SMA Feedback Contest Round 7 - A DSound Community Initiative
SMA Feedback Contest Round 7 - A DSound Community Initiative
15 Days To Enter And Earn Points!
The main focus of this Feedback Contest, is for Musicians and Producers that are participating in the SMA Challenges and the Beat Battle League for Season 2. I find that having a fresh set of ears listening to your track always comes in handy! And you never know, that bit of feedback you receive, just might put you in the winners slot.
Consider this an open invitation to all, submit your tracks, and give some positive and constructive feedback to your fellow Producers and Musicians taking part in the challenges. :-)
And now the SMA is partnered with DSound, the decentralized sound platform harnessing the power of the STEEM blockchain.
DSound's support of the Steemit Music League & SMA will allow for greater recognition and rewards the Steemit Musicians who take part in the SMA's contests and challenges. So a big shout out to @prc , @dsound!
I will be awarding SBD Prizes this round.
And if you want to win the top spot this is how ya do it:
This is what we need, detailed song analysis! So take note of @novili's feedback. Round 6 was really great, and thanks to all who took part! So let's keep that momentum going with Round 7 with some awesome feedback, that is detailed as you can get.
Good Luck!
The Rules of the Road:
Your track can be of any genre.
Producers/Musicians: If you submit a track for feedback, in order to qualify, you need to give feedback to others on at least 1 track.
Feedbackers: Provide constructive and positive feedback. BS comments will get a big red flag.
There will be three tiers of prizes for the best feedback provided, judged by yours truly.
Both the Producer and the person giving the feedback will get a 50/50 split of the prizes. And the Producer/Musician will earn points for the Challenges.
First Prize: 10 SBD For 40 Points/2
Second Prize: 6 SBD For 30 Points/2
Third Prize: 4 SBD For 20 Points/2
So let's get it going on! Submit your tracks, and earn some Challenge Points...
And don't forget... show some love to your fellow Musicians and Producers with an Upvote!
The SMA Feedback Contest: Round 7 is now live, and the current dates for submissions are:
April 19th until May 3rd - 12 midnight est. Winners announced on May 4th 2018.
Lots of contests going on right now, including the Beat Battle,
and the SML Challenge!
Our Faithful Supporters
The @killerwhale Karaoke Contest is sponsored by #thealliance and judged by @topkpop @enginewitty @sol25 and @inthenow, and there are 20 SBD up for grabs in Prizes! This is an Awesome Contest, that is a lot fun for everyone. So, drop your video and/or link to your post with the video of you in the comments section of the contest post.
My entry, a gothic horror style track on my new Musicoin page:
https://musicoin.org/nav/track/0x14a48d5b4c5705fccafad3b0d152b5c3e4af28fd
Thanks for your entry @fireawaymarmot much appreciated my friend. Have a great night.
Freakin amazing soundscape you have created here, it's thick, satisfying and dirty as hell.
Stoner rock settings blow the clinical high gain distortion settings out of the water any day in my book, distorted bass can be so satisfying, and the guitars complement it very well.
The tune is memorable and works especially well on second and third listen-through. Though I dig tracks that can barely keep themself together, the first listen-through was too harsh for me (meaning the drums drew too much of my attention because of their almost forceful intention to stay off beat). Is this a live recording, and how much of the 'offness of the drums' was due to feeling and the experimental approach?
That said, the latter playthroughs had me settled in so much that the tune's bold nature grew on me a lot, even the drums seem more appropriate now. Weird how music can do that to me, once I settle in there's so much more leeway for stretching the boundaries of what is acceptable and still carries the tune forward.
The mix sounds raw, dirty and totally convincing. Raw as in purposefully gritty, not as in 'not done'. Makes me wanna do a stoner rock session one of these days. Not sure I can see the horror in it, sounds like desert rock to me, but as I said I am a hopeless fan when it comes to playing guitars through bass amps and all that kind of stuff.
Good work dude!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. This was a home recording, not live, and I hate to maybe ruin the experience by telling you this, but I built the drum track digitally, with the bass and guitar played by me on real instruments. I don't use pre made loops for beats, though, instead constructing the drum track from "scratch" so to speak.
So the offbeat sound is definitely planned that way, and was somewhat inspired by the drums for Bahaus's "Bela Lugosis's Dead" - hence the horror theme.
Some of the rawness comes from me using a cheap guitar and bass on an old laptop and software from ten years ago. That and my playing style; imagination... If I upgrade I hope to still maintain that feel.
No dude, then it's totally and utterly perfect. GREAT RESULT, especially when programmed. I still gotta find that spot where it almost doesn't work but still does, as you have done here.
As I wrote, on the second listen-through I wouldn't have it any other way :)
Don't change anything for the bass and guitar sounds if you ask me, you made QOTSA sound happen with humble means which is an utter achievement.
This tune has some fun enjoyable meet on it. It has that classic garage fuck you feel! Like I am the coolest and the most sloppy dude in town. All attitude, all the time! Smoke and cigs and drinkin soda music! I dig it.
I think what this track needs is to be recorded to a cassette tape and played a few hundred times. Then bring it back into the computer and double it with the original. I bet this tune would sound killer, if it was able to follow that path. I could only guess.
This tune feels loose and like it is a demo to me. sometmes i like the demo more than the final song. a lot of times actually.
aLow-fi sounds and music is always the best. We have lot a lot of the low-fi sound in this world, due to tech advancement. It is almost like punk is dead. Never!!!!!
It's a really fun tune and i think more dirt please!
No junk, no soul. I'm glad you liked my tune, and really enjoyed your take on it, very descriptive. Gonna have to try that cassette tape technique sometime. The first album I bought with my own money was a cassette - Black Sabbath Volume 4. And I played it on a mini cassette player in my bedroom, cause I didn't even have a proper radio, much less a stereo.
Very catchy melody my friend.
I only noticed a few real problems, mainly with mixing!
I am not sure the DAW you used to create this track, though it is clearly mixing away, maybe too much. Around 25 seconds in, the snare is causing the rest of the audio- the high hats, the guitar to all duck. Same issue around 50 seconds in.
You may be mixing the audio too high, in that you need to turn every instrument down to fix the problem. I like to leave open space in the DAW so that the master track is not always peaking in volume. Once you've done this, and mixed the instruments well, you can use a plugin to boost the volume or add preamp if it is too quiet.
I am especially enjoying the high hats in this tune, and that off kilter snare. The bass and guitar that come in around 1:05 sound awesome and really give it some needed stereo sound.
It might be a little bit left ear heavy though.
I like it more and more the more I listen to it. Good work buddy!
Thanks for your feedback; any advice I can get on mixing is always helpful. Sorry to see you getting down voted by the Sanders crew. Whatever their beef is with you, it doesn't seem to have anything to do with your comment here. Anyways I appreciate your input.
Here is a tune that i have not yet finished with a pal of mine! i would love your feedback!
https://soundcloud.com/lefthouse-recordings/stomper-rofrantics-my-world/s-s14SZ
Hello once again my friend! Thanks for your entry, much appreciated. Have a great day. :-D
my goodness! you are a hero! no one has ever written that many words about one of my tunes ever. and a lot of helpful info! i truly enjoyed reading this, and I can not thank you enough for the time you took for all of this! so rad. so cool. so thankful my friend!!
I am really happy there was something useful in it for you.
Still got your earworm with me ;)
Guess it comes down to: how much do you want it? If you do want it, you will be world class because you sound like nobody else and still hook the listener. Much love Brian!
I enjoyed the lively and minimalistic style of this track. My only recommendation is that you overdub a recording of someone speaking in a rare obscure language, completely off time to the beat.
i like it!
@d-vine's entry, comment this as usual. Thx :-)
https://steemit.com/dsound/@d-vine/20180430t135332986z-too-late-by-d-vine-steemit-music-league-challenge-s2r9-dsound-community-initiative
i am listing to TOO LATE
and oh my good it is dope. that bassline is one of the funnest on the earth! and the flute! and the textures! So much perfection in this track. The mix is wonderful. the dream is absolutely real with Too Late! This is hard for me to find anything to say that might help improve. I was gonna say maybe cut back on the Too Late sample, but then you do, and I get to really live with in the music. And i can stay there for years. you are the tech queen with grand skills, and you have the creativity ever and always flowing through your fresh perception of sound and music. You a true and full blast pro at this game! love the tune!
I am trying to find words, maaan, THANK YOU!
You don't even know what this means to me.
Being still fairly new to the production/ mastering business, I am still very cautious & hesitant, it seems never good enough!
To get such amazing feedback & support on my work, wooooow, that is just so out of this world insanely rad!
It inspires me even more to keep going & keep trying to make a living of my skills, it's my biggest wish, I just need this to happen, my last chance really ;), I don't function well in the outside world!
So thank you, thank you, thaaank yooouuuu for all the inspiration, support & love Brian <3
actually, i believe you are functioning beyond perfect in this world. every hard corner has built you to now. and now you are a pro at this. matter of fact you are pro at life. we all are. humans have been around for hundreds of thousands of years. it is in our DNA. we are the most pro humans ever! and please know it in your heart as i know you do, things are happening! I can't believe you say you have not been at this long. it does not sound like it. And as well, relax! there is no such thing as a last chance. we got the moment and we design them perfectly as they come. it is all about how we feel and no hard work will ever out match feeling good! you are a pro. this is your life, i can not see it or believe it any other way. i am in your cornor. let's get your ass to the big dance. thousands of ears and hearts are waiting for you!
Love how captured Africa in Drum and bass - it seems like a match made in heaven. Upbeat and energizing.
The soundscape is superb, a very clean mix especially for delays and reverbs. I normally have a thin skin when it comes to high pitched voice samples but this one worked well for me, maybe partly due to your smart use of the sample and its countless variations.
Once the track really gets going around 1:32 it really gets me in a dancy modd, as you manage all so often. The flute is a nice contrast to the forwardness of the track and centers us back in Africa. The attention to detail and variation really stands out to me, great job <3
Just when I was about to wish for some mixup you deliver, around the 3 minute mark, great way to introduce a breakdown with the lovely arpeggio. It really suits your music well, maybe capitalize on them more - it's a superb ladder of sound and color.
Guess this track really should go into your next dnb set, maybe not as opener but definitely in the first half of the set.
The only smartass thing I could say here is that the ending came to abrupt for me - make that sample loop endlessly through a filter or maybe take us out a little smoother, but then what do I know of drum n bass?! <3
Great entry hun, good luck for the win!
Thank you, thank you, thaaank you tooo for your super kind words!
Hach Mensch, es bedeutet mir echt so irre viel, die Welt um es genau zunehmen!
Für mich steckt so unglaublich viel dahinter, es macht mir manchmal Angst, deine/ eure Worte nehmen mir diese und ich bin dir unendlich dankbar dafür.
Thank you for your advice on the ending, I know, I need to focus on that too, it's a time thing I think at the moment & I am like ok it's finished, out, out , out!
You are the second one to bring up my abrupt endings though, hehehe <3 Advice fully taken <3
Would love some feedback on my latest track for sml, I normally don't go for this style, so any impressions you can provide me with will greatly help me in further expanding my skills. What is the track missing? anything that bugs you?
thanks all <3
https://steemit.com/dsound/@paradigmprospect/20180421t161417443z-paradigm-prospector-latinum--sml-challenge-s2r8-latin-music
Thanks for your entry once again my friend, much appreciated! :-D
I really enjoyed the whole mariachi desert vibe to this track. The melody work was somewhat basic, but maybe that's the idea. Liked the horns, as well as the congos and percussion. The piano work was good, but after about 1:30 I wanted to hear more variation of melody - not necessarily any busier, just more variation. At 1:54 when you start to fade out the piano it felt somehow forced. Maybe some sort of a catalyst for the piano fade would work, after developing the melody for a bit longer.
The slow evocative feel of the piece gives it a lot of appeal - loved the howling coyote. The mix works fine, but there's this nagging thought in my head that its just barely too close and clear for the feeling you might be going for. When I think of the desert I think of vastness and distance; I wonder of your mix could reflect this more effectively. Like the piano fade, but more subtle. But this last point is really speculation on my part. I hesitated to put it in, but figured it's worth mentioning for a sense of perspective.
So this was awesome. Thanks so much for your feedback, I can definitely use it a lot!
Guess I put too much focus on not overcomplicating this piece that it turned somewhat stale. The mix feedback was excellent, I tried to imbue some sense of depth with a bit of noise but I feel ya, it does sound too close to paint a wide desert scene.
Thanks again, I will take these hints into account next time I go for something similar in style or feel <3
I like the direction of this tune and where you are going with it! It does feel like i is in very early stages. And knowing your production skills, i am sure as heaven this tune will be fire.
I love love the background animals. always!
The drums, the rhythm, the melody, all instruments support the theme strongly.
So how can we improve on this rad little number who wants to be a boss!?
When I think of this genre think dirty, I think old, I think organic! And I really want that horn to feel more organic. It feels to dry and straight for me. perhaps some reverb would be nice. and or if you have some on it, a little more . Same goes for the keyboard. I want it to feel more organic too. if you are working in Abelton, try putting a "groove" of the instruments to loosen them up a bit. i think experimenting with the grooves on all sounds, might help.
And making this tune feel more organic is my one and most important note!
I love the panning you have going and all the sounds are fitting very well.
I have now listened to it about 6 times and it continues to grow on me. it is really grand.
RIGHT! The dirt is missing! Now that you mention it it could really use some dirty old cloth type of character to it. A good oint, will definitely go for more organic sound atmosphere should I go and make another track with a similar character or setting. Helped massively dude, I will go and check out how to achieve that tomorrow, thank god I save all my project files^^
I am scared using too much reverb but the right one with the right amount could probably change the whole track's impact huh? I work in Bitwig but they have a similar option called "shuffle" and I ought to use it more as it is, good point.
cheers for your feedback and all your attention to detail, I can really use it, especially in styles where I normally don't go.
Need to expand my horizons ;) and some more. and some more
<3
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@wolfnworbeikood's entry, comment this as usual. Thx :-)
https://steemit.com/dsound/@wolfnworbeikood/20180430t171530852z-second-womb--message-from-the-heavens--live-from-the-cave-volume-011
So this track is freakin floor worthy! It morphes, it moves, it transforms. Your flow is incredible, so are the lyrics, but to be fair I don't know too much of this genre apart from a few heroes of mine that are on the same technical level, just more known - lol.
The beat and track is amazing as well, a bold mix and definitely a "fat board", as we say in German! Way to go with the filtering of the voice towards the end - it was almost toomuch, but not quite. Great calibration guys!
As for the mix, the bass is dirty and gritty. Some might interpret is as too overdistorted but I have a feeling you went straight for that sound character instead of forgetting to sidechain or something. I say: great track and fat mix with a very fresh wind in it. It's about time we all pushed the envelope of what goes as established today. Major props to you two for this track, maybe I ought to listen to more in this genre, but then - I got you on my list now, so why would I go for anything more known. You definitely bring it - all the best of success to you and Father Earth dude <3
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TrufflePig@josevallera's entry, comment as usual, thx!
https://steemit.com/dsound/@josevallera/20180424t055407878z-ill-see-you-in-my-dreams-electric-mandolin
@krazypoet's entry, comment as usual on this!
https://steemit.com/dsound/@krazypoet/20180502t005056422z-a-positive-summer--beat-battle-league-s2r9
Love your grasp on the glitter glitters, your skill in sound designing shines through once more. Way to create a mystic atmosphere in contrast with seemingly familiar sonar patterns of tonality and color (as through the piano for example). I fel dnb is especially good for this type of thing, and you brought it ogether nicely.
Mix on headphones is freakin' clear!!! For my taste the kick could KICK a little more but I have a feeling it was done on purpose to fit the vibe of the track. Not sure where I just went with it, but damn was it interesting. Loved the little electro shocks here and there, I will definitely steal that hack from ya <3 <3
OVerall what can I say, great track that would be good as a warm upper. I totally dug how you brought us out of the track with the drop in BPMs, another great hack I never use <3 I'd say you are the master of contrast in this league, and you still pull it off to make it one coherent journey. I am not sure whether this track reminds me of summer nor whether it makes me feel 'positive' before other things - but the tracks I've heard from you always have a mysterious vibe to them and you compensated well with the piano to not make it a dark journey but a bright one. damn would it blow people's minds on the right floor and time of day.
Great job dude!
https://soundcloud.com/stuart_griffin/margarita
Here is a song I made about a year ago. I have remixed it several times trying to improve it. Would love some feedback!
Right away, I am happy. I like this world! It is speaking to me. The upness and the weirdness are coming together in a lovely form of chaos! I am a big fan of the panning you have done wit your tune. I feel all the sounds and feel that have a good speration and they all seem to be in their place. perhaps a bit more eqing would help spread and make the sounds fit tighter. I myself always seem to have a lot of low end in my tunes. I mean, low end it the best! My little brother, seems to hae to much Hi-end in his tunes. At least that is how I feel from time to time.
I have now listened a few times, and i am feeling like you could get more out of your kick, and of it can sit better in the mix perhaps. I think the hi-end sounds actually sound right on for me. Maybe that bass needs a little more beef? I am just being picky. And I am, as I am trying to find what it is, that can make this tune dance a bit more.
I like it very much and each listen, it gets stronger.
i am a fan! i hope my rambling notes mean something to you. And or, if not, I can get behind that too! great work!!
I appreciate your comments my dude! I don't want to make the track too low end heavy, but I might beef up the kick and bass a bit.
Thank ya!
yeah fair enough! like i said and as well @d-vine recently said it about my sound and mixes, i am always low and dont give a lot to the highs. always take what works from what i say and burn the rest! we got to go with our ears!
Very nice, positive vibes track. Perfect for a relaxing drive at night. My one criticism is that the opening keyboards seemed to have a high pitch tone that felt just on the edge of feedback, at least in my earphones. Other than that it's a beautiful track. I especially like the video game effect turned into an overlapping melody.
it's called bitcrushing, it is re-processing a sound to a certain frequency. So most stuff is 44.1kHz, but the intro re-processed to around 10kHz. It is what creates the hissing sound. I may need to tweak around with it a bit more.
Ill be sure to keep your tips in mind, I've spent plenty of time trying to perfect the intro. Thanks!