2024-MAR-01 Info: Check out Songwriting Competition 079 if you're into "Synthwave" music making.

SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC066 February 2023 - Winners announced

Thematic Songwriting Competition - recurrence: monthly
JeroenZuiderwijk
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Posts: 120
Joined: Thu Apr 21, 2022 01:09 CEST

Re: SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC066 February 2023 - preparation phase

#41

Post by JeroenZuiderwijk »

This genre was new to me. So it took me some time to dive into the beatstructures that are used for trapmusic.
It was absolutely a challenge to find the right feel, the right beat, the right samples/sounds. And I am not
happy with my final result. But looking back at it I think I learned from it and that is worth something. The real
struggle were the lyrics and to make it fit the song. I changed it 100 times and i've been changing and writing
till the last minute (half an hour before the deadline). I had doubts about uploading
the music because I uploaded a product that was not finished but i realised that it was a product
of hard work even so. And by not sharing it it would feel like a waste of time. I realy enjoy listening to
the diferent tracks everybody made and I also learn from that. So thanks again for organizing this challenge. And @Canese, thanks for the book tip, I looked it up on the internet. Sounds interesting indeed.

Jeroen

Here is my feedback.
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and top 5
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Last edited by JeroenZuiderwijk on Mon Feb 27, 2023 20:25 CET, edited 4 times in total.
Treyt
Posts: 6
Joined: Sun Sep 25, 2022 04:16 CEST

Re: SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC066 February 2023 - preparation phase

#42

Post by Treyt »

This was a very fun experience for me. I generally don't like hip hop (which may show in the production of my track) but trap is close enough to Edm that I was like "eh sure, I'll try it". Even though this was already new territory for me, i decided to make myself even more uncomfortable by rapping for the first time. I did research on writing rap and rapping, but didn't really do much research on the actual structure and composition of the genre, since I had already heard plenty of it for me to create my own interpretation. Having finished it and listened to it in the context of all the other entries, I probably should have used a reference track, but I'm still happy enough with the end result, and my performance. Thanks to Mr. Fox for hosting this challenge and all the work that goes into maintaining it!

Alright, voting! Now I have to rewrite half of my critique since I accidentally closed out of the tab I was using on my phone woo!!

Feedback:
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Final Votes
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Last edited by Treyt on Wed Mar 01, 2023 20:04 CET, edited 1 time in total.
Ronson79
Posts: 40
Joined: Thu Jun 17, 2021 17:59 CEST

Re: SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC066 February 2023 - preparation phase

#43

Post by Ronson79 »

Hey guys, here´s my feedback and voting.

Arelem Beats
Your performance has a nice grit, reminds me of that US rapper that looks like the Hollywood actor. Can´t find the name.
Drums could benefit from some mixing imo but overall a solid and listenable track.

Denny7794
beat/drums need more movement/groove, feels too static from the programming. I like the radio voice from a sound design
point of view.

KukoBass
Programming and sound choices don´t fit the challenge in my opinion. Change the drums completely with maybe some
underwater lofi experimental drums. Then it could work as a background music for TV and Film.

The Exponent - Hater
Nice breakdown with all the stutters it has the energy someone would expect from such an arrangement move.
The basic beat and performance is solid although the beat before the break sounds a little bit outdated for my taste.

Mellow Browne - Trap House
Cool Beat, no critique here. Performance is tight, Adlibs are a bit too dry for my taste. Lyrics could benefit from
more refined punchlines and rhyme patterns to spice it up. Overall a solid track for the streets.

Esteve Corbera
Beat is a touch too playful in parts and has a video game soundtrack charakter which doesn´t fit my taste.
But to put it in other words - good effort into the production, many different musical parts
Performance - it would need more energy to compete

Treyt Captive
Solid beat, i like the performance - reminds me of South Yellawolf vibe. Mix needs some more refinement and openness
The hook unfortunately is the weakest part. It´s musically not fitting the cool performance from the verses and the
timing is off

Canase

Dope ass beat and the performance matches the vibe. Could critique the mix a bit but it´s still working with that touch
of lofi attitude. Great job!

Jereon Zuiderwijk
I like the beat, also mix wise sounds good. I can hear a Sylenth patch in there :) . Wondering why you fucked up the
vocals that much but I can enjoy it anyway. I can hear some Netherland techno influence in here if I´m not wrong



voting:

1. Canase
2. Jereon Zuiderwijk
3. Arelem Beats
5. Treyt
5.The Exponent
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KukoBass
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Posts: 81
Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2020 16:48 CET
Location: Brunswick / Germany
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Re: SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC066 February 2023 - preparation phase

#44

Post by KukoBass »

Hello everyone!

My experience this month:
Neither Crunk nor Trap is really familiar to me. I had to look both up on Wikipedia, and as I didn't find a convincing description of the style elements of Crunk, I had to settle for fast hi-hat-rolls and 808 Kicks which seem to be typical elements of Trap. In hindsight, I might have been a liiiiittle too enthusiastic with the drums and sound effects. Less would have been more.

I desperately wanted to finish a project after getting stuck in the process in last month's competition. And I wanted to reuse sound effects from last month as percussive elements. And once again the competition made me step out of my comfort zone and try something different.
Thank you, Mr. Fox, for organizing this.


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Votes
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The Exponent
Posts: 98
Joined: Mon Feb 18, 2019 14:46 CET

Re: SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC066 February 2023 - preparation phase

#45

Post by The Exponent »

Mister Fox wrote:
Sat Feb 25, 2023 00:10 CET

Summarized:
 ! Bonus Info
  • Participants can (and must) vote for their Top 5 entries.
I'm mid way through the tracks for voting and feedback, so just to be clear and avoid any confusion, this top 5 list is an ordered list right? Meaning the point distribution is:
1st - 5 points
2nd - 4 points
3rd - 3 points
4th - 2 points
5th - 1 points

Rest 0 points.
Is this understanding correct and also the common understanding? Thanks for the confirmation!
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Mister Fox
Site Admin
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Posts: 3111
Joined: Fri Mar 31, 2017 16:15 CEST
Location: Berlin, Germany

SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC066 February 2023 - preparation phase

#46

Post by Mister Fox »

This is correct, @The Exponent.

Even if you don't use "1st" to "5th", I always assume the order "first to last place" on the listing.
Mellow Browne
Posts: 93
Joined: Tue Nov 13, 2018 20:54 CET
Location: Freiburg, Germany

Re: SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC066 February 2023 - Voting until 03-MAR-2023 23:59 UTC+1/CET

#47

Post by Mellow Browne »

So, here is my feedback:

Arelem
Great atmosphere, very dark with a lot of power in the hook. The synth pad in the verse part however is more soft in the background, this creates a huge dynamic gap in the instrumental but this is filled with the energy of you rapping pretty hard over the beat. Your flow is 99% on point, there are two or three little things not really on the beat, but given the fact that you are not a rapper this is awesome. Props for this! I really like the roughness in your voice, very crispy. I´m hearing also some sort of formant shifter and I know from other entries that you like to alter your voice as an effect, but in this case I don’t like what I´m hearing. You definitely have a voice for a rap artist and the talent to flow over a beat, I would recommend you to keep doing rap songs from time to time.

The lyrics may seem funny, but while listening I take the message very serious because it is deep and this is what I like about your entry. Alone the intro talk is very is strong and convincing, the melodic dramatic beat fits perfectly. The beat is what I expect from something in the trap genre. The drum samples you picked are „classic“ trap sounds, of course, one could argue about the tone of your 808. But all in all it is very solid trap beat I´m hearing. The only thing I already mentioned what I´m missing is some hard hitting brass or something to add more low frequency to the beat.
In sum, really good work.

Denny7794
I think this is not really fitting the genre, with both eyes closed (and ears) I would say this is „something“ like Crunk. It sounds like the early stages of hip hop to my ears, so pretty far away from modern standards of urban music.
I find that robotic fx really funny, and that Russian accent is pretty cool.
I can also hear you changed the mix, so now it sounds more balanced than before.
I would recommend you to do more research on both genres, Trap and Crunk to get more familiar with sound selection and melodic patterns etc. But still, compliments for finishing your project.

Kukobass
First ten seconds remind of a GTA game, can’t remember which one, I think it was GTA IV.
I wouldn’t really call this Trap or Crunk, but it is very close to the vibe. That could be the little brother of Chill Trap or something. I enjoy your entry, it gives me a relaxed feeling, very calm sounds overall. I like the fact that you sampled yourself. Your drum sample are the more softer sample selection for Trap beats, in Trap the 808 is just that typical bass tone you hear in the production.
I find the whispering to fit the vibe perfectly, to my ears this could definitely work as background music for some pc game music.
In sum, it doesn’t really fit the genre but I have to make you big compliments, one can really hear your development from SWC to SWC. Keep doing your thing!

The Exponent
Strong trap beat with a great fx drop hook, hardest entry for me! Good job on the hook and the overall sound selection. The mix of is very solid, although the „haters“ has little bit too much reverb and the rap part is little too shy compared to the hard hitting beat, but the rest is well balanced.
I would say your rap and flow is the weakest part of your entry, but I still have to give you big props for this. It is still convincing and your track works for me really good. While listening my focus is more on the beat and not so on the lyrics, they are more in the back and not in your face, so I´m missing the punch from the mix.
Overall excellent work

Ronson79
Hmm, hard here. I first want to mention what I really like about your entry. I find your voice and energy in the hook great, the tone in your voice is really convincing, and I like your energy while flowing.
The lyrics are very deep, I like them, and the beat is really nice, I absolutely like that grimey vibe. That piano melody in the beginning is sick.
BUT - to my ears this is not what I would call Trap per definition. It is very close to the genre and it scratches the surface with sound selection, triplet drum pattern and 808 bass. But the most important ingredient is missing, and that is the vibe in the beat and the flow. Your drum beat pattern is 3/4, I think this is the thing why this is not really Trap to me. The triplets are usually made within a 4/4 beat with the hi hats or the rappers flow, and not with the beat itself. Also, to me the rapper is pretty lame while performing, it is not the same energy and drive as in the hook, which I prefer much more. His flow is pretty standard the House-Mouse one syllable rhyme technique. The tone of the voice is way too soft for a deep track like this. So I find it a bit funny that you mentioned my rhyme patterns to spice things up btw.
Don´t get me wrong, your entry is pretty solid, and I like the topic and the beat, but it doesn’t really fit into my understanding of Trap music. Still, big compliments for your entry. To me, it sounds like backpack rap disguised in a Trap outfit.

EsteveCorbera
The theme at the very beginning and at the end should have been your main theme and melody. The perfect loop for a Trap type beat is from 00:12-00:26. That type of melody is the typical „banger beat“ in Trap. The next part until 01:00 is still in that Trap sector but after that you’re leaving the genre. Trap is not that experimental as you did with your entry, and also Trap is very hard driven by the musical vibe, you will here most Trap tunes in min9 keys, so very dark or pretty aggressive and forward.
Even though I don’t really like the singing here I still find it to fit your entry and I have lots of respect because this is commitment to the SWC. It has some sort of rap style to it.
Props to you for leaving your comfort zone! :tu:
One thing you „should“ pay attention for trap beats is the drum sample choice and the tone of the 808, they have a certain sound.

Treyt
The beat is really hard and nice arranged. The vibe is absolutely what I expect from the Trap genre. This is a bit more festival orientated to me. I like the energy and the sound selection.
You have some quick flow patterns, but I think you are off beat on to many occasions while rapping. You should be more delicate with how many syllables you can fit into one bar. I totally understand, you are not used to rap this fast, so I still have respect for your performance, the tone and character in your voice. The mix is balanced, but I don’t like the pumping effect, this makes the whole mix sound a bit cheap to my ears.
Overall, good work

Canese
Great sample choice, nice vibe, I´m bumping my head. Unfortunately, I can’t say anything about your own flow, and of course this rapper sounds absolutely dope. Fits the beat really well. 2 times the same verse makes a bit repetitive. And also, as I am a beat maker myself, I can tell that making sample beats are easier in terms of melody and vibe for hip hop productions. It is absolutely not cheating, don’t get me wrong here. Sampling is an art for itself, no doubt about it, and you did really fine on this one, so I hope you know what I mean.
Overall, I find your entry very dope but I can hear (and see) that you didn’t spend much time on this, there is 20 second of silence at the end. I´m pretty sure you can do better, regarding the level of your entry.

JeroenZuiderwijk
I like that typical dark Trap atmosphere you created, it has that grimey energy I really appreciate. Those „WHAT“ vocal samples and the stab hits give it that Crunk feeling also.
Of course, the mix/recording have lots of room for improvement and also the rap performance, flow, and the arrangement could be more structured for a real song with hook etc. But I find it great that you finished something.
One thing you „should“ pay attention for trap beats is the drum sample choice and the tone of the 808, they have a certain sound.


What I learned from this challenge:
- how to produce a short play arrangement in the trap genre
- better understanding of sonic concepts of clipping, limiting, compression and saturation
- how to listen to the low mids while mixing and how to hear the relationship between low and high frequencies
- how to rap in a much faster speed and flow than I usually freestyle
- people prefer Trap over Crunk

Thank you very much for the feedback!

My Top 5:
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denny7794
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Feb 19, 2023 16:55 CET

Re: SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC066 February 2023 - Voting until 03-MAR-2023 23:59 UTC+1/CET

#48

Post by denny7794 »

My expiriens:
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Since I'm still learning the basics of making music myself, it's hard for me to criticize others (and besides, I don't like writing essays at all :). But since the rules require it. I'll try.

Feedback:
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Top 5 for me:
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Mister Fox
Site Admin
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Posts: 3111
Joined: Fri Mar 31, 2017 16:15 CEST
Location: Berlin, Germany

SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC066 February 2023 - Voting until 03-MAR-2023 23:59 UTC+1/CET

#49

Post by Mister Fox »

Folks... please remember to also reflect on your experience this month, and please do not resort to 1-sentence "great entry, I liked it" type feedback.

I understand that a lot of you want to score bonus points to balance out possible penalties. But the idea here is to interact, gather valuable feedback and possible criticism. This does adds to the overall learning factor of the game.

In fairness to all participants, I will withdraw points if you scrape below mandatory "bare minimum".


Please edit your post and update your feedback if necessary. :educate:
EsteveCorbera
Posts: 168
Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2020 23:53 CEST
Location: Catalunya

Re: SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC066 February 2023 - Voting until 03-MAR-2023 23:59 UTC+1/CET

#50

Post by EsteveCorbera »

Good night,

This month has really been a very tough challenge. Like I told you, I'm not at all good at this kind of music, so it was hard for me to make my theme and it's hard for me to give you an informed review.
I have to thank Mister Fox for this challenge. You have taken many of us out of our comfort zone. I guess that was the intention. This is how we learn and also know the music we don't want to hear ;)
I also take this opportunity to thank everyone for the comments we are making to everyone. We learn from your feedback on our songs and on other people's songs.


Arelem - First World Problems
Interesting topic. Good voices and good trap sound. Very good lyrics too. Really a great production.
I wish I could tell you something to improve your song, maybe a little more variation, but I can't find fault with your theme

denny7794 - W$W
Curious topic. It's the Kraftwerk of trap.
The beginning goes on too long, repeating the same thing all the time. I don't associate distorted vocals with trap, it reminds me more of Krafterk music than trap.
You have a good sound design and the mix doesn't look bad to me.

KukoBass - Trapped_in_my_head
I was surprised by the orchestral beginning of your theme. You got me interested.
But it gives the impression that the orchestral parts have been attached a little randomly. I find the hihats too repetitive and they sound inside my head (I listen with headphones), maybe a little more distance would have made me less tired.

The Exponent - Haters
good topic I like the sounds you use in some of the rhythms. good mix You could rush more in the peak levels, your theme would have more power. Although it already has a lot.
Little more to tell you, a good presentation.

Ronson79 - Was
Your song in German (which I don't understand at all) I find gives it strength. Good mix, everything sounds great. Very professional. Perhaps the fault is that it sounds a little trap.

MellowBrowne - TrapHouse
Good trap atmosphere. I like the mix of voices. Now they sound alone, now they sound double. You seem to be a lot of people singing, on various levels. I find it very cool. congratulations As I write the review and listen to your track, I am struck by your originality.

Treyt - Captive
Very strong theme, the orchestral part below, the voices that don't give rest, the rhythm is powerful.
Maybe the part I would have changed would be the sidechain too forced for my taste. I find the rest very good, despite being the first time you do trap.

Canese - cannot do worse
The mix can be improved. With two days you didn't have enough time. I find the orchestral part too strong, but the rhythm would make it more present. I like the way you rap with your voice, you don't give a break.

JeroenZuiderwijk - leegpapier
Very electronic sound design, I find it interesting. In fact, it's the part I like the most.
The initial voices are perhaps too broken and then, the verse, the collocations in another place.
The brass/synth in the earlier part at the end are perhaps too present.
Thank you all

(translated with google)
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