April Contest: Gossip

[kryptonaut]

Many thanks to GMoneh, DocJon, forw, robojam, Daniel P, Mr Natural, and Slartibartfast for your reviews, they are much appreciated.

Here are my thoughts on the more recent entries...

1 2 many - your biggest fan
Nice folky feel, and a good clear mix. Certainly ticks the box for being musically complete, this really feels like a whole song in 30 seconds without feeling at all rushed.

Bjulin - 30 Seconds to Alpha Omikron
A great spacey atmosphere, with a nice bit of musical tension introduced just before the climactic ending.

bzur - Snippet!
I like that subtle intro, before the heavy bass of the main theme kicks in. Interesting crushed ending too. The production feels generally very polished to me.

cheeso - Yes
Bold

DocJon - GoldfishInDaHood
Great! A complete song, and one that sticks in my head. Enjoyed this one for its music and its humour.

gorgorgathgorgorgor - Shut the Funk Up.
Very well-played bass. Clearly the bass is the focus of the track, but I felt I wanted something for it to be underpinning other than the organ playing octaves above it, if that makes any sense?

InboxZero - GetToThePointAlready
Well, this is quite a wall of sound! I think I would be able to appreciate it better if some of the sounds were a bit more separated, I found it all a bit overwhelming.

Irion - Da Ronin Saranghee Yo
Love those oriental sounds, and a nice mix. The end is a little abrupt, would have been nice just to have a second more reverb I think.

Liqih - eastim
Mmmmm, nice, very ethnic! In comparison with the other entries, this is noticeably bass-light until the final note - which is in some ways quite satisfying.

lowcloud - LowClouds
Nice piano sounds, well played, with tasteful sounds behind it too.

Mellotronaut - Believe
I liked the instrumentation of this track, nice and original. I found the words at the start a little bit indistinct, which is a shame as I feel they are the essence of the piece. But having read the lyrics they seem a lot clearer now, so maybe it's a psychological thing!

mikebenson - The Omniscient Narrator
Great sound, I like that vocal effect. The second part ends a bit abruptly, I feel this should be made into a full length track.

offthewall - 30something
An admirable concept, but I think the guitar parts needed to be somehow separated a bit more. But for 30 minutes of work - good result!

Peterhud - Yeah
This definitely needs to be a TV theme tune! Made me think of the Morecambe and Wise routine with Tom Jones ( from 5:30) - was that deliberate?

SLDMusic - Excelsior
Very different, and well done! Nice treatment on the vocals, particularly through headphones.

Vulcandj - TakeOff
Oh yes, some excellent guitar rock! Very professional sound, and very 'complete'. Great!

[forw]

forw - Captain Crashy's Sky Taxi: Loved the sci-fy theme going on here. An interesting point you might want to hear is that this is my 6-years-old son's favorite of the whole bunch. He comes to my office and asks me to play it all the time.

oh, great, happy to hear that
say hello to your son from me!

@Gmoneh and @robojam: Thanks alot for your vote!!

[SLD Music]

Some pointless reviews for you all. Please ignore what you don't like, and embrace what you do. I really have no idea what I'm talking about.

RuediRena -- Silence
Cool voice effects.

Spirulence -- Thirty Second Blues
Nice! Felt complete and I enjoyed it. Felt a little... "lack-of-swing" for the blues, but I rather liked the rhythm tracks anyway.

Emerald Tablet -- It Was Clear
Enjoyed it. Definitely conveyed a mood. I liked the counterpoint melodies better than the drums. The drum tracks felt a little too, I don't know, synthetic? Given what was happening with the instruments above them. I thought it might fit better with some a more natural sounding kit. But what do I know?

nikp2000 -- April's Fool
I liked the bass especially. Everything seemed very muted, although I'm sure that was the intent. Nice structure and melody also.

knockman -- Teenage Level 4
The style was not so much to my personal taste, but I can't deny the excellent craft here. You clearly know what you're doing. Nice mix, inventive song, well done all around. Congrats!

pljones -- Sigh
I liked this one quite a bit. Really neat chord progression, and just defined enough to hear it while retaining a nethereal, atmosphereic quality that smooths it all out. Nicely done. Hope you were able to wrap your head around that college work afterward.

evo2slo -- Live Well
Really cool lyrics! The treatment of them was a little too mushy for my tastes though. I don't know--I'm sure it was intentional on your part, but I would have liked to hear a more articulate and present mix. I think that's just a bias on my part, though.

DrApostrophex -- Lost Cat
I liked the instrumentation--particularly the drums. I also really loved the treated background vocals! Very cool! Plus you get points for singing. I've got a soft spot for people who do vocals.

shrikant -- Sunny Rains in the Plains
Didn't feel complete to me, but I did like the unusual sort of... offbeat nature of it.

Daniel Pompougnac -- Les Papas
LOVED the instrumentation! And I loved the mood that conveyed. The "pop" fan in me wanted a more satisfying resolution at the end, but that's neither here nor there. The song definitely felt complete, and I'm a sucker for piano music.

forw -- Captain Crashy's Sky Taxi
Beautiful mix--delicate, well balanced. Nicely done. Great vocal intro, and a fantastic mood that evokes a clear and congruent image from start to finish. This is my favorite of the lot. Awesome song, and just
really well put together. I'm very jealous of your mixing chops. I declare thee the winner. I can't for the life of me see what you liked about my piece, but thanks a bunch for the vote and review. People will think we're in love...

Mister Natural -- Aging in the Mirror
Felt a little incomplete to me, and, for me, didn't have a clear melodic or thematic intent. That's just me, though. I liked the sounds you created though--it was interesting to listen to, and a nice mix.

slartibartfast -- Awaken
Very reminiscent of the late 80s early 90s instrumentals you would hear between the main tracks on rock / pop records--although nothing specific comes to mind, so maybe I'm making that up... Maybe I'm thinking of the music backing a chase scene in one of those late 80s cop shows. Nice choice of sounds, and nicely put together. This one grew on me the more I listened to it. The VERY beginning seemed a little cut off, though, like you don't get to hear the full attack of that first guitar chord--pretty nit-picky I know.

Laguna Rising -- Urban Traffic Driven
Ah, Laguna Rising. It has your signature dollop of chaos in it. And given the title, I like it. It felt just a smidge incomplete, though. I don't know, something about the end. Doesn't mean it was--that's just how it felt to me. What you're doing here is damn complex though--and I absolutely respect your musicianship. I couldn't do this if I tried.

beanpole -- Every Night
Again, I like singers. Pitch issues aside, I think you have a particularly nice voice. Nice mix and cool lyrics.

robojam -- The Fallen
Great mood, and a nice little piece that forces you to take a breath and think for a couple of seconds before you move on to the next inane part of your work day. Simple but effective.

peppy197 -- Long Johns
Always enjoy people who can play instruments--particularly guitar, as it might as well be an alien species for all I know about it. I thought this started well but got a little disjointed for my taste as it went on. I liked the sounds though, and the mood evoked.

Gmoneh -- Footsteps on the Hallway
I loved the idea, but the execution felt a little too.... straight to me. Not enough swing. Hard to pull that off in a DAW though. It takes a LOT of work. That said, the kernal is there--and it's more ambitious than most in that regard. You get points from me for that.

farlukar -- Dumil
Another one that didn't feel quite complete to me. Still, another nice mix that had it's own unique sound--and I always enjoy that kind of thing. I also love the funky nature and the groove. Really well done.

Patrick9 -- Crash and Burn
Nice! Loved the singing, the lyrics, and the guitars. A nice all around production.

SJMmusic -- The Decision
Nice--sounds like a build up to the big revelation in a hollywood film.

D.H. Miltz -- Gobbets
Loved the reverse guitar effects. They created a great atmosphere. To me, it felt like you were just getting started when it ended though. It's too bad, I was all ready to hear some more.

kryptonaut -- The Sound of Spandex
I liked it--a little too even "metronomic" for me. Would have liked to hear some more variation on the eighth notes, but I've been guilty of just this kind of thing. Still, I particularly liked the bass, and I liked the melodic journey from beginning to end.

lowcloud -- Low Clouds
Awesome. Simple, complete, evocotive, gorgeous. One of my favorites of the contest.

Cheeso -- Yes
I don't know. It's complete, I'll give it that.

1-2-Many -- Your Biggest Fan
Loved the organ, and you have an excellent voice. This song was unique and interesting to listen to.

inboxzero -- Get to the Point, Already
I felt like there was a little too much going on in this song for me to really "hear it" if you know what I mean. Mind you, I'm guilty of this kind of thing all too often myself. I heard the lead in the second half, but everything else ended up kind of turning to mush. It's too bad, because it seems like I missed out on some interesting things.

offthewall -- 30something
I always love your playing James. That said, I felt similar about this one as I did inboxzero's song this month. It felt like there was a little too much going on, and I couldn't discern what I was supposed to be listening too. Great guitars and recording as usual, though.

SLD Music -- Excelsior
Who is this hack anyway? I'm tired of listening to my own voice--seriously.

Bjuilin -- 30 Seconds to Alpha Omikron
Nicely done! I loved the ending. Nice atmosphere without losing too much of the piano's definition.

IrionDaRonin -- Saranghee Yo
Awesome! One of my favorites of the contest. Beautiful mix, and great structure and building in the melody. Only critical thing I woulds say is that the ending felt abrupt. Would have been more satisfying with some breathing room for a reverb tail to feel complete.

liqih -- Eastim
Not really for me, I'm afraid. The primary instrument got a little harsh in the high registers. Maybe that's just me.

bzur -- Snippet
Very nicely done. Complete and polished. It felt like you took your time with this and it shows. It's hard to do that with a contest entry.

mellotronaut -- Believe
Another song that feels a smidge incomplete--or at least felt like an abrupt ending. The mix is nice, though, and I loved the doubled vocal sound. Were you using omnisphere choir "vowel" sounds for that, or did you pitch shift your own voice?

Peterhud -- Yeah
I liked this alot. It felt like it was deliberately... aged, or... low-fi somehow, but I kinda liked that too. Really nicely done--stuff I would have not the first idea how to do myself...

Doc Jon -- Goldfish in Da Hood
Awesome! One of my favorites of the contest. This very much reminds me of Leonard Cohen. It's got a Jazz Police kinda-thing going... I did get a slight sense of incomplete-ness, but not enough for me to deny you 2nd place in my top ten.

Vulcandj -- Take off
Nicely done. I mean... wow... wow guitar playing. I can't say that I loved it as much as some of the others, but I can't give an reasonable explanation why. Just prefernece I guess.

gorgorgathgorgorgor -- Shut the Funk Up
Really nice. Just... wow you guys are all so good. I'm humbled. This had funk, an interesting mix of instruments. Cool stuff. Again, though, the ending felt a little abrupt.

mikebenson -- The Omniscent Narrator
Nice mix, and cool vocal effects. It didn't have as much ... I don't know, individuality as some of the other tracks for me, but it was cool nonetheless.

[D.H. Miltz]

Thanks, SLD Music.

To me, it felt like you were just getting started when it ended though. It's too bad, I was all ready to hear some more.

I had that feeling with a lot of this month's entries. "Hey, that's kind of c- Oh, it's over."

[Laguna Rising]

Yeah, I guess that's hard to find a way to end meaningfully a thing that's not even started. Many entries sounded (to me) just like free-form....

[mellotronaut]

mellotronaut -- Believe
Another song that feels a smidge incomplete--or at least felt like an abrupt ending. The mix is nice, though, and I loved the doubled vocal sound. Were you using omnisphere choir "vowel" sounds for that, or did you pitch shift your own voice?

thank you very much for the review.
a smidge incomplete' fits to the lyrics.
Omnisphere was only used for the 'Agnus Dei' vox in the background. the doubled vocal sound is my falsetto without any treatment except some compression from Voxformer and some reverb from Uhbik A.

[mellotronaut]

Mellotronaut - Believe
I liked the instrumentation of this track, nice and original. I found the words at the start a little bit indistinct, which is a shame as I feel they are the essence of the piece. But having read the lyrics they seem a lot clearer now, so maybe it's a psychological thing!

thank you very much for the review! i don't want to interprete the lyrics (they should speak for themselves); important is the '?'.
i'm happy, you like the music.

[gorgorgathgorgorgor]

gorgorgathgorgorgor -- Shut the Funk Up
Really nice. Just... wow you guys are all so good. I'm humbled. This had funk, an interesting mix of instruments. Cool stuff. Again, though, the ending felt a little abrupt.

Comments from all are most appreciated, I'm afraid I only had a couple of hours one evening to barf my tune out, and then there was the question of what to do with only 30 seconds... the answer? BASS SOLO!

[shrikant]

SLD Music

shrikant -- Sunny Rains in the Plains
Didn't feel complete to me, but I did like the unusual sort of... offbeat nature of it.

Thanks for the review.

Shrikant

[Laguna Rising]

Thanks for the reviews Gmoneh and SLD Music ! I appreciate it



Cheers

[forw]

forw -- Captain Crashy's Sky Taxi
Beautiful mix--delicate, well balanced. Nicely done. Great vocal intro, and a fantastic mood that evokes a clear and congruent image from start to finish. This is my favorite of the lot. Awesome song, and just
really well put together. I'm very jealous of your mixing chops. I declare thee the winner. I can't for the life of me see what you liked about my piece, but thanks a bunch for the vote and review. People will think we're in love...

thank you so much for this review, you just made my day!! Most of all I'm happy you like the mix. Mixing is still the most difficult part for me in the process.
Some weeks ago I discovered a website with good tutorials. Very helpful in my eyes: http://therecordingrevolution.com/

Thanks again for your vote!!
Excited to hear more of your music in the next comptetion or so..

[knockman]

just catching up on the gossip thread. a big thank you to the reviewers this month.

Krackman - like the guitar bit - * *

asuming this is me - cheers

Knockman - Sounds like you greased the edges of the time limit to make all of this stuff fit in. Late 70s post-punk!

Thanks robojam - I tried string theory, but found goose grease easier to wash off afterwards

knockman - great, nice vocal, jump up and down, yay

knockman - really nice production, instrumentation and song work well together

Cheers Doc Jon & forw

knockman - Teenage Level 4: A head banger! Frenetic pace... Simple lyrics, but they help to make the song standout in a month with so many entries.

Thanks GMoneh - Thank goodness the limit was 30 seconds - I couldn't have maintained the pace any longer!

knockman -- Teenage Level 4
The style was not so much to my personal taste, but I can't deny the excellent craft here. You clearly know what you're doing. Nice mix, inventive song, well done all around. Congrats!

tbh, not to my personal taste either but the contests allow me to shake off the inhibitions. many thanks for the kind words.

[inboxzero]

Just a big thank you so far to those who have left me comments on my tune. (I wish I had more time this month to return the compliment). I do apprecitate it.

Seems to be similar comments, too compressed and too much going on without enough separation and definition.

So I will take that on board for next months tune and hopefully improve. I may try and go back in the next week and remix the piece and maybe strip it back a little.

So thank you! This is a good learning experience.

[mellotronaut]

Thank you very much for the votes, Mr Miltz and Mario!

[folderol]

Just the briefest of comments if I'm to have any hope of having time to vote.

RuediRena Silence
Hmm. Been done before.

Spirulence Thirty Second Blues
Just enough time for one 'phrase' eh? Now how abotu a whole song

EmeraldTablet twasclear
Rather delicious.

nikp2000 aprils fool
Clearly the gramophone ran down.

knockman teenage level 4
Rock On Tommy!

pljones sigh
Lovely rich sounds but just an intro. Sets a mood though.

evo2slo Live Well
Pure aggression. You really should develop this.

DrAX Lost Cat
Remarkably complete

shrikant Sunny Rains on the Plains
Too much in a short time. Never gets to set a mood.

danielpompougnac lespapas
Slightly disjointed but interesting.

forw CaptainCrashysSkyTaxi
Well this is rather different. 30sec film title?

MisterNatural Aging_in_the_mirror
Nice sounds but it doesn't really say anything to me.

slartibartfast Awaken
Another hard driving rock. Not at all bad.

LagunaRising UrbanTrafficDriven
Very confused and strident. Not for me, sorry.

beanpole Every Night
Quite a complete song. Well done.

robojam The Fallen.
Nice atmosphere piece. Like the way it resolves.

Peppy197 LongJohns
Again, too disjointed for me, and just chopped at the end.

GMoneh FootstepsOnTheHallway
Love that stalking bass line.

Farlukar Dumil
Hmmm. OK.

Patrick9 Crash
Yet another full song in a short time

SJMmusic The_Decision
Film theme time again Rather good.

DHMiltz Gobbets
Sort of depressing mood.

kryptonaut The Sound Of Spandex
Love it. You really should think about an extended version.

lowcloud LowClouds
Nice piano work.

cheeso Yes
Hmm, dunno if this is right. Seems there was almost nothing there

1-2-many your biggest fan
Well, that's certainly different! Perfect fit.

InboxZero GetToThePointAlready
Not for me. Sorry.

offthewall 30something
Interesting, but not quite up to your usual standard.

SLDMusic Excelsior
Quite unique!

Bjulin 30 Seconds to Alpha Omikron
Lovely ambience.

Irion Da Ronin Saranghee Yo
Curious East-West mixture.

Liqih eastim
Very strange indeed.

bzur Snippet!
Another very mood seting full sound.

Mellotronaut Believe
I like the idea, but you over-filled it.

Peterhud Yeah
Tom & Jerry theme?

DocJon GoldfishInDaHood
Love it.

Vulcandj TakeOff
Car advert music?

gorgorgathgorgorgor Shut the Funk Up
Not at all bad. Pity the end was just chopped and not timed to fit.

mikebenson The Omniscient Narrator
Hmm. Maybe