Tune Contest - Fri 7th - Thu 13th

[m0ds]

Solos from Heaven!

Okie doke, quite a tricky one this time but at the same time fairly simple. Your entries can be MIDI or MP3 or whatever.

What I'm looking for is a ten or twenty second intro. Get the song going, and THEN a kick ass solo! The longer the better. Then a nice outro.

The intro and outro aren't really the bits i'm looking at but they're needed to set the pace of the track.

The solo can be however short or long (remember tho, the longer the better!) as you want. The more intricate, the more complex the better. I'd prefer to see how well you can develop a solo using a single instrument.

However, no pianos!. I'm looking for a solo that uses an interesting instrument especially, like a sitar or glockenspeil. Preferably not a guitar, trumpet, sax or flute, but they're fine. But any pianos and you're disqualified. I don't want to hear any. Nor harpsichords.



And that's it, good luck!

[Ben]

So does the soloing instrument have to be by itself, or can there be a backing track?

[Gregjazz]

Sounds like my kind of song! Count me in.

Great rules. Do we get extra credit if we have more than one solo?

[EldKatt]

Aww, I thought harpsichord initially. Then I was discouraged. Then I thought violin. And then I was discouraged. Aww. I'll find something, though. Althought I still want a harpsichord.

EDIT: Oh, and great idea, this!

[remixor]

Eld: it doesn't look like he said anything about violins

[Eigen]

Here's my entry: CLICK HERE



-Eigen

[Ben]

Here's mine. I hope an organ is okay. It's even more like a piano than a violin is.

Bling Bling (1.9 mb)

[Gregjazz]

And here's my entry: http://www.sonic.net/~schlae/herculeaneffort/solo_entry.mp3

Sounds sort of like that Bollywood stuff. It's too bad I didn't have too much time to make it, though. Enjoy!

[Evil]

Wow Geoff, that was great. I really enjoyed that. To bad that it sounds so real and you didnt turn it in for the last one.

[remixor]

So what do you guys use to create your drum loops?

[Ben]

I just cut up samples of actual drummers and rearrange them in Skale Tracker.

Geof: Very nice. I love the beat you have there. And you're better at mixing than I am  

[Gregjazz]

Ben, you are a big cheater. I make all my drum loops from scratch. In fact, I made the drum set soundfont I used in my entry.

Evil, the reason I didn't enter it in the last contest is because that was my turn leading the contest.

[Ben]

I make my drum loops from scratch too. I just get my bass and snare drum samples from recorded drum tracks. I still have to assemble the drum pattern myself, one note at a time.

Now don't ever doubt my 1337ness ever again!

[m0ds]

Geoffkhan, what do you use to make your tunes? And how do you make them Do you use a keyboard or put in the notes or what? And what sound-card do you have?

Great entries so far! A couple of days left.

[Gregjazz]

Well, Mods, this is what I use:

Software:

- Cakewalk Pro Audio 9
- Sound Forge 4.5

Hardware:

- Sound Blaster Audigy Soundcard
- Roland FP-3, 88-key fully weighted keyboard
- Alesis QS6 synthesizer with a few QCards (I rarely use this synthesizer in my music, though)


It really just depends on the kind of song I'm making whether I play the instrument parts through the keyboard or enter it in note by note. Most of the time I enter the rhythm section in note by note and then the melodies and solos and all the prominent parts I play in through the keyboard.

I use Cakewalk rather than a notational sequencer because I like to have fine control over the placements of the notes. For example, I put the cymbals back a few ticks to make it sound more realistic. Little tricks like that which enhance the realism of songs.

I also have quite a soundfont collection and dozens which I have created myself. If you're interested in obtaining some of my original soundfonts, PM me.

[m0ds]

Hehe its okay, thanks for the info. There's no way I could afford any of that hardware or software but I'll keep it in mind

m0ds

[Gregjazz]

Well, there are some cheap alternatives. In fact, the stuff I use is very minimal. I love free software.

Here's how you can do it free: (or much less expensive)

Soundfonts: Use Megafont, a free program that runs soundfonts. Either that or Synthedit, another free program that has the ability to run soundfonts and VST instruments and all sorts of cool stuff.

Sequencer: Freeware sequencer. There are many decent free sequencers available. I just can't think of any off the top of my head. I think Cubase VST is free, though personally I hate Cubase.

Synthesizer: Well, there's really not too many free synthesizers out there. Go by a $20 casio (ugh) synthesizer with midi in and out ports. You will not be using it for the sounds anyways, just the keyboard.


If you are ever looking for a good keyboard with awesome sounds and realistic keyboard feel, get the FP-3!

EDIT: By the way, this is a song I just made that I would've entered in this contest if Mods hadn't outlawed pianos. http://www.sonic.net/~schlae/herculeaneffort/realsolo.mp3. It's sorta a demo of the soundfonts I made that I will put on my upcoming soundfont site. Enjoy the song and please give me comments on the soundfonts.

Oh, soundfonts, soundfonts, soundfonts...

[remixor]

Thanks for the tips, Geoffkhan!  I'll check that stuff out.

Am I on the wrong track, or do I really need a SB Live! card to use Megafont?  I haven't downloaded Synthedit yet, but I'll do that in a couple days when I have some free time.

I've had a copy of Cubase for some time now, looks like I should learn to use it

[m0ds]

Any more for any more? I'll review and reward in a couple of hours time!

[EldKatt]

Er, no. I know I'm like boring, but I've been busy. No entry from me this week either. I'm rather sure I'll be able to do the next one though.

[loominous]

Passing this one. Don t like solos.

[Trapezoid]

I too got nothing. Never got around to starting anything.

[remixor]

Not a big solo fan, so I'll just wait for next week.

[Gregjazz]

I know you don't need SB live or anything to run Synthedit. I'm not certain about Megafont. You just have to try it.

[m0ds]

Whoops, one moment whilst I review and decide who wins Sorry for the delay!

[m0ds]

And this contests winner is;

Geoffkhan!

Three great entries! Eigen, wow - an Agogo solo? That's cool! Well done, I enjoyed it and thought it was a great choice of instrument. Perhaps the solo could have been a little more complex?

Ben, superb! A phatt beat and one cool organ solo. You deffinatley get the points for "phatt solo". The tune just makes you nod your head to the beat. Deffinatley a good choice of solo instrument for the backing.

Geoffkhan, wow. Yours is certainly the tune I keep playing because of the quality of the track, it's superb. As it was pointed out, the drums are ace - the whole things ace. The sitar fits really well with the backing track, and as the solo progresses it just gets better! I love the last few frantic parts of it especially.

Well done all, three great tracks.

[Gregjazz]

Thanks, Mods. Actually, since I already directed the last contest, could Ben do this next contest?

[Ben]

Congrats, Geoff! You definitely showed some quality work here. Your song was my favorite of the three.

I could host the next contest if you want me to. But only if you're sure you don't want to do it.. Do you have any ideas for the next one?

[Gregjazz]

I'm sure! I did last contest, and so I don't want to be a hog.

I just have a really fun time with these contests. It's great practice composing with rules. I am definitely learning a lot!