VSE Disco competition VOTING THREAD

[waveform:blue]

Thanks for the votes guys. Dirty Disco got me off my a*s and recording again. Now I can't wait for the next competition. Only a couple more days.

Feels good, doesn't it! This comp also got me hitting the keys again - albeit one-handed

I had only enough time to submit an incomplete work...yet it was something. I will finish it when I find a chance...then on YouTube it will go

[calaverasgrande]

haha, ditto for what he said^^^^

I swear some weeks I spend more time building, maintaining gear and browsing equipment online than I do actually playing or recording. Sometimes I think I need to lock away all my electronics and just write songs with a kazoo and a broken guitar.

[SeventhStar]

Dirty Disco did it for me! I liked the groove in that one the best. The addition of the guitar was nice too!

The other entries were cool also, but, DD really made me want to get down and boogie with an early 80's hot chick, in her skin tight Jordache jeans!

[stikygum]

I've narrowed it down to two, but I will give it another day to listen again and make a decision.

[Pomika]

My take...
SEOUL DRAIN - AQUA's deeply disturbed cousin. More trance here, yet no Disco at all. Really good use of audio clips.

Weird, I don't even know what trance is?
This is just an unfinished song, also unedited.
Normally I start at about 10-15 minutes of nonsense, then I edit it down to 6 or 7 minutes to straighten out the structure and do some more tracking. Finally I throw in some vocals.
That is why my track sounds kind of hollow. I was leaving space for guitar and another synth line to carry more of a melody.
As far as the samples, I was watching some youtube stuff about moon hoaxes and illuminati (ancient aliens ftw!). It just started playing by accident and it worked. So I went back and recorded it
thanks to http://www.listentoyoutube.com/
then edited out the more obnoxious bits. (for some reason most of the second narrator's voice had a funky DC offset and a trebly spikiness)
This is also a lot different from my usual stuff. I don't normally use 4/4 beats or even beats that are regular enough to dance to. I hate dance music. So I thought this was kind of a challenge
as far as not disco, what about the claps? It's got hand claps on the 2 and 4 and off beat hats?
And I totally copped the Car Wash clap rhythm in a few places.
I guess I really am not disco...
Back to pegging my jeans.

Listentoyoutube is very old service - better is http://www.viedo2mp3.at

[Infinity Curve]

Well, looks like adamstan takes it with DXsco, although it was pretty close. Great work from everybody and great to see so many people get involved.

As in the past, as the winner, adamstan now has the option to pick the next competition criteria and rules.

[adamstan]

Wow, thanks I'm really surprised, although it's nice surprise.

Great work from everybody and great to see so many people get involved.

Agreed - all tunes were really good.

As for next competition - I really like the idea of "Switched-On/Moogsploitation" one Or, as EmptySet said - "8. reinterpret a classical music piece with all synths". The only limitation I would set is that we don't use sampled acoustic instruments or orchestral presets from ROMplers in this. So if one needs strings, it can be anything (analog, FM, additive etc) except actual strings sample What do you think about it?

[synthroom]

Congratulations! Your piece was excellent!

I like your proposal.

[Swayze]

Yeah congrats man! Great job!

I really like the "switched-on" classical cover concept. Count me in.

[waveform:blue]

Wow, thanks I'm really surprised, although it's nice surprise.

Great work from everybody and great to see so many people get involved.

Agreed - all tunes were really good.

As for next competition - I really like the idea of "Switched-On/Moogsploitation" one Or, as EmptySet said - "8. reinterpret a classical music piece with all synths". The only limitation I would set is that we don't use sampled acoustic instruments or orchestral presets from ROMplers in this. So if one needs strings, it can be anything (analog, FM, additive etc) except actual strings sample What do you think about it?

One more suggestion...nothing derived from MIDI demos or .mid files. All subs should be self-made sequences/projects/multitrack sessions.

A lot of workstations shipped with a classical demo or two. It's easy to reassign sounds to make it less recognizable as a demo, then submit new version as an original work. One could download a .mid file and do it that way. Even worse...just import a classical project file into a DAW, substitute a few sounds, and call it a day.

I'm not sure how you could enforce this

[calaverasgrande]

Wow, thanks I'm really surprised, although it's nice surprise.

Great work from everybody and great to see so many people get involved.

Agreed - all tunes were really good.

As for next competition - I really like the idea of "Switched-On/Moogsploitation" one Or, as EmptySet said - "8. reinterpret a classical music piece with all synths". The only limitation I would set is that we don't use sampled acoustic instruments or orchestral presets from ROMplers in this. So if one needs strings, it can be anything (analog, FM, additive etc) except actual strings sample What do you think about it?

One more suggestion...nothing derived from MIDI demos or .mid files. All subs should be self-made sequences/projects/multitrack sessions.

A lot of workstations shipped with a classical demo or two. It's easy to reassign sounds to make it less recognizable as a demo, then submit new version as an original work. One could download a .mid file and do it that way. Even worse...just import a classical project file into a DAW, substitute a few sounds, and call it a day.

I'm not sure how you could enforce this

Heck I was just going to autotune "Sacre du Printemps" run it through a Moog filter and then make it all dupstep.

You guys are making this hard.

[_dan]

I like the idea of using midi files. Sites like kunstderfuge and classical midi archive are available for this purpose. If I have to learn a new classical piece well enough to record I'd have no time to pay attention to the synth sounds. And I can play a little. There are plenty of people who do not play at any traditionally capacity, it would be unrealistic to expect much participation there. I'll play either way though.

[waveform:blue]

Guess it doesn't matter at this point...Ponytail was my VSE Disco entry. It runs for 2:56 at 132 bpm. I didn't have time to finish it. The song was submitted one minute before the original deadline.

GEAR USED: Ensoniq SQ-80 crosswave synth.

HOW THE GEAR WAS USED: Everything was sequenced on the SQ-80. Audio was played back through a cheapo Behringer USB converter to my laptop where Audacity recorded it. No external effects or multitracking was used.

PRODUCTION: The bouncy bass is standard fare while the low bell lead is meh. I thought that using a shō would lend a cool Japanese vibe; it instead sounds weak.

The pathetic SQ-80 drumkit is layered with itself; one of the layers is synched to a metallic waveform. The upper end is key-split with a white-noise hi-hat. I added the opening resonant filter afterward by merging the rhythm track with one where I slowly moved the mod wheel. You can't hear the mod wheel's effect in real time, but only after merging the tracks. So it took a few tries to get it right.

I built a couple of patches using the "AM bug" - a type of glitch found on the SQ-80. One was a muted "laughing bassline" throughout most of the song. The other was "heavy breathing" near the beginning and during the break. LFO's were not used on either patch; all modulation is in the "bug". I went this route because the LFO rate audibly slows down in a busy mix, making it hard to synchronize to the beat. The playback rate of the AM bug is not affected in this way.

INFLUENCE: Trail running.

BIGGEST CHALLENGES: Finishing on time, creativity, eight-voice polyphony, two broken fingers in a splint.

BIGGEST REWARD: Getting off my a*s to make a song.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: Submitting a subpar, unfinished work.

[waveform:blue]

I like the idea of using midi files. Sites like kunstderfuge and classical midi archive are available for this purpose. If I have to learn a new classical piece well enough to record I'd have no time to pay attention to the synth sounds. And I can play a little. There are plenty of people who do not play at any traditionally capacity, it would be unrealistic to expect much participation there. I'll play either way though.

Hmmm...then the contest becomes more geared toward sound design.

FWIW...I don't have the chops to play classical works.

[Infinity Curve]

I think a lot of people here sequence their music, in one form or another, whether it's straight up piano roll entering notes, step sequencer, or manually playing it in and then fixing it up, so whether it's a pre-made midi arrangement or they put in the time to manually sequence it all, it comes down to the sound design.

I'd actually like to see a comp that doesn't necessarily involve making an actual song. Sort of more of a sound design contest. Like say you can only use one chord and then you have to make your best original pad sound or something and submit that. Let the sound speak for itself rather than a song.

Just a thought. I'm not likely to get in on the next one due to weather and not wanting to spend the summer in doors.