SONGWRITING COMPETITION - SWC092 April 2025 - Voting until 01-MAY-2025 23:59 UTC+2/CEST

[Mister Fox]

Hello and welcome to the Songwriting Competition 092 - April 2025



BEFORE WE GET STARTED:

• Please consult the official and very simple "Rules and Guidelines" (TL;DR version) for the Songwriting Competition regarding principles of the game, it's engaging game mechanics (allowed editing/re-submission of your entry until the deadline has been reached) and upload/submission guidelines.
• The general idea of this game is to "...just make music", to also challenge yourself by stepping a bit out of your comfort zone, and take a dip at realms you've never worked in before. Instrumentals are just as welcome as productions with vocals.
• The Genre, "Premise" and Rules Summary for this months challenge can always be found in in post #002

Read more about this month's competition further down below. And if you got any question, please also reach out on Discord.



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SONGWRITING COMPETITION THREAD INDEX

Post #001 -- Introduction post and index for the various stages of the Songwriting Competition. Will be updated as we progress
Post #002 -- Submission Period: General Information, Source Material, Sponsors
Post #003 -- Cheat Sheet: A couple of examples / audio demos for this month's challenge (limited if genre is "free to select")
Post #024 -- Voting: Summarized entries and start of voting process
Post #000 -- Results: Results of the Songwriting Competition

[Mister Fox]

CURRENT CHALLENGE - GENERAL INFORMATION

Time Frame: Tuesday, 01st April 2025 to Thursday, 24th April 2025 (24 days)

Challenge submission will end on 24-APR-2025, 23:59 UTC+2/CEST (Germany) - until further notice.

The current game deadlines can be found on the Global Countdown page and on the landing site. Short reminders will also be sent out via the newsletter, social media and Discord. Does the game time frame feel too long? Why not set yourself a personal shorter one of 5-7 days. Push yourself to focus on the essentials, then use the rest of the time to ask for feedback and possible refinements.



SONGWRITING THEME: "Rushed" (Picture Theme)
GENRE: free to select



Image Source: Pexels, photo by Pedro Inacio, released under Creative Commons CC0

Bonus Images (for inspiration): image pack for additional inspiration (standard ZIP file, 212kb, 02 images)



A few word about this month's theme:

We're having a "Picture Theme" this month.

There will be no extensive brief with twists and turns. Please have a look, get inspired by the image(s) and the theme. Let your mind wander for a bit. Then start writing.
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Your task for this Songwriting Competition:
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This month, you can create a production in any music genre you feel like.


A short explanation of the concept of this month's game: The general idea is to draw inspiration from the picture(s). However do not solely fixate on that particular photo or illustration and it's details alone. Rather focus on the "overarching concept". The picture and possible provided key words can have many different meanings. How you interpret it, is up to you.

You set your own parameters and limitations, e.g. style and genre, melodic questions and counter arguments. As long as you don't exceed 10 minutes of runtime, neither have endless padded out repetition. Please keep us listeners engaged. And as usual - vocals are optional. Don't feel pressured to provide any.


Just make music and have fun!

I'm curious about what you come up with!

Songwriting Rule Summary:

► Show Spoiler

Summary:

• create a production fitting to the given theme, genre and general premise
• you can use any tool that is at your disposal (samples, virtual instruments and/or real instruments), exceptions apply regarding vocal sample usage and certain songwriting tools)
• IMPORTANT: if you use non-licensed material (as in: non royalty free material from sample CDs, etc), give full credit to the source material
• for newcomers: no finished productions that have already been released outside of the time frame of the current Songwriting Competition (Spotify, iTunes, Bandcamp, etc), no cover versions or remixes of other artists, no ripped acapella's -- please only showcase your own new and original content (you are allowed to "remix yourself", recreate an old project, etc)
• do not go higher than -14,0 LUFS ILk/-1,00 dBTP in terms of perceived loudness (mastering). Music doesn't have to be squashed to bits in order to be impactful
• name your files properly prior to uploading and make the production downloadable. If you opt to present your entry through SoundCloud, the forum can also convert your links into a Soundcloud player through the [soundcloud] BBCode from the text editor (orange square with a white cloud in it)

Add-On Rules:

• <no (additional) add-on rules specified>

Filename Template: SWC092__ArtistName__TrackName.wav or .mp3

• example: SWC092__MisterFox__ColorOfTheSky.wav
• example: SWC092__Mister_Fox__Color_of_the_sky.wav

Please also try to provide only one file format (ideally the highest quality possible).


For a full set of rules, please consult the Official Rules and Guidelines (see Rule Book post #6). If you got any questions regarding the game mechanics or similar, please either utilize the global Gossip and Discussion thread, or reach out through Discord.

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LICENSE SPONSORS (Bonus Prizes):

A huge thank you goes to our very generous License Sponsors for this month's game. Those being (in alphabetical order):

Cherry Audio, Ghostwave Audio, Hollow Sun, Hornet Plugins, IK Multimedia, JRR Sounds, kv331 audio, Luftrum, Musiclab, Rekkerd Sounds, satyatunes - Sound / Graphic Design, and Tone2.


A detailed list of offerings can be found in the following information block.

► Show Spoiler

Available Bonus Prizes for Songwriting Challenge participants:

Note: All licenses are NFR (Not-For-Resale), except where noted.
Changes to available prices on short notice may be possible and will be announced separately.


RECURRING LICENSE SPONSORSHIP:


Cherry Audio is kind enough to give away one license of Voltage Modular Ignite, plus either a license of "Year One Collection" or "Year Two Collection"
Licenses will turn into NFR
More info on Cherry Audio: https://cherryaudio.com



IK Multimedia is kind enough to give away one license of MODO BASS 2 to the winner
License will turn into NFR
More info on IK Multimedia: https://www.ikmultimedia.com



Musiclab is kind enough to donate any 1 guitar of your choice to the winner
License will turn into NFR
More info on Musiclab: https://www.musiclab.com



Tone2 is kind enough to donate a license of Saurus4 to the winner
License will turn into NFR
More info on Tone2: https://tone2.com



kv331 audio is kind enough to either give away a SynthMaster 1+2 Bundle, or a freely selectable set of 3 SynthMaster Expansions
Licenses will not turn into NFR, you need to have a kv311 audio user account in order to pick up Expansions
More info on kv331 audio: https://www.kv331audio.com



JRR Sounds is kind enough to give away any-1 sound sets or sample set of winner's choice (exception: Bundles)
More info on JRR Sounds: https://www.jrrshop.com/jrr-sounds



Luftrum is kind enough to give away either a license of Lunaris 2, a license of Bioscape, or any two sound sets of winner's choice
License will turn into NFR
More info on Luftrum: https://www.luftrum.com/



Rekkerd Sounds is kind enough to give away 1 sound set of winners choice (exception: Krezie EDM and Neurofunk Vol. 1)
License will turn into NFR
More info on Rekkerd Sounds: https://sounds.rekkerd.org/



Ghostwave Audio (Vincent Bastiat) is kind enough to donate any 2 sound sets to the winner
License will turn into NFR
More info on Ghostwave Audio: https://ghostwaveaudio.com



Hollow Sun is kind to donate one license of "Music Laboratory Machines - The Suite I" to the winner
License will turn into NFR
More info on Hollow Sun: http://www.hollowsun.com



Hornet Plugins is kind enough to give away any one license of winner's choice, alternatively any-2 licenses "Custom Bundle" with a total value less than 20 EUR MSRP
License will turn into NFR
More info on Hornet Plugins: https://www.hornetplugins.com



Sound / Graphic Designer, and honorary Mix Challenge staff satYatunes is donating one commercial product of winner's choice (until further notice)
More info on satYatune's page: https://satyatunes.com/



THANKS FOR THE DONATIONS!
And also a thank you to all former contributors as well.

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Good luck to all participants.
And most importantly, have fun!

[Mister Fox]

AUDIO EXAMPLES:
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Articles and Info Pages:

A great starting point is the "Addendum"/Supplementary thread for the Songwriting Competition
Songwriting Competition - Addendum: Music Maps and BPM Charts

Since the genre this month is "free to select", there are no clear pointers




Music examples (selection for inspiration, 00 videos):

No music examples available this month. However, I can always recommend to enter random genre search words either on YouTube, Spotify or other music streaming services you prefer using.
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If you're new to songwriting, or you are in need for new helper tools, instruments, samples or presets -- please check out the following:

Songwriting Competition - Addendum: Tools to help with songwriting (outsourced megathread)


The thread is updated / expanded at irregular intervals.


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UPDATED: 20-MAR-2025 09:35 UTC+1, updated 00-APR-2025 00:00 UTC+2

[Mister Fox]

A friendly reminder:
Including today, 14 days left to submit your production.

So far, we have 00 entries -- which I hope will change soon.



If you want to access the extended game mechanics of the Songwriting Competition (asking for feedback during production), please try to release your first edits within the next 7 days to have enough time to get possible feedback (if needed/wanted) and continue to work on your song.


To those sitting on the fence - please don't feel scared off and think "the bar is set too high, I will never make it" - set yourself a shorter private deadline. Just make music, submit your entry, join the conversation. See where this goes.

By joining, you're already a winner. The rest is bonus.

[Arelem]

Here's my track "Fast Life". I tried a couple different ideas that the prompt inspired but I settled on this one. It has a little bit of a contrast between the musical track being more relaxed while the lyrics depict a 'rushed' life that doesn't leave time or energy for my own pursuits.


Details

► Show Spoiler

DAW is FL Studio

The drums are various one shots with the 808 being SubLabXL. SSL Fusion Vintage Drive was used for some saturation and drive.
The drone is a choir sample that I manipulated and resampled. It used Infiltrator, ComebackKid, Slice EQ, and Crystalline as well as some volume automation.
The main piano/horn section was also heavily chopped and resampled and uses Neutron 4, several Slice EQs, ComebackKid, and Neoverb.
The vocals are myself "singing" the parts in several layers and have Cymatics Origin, FL Limiter, Little Alter Boy, EQ 2, Nectar 3, bx console SSL 9000, SSL Native Bus Comprssor, and a custom Patcher preset for doubling as well as ComebackKid. Cystalline and Neoverb are also used on some of the additional layers.

[Strange]

Hi everyone,

I'm a little bit rushed, because I had to write and record a Song
Here is my little Punk-result:
WAV- file

► Show Spoiler

Here you can read the lyrics and the chords in original German or in English
English
Original German

Composed last week during a little motorhome trip. Recorded today in my little homestudio:
DAW: Cubase 14
Drums: EZ Drummer 3 - Vintage Rock expansion
Bass: Sandberg California II Umbo 5-string, plugins: R-Bass, BassRift, EQ
Guitars: Squire Strat with TONEX, Black Angus, Marshall JCM 800; Sire Larry Carlton Les Paul with Neural DSP, Boogie Mark IIC; Fender Tele thinline with Neural DSP Tone King Imperial MKII; Gibson J-15 acoustic
Micro: slatedigital ML 1, U47-model for acoustic and AKG-414 model for voice

Hope you enjoy it.

Greetings

[Rick Finsta]

Good evening from Milwaukee Wisconsin, USA.

As a solo artist (usually acoustic guitar and vocal only) I perform under the moniker "roost.".
My band is Radio Silence, from Cedarburg, WI, and if the other guys like something I composed I roll it into that project.
This entry is under roost. as my bandmates have not yet heard it!

I have been a member at Gearspace for ten years, and that forum just came up in conversation with one of my audio engineer buddies last night and I thought I'd check back in. Since I recently started writing and performing with a band for the first time in a while, I was excited to see the link to this songwriting contest. I saw the theme and photo, and knew *exactly* what I wanted to do. I composed and arranged this song in about an hour (very, very fast for me but I wanted to be RUSHED) and I performed/recorded it and added programmed drums, then did a rough pass mix. EDIT - this is now RevC



I hope you enjoy the song. It was a fun challenge.

► Show Spoiler

My rig is pretty simple. My last-gen gaming PC (so nothing fancy) running a Behringer UMC interface into Reaper. My room is heavily treated and about the only issue I have is standing waves at 80Hz, unless I keep the door open (thanks to my wife for putting up with that, BTW). Monitoring is a JBL LSR setup, or I've got a pair of Sennheiser 560s and a pair of cheap earbuds. I go back and forth between them to keep my ears honest. I had a stapedectomy years ago to correct otosclerosis so I have some trouble with stereo imaging because one ear hears like a 15 year old and the other hears like an 80 year old that hasn't protected his hearing. So going back and forth between isolation and moving air in a room is helpful. Pretty sure I am running at 48kHz and 24bit depth but I'd honestly have to look. EDIT - sample rate and depth confirmed.

Vocal chain is just an AT4080 through an SSL Channel strip with a touch of compression and some low frequency rolloff and the EQ isn't even engaged yet. On this I've got an instance of UAD's Sound City on the vocal bus that I run in parallel so I can pull the reverb up and down but I'll also do this with just the stock Reaper IR engine and any room IR you can get for free. I'd also EQ, and add in pretty heavy compression and de-essing on my second pass mix and sometimes on a really thick mix I will use the "Scheps Pultec Trick" in parallel on lead vocals but this mix is pretty open. Still feeling out this mic and need to figure out where the de-esser needs to be, may need multiband but we'll see.

Backup vocals I just auditioned which takes sounded best together and have them all on one channel using normalization to balance them out. Normally I would split these all off and pan them out to really make the woah woahs feel huge. EDIT - I split these off and panned them for RevB.

Guitar is my '79 Les Paul Artist through my Mesa Boogie MkIV widebody 1x12 combo on the Lead channel. Close mic'd at the center of the cone, right on the grille cloth with an MD421 and the same AT4080 I use on vocals. I check phase before recording using a few clean strums and make sure I am within a sample or two at 48kHz. I cut like 5-10 takes, and then audition combinations of them with one mic hard panned to each side until I find one that jumps out at me. Slight low shelf to clear up the low mids, no additional processing of any kind. This technique is also super mono-compatible so you do have to watch out because you won't get the volume collapse and it can make the guitars way too loud in mono if you aren't careful with all your other signals. In a heavy mix I'll have to carve out EQ for lead guitar, bass, and vocal but that makes me sad because the guitar is my first instrument LOL.

Bass is my wife's Robin Ranger P/J style bass guitar played with a pick through a GK 1001RB or 700RB (I didn't look to see which was plugged in). EDIT - the 1001RB, not that it makes a difference. Just DI signal (I was recording after said wife was asleep) with the TSE "BOD" Sansamp pedal emulator that you can get for free. I'm shopping for an actual pedal and I'm kicking myself for giving one away like twenty years ago. No other EQ on the bass or bus but I do have heavy parallel compression on a separate slider using I think a Distressor plugin. Any compressor will do, just slam it and use the slider to mix it in. Second pass I would do a lot more here because the bass isn't thumping like I want it to but I love the midrange cut. EDIT: I used the "Pultec Trick" to add some low end on the bass bus.

Drums are just Superior Drummer 3 and some of the stock and some of the pop/punk riffs. I also run separate parallel compression and a separate Sound City reverb on their own channels and bring them in with the faders. Recording with a tempo change is always a challenge so I usually export the MIDI and then use Reaper's native MIDI piano roll editor to move things around if I need to. I like to get the drums done really fast and then come back and listen for places they don't fit well. I don't work too hard at them because my drummer is going to write a part anyways so he just needs a reference for what is in my head. We'd also have to add a count in to the tempo change to play this live.

EDIT: Final pass lyrics for RevC:

► Show Spoiler

Familiar frowns on indifferent faces,
swept underground from different places
descend to chase some dull pursuit downtown.

I'm breaking my neck for the need of the pay
ever smashed in this seat, 90 miles each way,
chasing pennies per dollar, per minute, per hour, per day.

Will calamity make me late
in this tunnel beneath the Bay?
Did this moving sidewalk break just to spite me?

The coffee's great, but can't reshape the way I feel about that clock.
It's creeping hands and what they measure.
And at day's end, I'll turn around and do it all again.
Commute, Hell!  I just got here.

NOTES ON LYRICS:
The title line of this song is an ironic reference to the United States Marine Corps 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines' motto "Retreat, Hell!" It is just something that popped into my head about halfway through composition and it was catchy so it stuck. The concept here is the inner monologue of a lone commuter facing a long train/subway ride to an unglamorous job in a large city, beginning with entering the station, experiencing some troubles that make the trip longer than usual, through arriving at work and clock-watching until it is time to leave, where he expresses trepidation at the return commute home. I didn't mean it to be any kind of statement on the loss of purpose and comradery that a soldier, marine, or airman may feel after leaving the service, but I can certainly see these lyrics being understood as such, especially with the almost resigned misuse of such an iconic unit's battle cry.

So MisterFox doesn't seem like an insane person that is talking to himself I am consolidating my posts to try to come in line with rules and decorum. As long as everyone else is okay with his point deduction proposal, I am as well.

[Mister Fox]

Welcome to the community, @Rick Finsta -- interesting to read that GearSpace still brings in the occasional new user.

Great start for your first participation. However - small things related to the game's mechanic: please at least read the TL;DR Rules again regarding the minimum/maximum song length. And making the song available to download is relevant to the final voting process and score sheet mechanic (as every song will be analyzed in terms of loudness as "bonus knowledge", see previous games).


Else... feedback wise, your lead vocals have a bit of a "mid-honk" to them (there is one frequency that sticks out), and they could sit a bit better in the music by maybe "volume riding" and adding a touch more reverb or delay (fitting to the song).

Else... please also update your post with used instruments and maybe one sound signal chain you enjoyed sculpting (e.g. - how did you get your particular bass or guitar sound), again, for the learning aspect of our community.

[Rick Finsta]

See Above.

[Mister Fox]

Well, I do not disqualify people from the Songwriting Competition, unless you're not participating in the final (global) feedback and vote mechanic (which is the only criteria to be disqualified, the rest is handled via bonus/penalty points). The rules for the Songwriting Competition are less strict than the Mix(ing) Challenge -- I want to keep people engaged and "in the game". Make music in the first place...


How about this?

Please provide an additional link to download, with the correct filename template and all that good stuff (see post #002, edit your first post to add that link, please - easier to find for me later on). Since your entry is only 1:15min, I'd place a -1pts "penalty" on the score sheet (which can have an influence on the position on the score sheet), then we go from there?

You joined, you're already a winner in my book. You just provided additional documentation (even if it's a separate post). And your contribution provides a very different spin on the concept. For future games, you now know how things go.

Does that sound fair, @Rick Finsta?