CONGRATULATIONS, EVERYONE! Thanks so much for bearing with me through this all. I couldn't be more thrilled with the quality and variety of music you all created!
A refresher on the rules of the Found Sound challenge:
The piece is based on or around (ie generated from) a piece of found sound. The use of the sounds must be innovative. The listener, at some point, must be able to hear what that original sound is. The piece must have a clear, complete form.
I'm having a heck of a time picking finalists, you guys, but I intend to figure this out in the next hour, so stay tuned! I'll post the poll and let y'all know as soon as I can!!
I totally missed Somnia, Steparnicus, and Ithemore's final contributions. I am an a-hole. My sinceres apologies.!
Ithemore I don't know how you did it, but all those frenetic and varied sounds somehow fit together in a very impactful way. Very Ives-ian, which I deeply respect. So, was your approach more to work with sounds "found" from other musical sources, or are there also ambient effects recorded from "real" life in there? This one will need many listens to unfold, I'm sure. In that vein, what can you tell me about the length of the piece and its development? It's very long... What structure did you use? Or is it more like an aural stream-of-consciousness?
Somnia Your piece seems like a political/cultural statement that I can't quite grasp because of the language barrier, which I'm curious about—what's your take on most listeners not being able to decipher the words/meaning, as in, do you prefer it we don't understand or would you be willing to translate? The piece, overall, has a very quiet, hidden feeling to it because (at least in my speakers) it comes out a bit quiet, as if a piece of music could also be sotto voce. I like that effect a lot. It's very unnerving.
Steparnicus There's something super creepy about a lone telephone, ringing, unanswered. Add to the mix a plodding, industrial, dark texture and you've got the makings of a fantastic score to a scene in which a serial killer plots out his next victim.... I like that this piece develops at its own pace—it feels organic, especially when the beat emerges. I think your piece really works well as it's own mini story. I also felt that Business 2.0 and HPP 2 did similar things in suggesting a story. Very, very cool.
I'm going to revisit all of these one last time and post three finalists to vote from. Cool? And feel free to PM and post about how I need to get my butt in gear!
Narasu! Thanks so much for the speedy reply! I competely missed the crows and gunshot, probably because of a mix of the speakers and the environment I'm listening in. Sincerest apologies! Also, I'm a huge fan of crows, so your choice actually makes sense to me in a way that's not just musical but personal. When/how did you decide to add crows, anyway? Now that the submissions are in, I'd love to hear from everyone more of the details of their processes!
BRILLIANT WORK, EVERYONE! I'll select three finalists to vote on tomorrow! Before then, please let me know if I have forgotten anyone!!
Here's my general feedback (and each of you wil have more specific feedback on your own soundcloud pages):
ifmcmaster I really, really love this one. It has a very human feel, something nostalgic to it. The synth sounds, from the one at the very beginning to the one that is bit crushed at the end really flesh this out, and the different sounds and beats are the perfect staccato counterpoint to the floating chords and minimal melody.
mscottweber Whoa. Super heavy-hitting song. Makes me think a bit of REM and Depeche Mode mixed with NIN. Gorgeous vocals and harmony. I'd add some reverb to the main vox to make it sound really alive—make it fill up the room. Not entirely sure what the found sound is, but I think it might be some distorted wind? Clue me in!
Xishem Whatever the sound is that makes up the main instrument of this piece is really cool, but I can't quite tell what it is until…. THE VERY END! Oh wow. Bravo for keeping me on my toes! I would have liked to hear some other sounds, specifically maybe a different sound for the melody in the middle so that it carries out above the chords. Overall, a really, truly unique feel and just when I was about to wonder what the shape of the piece was, you explain where the sound comes from and, frankly, it broke my heart just a little. incredible amount of effort went in to this, I'm guessing, because it seems to use just one sound to create an entire piece.
Mono I'm not sure how you did it, but you managed to make a complete piece without any discernible shape. It's ethereal and haunting and delicate and lovely and I could have listened to it for a lot longer. I'm curious—and this is a question for every participants—how far outside of your comfort zone did you step for this challenge and what was the biggest take away for you, personally?
Justsometoast Huh. I am not really sure what I just listened to. If this is really a mic accidentally left on, listening to what you're up to in your bedroom, well, kudos for the ingenious use of found sound (very literally!). However... I have no idea what makes this an actual song in and of itself, let alone how a found sound was used to create it. Feels like an awesome experimental piece I would have played to a professor as a sort of middle finger towards his/her annoying assignments/questionable grading, and for that, I salute you!
SrKen Well! I thought Justsometoast was experimental, but this one takes the cake. It is so out there that I have to give massive props for this maniacal experiment! It has a real, dark, gritty, horrific feel even though it's also sort of amorphous and frenetic. It's just really "out there." I'd love to know more about all the sounds you used to mold this together. It sort of hurt my brain...;-)
narasu Clearly a song, which is actually a surprising choice, given how experimental the others' pieces have been. The chord structure and guitar work is really sensual. I like the strings' entrance in the middle. This piece feels surprisingly sexy to me, maybe almost erotically violent once it gets heavier and more intense. It's coming out a bit quiet from my speakers—curious how you compressed it. Also, I'm not sure i have any idea where the found sound is. Give me a quick heads up as to what to listen for, otherwise, I may have to disqualify this….:-(
MattZ2007 Well, isn't this just the most charming little thing! I really love the use of the telephone beeps to become the glue of the whole piece. The lyrics pull it together, too, but they're almost secondary because I enjoy just listening to the instrumental elements so much. I'm impressed you whipped this up in such a short time! I'm curious, in making this so quickly, how do you feel about it because able to listen to it weeks later? Also, my only concern is that it ends so quickly…. I'd love to hear it developed more!
Oooooh! The deadline is fast approaching and I am so excited to see more and more entries! Keep 'em coming, everyone! And if the rules seem scary, COMPOSE SOMETHING ANYWAY! You have nothing to lose and all sorts of weird techniques to gain! Okay. Enough exclamation points! Cheers!
Hi, everyone! Glad to see so much activity and involvement! Just a heads up: PLEASE ONLY SUBMIT ONE PIECE, ONE TIME. Because I want listeners to come to this with fresh ears, I do not want to hear any early stages of your tune because that gives away your evolution and intentions. I'm listening to your submissions thus far and it's so. freaking. cool why you're coming up with! I'm going to refrain from any specific feedback until submissions are in but I may be PM-ing you so we can chat and whatnot. CHEERS, y'all. Keep it up! I swear, I love you all and I'm not trying to be a jerk!
Hey, CasePortman. You don't have to record the sound yourself. You could get something pre-recorded, like maybe something from freesound.org.... Just sayin.'
Good questions! As long as there is a single found sound, the rest can be whatever you want. Use many found sounds. Add synths, add live instruments. Lyrics, if you want. A choir. Whoopie cushion. Etc etc etc.
SOME OF YOU ARE ALREADY BREAKING THE RULES! Sorry to be a hard-ass about this, but it's a huge pet-peeve when the listener doesn't get to hear the piece with fresh ears. I tried to be as specific as possible when I included this rule, so if it didn't make sense then, hopefully it makes sense now. That is to say: No saying what it is about, where it came from, what you're going for, how you made it. Nothing. Title it. Post it. Tell us where to hear it. Done. So, that being said, Jordan, yes, you can do whatever you want however you want! Matt, you wrote that REALLY FAST! I'll give some real feedback soooooooooon! Cheers, everyone, and please take this rule to heart because I don't want to disqualify anyone! You're all too amazing for that!!
The piece must be composed specifically for this challenge. The piece must be generated from and/or based on the found sound. The piece can be in any possible style, with or without lyrics, in any medium, etc. etc. When and wherever you post the piece, please do not explain anything about it—let listeners hear with fresh ears and no preconceived notions.
JUDGING
Your piece must have a clear, complete form. The choice/use/(de)evolution/etc. of the found sound must be truly innovative. This will be completely subjective, so, dear listeners, I want you to think something like, "holy #$%^&*, I NEVER would have thought of that," or "holy *&^%$ I can't believe the sound evolved/emerged the way it did!" And, of course, we have to be able to hear what the original sound is.
DEADLINE
Whenever it is no longer June 14th in any part of the world. (I will be strict about this!)
THANK YOU, EVERYONE! It has been far too long since I had this much fun making a piece of music. Kudos to all of the composers in this round! The variety of styles and the different types of skill were incredible and inspiring. I have a great idea for the next challenge. I'll post it soon! CHEERS! E
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