Voting for Composition Challenge 21

What's Hot
This is the combined Voting and Discussion thread.

Thanks to all that entered the competition.

Please use this thread to cast your votes for your favourite entries to Fretboard Challenge #21


VOTING AND DATES

Voting System - voters can pick their top 3 favourite entries.

First choice gets 5 points - Second choice gets 3 points - Third choice gets 1 point

The entry with the most points wins.

Simply post in this thread your top three choices for winner in order, 1st choice first etc etc. 

(Note for Entrants of the competition: Self Voting is NOT Allowed)


Voting ends 11.30pm 14th March 2018, and the top three will be announced shortly after.



REMINDER OF GUIDELINES

The theme for this music composition challenge was as follows:

***A New Year: Time to set new trends or update music from the past by putting a new spin on an old style***


COMPOSITION ENTRIES

Below is a playlist of the entries:

https://soundcloud.com/thefretboard/sets/comp-challenge-21


It's not a competition.
0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
«1

Comments

  • steamabacussteamabacus Frets: 1258
    10 entries - is that a record?

    Good to see so many getting involved. Now I've got to find time to listen to them properly.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • stratman3142stratman3142 Frets: 2177
    It was suggested that I tag entrants to help them remember to vote. So here's a list below:

    @DeeplyDazzled ;
    @frank1985 ;
    @Bezzer ;
    @stratman3142 ;
    @fnpt ;
    @flying_pie ;
    @mistercharlie ;
    @steamabacus ;
    @spark240 ;
    @Fretwired ;

    It's not a competition.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • stratman3142stratman3142 Frets: 2177
    edited March 2018
    10 entries - is that a record?

    Good to see so many getting involved. Now I've got to find time to listen to them properly.

    Yes great to see so many involved. I'm too new to the forum to know whether it's a record.

    It's not a competition.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • flying_pieflying_pie Frets: 1806
    Is it okay to post an explanation of our interpretation of the theme here? In the event someone might listen to it and immediately think WTF? :-)
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • steamabacussteamabacus Frets: 1258
    Is it okay to post an explanation of our interpretation of the theme here? In the event someone might listen to it and immediately think WTF? :-)
    Please do. :)
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • BezzerBezzer Frets: 581
    edited March 2018
    I was starting to feel like the only metaller at the ambient party ... then @flying_pie comes to my rescue

    Seriously good stuff this month and I'm only half way through!  Going to listen to the rest then again properly at home on decent speakers before picking my faves though.
    1reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • stratman3142stratman3142 Frets: 2177
    Is it okay to post an explanation of our interpretation of the theme here? In the event someone might listen to it and immediately think WTF? :-)
    Please do.

    Yes please feel free post comment on how you interpreted the theme, how you recorded the track, how your picture relates to the theme etc.  It all makes things more interesting.

    btw. clicking on the icon to the left of each track should bring up a bigger view of the picture. Everyone provided a picture so everyone will get one point added for that.

    It's not a competition.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • steamabacussteamabacus Frets: 1258



    btw. clicking on the icon to the left of each track should bring up a bigger view of the picture. Everyone provided a picture so everyone will get one point added for that.

    Is that a mobile thing? I get sent to SoundCloud if i click on the image. You can expand the image if you click on it within SoundCloud.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • stratman3142stratman3142 Frets: 2177



    btw. clicking on the icon to the left of each track should bring up a bigger view of the picture. Everyone provided a picture so everyone will get one point added for that.

    Is that a mobile thing? I get sent to SoundCloud if i click on the image. You can expand the image if you click on it within SoundCloud.
    Clicking on the picture gives a slight increase in size. But yes you then have to click on that to see the bigger image in Soundcloud.

    It's not a competition.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • flying_pieflying_pie Frets: 1806
    My pleasure @steamabacus ;

    My idea was to take an old song and radically cover it in a more modern style. I chose "Oh What A Beautiful Mornin" from the musical Oklahoma which was first performed in 1943. I think that qualifies as old. 

    As it's one of the happiest songs ever written I decide to turn it into a German industrial metal number to make it sinister. The concept became :
     
    What if Rogers & Hammerstein were actually the Neue Deutsche Härte band HammRstein. The album cover artwork should be self explanatory. 

    3/4 and major key was changed into 4/4 and minor. There's a bit of the original chorus melody transposed into minor as a lead part but the rest is newly written riffs rather than a simple major to minor transposition.

    Oh, and I growled it in German and rewrote some of the lyrics for the amusement of any German speakers who are familiar with the original source material! (note to others - don't sing in German. It's really hard to do and virtually impossible to layer vocals due to the harsh vowel sounds) 

    There you go. So now the W in WTF can be Why instead of What!
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • spark240spark240 Frets: 2073
    10 entries - is that a record?

    Good to see so many getting involved. Now I've got to find time to listen to them properly.
    I think it’s good as it shows how many folks have come on with recording their own material, I reckon maybe the jam days have given a few some more confidence as well.

    certainly shows off some improved recording skills anyhow !


    Mac Mini M1
    Presonus Studio One V5
     https://www.studiowear.co.uk/ -
     https://twitter.com/spark240
     Facebook - m.me/studiowear.co.uk
    Reddit r/newmusicreview 
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • flying_pieflying_pie Frets: 1806
    Well that was bloody hard to pick just three. I really enjoyed them all. It seems awful not to award points to them all.

    5 points @Bezzer - I've got to go with a fellow metal cover and that scream at 2.35 was top notch commitment to one's art 

    3 points @frank1985 - Awesome dreamscape

    1 point @spark240 - I couldn't stop smiling while listening to it. This could go down very well especially given the weather outside (I'm now wondering if you're actually Ming The Merciless playing with the Earth's weather to rig the result) 
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • frank1985frank1985 Frets: 523
    edited March 2018
    These are all great, it was hard for me to choose...

    5 Points - @stratman3142 ;;;;

    Really nice uplifting track - reminds me of something from Satriani’s ‘The Extremist’ during some parts. Have listened 3 times already.

    3 Points - @Spark240

    Another cheerful track, simple but effective. 

    1 Point - @Flying_pie

    Loving the industrial influence in this one...KMFDM fan?


    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • FretwiredFretwired Frets: 24601
    Great work guys ...

    @Bezzer .. 5 points

    @stratman3142 .. 3 points

    @Flying_pie .. 1 point

    Remember, it's easier to criticise than create!
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • BezzerBezzer Frets: 581
    5 points : @flying_pie - was always going to top this one for me, Rammstein habve been one of my favourite bands for years and this absolutely nailed their sound.  And I have to give bonus points for singing in German, very impressive work.

    After this is became more difficult, amazing work by everyone and the production levels were fantastic throughout.  Ended up as I usually do by focusing on sounds that really grabbed me.

    3 points : @stratman3142 - interesting crossover, like the steel drums.  Again really nice fuzz synth and smooth lead tone.  Breakdown at 2:05 is great.

    1 point : @Fretwired - Now I was not expecting this from you, and I don't know why but I wasn't.  Loved it though, there's something about the sounds used that just feels right to me ... even the more mechanical sounds at the fade out which aren't normally my thing at all.  Felt like an outtake from NIN Ghost sessions ... liked it a lot.


    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • FretwiredFretwired Frets: 24601
    Bezzer said:


    1 point : @Fretwired - Now I was not expecting this from you, and I don't know why but I wasn't.  Loved it though, there's something about the sounds used that just feels right to me ... even the more mechanical sounds at the fade out which aren't normally my thing at all.  Felt like an outtake from NIN Ghost sessions ... liked it a lot.


    Thanks Bezzer .. it's all basically guitar bar the piano and a synth part (an NI Massive patch) I played on a keyboard during the riff section. There's an ebow in there somewhere and a swelled guitar and the drums were a loop with an added tom kit to beef things up ... the transition back to the piano is the tom with a massive amount of reverb ... I ran out of time mastering it though.

    Remember, it's easier to criticise than create!
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • 5 Points - Spark420  - i picked up my guitar and played along
      3 points - FNPT        - sounds great and lovely ooohs
      1 point - Stratman     - production arrangement playing

    I enjoyed them all.
    Roll on the next challenge



    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • stratman3142stratman3142 Frets: 2177

    ...Roll on the next challenge


    That will start right after the voting is finished and the winners are declared for this one, which will be shortly after the 14th March - assuming I can get a decent internet connection after I move house next week.

    It's not a competition.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • flying_pieflying_pie Frets: 1806
    frank1985 said:

    @Flying_pie ;Loving the industrial influence in this one...KMFDM fan? 
    Cheers @frank1985 ;It was my attempt at Rammstein - hence the growling German baritone vocals. KMFDM though... there's a blast from the past. That's brought back fond memories of early industrial stuff along with Front 242 and Nitzer Eb. 
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • stratman3142stratman3142 Frets: 2177
    It was interesting to read the description by @flying_pie. It would be good to hear how others approached things.

    Here's how I created my track. 

    I came up with a picking riff idea on my Telecaster and recorded that first with a basic drum pattern. That's the picking guitar pattern that comes in at about 16s and is present for a lot of the song.

    I had an idea that I would base things around a reggae feel mixed with something else. I added a steel drum part using Kontack 5 that tracked the guitar picking pattern, to emphasis the reggae feel. I also added another part tracking the guitar using the Image Line (IL) Harmless synth, which was a steel drum type sound but with more space to it. I eventually panned those parts around to create a stereo image.

    I started playing round with programming drum parts and came up with a military marching type pattern, which led to the idea for a track that combine reggae with a marching pattern, hence the title 'Reggae March'.

    At first I decided to use synth bass to add an electo feel to bring in another style. I played around with NI Massive and came up with a Gary Numan type sound. At one point I considered a reggae track in Gary Numan style. I also wanted a percussive synth alongside the synth bass and came up with a part using NI Rounds. If you isolate that part it sounds like "Do The Macarena", which nearly took things in another direction :)

    The drums were all done using Addictive Drums 2 (AD2) using the Fairfax Vol. 1 Adpak, with each kitpiece brought out to a separate track in Reaper, so I could vary the amount of Bus reverb I use (I didn't use the AD2 reverbs). I often use midi loops and edit them a bit for the drums but, for this track, every drum hit was entered manually in the Reaper midi grid. 

    At some point I also added a timbale in AD2, a chucka chucka rhythm guitar and real bass guitar to emphasise the reggae feel. The bass is a Squier Vintage Modified V Bass and the VST is IK Amplitube Ampeg SVX 2 collection, plus high pass filering using ReaEQ to keep the bottom end under control (especially as there was some bassy synth from NI Massive).

    For the 'Change' I added a distorted guitar under the synth to beef it up using the bridge humbucker on my Strat. I decided to go for a country sound for the 'Break' to bring in another style.

    One of the last things I added was the melody guitar, which was the neck pickup on my PRS S2, except I've replaced the pickup. So that was a Seymour Duncan Jazz pickup.

    All the clean guitar parts used the IK Amplitude 4 Fender 2 Collection VST. All the distorted guitar parts used the S-Gear 2 VST.

    So now I had a bunch of sections that I assigned to 'Regions' in Reaper, and kept shuffling things around until I came up with a sequence/arrangement I liked. Then I brought parts in and out to create a bit of variation. There's a screenshot of the Reaper project at the end of this post that shows how I use colour coded Regions - and also gives away how much of it is a 'copy and paste job' with lots of short sections plus drop-ins :)

    The final thing I added was a string part (using NI Symphony Series String Ensemble) to build towards the end.

    Pretty much every instrument was set to dry and I used ValhallaRoom as a common Bus reverb. To my ear, using a single reverb, rather that a bunch of different reverbs, helps to glue things together. Voxengo Elephant was used for Master limiting.

    I used amazing free software callen Blender (link below) for the picture, which probably took almost as long as the track to create. I've been learning it for well over a year and still haven't scratched the surface. It's mind boggling.


    Reaper screenshot


    It's not a competition.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
Sign In or Register to comment.