Mix Challenge

A top 5, assisted by our beautiful second office representee, courtesy of * broke again * live and direct from Christmas Islands:

I learned to process a .wav file of higher bitrate to -14.5 Loudness Units as specified. I knew I already could, but I finally learned how to do it. It was a piece of software that shows the number of Loudness Units for a given sound file that helped me in this process, albeit finally the volume processing in the sampler in my D.A.W. that did the Rick. I'm so glad I finally know how to turn the volume down, it was mostly a process of turning the volume up, especially when you have to create something, although I heard that the silence in between the notes make the music. It's very hard to process silence to -14.5 Loudness Units as specified. Maybe I should have incorperated more DC offset variation on the silence in the beginning. Overall, my file turned out to be around the -14.5 Loudness Units as desired. I learned that this was, in the end, not important enough to bother. I also learned that it was not a real prerequisite to use the specified material as specified that one was to use it as specified. Because the specified material was a representation of chords ordered by a robot software for chords, and not a real composition, it was very hard on the ear to listen to the progression, still used the provided chords with a as standard as possible 2000 house music sound to it. If I had twisted notes in the composition then it would have sounded better, but I felt that was out of the ruleset of the given material. Others seemed to have done this, to more better sounding schemes, and I have failed by following the rules of the given material. So, I have learned, to not listen at all to what's been given, and thus win the competition. Next time.

name-----------melody---rhythm--lyrics-arrangement--authenticity--sound---sum

alphageek----------0---------3---------0-----------3------------2-------------3---------11

juhu-----------------4---------4---------0-----------4------------3-------------3---------18

EFEMGIE------------1---------4---------0-----------5-------------2-------------4---------16

APi_ZZ--------------2---------3---------0-----------2-------------1-------------2---------10

Marc_Fey-----------1---------3---------0-----------1-------------2-------------3---------10

EatMe---------------0---------2---------0-----------1-------------2-------------4---------09

EsteveCorbera-----1---------2---------0-----------2-------------2-------------3---------09

MellowBrowne-----2---------5---------0-----------3-------------4-------------3---------17

Chasey24-----------2---------3---------0-----------3--------------3-------------3---------14

Blang----------------3---------3---------0-----------2--------------4-------------3---------15

VCA-089------------1---------3---------0-----------5--------------3-------------3---------15

ThomC--------------3---------3---------0-----------1--------------2-------------4---------13

1. juhu
2. MellowBrowne
3. EFEMGIE
4. VCA-089
4. Blang

1: ThomC "Another Night At The Movies"
2: VCA-089 "Ashes Of Time"
3: API_ZZ "Sixteen"
4: Strange "I rise"
5: Marc_Fey "Progression"

Dear contestants, you are very talented. Keep creating, good luck.

ThomC
Great film music. Something wonderful! The mood is like a good story. The brass instruments at the end - wow!
TomC you tell stories with music! I immersed myself in this composition completely.
I would like to paint with sounds like you.
For me, no. 1.

VCA-089
A piece like from the 80s! Great idea. Bass and keyboards do the job. As if I had traveled back in time and was watching some cool movie on VHS. Sound production is also ok, everything is clean. Great production!

API_ZZ
Beautiful intro, like music to a story. It reminds me of great radio plays with music and effects. That organ complements the rest perfectly. Calm and balanced, beautiful! Everything ties together. As if you were painting with music, I like it a lot.

Strange
Great track! It has energy from start to finish. And the vocals, great! Everything in the composition has its place. Great atmosphere, a lot of work and heart put into the song.

Marc Fey
A beautifully composed ballad. Nice strings and bass. Great organ. The atmosphere is like from the 70s (or so I think ). It's great to listen to. Pleasant composition, extensive arrangement.

Chasey24
Great guitar. Interesting idea. Everything in its place. Although I don't usually listen to this kind of music, I really like it. It has character.

Blang
Yes, it is! Great beat, guitar makes a great impression. Calm, cool piece. Good mix of instruments.

juhu
Great idea with the string section. I would have added more reverb but I understand that it was supposed to be as natural as possible.
The second part of the piece introduces some anxiety. An elaborate composition. Listening to it, I felt like I was at a symphony concert.
Good job!

alphageeks
Cool intro with piano, cool guitar (with character), a bit too much bottom for my taste. Good gate pads. It flows nicely.

MellowBrowne
Cool beat, technically great. It's begging for lyrics and cool vocals. Great production. Instruments well balanced.

EsteveCorbera
Cool pads, cosmic vibe. Flows nicely. Such a movie track. Good drums. Illustration for a Sci-fi movie.

EatMe
Cool idea, a bit of gaming music. Just right for some racing. Good job!

What did I learn from taking part in this event? First of all, that you should try and not give up. As I wrote in previous posts, after the first listening to the chord progression, something didn't seem right to me, I thought I would give up.
I thought that this progression was not suitable for a trance track, but something about it captivated me. Every subsequent listening, every moment spent on production confirmed that it was worth taking on this task. After listening to all the entries, I realized how much I was confined to the genre of music that I create on a daily basis. Taking part in the competition showed me what possibilities the participants have, how many genres of music were presented here. From film music, through rock, to "my" trance. Something wonderful. I would like to try to create something different, many of the competition entries will be an inspiration for me.
Would I change anything in my track now? Of course I would. You provided so many examples of how to do it that I would definitely use some of them.

Greetings to everyone, you did a great job.

Fellow music makers, thanks for sharing your tracks and I hope you also enjoyed the challenge. I've tried to be as nuanced as I can with giving feedback in this limited time, and don't forget: it's just my opinion, so I don't expect you to agree with everything, but hopefully you find it helpful in some way.

alphageeks

At around 1:00 I’m starting to miss a melody / lead. The harmony has been established at that point. So even though you change the texture and energy throughout, it still feels a bit incomplete to me. In therms of arrangement, I feel the contrasts could be even bigger by having less instruments playing at the same time. The breakdown at 0:33 for example, could perhaps start with only the trance synth, with the rest gradually coming in.


juhu

You’ve really made this chord progression your own and made it feel like a piece, not just harmony. The B part around 2:00 really makes a nice contrast at just the right time. It seems like you’ve given yourself a tight framework instrumentation-wise and focused on the composition. On that part I could only suggest perhaps even more contrast, for example: to have a different instrument than the strings be the lead for a while.

I read and can hear that you put quite some effort in making the strings sound as human as possible, but I doubt that this VST can sound very realistic in this open context though. Spitfire had some good (free) string libraries that might work well for you.


efemgie

Bold to have that cheeky hook / melody come in at 1:00. It feel simple, too simple? Or maybe just right for this genre, which is more about the energy, danceability, trance like. The chords work well for this genre.

Production: I know it has to feel big and the reverbs are definitely helping, but they’re also cluttering the mix / grooviness a bit. You could try ducking / sidechaining the verbs rhythmically (on the kick or quarter note) to create some space.

That track flows well energy wise. You could increase the impact of the drops by increasing the contrast even more. For example: before the drop around 4:00, the synths are already at max brightness, bigness and loudness. Even just a simple LPF before the drop, could make the impact much bigger (as you have done earlier in the track In hear now).


APi_ZZ

Interesting instrumentation, but it still feels like just a chord progression. Around 1:40 the piece does get a nice lift. A melody what I miss in this piece. I guess you felt a bit the same since you also made a version with vocals. That one feels make complete to me as a composition.


Marc Fey

At around 1:30 I started thinking, where are we going with this piece? So the drums and bass around 2:00 feel like welcome change. But only change in texture / sound. Perhaps the synth melody that starts around 3:00 could already come in with the beat, to keep it moving.

It seems like most of the melodies are played a bit in front of the beat (especially on the 8th notes). You could try nudging the thing back around 20-30ms, and see if it feel more laidback. The melodic synths feel slightly out of tune. It does give it some vibe, but it’s really on the edge for me.

Being a guitarist, I’m slightly allergic to vst guitars, but this Ac guitar sounded fairly convincing to me, a bit like a harpsichord at times, but in a pleasant way

EatMe

Nice bass, it grooves nicely.
Maybe it can build a bit more slowly. It seems like you you’ve given quite a bit away from the start.
With genres like this, I feel that dynamics in energy are very important. It didn’t feel like it ever reached a climax. Introducing some drops is what I would suggest.


EsteveCorbera

The arpeggiated bells sound (in the intro) very nice and mysterious. To me they are the most interesting part of the intro, so perhaps they could be a bit louder.
The piano melody is very much on the beat. Perhaps try to vary the rhythm of it.

Soni2Music

I find the flute melody are a very cool and playful choice, but also a bit out tune with the rest. This is just a guess, but I would think it’s about 20-30 cents too low.

Nice melody sound around 1:00. All the notes land on the beat, it would be nice to have some rhythmic variation.
That nasty bass sound really works well around 1:07 when some other elements disappear. Overall I think that parts and dynamics flow really nice into each other!


Strange

Yeah, a real song! The whole composition and structure feel very solid and I dig the groovy drum part. The other instruments and vocals do seem to be a bit rushed at times. I might feel even more groovy and relaxed if you (partly) nudge them back 20ms or so. Especially the doubled vocals in the chorus would benefit from be tighter imo, considering the lyrics
The room verb and velocity on the snare seem a bit aggressive compared to the rest. A softer, dryer (Steely Dan or Vulfpeck) drum mix might blend well. Good stuff!


Mellow Browne 

Nice groovy interaction between the drums and the arp. In the section following around 0:40, the kick, bass and piano seem a bit too much on top of each other in comparison. I love all the sounds and general viibe, but a do miss a melody or hook in the parts when there’s no arp. And perhaps throw in a breakdown about halfway through.

Slap bass around feels like a cool and welcome change.
Since mix in the beat genre is so important, I’ll share a few of my (way too detailed) thoughts on it:

I feel like the kick has too much transient. Some tape saturation or fast attack compression could help tame those peaks (or maybe just reducing the kick with 1-2dB). Some extra sub could also give it some extra hiphop vibe.
The snare doesn’t need the reverb imo, or at least softer / duller. Redbone - Childish Gambino might be a good reference. Those drums also have a lot less highs I hear now.


Chasey24


Beautiful, epic melody that works really well with these chords.

At 0:33 it does seem like the F in the melody wants to be an E instead. You do play that F later when you go up an octave. That octave up, is really effective when the drums come inI also dig the the sound of the acoustic strum guitar there.

When the cleaner, (surf) guitar comes in, I noticed that many elements are playing the 16th note groove: Hihat, snare, acoustic guitar, marimbas, some bell sounds. There it starts to clutter it up a little bit, partly because it’s not extremely tight. Changing the snare to ghost notes except sfor the 2 and 4, might already give a lot of space.

When the drums comes back in around 2:50 with a fill, the 1 didn’t fully fulfill my expectations, because the melody and ac guitar enter later. It’s of course difficult to change the melody, so my suggestion is to ‘swallow the 1’, so the band doesn’t play the 1, but enters one the 2 with a snare and crash; the melody stays unaltered.

Very good structure and dynamics imo. Well done!


VCA-089 


Cool build of the intro. Solid, explosive and confident production and themes!

0:50 The melody could be a bit more in the foreground for my taste.

1:42 This second theme / progression made me smile; very video gamey, a bit tongue in cheek (at least to me). Being a guitarist, I do noticed that the guitars are virtual, but for this production I think it works well. It makes it feel lighter, less aggressive to me. I’m happy that you “misunderstood the rules” like you said, and changed the progression quite drastically. It really lifts the track up because of it, so I won’t punish you for it score wise.

2:40 this breakdown makes the already cool sound design shine

Nice structure and dynamics throughout, awesome!


ThomC

Wow, cinematic indeed!! This would work perfectly for an adventure film I think.
Very sophisticated use of themes, orchestration and dynamics. It left me wanting more, even after the second time. That’s a good sign, but I do feel like there is more ground to be explored with what you made. I wanna watch the full movie

The only suggestion I can think of is the following: Perhaps it could use more bass elements at times; like pizzicato double bass or something.

Hats off to you!

1. ThomC
2. VCA-089
3. Strange
4. Chasey24
5. juhu

I like having a framework, so getting a chord progression was very nice to start off. Some of the rules however felt quite restrictive to me. I would have like to be more flexible with the harmonic rhythm for example. These restrictions did nudge me to work very fast, because there’s no looking back Looking back, I would have liked to disguise the chord progression a bit more; finding a more melodic way to establish the harmony. But, yeah, I did really like the sound of these chords going through my synth, so… Thanks for the chords!!

Eat me_En Route Sur San Jose:
I don’t know why but this entry reminds of some theme park music („Europa Park“) they are playing at the entrance of fair rides and roller coasters („Euro-Mir“).
I don’t want to be rude but this entry is very sterile and „boring“ and it sounds a bit like a WIP. Nothing really happens apart from the filter at the end. I can hear the original chord progression with absolutely no changes or twists. I know, music theory can be a challenge but I would love to hear your own take of the chord progression. By simply inverting the notes or adding a 7th/9th you can already give it your own unique flavor.
The instrumentation is also very sparse.

Chasey24_The Offer:
Your entry works and the instrumentation sounds good. First, I thought this would be some pop electro style because of the plucky element at the very beginning.
My problem is I can hear the original chord progression too much and the guitars in the background are „boring“ imo. Ok, it acts like a melody. But I’ll be honest, from my point of view this is not really a melody just because I can hear some sustained notes that are in key with the tune. The melody should be catchy and memorable, in your case it is more a like a „gap filler“ imo. This is why I personally rarelly include any melodic phrases in my productions. The mix sounds good, though!

EFEMGIE_ I Offer You A Chord:
It’s cool to hear how you created a trance/electro track out of the chord progression. The sound selection is good and works with the chord progression, although you left it completely original with no twists. But it’s good how you evolved the track up to the point where the chord progression comes in. But from there it gets very repetitive overall. I find the track very long in length and there is a section („the break“) where the drums are muted for almost a minute. All in all, good entry.

juhu_Five In The Chamber:
Very creative what you made out of the chord progression, you really built your own unique version out of it. Bravo!
The instruments sound a bit cheap overall, like some stock sounds and they lack some dynamics/artiuclation imo. Still, the compositon is really good. Would love to hear it with real instruments or more realistic VST.

Marc Fey_Progression:
The instrumentation sounds nice, very cinematic. It adds a somewhat melancholic touch at times, especially with those sad strings in the background.
My problem is there is a huge switch in the mood of your entry. The part where the drums are playing feels like a different entry, this creates a huge break for me. I don’t find it to be coherent with your intro which is very beautiful. This is also the part where I can hear the original chord progression. I don’t want to be rude but personally, I’m not a fan of gap filler melodies. The guitar is playing in key with the tune, but the performance is not really exciting to my ears. It is not sophisticated at all, just long sustained notes with no trills, licks, arppegios etc. Just pure repetitive notes with the same velocity and no dynamics. Maybe my hip hop background is the reason why I don’t like gap filler melodies. I understand your intention but this is more on the boring side to my ears. Still, good entry overall, mainly because of the intro section.

Strange_I Rise:
The only entry with vocals. Very funky groove and vibe overall. The production sounds good, the instrumentation is good and your voice gives it a nice and very friendly mood. You have a very interesting (nasal) tone in your voice and I can hear you had a lot of fun recording them. Unfortunately, I can also hear the original chord progression but with your overall guitar and bass performance (which is really groovy btw) you still managed to create your own flavor. Good job!

ThomC_Another Night At The Movies:
Another very cinematic entry. Great sound selection and very engaging mood overall, although I can hear the original chord progression too much. You still created your own style by keeping everything like a classical orchester. Good job!

VCA-089_Ashes Of Time:
This is just your style, and I really enjoy it. Good production and nice sound selection. Although the original chord progression is recognizable you created the „VCA“ flavor which I can hear from a mile away. Apart from one or two bass notes which sound a bit off to my ears ( in the chorus ) there is nothing bad I can say about your entry. Good job!

alphageeks_250305:
The sound selection is good for the most part ( I don’t think the synth/arp sounds fit the rest, but that’s just a matter of taste ).
Like with most entries, my problem is the recognizable original chord progression wiht no added twists, inversion etc.
Overall, your production is not bad, it just lacks variation. It is very repetitive to my ears. The good thing is you added some ear candy here and there with the strings and piano.

Api_ZZ_Sixteen:
I must say, I can recognize your style at this point. In general, you have a very tribal/organic style of production and you seem to like hand percussion.
Overall, the sound selection is good but I can hear the original chord progression. Ok, you modulated the chords but to my taste this is still very „standard“ and rather boring overall with no changes. I didn’t find the time to hear your other entries, though!

EsteveCorbera_Acords Copiats:
A typicall „EsteveCorbera“ production I would say. You managed to give the chord progression your own flavor and made the entry a bit more mysterious which I find nice. But it’s matter of taste I have to be honest, especially at the end I don’t really understand what your intention was. The melodic/harmonic part becomes a bit chaotic and the song is ending with a strong tension without any release.

Blang_Recipe 3:
Nice lo-fi beat and the added 7th gives it a certain jazz/soul vibe. The production is nice and the sound selection is very good. The delayed arp is great and the laidback feel is characteristic for this style of music. The beat is more on the „boring“ side which is a good thing for this type of music. But for my personal taste it is too boring and very repititve with the same chords. The guitar is cool but this is not really a melody (from what I understand about melodies). This is more ear candy if you ask me. A bridge with other chords for example would have been very cool to make things round. But still, good job!

1st juhu
2nd Strange
3rd VCA-089
4thThomC
5th Blang

I wish I came up with the chord progression a bit earlier to have enough time to practice for some better fills,licks, chops in my drum playing. Those are just standard drum fills which are boring. It was the first time I recorded acoustic drums for my entry and I didn’t practice the groove before. It was very spontanious and I also made only one take because of the short time that was left to finish the production. This had the result that some drum parts weren’t so fluid in context, I even had to edit a few hits.