winter contest - GOSSIP

[kovacs]

Damn....Koorby just entered. Oh well, there went the first prize.

cant download his entry here though ...

slainte rob

Maybe there is a god after all.

[Patrick9]

Well I got my song posted in the nick of time

Not much time for refinement but I've tried to let the lyrics do the talking.

I Love The Music - Lyric

All done live in Sonar with the exception of the drum loops (my programming would have been pretty crap even if I had time).
Sonitus EQ and Multi band, Blockfish, X-cita, Ambience.Magneto 1.5 (and more that I can't remember) to try desperately to 'fix the mix'

I am exhausted now and I've got to fix tea.
Still, we gotta suffer for our art I suppose.

[Mephit Blue]

Mephit Blue - Come
Chill out. Sounds like the demo song in Reason at first. But the vocals are spot on, if only a bit low - could have been more prominent in the mix. Haunting chorus. All the instruments are well executed. My only gripe with this song is the tempo...it's TOO relaxed...maybe just my mind that wants more speed after listening to all the entries. Nice ending, though. I think it is a good contender for this month.

Thanks for the review Kovacs, I definitely appreciate the work you've done in listening and reviewing all the entries.

I'm still perfecting my mixing skills, though I think the reason for the vocals being a tad low is that I'm not entirely comfortable with my singing, which made it harder for me to bring them more forward in the mix.

As for the tempo, I guess I was just in a laid back mood when I started on this.

[Wopelka]

Damn....Koorby just entered. Oh well, there went the first prize.

funnily enough, i had exactly the same thought about Sleek Month...

now that i've listened to his track, i can confirm my forecast

[Arglebargle]

IMO stjelle completely owns this contest with "Bit Travel".

Amazing song, bro, I thorougly enjoyed it.

[pHz]

CONTEST SUBMISSIONS CLOSED

only tracks already submitted will be eligible for the contest ... however ...

... the submissions thread remains open for anyone to offer further potential tracks (of whatever length) for the proposed Peel tribute CD ...

slainte rob

[astanine]

.

astanine - Rocket to Uranus
Well, I do like industrial sounds, so I sat thinking about a trafo during the introduction. The arp section is beautiful, and has that "in-your-face" freshness which gives me a kick. It is perhaps a bit too monotonous in places, but on the second listening I get a better feel for the complete song and think it works quite well. All in all, this is probably not my favorite genre but I enjoyed listening to this entry.

!

Thanks for the review Kovacs

[rmirabelle]

Ugh! I truly hate disco.

There are only a few things worse than disco, one of them is being drawn and quartered.

tsk, tsk bearded one - I expect you have acquired and perhaps never outgrown the all-too-common "coolness filter", whereby you succomed to peer pressure at an early age and decided the only way to win the favor of the cool kids was to agree with their doctrine of hating anything that is popular because it is popular. Certainly, musically speaking it can hardly be argued that there was typically far more displays of compositional and performance virtuosity in the disco era than on the average radio tune today.

So

p.s. my God, that sounded kinda harsh - it totally wasn't - you're a good beard. I just am old enough and uncool enough to defend it.

[mystahr]

No longer in particular order, but as they come out of the player now. If I forget one, let me know....

I hear some excellent tracks allready and I know I'm keeping all the long version together in a folder

Farlukar - What a freaky cool track this is. The intro with the dissonants (I think thats what its called) at first threw me off a bit, but on the other hand I was grabbed by the variety of elements that were well produced together. Especially the nasty leads were great; freaking out on the keys to then be released in the gentleness of the smooth guitar and cool bass, although I feel the bass a bit too muffled in the mix; somehow a bit more attenuation on it with some warm punch. Then again this challenge wasn't about technical highstands but expressions of an artist. Very progressive tune that whetted my appetite.

ArgleBargle - One of the first things I notice is how the sound of the snare somehow puts me off a bit, it is quite present compared to the other drumsounds. This track gave me a continual punkey full on thrust drive forward. I did get the impression to that the energy level seemed to fluctuate a bit, where I had hoped for an ever bigger build toward the end. I mean the build till 1.51 was great, then there was a little break but I never felt it take off as the first build. Much enjoyed this.

Astanine - Can you please extend this to somewhere around 12 minutes This somehow left me with the great desire to hear this extended even bigger. Still I must say that I felt it a build of two different tracks; for some reason I feel you should have kept some of the intro elements into the middle part for a bit more flow rather then the imo sudden change at 0.48 (or a shorter intro perhaps). Still the sounds and production were a treat to the ears

Katanaman - I just love how this song drags me deeper and deeper into the content of this. Great sounds that are very well produced and building greatly. About the only nit I would have here is the introduction of the 4/4 kick at 3.11 I feel it destroys what you have built. It more seems to take energy away from the track then to attribute to grow to a final climax, which I missed in here somehow. Still an impressive piece of work.

[Arglebargle]

ArgleBargle - One of the first things I notice is how the sound of the snare somehow puts me off a bit, it is quite present compared to the other drumsounds. This track gave me a continual punkey full on thrust drive forward. I did get the impression to that the energy level seemed to fluctuate a bit, where I had hoped for an ever bigger build toward the end. I mean the build till 1.51 was great, then there was a little break but I never felt it take off as the first build. Much enjoyed this.

Thanks man, glad you enjoyed it. I gave that drumkit the biggest tweaking I've ever given any sample, and I STILL couldn't find the sound I was looking for.

There's this one rock drumkit on my little Yamaha PSR-550 keyboard that I really like, and I was trying to mimic it in SampleTank 2, and I just couldn't do it. Guess it shows that awesome technology ain't everything.

[Katanaman]

Katanaman - I just love how this song drags me deeper and deeper into the content of this. Great sounds that are very well produced and building greatly. About the only nit I would have here is the introduction of the 4/4 kick at 3.11 I feel it destroys what you have built. It more seems to take energy away from the track then to attribute to grow to a final climax, which I missed in here somehow. Still an impressive piece of work.

Thanks. I agree with you about the 4/4 kick. I usually hate the 4/4 kick sequence, to be honest. I had originally programmed an insane drum cacophony to go with the melody in the end. It wouldn't work within the time limit, though, as it needed more time to sound appropriate. I wasn't comfortable with bringing back the "breakbeats"(if you can call them that) as well. I wanted the end to sound brutal and the 4/4 kick seemed to work at first. It appeared to illustrate the imagery I had in my head. Listening to it now, it does sound a bit out of place. Well, everybody makes mistakes.

Thanks again.

[koorby]

Damn....Koorby just entered. Oh well, there went the first prize.

I tested the download twice and it's fine pHz, not sure what the issue there.

[pHz]

Damn....Koorby just entered. Oh well, there went the first prize.

I tested the download twice and it's fine pHz, not sure what the issue there.

its ok ... i have it now ... i tried again 5 minutes after that post and got it 1st time ... odd ...

slainte rob

[kovacs]

Okay, the rest of the reviews (those who entered after I posted my first and second rounds):

Had to listen to this on my apple laptop with a couple of iTriuge speakers and a bass woofer which means no real monitors this time - but I still hope my reviews are worth something for you fellas. apologies if I'm too harsh...it's easier to be a critic than to be a good composer.

HansM - Tomorrow
The sax sounds a bit harsh and uninspired. Some reverb would really help it. The melody is a bit close for comfort to a well-known radio hit which I can't remember the name of ("when I'm in my baby's arms..." or something), although this entry does not pretend to be a cover so maybe my ears are just hearing stuff. The tempo is a bit slow - the rhythm is okay, but the sax could have done with some flourishes here and there. Nice bass solo, although this too is a bit "stilted" and could have been expanded upon. I also think some more tonal variations are in place. But it is a complete song and as such a decent entry.

Katanaman - Neurosurgery for dummies
Well, I do like a haunting soundscape. A bit like a game or movie soundtrack. I like the deep "croaks". This piece is a small stunner. Building up quite nicely. The more I listen to it, the more I get a movie feel. And mind you, I love movie soundtracks. Good variation, good choice of sounds, good composition, good production. Need I say more?

Col.G - Song For America
Cool backing and good drum track. The guitar surprises me - I find no overall idea, only a long, improvised solo. Nice sound effects. Then a lot of drums ranging from rock beats to military drums. I assume you have a message but I'm not able to read it. Sorry.

Freeztar - Magical Musiclal Tour
Nice, scoey guitar opening, turning into something completely different (bossa nova with an electronica twist). Lots of neato sounds, I like the strange voice stabs. Magical, yes...tour, yes...funny and varied, although I sort of fail to see the overarching principle. Maybe that's the point? Well, it's well produced, and the end concludes it nicely (I think you should have brought the original intro back to give some tonal closure). Good track.

Sleek Month - Breaks
I disagree with you - it IS a pop song. Brit pop. A cheeky intro which shows that this song means business. Steady, driving pop rhythm. The supension builds up rather nicely, and when the vocals come in they fit right into the mood of the song. Sounds a bit muffled on my apple speakers, probably because of the crunchy guitar parts. This is a really catchy tune, reminds me of the Verve, which is one of my big favorites. People in Sunny CA should keep doing their stuff and not steal brit pop. The guitar solo is spot on. Excellent ending, too.

Koorby - Winter
Thanks, Koorby. I love your music and this one is really beautiful. It's early morning (7:45am) as I sit here in my office listening to music while I should be doing 1,000 things. Outside it's -5 celsius, dark as hell but the morning is slowly dawning. your winter song fits right into my mood. Great piano sound (is it a real piano?). The acoustic guitar fits right in, and you don't run into the tempation of letting it run away on some solo trip (I know I would). The electric guitar brings in some needed variation and deepens the overall tone nicely. If I could ask for one thing it would be a break of sorts but this is chill out at its very best and it's also a very inspirational song. Thank you. A keeper, for sure.

Softegg - Leave
Nice and raw. The vocals are off key, though. Otherwise this is a fairly good composition with a basic pattern and I like the overall concept. I think in fact this would have worked better as an acoustic piece, giving the vocals more room. I also want to hear a bridge or tonal break (I say that for about 50% of the songs, though).

Patrick9 - I Love The Music
Cheerful stuff. Excellent singing! Did you "rush" it as you implied in the gossip thread? I don't believe it for a second. this is a well thought-out song. I really like the difference in tone between the two vocal parts and the melody flows really well. The backing is subdued and never overpowers the vocals. If I have one gripe, it is that the crunchy guitar in the second half sounds slightly too sharp and could do with more compression or EQ (or both). But this is an excellent entry.

Good luck with the voting, everyone!

[koorby]

Koorby - Winter
Thanks, Koorby. I love your music and this one is really beautiful. It's early morning (7:45am) as I sit here in my office listening to music while I should be doing 1,000 things. Outside it's -5 celsius, dark as hell but the morning is slowly dawning. your winter song fits right into my mood. Great piano sound (is it a real piano?). The acoustic guitar fits right in, and you don't run into the tempation of letting it run away on some solo trip (I know I would). The electric guitar brings in some needed variation and deepens the overall tone nicely. If I could ask for one thing it would be a break of sorts but this is chill out at its very best and it's also a very inspirational song. Thank you. A keeper, for sure.

Thanks so much for your kind words Kovacs, and also your #1 vote - I'm flattered. I have to say it was hard getting into a "winter" mood writing that piece, since it's been like 35-37 Celcius here the past few days

You're correct in observing my deliberate restrain in this tune; I have about 3-4 mixes of it and it was only when I took a lot of things out that it really began to shine. Often less is more.

Edit: Oh, the piano - it's a sample; the Steinway Jazz/Pop from East West Quantum Leap Symphony Orchestra.