follow the above rules

Tone2 Akustix = no (not free)
MHORSE P3 = JA! (free)
HOFA IQ Reverb = no (Not free)
EZmixLite = no (not free)

So: Fortunately I can use MHORSE P3

1. If I export to audio, what is the recommended bit depth 8 bit, 16 bit, 24 bit or 32 bit?
2. Shall I upload wave or mp3 to Soundcloud?
3. For the case that is mp3, what is the recommended bitrate?

Hi there. Probably export to 16-bit, MP3 196 Kbps. Soundcloud will downsample it and make it sound worse anyway, but that will keep the download reasonable quality and small.

That`s exactly what I`m worried about. Here at home my song sounds good without mastering, compression, equalizing and such, but what will happen to it when I upload it? Will it sound like trash after uploading it if I do nothing with it now???

4. What is the recommended loudness? At the moment it is -8.36 dB. Is this enough?
6. Mastering: I have no idea. I know equalizer and compressor of course, but is this a "can do" or is it a "must do"???
.. I understand the sense of mastering...

There is no requirement to master any tracks for OSC. Though, since mastering is for taking a mix and making it sound as good as possible on as many playback devices as possible, it is usually a good idea to do that for anything you want other people to listen to. I would suggest to listen on all the speakers/headphones you have and adjust the overall EQ as best you see fit to sound the best on all devices. You will find all kinds of different levels on tracks in OSC and all over the internet. The 'pro' tracks try to get the levels as close to 0db as possible without distorting and clipping the sound, often compressing the dynamic range. You can use a compressor + limiter combination to boost the levels and prevent clipping to some degree. A couple good free ones are: TDR Kotelnikov (mastering compressor) and Limiter no6. They have some presets that you could try, if you found the number of controls intimidating. Of course, you by no means have to master the track, it would mostly just help get the levels similar to those others will submit. And louder "sounds better", so it is usually good to be in the same ballpark. You can always listen to your tracks overall levels and compare to a 'pro' track you like to see if it's close.

Thank you very much. This answered my question. This means I don`t have to, but I should do. Okay, I will try some presets and hopefully learn to make the adjustements by myself by time.

"pro track": Of course I wish to make my tracks sound well, but because I don`t wish to sell my music or expect it to play at the radio or something like that, I guess I can be relaxed. My goal is a track that sounds just well. It doesn`t need to be as perfect that it sounds like a "pro" track, but it should also not sound bad, you know? Something in between of "trash" and "pro". I hope I can reach this goal with the presets.

Thanks a lot
Cheers Yvonne

[z.prime]

Since a donation is by nature voluntary and optional, I don't see the difference, frankly. If you have to pay in order to get what you want, it is not a donation no matter how you look at it.
I hate it when people abuse that word in order to appear more generous then they are.

Totally agree about people abusing terms to make them seem more generous or making severely crippled things free advertised as something more.

However, there is a subtle but distinct difference between donationware and software which the author provides for free and accepts donations: donationware has terms and conditions requiring a donation for continued use, free software does not.

A donationware plugin then falls into one of two categories: 1) you pay the donation and the software is then paid, commercial software, or 2) you do not make the donation, in which case you are violating the license and pirating the software, which obviously would not be allowed in OSC, either.

Luckily with all the great free stuff, though, it seems the number of these donationware plugins are dwindling; and certainly won't be as good as some of the best free ones. Occasionally do run across them, though.

[fluffy_little_something]

Totally agree about people abusing terms to make them seem more generous or making severely crippled things free advertised as something more.

However, there is a subtle but distinct difference between donationware and software which the author provides for free and accepts donations: donationware has terms and conditions requiring a donation for continued use, free software does not.

A donationware plugin then falls into one of two categories: 1) you pay the donation and the software is then paid, commercial software, or 2) you do not make the donation, in which case you are violating the license and pirating the software, which obviously would not be allowed in OSC, either.

Luckily with all the great free stuff, though, it seems the number of these donationware plugins are dwindling; and certainly won't be as good as some of the best free ones. Occasionally do run across them, though.

That is an odd definition of donationware. Basically what you describe is a time-limited demo version without any other limitations, that ceases to be donationware or free as soon as one pays.

To me the difference is that free software doesn't even ask for or make possible donations (i.e. the developer has no financial interest whatsoever), whereas donationware is also free, but donations are welcome because there is some, albeit limited financial interest.

[z.prime]

So: Fortunately I can use MHORSE P3

Yep, looking again, all those Terry West plugins are definitely fine, listed on the site as "freeware", sorry I didn't see that and missed the post earlier asking.

Hi there. Probably export to 16-bit, MP3 196 Kbps. Soundcloud will downsample it and make it sound worse anyway, but that will keep the download reasonable quality and small.

That`s exactly what I`m worried about. Here at home my song sounds good without mastering, compression, equalizing and such, but what will happen to it when I upload it? Will it sound like trash after uploading it if I do nothing with it now???

You can always upload a test to see what it sounds like after SoundCloud is done processing it. I think it usually sounds better the louder the track is to start with; maybe their compression is geared toward commercial overcompressed stuff or something. But it could be fine. Expect a small degredation in the sound, usually it is small or not very noticeable at all, sometimes more, only way to tell is upload it and listen. Then when you're happy, share to the group and announce in this thread.

[Mojo42]

Hi there. Probably export to 16-bit, MP3 196 Kbps. Soundcloud will downsample it and make it sound worse anyway, but that will keep the download reasonable quality and small.

That`s exactly what I`m worried about. Here at home my song sounds good without mastering, compression, equalizing and such, but what will happen to it when I upload it? Will it sound like trash after uploading it if I do nothing with it now???

You can always upload a test to see what it sounds like after SoundCloud is done processing it. I think it usually sounds better the louder the track is to start with; maybe their compression is geared toward commercial overcompressed stuff or something. But it could be fine. Expect a small degredation in the sound, usually it is small or not very noticeable at all, sometimes more, only way to tell is upload it and listen. Then when you're happy, share to the group and announce in this thread.

Aaaaaaaaaaaah that`s a good idea!!!

Seems that I`m already so stressed out because of my planned upload that I don`t see the easiest solutions Oh my god, I`m glad when it is done

Thanks again

[BlackWinny]

Totally agree about people abusing terms to make them seem more generous or making severely crippled things free advertised as something more.

However, there is a subtle but distinct difference between donationware and software which the author provides for free and accepts donations: donationware has terms and conditions requiring a donation for continued use, free software does not.

A donationware plugin then falls into one of two categories: 1) you pay the donation and the software is then paid, commercial software, or 2) you do not make the donation, in which case you are violating the license and pirating the software, which obviously would not be allowed in OSC, either.

Luckily with all the great free stuff, though, it seems the number of these donationware plugins are dwindling; and certainly won't be as good as some of the best free ones. Occasionally do run across them, though.

That is an odd definition of donationware. Basically what you describe is a time-limited demo version without any other limitations, that ceases to be donationware or free as soon as one pays.

To me the difference is that free software doesn't even ask for or make possible donations (i.e. the developer has no financial interest whatsoever), whereas donationware is also free, but donations are welcome because there is some, albeit limited financial interest.

You're both right... I don't even know if there is somewhere an exact (juridic, in an official source) definition of all these subtle differences. And I don't even know if a definition is the same in all the countries... (regardless the fact that it is normal then that KVR probably applies in such case the "US definition").

Someone knows if there are somewhere juridic official sources of these definitions and if they are country dependent?

I actually say "official" eh... not Wikipedia.

[z.prime]

Someone knows if there are somewhere juridic official sources of these definitions and if they are country dependent?

Well, the deciding factor lies in the terms of the software's license agreement. If the software requires payment, it is not free. And that's the distinction. You would need to read the included license/readme/etc. to determine per-plugin what the terms of use are. 'donationware' is just a term to describe these types of licenses, which apparently varies in it's definition anyway.

[psmacmur]

This reminds of MathNet: "The names are made up, but the problems are real". The worst offender I've seen for this isn't music related... Cyberduck is "free" as in Richard Stallman: it's GPL, but requires a donation to be fully licensed. I'm not sure how that even makes sense. (It's also terrible, so I uninstalled it and used a more conventionally-free alternative) Far as I can tell, though, "donationware" (by any name) is just a new spin on shareware.

[jdruery]

Hi everyone,
Thanks for all your feedback. I've made some changes to my entry -- here's the new link:

https://soundcloud.com/jeffdd/crossing- ... nown-abyss

Some great tracks this month!

[esteband]

jdruery,

I really like this track. The title totally fits: I can hear the exact point when I'm crossing the abyss - that dischord which helps transition to the lead synth melody. Speaking of the melody, I love the slightly detuned modulation and the kind of sporadic, semi-random vibrato on the notes. You programmed the patch well and played it well, too.

I don't know if you're the kind of artist that hates to be compared to other well-known artists, but in this case I'll hope you'll be honored rather than offended. This sounds like a collaboration between Brian Eno (on pads & atmosphere), and Vangelis on lead.

I bet you'll do well in the rankings. Good luck.

-Steve