Super Happy Fun Bass Comp VOTING THREAD (without pictures unfortunately. Sorry, kids)

[HaVIC5]

LeftShoe (Picture 3)

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=543245

BenJammin - This is What We Left Behind (Picture 2)

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=418754

obs - Summertime (Picture 2)

http://media.putfile.com/summertime---rough-draft

HaVIC5 - Chinese Winter (Picture 2)

http://www.myspace.com/adamneely

theJoZ - The Righteous Path (Picture 1)

http://www.soundclick.com/thejoz

Efrim - Salvation (Picture 1)

http://www.myspace.com/rememberinterstellar

OK, so if you didn't already read the rules from the other thread, here's how voting in my super happy fun bass competions will work. You might notice that there isn't a poll for this thread. That's because in order to vote, you must make a post with a critique of EVERY entry, giving constructive criticism and/or kudos in a couple sentences or more. Remember this competition is more based upon creativity and composition rather than technique or feats of bass-specific flashiness. Try and rank them too, although that's not necessary, so long as you vote for at least one entry. By the end, we'll not only have a winner, but everybody will have a good understanding of what they did right and wrong with their entry.

That's all well and good, BUT WAIT THERES MORE. In order to encourage people to vote, I'm making it a rule now, like there was in the MX composition challenges of yesteryear, that if you entered, you MUST vote (and not for yourself). And the penalties for not doing so are going to be more severe than in the MX composition challenges; instead of not being able to compete in the next one, you're entry will simply be disqualified. In otherwords, if you don't vote, you can't win. So vote if you know what's good fer ya'.

All right get voting.

[o b s]

LeftShoe - I liked the start a lot, I didn't really like it from when the bass came in though, it was fun to listen to when I was drunk but sober it was

BenJammin - Pretty well made and quite nice, I didn't think it captured the mood of the picture as well as havics entry though and wasn't as captivating to listen to, it could do with a little more 'hook' to keep my ears focused.

obs - Best entry by far. Just kidding, I only really submitted this because I said I'd enter but never got round to making anything proper and I don't like breaking my word. I look forward to the next competition so I can submit a serious entry.

HaVIC5 - REALLY captured the feel and enjoyable to listen to, I especially like the parts around 1:40 and 3:00 where the mood lifted a bit, I didn't like the cymbal sound at the end but I did like the ending, I think a deeper more resonant gong sound would suit it better.

theJoZ - Great mood at the start, a different angle on the picture than I would have taken but I loved it. When the guitar and bass came in I was a bit disappointed though, generic sounding detuned heavy guitars and it didn't really feel tight. In the last 1/3 of the song it got more interesting but again it just didn't feel tight enough, with some polish It could be improved a LOT.

Efrim - Weird, but I liked it. The strange ambiance really captures a mood of tranquility that makes me imagine I'm in the picture. It stuck on the same thing for a long time though and I didn't like how it ended. I feel like it should have been developed more, with perhaps a more focused section after around 2 minutes. Still, I enjoyed listening to it and it did give the right feel for the picture.



I'm going to pick havic. His piece not only sets a mood but tells a story and kept me interrested the whole way through.

[Efrim]

Havic-Honestly, the rhythm was very neat, I found myself tapping to my foot to it. The parts that made me lose interest were the intro and the melody you used for the rest of the song. The only word I can find to describe those parts is “cheesy.” Not even the tones or anything, but (in my limited musical vocabulary) I just found that I was almost able to predict what came next. It sounded like you got hung up on getting “Chinese,” rather than interpreting the picture. Perfect example: the gong at the end of the song.

Efrim-Urghey

Joz-The bass tone was pretty cool, but I think it was mixed too high. It sounds like you threw it together. Ultimately, it sounds to me like you just started playing around with a drum beat and some riffs until it sort of sounded like a song. Speaking of the drum beats, they didn’t seem to fit in with the rest of the music.

Left Shoe-Lawl. Nuff said. I especially enjoyed the shred solo. *cough*

o b s-It sounds decent enough, but it doesn’t quite respond to the picture at all, regardless of the contradictions between the music and the lyrics. Otherwise, it was fun to listen to, but it doesn’t really have much to do with the competition.

Ben-It definitely reminded me of the picture within the first few seconds. I heard a bit of fret buzz, but otherwise this seems as tight as your other creations. I wasn’t very keen on the clean tone at the beginning, but I just love your tone around 1:30, and it made for a very interesting change in the song. Also, I especially like (this is personal preference) the way the end just culminates in distortion.


Overall, my vote goes to Ben.

[HaVIC5]

Haha, the gong was meant to be cheese. It was actually my mom's idea, and I added it for fun.

[HaVIC5]

Left Shoe - This song was too brilliant. Really, it was too brilliant to win this competition. If I voted for you, then I'd be shaming your creative vision. This entry deserves to be untouched.

Efrim - I like the general feel that you developed for this one; you used the music as kind of a coloring to the picture rather than telling any sort of story, like the other entries. After about 2 minutes, though, it got kind of tiring to my ear, since there wasn't any development timbrally, texturally, or tonally. But I do see your vision and its correlation to the picture, and I think you fulfilled it pretty nicely. Good stuff.

obs - I know it wasn't a "real" entry, so I'm not going to critique it as such. It was fun to listen to in that tongue-and-cheek sort of way. Didn't really correlate to the picture in my mind.

JoZ - Yeah, the drums and the bass and guitar weren't together in the slightest, but I'll overlook that for the sake of composition. Personally I didn't get quite a dark/angry/metal impression from the picture; I get softer of a solemn/melancholy vibe. Besides the intro, the song was mostly formulaic in the metal sense - dissonant low riff doubled between bass and guitar, lather rinse and repeat. It didn't really jump out at me in any way.

Ben - A slightly different angle than the one I took, but I liked what you did. Your 3/4 feel was perfect what what you were trying to accomplish, and it really instilled a sort of "swaying" effect. The distorted mush of basses really was a nice textural element, although others may disagree. Good job overall.

VOTE: Ben. Good stuff. Second was Efrim.

[Left Shoe]

Haha, the gong was meant to be cheese. It was actually my mom's idea, and I added it for fun.

proof: havics mom writes all his music

[HaVIC5]

proof: havics mom writes all his music
HOW DARE YOU TELL PEOPLE MY SECRET

[Left Shoe]

i just couldn't hold it in any longer man, its been hard ...real hard

[The JoZ]

The thing that really disappoints me about my entry is how glaringly obvious it is that I apparently suck at keeping time with even a click track.

I don't get it, I mean, I've recorded twice in the studio with my (former) band, and was spot on in my timing.

Why can't I seem to replicate that with my OWN freaking music?

I'll vote later tonight btw...

[naut]

i'll vote when i get home from work. here's a bump for now.

[naut]

Shoe: yo dj, SPIN THAT ****. comparable to the image in the sense that they both made my head hurt, and both made me laugh.

Ben: wasn't too keen on the starting melody, but it still sounded nice. i began to like it a bit more when the fuzz kicked on. although with that sad, didn't like the fuzz, but did love what you were playing; and all the other stuff too. while i enjoyed the piece, i couldn't quite formulate an association with the song and the picture, but of course, that's just me.

o b s: the contradiction to the image was hilarious. i liked the tune, loved the lyrics, but obviously can't give it to you for obvious reasons.:p otherwise you win. that song + pic = own.

Havic: that was great man. the intro was nice, really set the mood. all the instrumentation was awesome. individually, and the way they interacted with each other. as usual though, didn't really feel the bass sit well in the mix - although that's just a technical issue. liked what you were playing though. i don't know...not much else to say...very nice job. oh and obviously it fit the picture very well.

Joz: as you mentioned, yeah...some timing issues. when it kicks in at 1:20 or so...i don't know, just seemed so jumbled. if those issues were worked out, it'd be slick. anyways, thought the intro was pretty cool, nice tone. organ was a nice touch. i also thought it fit the image very well. so :thumb: for that.

Efrim: really got lost in the moment of the picture with this one. as the song progressed, its slight alterations were just enough to keep me interested. i think that's a really hard thing to pull off with that genre. not too erratic, sporadic, or complicated, and not boring either. nice one.

________

alright then, came close between Havic and Efrim, but i believe i'll go with Havic. well done.

[Trevo]

Left Shoe: Haha. I have to agree with Havic...this one will remain untouched.

Ben: This was great. It seemed to fit in perfectly with the picture. Melody in the intro started getting boring, but got much better when the distortion came in. Definitely one of your better songs.

obs: Not what I thought of the picture at all. Song was fun to listen to, but the contradiction of the picture and the song really ruined it.

Havic: Wow, that is pretty amazing. Different mood then Ben's, but both seemed to fit with the picture. Some parts that I didn't like as much: the little bass solo around 2:20, but it really picked up after. What program are you using?

JoZ: Intro was real nice but 1:20, timing issues were a huge problem, that it almost ruined the entire thing. Not the exact interpretation I had for this picture but yours works too.

Efrim: Weird, but very good. The only problem was the lack of progression, but besides that it was interesting. What effect pedals or multieffects are you using?

This was between Havic and Ben, but my vote goes to Havic.

[The JoZ]

Left Shoe: It did a good job at not making sense, and that's about it. Don't see what the Backstreet Boys had to do with the death waltz or whatever it was called, but yeah...

Ben: It was certainly solemn enough, but it was a little...boring almost to me. I think the distortion at the end was totally uncalled for too. The first part captured a bit of the picture for me, but the last part certainly did not.

Havic: Not a bad sound, but I think it actually could've been sadder sounding, and maybe a bit longer. The drums were a bit too happy for me...or at least upbeat. It just...I don't know. It's not awful, but I think there were bits of it that certainly sounded too happy. It was certainly well composed though.

efrim: Absolutely did nothing to invoke the picture for me, I have no idea what you were going for with this. No offense, but I really didn't like this mash of noise whatsoever...

obs: Not really pertaining to the competition, so...it was hard to give it any real judging criteria, unfortunately.

Vote: Havic.

[Left Shoe]

no one understands me, once i die that will be a number one hit. its the curse of the true artist.

[Brandon_S]

I vote for phil,it is thy truth.

[Trevo]

If Havic wins, does he get to pick the pictures again?

[The JoZ]

If Havic wins, does he get to pick the pictures again?

I would say so, but I think for fairness sake we should limit a winner picking the pictures to two rounds in a row before someone else does it.

Just a thought.

[HaVIC5]

I would say so, but I think for fairness sake we should limit a winner picking the pictures to two rounds in a row before someone else does it.

Just a thought.
Yeah, sounds good. How about then the winner chooses who chooses the pictures.

[The JoZ]

Yeah, sounds good. How about then the winner chooses who chooses the pictures.


I thought that, but didn't say it.

Good man :thumb:

So are we declaring you the winner yet? I mean...I'm certainly ready to record a new song!

[HaVIC5]

Na, let's leave it open a bit longer. Its only been a couple days.

[The JoZ]

Yeah but we all already know you won :p

I want my awful piece behind me, damn it!

[HaVIC5]

Bumps.

Any more votes? Come on people!

[naut]

people are lazy.

[Left Shoe]

did i win yet

[BenJammin]

I've been working like a dog lately, but I'll vote when I get home. Promise. :)

[Akira]

Sorry it took me so long to do this, but here we go.

Phil - Hilarious. Really nice intro, and then once all hell started to break loose it was brilliant. Meg lawlz. It made perfect sense with the picture, too.

Benji - Pretty typical piece for you, but I mean that in a good way. Very nice piece. Relaxing. A little boring after a while.

Obs - Funny song. A little strange, to say the least. :p Not sure I get the interpretation, and I am not sure it is something I would listen to again. Well written though.

Adam - As I have told you, this is brilliant. Nothing less than I would expect from you, but still. Wow. Wonderful piece. Great melody, especially the string theme. Wonderful patch choices. The only negative I have is that the bass is really only prominent during the one solo thing, and I don't think it fits wonderfully with the rest of the song. And the ending is a bit weird. Otherwise, beautiful piece.

Joz - Really cool sounds. Nice theme, but a little bit too repetitive. Once it got to the heavy part it felt like it was, I dunno, dragging? Not really my cup of tea.

Efrim - Interesting. I do get a church feel out of it, so that is a plus. Too ambient for me. It actually really reminds me of musique concrète, which you can take as a positive or a negative depending on what you were going for.

Definitely giving this to Adam.

[BenJammin]

Phil - you are a true genious, and as such I feel it would be unfair to vote for you because you have an unfair advantage over everyone else.

Obs - it was delightfully ironic, but alas falls in the same category as Phil's. ;)

Adam - what can I say about this? Although some of the samples/whatever the proper term for it is sounded a bit cheesy at times, this was definitely the most clutch thing I've ever heard you put out.

Joz - I thought the beginning was really good and it was pretty much my second choice until it went all "chugga chugga" and kind of went really bland then. If you'd stuck to the first idea, it would have given Adam's a srs run, imo.

Jesse - I liked it, it was ambient... but I kind of wanted a bit more structure. Probably my third.

Vote: Adam

[Akira]

Joz - I thought the beginning was really good and it was pretty much my second choice until it went all "chugga chugga" and kind of went really bland then. If you'd stuck to the first idea, it would have given Adam's a srs run, imo.

Ha, that is exactly what I was thinking.

[The JoZ]

Can we declare him the winner already and move on? :p

[Left Shoe]

ive got all the best reviews, i think my voters are scared to vote for me, i think havic has a poll tax or something going on