One Synth Challenge #100: Lord of the Springs (Taron Wins!)

[baalisoda]

Have voted.

Good-luck, folks!

[nickamandote]

Voted!

5 top positions might not be enough for this round, some impressive creativity out there.

Good luck everyone!

[mehum]

Have now gone through the dreadful voting process and I think I've added snarky comments on all tracks as well.

Good work everybody! To anyone I've given low scores: my rating philosophy is to use the full spectrum of the 5 point scale. A 1 or 2 doesn't mean I hate your track, just that I enjoyed the 3s, 4s and 5s better.

[Taron]

Voted!
Once the results are in, I'll write my big "thank you" speech for taking my fears away with all that you've done!

[wagtunes]

Voted

** WARNING ** Totally Uncensored Post To Follow

First off, I want to say that I may actually finally have a shot at finishing dead last for this one. Maybe one other entrant might give me a run for my money but it's gonna be close. I was dreadful and absolutely deserve every "1" that I get. And I'd like to say I did my track on purpose (well, actually I did) but that's because I couldn't do anything with this synth.

And at first, I was going to blame Taron. But then I went to the voting page and was stunned at some of the sounds SOME of you guys were able to get out of this thing. That's when I realized the poor quality of my track was all on me and nobody else.

Having said that, I only gave out one 5 this month and that was for Taron for giving us this creation. For that alone, he deserved it.

Musically, outside of a handful of tracks, the music this month put me to sleep. The number of tracks that started with some drone or loop that went on for a minute and a half were just too much for me. I was bored to tears.

But the big surprise was Peter:H. As much as I dislike him for personal reasons, he had one of the best tracks this month and I did give him 4 points. He's actually quite talented. Maybe that's why he pisses on most people's music most of the time.

I only entered this month because Taron has been a good friend to me and I wanted to support him and his creation. But I really didn't enjoy working with LotS because I just didn't understand it at all. I'm no good working with synths that have limited functionality.

Anyway, I'm glad to finally be done with these. And yes, this is really my last one. The Any One Synth Challenge where I did poorly even picking a synth I loved was pretty much the last straw for me. There's nothing left that interests me. I generally hate free synths, especially since most are 32 bit anyway and piss all over my DAW. So staying away from future OSC's will be no problem whatsoever. I won't even be voting in them anymore because there are only so many drones, loops and songs that essentially go nowhere that I can listen to. And this isn't a knock on the songs themselves but the style of music. It just doesn't interest me, though obviously it seems to be the most popular style for these OSC's or so many people wouldn't do them. In short, I'm too old for this stuff and it's stupid for me to try to keep pretending that I fit in with you guys. I don't. I never did. And that's why I don't do well at these.

So good luck to all the entrants and don't forget to give me the 1 that I richly deserve because last place would be so nice to finish my OSC career with.

[Armagibbon]

Yep voted. My list went real top heavy real fast. Not much ballast except for a couple random things and drones I didn't gel with. I put myself right smack in the middle. Don't like judging my own shit. But then I gotta say that's probly where it belongs with all the kickass entries in here...

edit...
Oh hey missed the disclaimer for 1 point on your own entry. White on white aint all that easy to see man.

[generaldiomedes]

...

[generaldiomedes]

I'm too old for this stuff and it's stupid for me to try to keep pretending that I fit in with you guys. I don't. I never did. And that's why I don't do well at these.

So good luck to all the entrants and don't forget to give me the 1 that I richly deserve because last place would be so nice to finish my OSC career with.

I am in my 61st year; past hopes, past illusions, past high thoughts and lofty conceptions. My son is almost always far away from me. I am alone. My contempt for the folly and baseness of mankind, my hatred of its atrocious cruelty, have never been so intense. And I say hourly to Death: 'When you will'. Why does he delay?

- Hector Berlioz

OK, OK, I was trying to have some fun at your expense, but seriously, you are definitely not too old .. maybe too grumpy, but definitely not too old.

[doctorbob]

I'm too old for this stuff ...

I am in my 61st year; past hopes, past illusions, past high thoughts and lofty conceptions.

... OK, OK, I was trying to have some fun at your expense, but seriously, you are definitely not too old .. maybe too grumpy, but definitely not too old.

As you know Steven, I am 67 yrs "young", and so far have managed to avoid EDM and drones and have entered every OSC since #61, so will be hitting my 40th entry consecutively. I have simply done my own thing, hopefully entertaining. Yes, not to everyone's liking, and so end up about halfway most times. To me it's always been about having something to give me the impetus to get something done, coupled with the challenge of delving into a synth however crude, limiting or difficult it may be.

Oh yes, my LotS entry is definitely one to put you to sleep

Must get down to voting.

dB

[Taron]

Maybe I'm way too biased, but this is one of the rare times when I have come across songs I will listen to again outside the OSC context. I don't want to list names, simply because my bias should not distract you while you're still voting, but there are at least 3 songs that will most certainly stay with me.
Also, I will ask some of you to allow me to put your songs on the LotS website. I will certainly post a link to the OSC on there, but those special songs really embraced LotS so beautifully and bring out sides that musicians should be made aware of.
As for wag: well, I changed my vote as per your request.

In Germany there's a proverb that goes: "Alter schützt vor Torheit nicht!"
...the common translation into English makes little sense to me: There's no fool like an old fool! (dict.cc)
I'm sure there are more poetic possibilities to translate this, but literally it means: Age won't protect from folly!
AH, hold one, there is a literal translation for the proverb: Old age doesn't protect from folly!
As I'm getting older, hitting my mid forties, I- sadly- can relate to this one, hahaha!
...every life cycle is one heck of a ride and the best we can hope for is to actually beat that proverb!

I was not put to sleep, while I had to switch moods for some tracks, but then they were pure delight. Some of the slowest are some of the most precious to me and some of the most unconventional are the most emotional. I'm very proud of what most of you have done with Lord of the Springs, especially you, who have worked with its nature... but I still want to hold back until the results are through.

[the five assed monkey]

Voted! Thanks a lot everybody and good luck!
See ya

[] Peter:H []

This morning I've listend to all your tracks, amazing. I have very clever "quality" detectors...my skin and my head...whenever I get goosebumps and my heads starts noding, I know this is something I like...This month I have listend to so many special tracks that I cannot go with my 1st place to 4th place voting style anymore...

That said:
@Community: After some messages back and forth of unproductive voting hazzle I realized that the voting schema is good as it is. I will revert to "quality" based voting and skip my rank based voting approach. Only thing you have to accept, that I may apply different quality attributes. I'm sorry for the hazzle I've caused, my deepest apologies...Hope we can be friends again...

Voted
[...] Peter:H. As much as I dislike him for personal reasons, he had one of the best tracks this month and I did give him 4 points. He's actually quite talented. Maybe that's why he pisses on most people's music most of the time.[...]

@Wagtunes: Thanks for the fav, appreciated. And please: What can I do that we can get friends again?

And can I say something: Wags we all know you love music, you should come back again. The important thing is to find your style and the things you like and not mimick something. Once done the gallup strenghtfinder(tm) in my company - very valid approach: it helps you to find your strenghts and even help your to strenght them (emotianly positive!), it don't just helps you find your weaknesses in order to try to get rid of them (if you aalways think about your bad things that will bring your down).
I have listend to your symphonic part and I bet this is way more yours than EDM. Why not go for the direction of "movie scores" where the big string sections still play a big part? Let me give you an example for personal style: I just pick user "eauson": that user has found an unconventional style and after some OSCs I come to like it for being unique...

Constructive feedback based on my purely subjective perception: What I miss with your tracks is production polishing. I bet you have a musical idea in mind when doing a track and just finish to the level where it is like a rough sketch, because the music score is to the center of your attention. There are other people who would take such a track and polish a bit more production-wise...and there is constant top rankers that even go the last mile to have a top track in any sense of quality...Anyway, if I can support please let me know.

[sfiks]

voted

[wagtunes]

This morning I've listend to all your tracks, amazing. I have very clever "quality" detectors...my skin and my head...whenever I get goosebumps and my heads starts noding, I know this is something I like...This month I have listend to so many special tracks that I cannot go with my 1st place to 4th place voting style anymore...

That said:
@Community: After some messages back and forth of unproductive voting hazzle I realized that the voting schema is good as it is. I will revert to "quality" based voting and skip my rank based voting approach. Only thing you have to accept, that I may apply different quality attributes. I'm sorry for the hazzle I've caused, my deepest apologies...Hope we can be friends again...

Voted
[...] Peter:H. As much as I dislike him for personal reasons, he had one of the best tracks this month and I did give him 4 points. He's actually quite talented. Maybe that's why he pisses on most people's music most of the time.[...]

@Wagtunes: Thanks for the fav, appreciated. And please: What can I do that we can get friends again?

And can I say something: Wags we all know you love music, you should come back again. The important thing is to find your style and the things you like and not mimick something. Once done the gallup strenghtfinder(tm) in my company - very valid approach: it helps you to find your strenghts and even help your to strenght them (emotianly positive!), it don't just helps you find your weaknesses in order to try to get rid of them (if you aalways think about your bad things that will bring your down).
I have listend to your symphonic part and I bet this is way more yours than EDM. Why not go for the direction of "movie scores" where the big string sections still play a big part? Let me give you an example for personal style: I just pick user "eauson": that user has found an unconventional style and after some OSCs I come to like it for being unique...

Constructive feedback based on my purely subjective perception: What I miss with your tracks is production polishing. I bet you have a musical idea in mind when doing a track and just finish to the level where it is like a rough sketch, because the music score is to the center of your attention. There are other people who would take such a track and polish a bit more production-wise...and there is constant top rankers that even go the last mile to have a top track in any sense of quality...Anyway, if I can support please let me know.

Out of respect to your taking the time to give this well thought out suggestion, I will respond, though I really just wanted to leave these OSC's in the dust.

I have done, IMO, some excellent productions in my day. Not here. But I have.

So why?

Simple. I get an idea and I work on that idea using the particular tools I feel will best get that idea across. That normally means one synth for drums, one for bass, one for pad, one for guitar, one for lead, one for organ and so on.

With the OSCs, I am limited to one synth. That synth may not be strong in every area or maybe it's just too much work to get a good drum sound out of it, or whatever.

When something is a chore, it then becomes a "job" and I am at that age where I am sick and tired of working jobs. So I basically just do the bare minimum for the OSC just to get it over with. I can't remember maybe more than one OSC where I actually enjoyed what I was doing (MUX) and ultimately did pretty well, finishing 15th that month.

But most OSC synths, because of their nature of being free and limited, don't inspire me in that way. So I get bored and just phone it in as far as production goes. The melody I always work on because I'm basically a composer.

That is why my OSCs suck and that's why I don't want to do them anymore.

Had I had to do this song with one synth, it wouldn't have been nearly this good.

https://soundcloud.com/steven-wagenheim ... /amp-it-up

That is what's fun for me.

Not OSCs

[Taron]

It's all good, I know, it's tough, but I still wish for this thread not to be derailed into the all too familiar "good bye, I'm too good for you" wag show. Man, you know I have a heart for everyone, really, and with all my heart I wish every one of us nothing but the best and that has always included you, too, wag, but even as you did understand that I'm your friend, you keep gnawing away on anybody's sympathy until there's just nothing left anymore.
You don't leave the OSC "in the dust", except possibly our memories of you once you've decided to truly focus on your personal welfare and just move on to more suitable things for yourself.
You also know me enough by now to understand that I wish for people to enjoy and indulge in their positive passions, celebrate their creativity and recognize the beauty of life, however it presents itself to them. Follow your heart, stop trying to find answers with your mind, because passion isn't at home there. Your mind will always betray you. It will argue with you and confuse you and you'll end up at the same spot over and over again. Free yourself, free your heart and move on to where you can move freely. It is not here, we all have had ample opportunity to come to that conclusion.
In your heart you may also find that this very OSC is not only a wonderful farewell occasion for you, but also something that is particularly dear to me and I'd love it to have this one end not about you, but about the OSC, LotS and everybody else. How's that? It would be very kind and full of dignity. I know you can make that choice and I, along with many of us here, send you off with the best wishes.