August Contest: Voting

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Vote for your Top 10 favorite compositions, in order (most-favorite = #1, proceed downward).

Voting ends on early a.m. (US Central Time), Tuesday, September 1.

No voting for yourself. Voters must have had 20 prior posts, or at least have participated in the contest this month.

Once you place your vote, you cannot change it, unless permission has been granted by the moderator.

In the case of equal scores after voting, entries will be separated by how many 10 pts (i.e., how many #1 votes) they got, then 9 pts and so on. (Thanks to OSC for this rule.)

You must participate in voting to win prizes!

A useful link (but please note the caution at the bottom of the page) :
http://farlukar.x10.mx/kvrcontest/


Thanks and good luck.
No longer a moderator.

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Really interesting group of submissions with one constant thread through almost EVERY composer's piece this month . . . wait for it . . . Grand Piano. Some very talented musicians here
1.Hellfog - brilliant synths here & I don't know which is a bigger MONSTER, the Absynth or the Iris. Whatever the primary instrument used here is, it is "off the chain" ! Great sonics and very inventive
2. bzur - know that I love your work, bzur. Amazingly delicate melodies and wonderful counterpoint
3. mvrasseli - lovely sounding instrument and hands. Breathtakingly beautiful playing
4. davidstiles - lovely tonepoem so tastefully done . . . then there's a grand piano
5. ClaRago - I love the modulation on several of these instruments. Very sophisticated sound overall . . . and another grand
6. Laguna Rising - pretty picture being painted, like smelling the fresh paint with a nice piano line. Thena Caliapee(sp?). The freakout guitar at then end kinda takes away from the piece. My respect for your playing not withstanding
7. ShangSean - a jungle of mystery. then the UFO lands and things get really creepy. Big production with a terrific "organic" feel. Wait; where did that piano come from ?
8. DH Miltz - really dig the resonating dissonances here. Very original presentation of the doll idea which gets really creepy at the end
9. Wopelka - Cool arrangement of terrific-sounding winds. Love the tasteful little mix
10. key88 - really intersting freakout of the Modular. I like the "pattern" that develops within it. But don't know how this speaks to "Dolls"
HM - congrats to beanpole for the 100th entry into this synth competition of another folk song
expert only on what it feels like to be me
https://soundcloud.com/mrnatural-1/tracks

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Done. How hard it was ?!

01 - Barnadine - Dead Eyed Baby Doll
02 - Wopelka - Dolls Waiting
03 - ClaRago - Die Gouvernante
04 - DHMiltz - Taken by the Tide
05 - mvrasseli - at your side
06 - davidstiles - Fractured Childhood Memories
07 - hellfog - Creepy Things
08 - MrNatural - The Dolls in Love
09 - Nickel Smith - Saint Tropez
10 - Yeager - Fifties Revisited

HM :
beanpole - Jenny & Jack

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Very hard indeed.

01 - David Stiles - Fractured Childhood Memories
02 - Marcus Rasseli - At Your Side
03 - Nickel Smith - Saint Tropez
04 - bzur - picnicking
05 - Laguna Rising - Mother Love
06 - shangsean - Remembering the End
07 - Barnadine - Dead-Eyed Baby Doll (under umbrella)
08 - ClaRago - die Gouvernante
09 - Entropy Audio - Playing Games
10 - Beanpole - Jenny & Jack

H.M: D.H. Miltz - Taken by the Tide, Yeager - Fifties Revisited, MrNatural - The Dolls in Love

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Many creative entries for the dolls photograph! In general, I found it curious that most of the entries were in a minor key, and/or focused on a creepiness. This challenge was in effect a sort of Rorschach test, totally subjective. So I rated the compositions on musical construction as best I could.

1. davidstiles. Melancholy, slightly Chopinesque. Well done. I couldn't tell if the melody was a french horn or a bassoon. I think it was a bassoon. It is rich with varied emotional colors.

2. beanpole. A very rousing pub song, with a very obvious connection to the dolls. I give you a thumbs up!

3. Shangsean. Very nice gestures in this soundscape, and a very obsessive chord progression

4. bzur. A cartoonish approach to orchestration complete with narrative. Very clever and fun!

5. mvrasselli. A nice somber minor key piece that develops and repeats nicely. The minimalist approach was very appropriate.

6. Wopelka. Good minor key repeating pattern and evocative flute and trumpet.

7. D.H. Miltz. This is a very unique entry in the lot, uncompromising in its atmosphere, allows the listener to create his own scenario. But I think we all know what happens.

8. Laguna Rising. Nice instrumentation and musical ideas evocative of what little children might play. You walked a fine line here though! On one hand people might hear it as clever. On the other hand, people might miss the point altogether and think merely that the music itself is amateurish. I didn't get the guitar solo at the end.

9. Hellfog. Nice moody minor key atmosphere. Loved those creepy sounds.

10. Entropy Audio. You started out with a fantastic and very promising melody which you abandoned almost immediately and then proceeded with meandering thoughts that did not coalesce. So, last place for you. Dude, why did you do that!!! It could have been number one!

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Well, this was hard to decide. Excellent work all around this month. My top four are particularly close in my mind, and I wish I could give ten points to all of them. But here goes:

1) Nickel Smith - Saint Tropez - Beautiful conversation between strings, detuned piano and accordion. This could easily be part of a nostalgic film score. Really well done overall, too.

2) Barnadine - Dead-Eyed Baby Doll! (Under Umbrella) - Simultaneously cheerful and creepy, and loads of fun as well.

3) Bzur - Picnicking! - Terrific composition, especially when you allow the pizzicato and spiccato strings to play off each other. Generally a very charming and fun track.

4) Shangsean - Remembering the End - Great soundscape, with some initial elements that sound like they came right out of the soundtrack for Forbidden Planet. And then you bring in some amazing deep strings and some more modern elements that make this feel like it is temporally confused (and I mean that in a good way).

5) D. H. Miltz - Taken by the Tide - Since this is your family's photo, is this the canon version of the soundtrack for this photo? In any case, great narrative idea, and a nicely mixed soundscape that manages to use a lot of high frequency sound without being annoying (which is not always easy to do).

6) Wopelka - Dolls Waiting - Nice pairing of the brass and piano, and a great conversation between flute and brass, too. Definitely captures a sense of melancholy.

7) mvrasseli - At Your Side - Very nice piano composition. It reminds me a bit at times of Joe Hisaishi's work, which is not a bad thing at all.

8) Beanpole - Jenny & Jack - I liked this track. It's mellow and charming and I think it is one of my favourites out of your recent entries into this contest.

9) Yeager - Fifties Revisited - Great guitar heavy track that manages to have a nice, evolving conversation between the two dolls using a variety of techniques.

10) Laguna Rising - Mother Love - Cool 80s electric piano vibe, but with some more contemporary elements as well. Very enjoyable.

I can't believe I'm already at number 10! Strong HM to Entropy Audio, ClarRago, key88, Mister Natural and Hellfog, who all produced good work as well.

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01 - Shangsean - Remembering the End
02 - Marcus Rasseli - At Your Side
03 - Barnadine - Dead-Eyed Baby Doll (under umbrella)
04 - Entropy Audio - Playing Games
05 - Mister Natural - The Dolls in Love
06 - Bzur - picnicking
07 - Nickel Smith - Saint Tropez
08 - Wopelka - Dolls Waiting
09 - Yeager - Fifties Revisited
10 - Beanpole - Jenny & Jack

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1. bzur - Picnicking!
2. davidstiles - Fractured Childhood Memories
3. Shangsean - Remembering the End
4. mvrasseli - At Your Side
5. D.H. Miltz - Taken by the Tide
6. Nickle Smith - Saint Tropez
7. Hellfog - Creepy Things
8. Mister Natural - Two Dolls in Love
9. Yeager - Fifties Revisited
10. ClaRago - Die Gouvernante

HM: Beanpole - Jenny & Jack, congratulations on 100 consecutive entries.

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01 Wopelka - Dolls Waiting
02 mvrasseli - At Your Side
03 ClaRago - die Gouvernante
04 Mister Natural - The Dolls in Love
05 David Stiles - Fractured Childhood Memories
06 Bzur - picnicking
07 Nickel Smith - Saint Tropez
08 Barnadine - Dead-Eyed Baby Doll! (Under Umbrella)
09 Entropy Audio - Playing Games
10 Laguna Rising - Mother Love

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Barnadine
Yeager
Wopelka
davidstiles
mvrasseli
Nickel Smith
bzur
Hellfog
Mister Natural
Laguna Rising
can't sing, can't play, looks awful.....

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01 DH Miltz
02 Barnadine
03 davidstiles
04 entropy audio
05 Nickel smith
06 beanpole
07 mvrasseli
08 Wopelka
09 shangsean
10 Yeager

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1. Shangsean – Remembering the End
2. bzur - picnicking!
3. Wopelka - Dolls Waiting
4. Barnadine - DEAD-EYED BABY DOLL! (under umbrella)
5. davidstiles – Fractured Childhood Memories
6. Nickel Smith - Saint Tropez
7. Mister Natural - The Dolls in Love
8. EntropyAudio – Playing Games
9. beanpole - Jenny & Jack
10. Laguna Rising – Mother Love
No longer a moderator.

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1: shangsean - Remembering the End
2: Mister Natural - .MrNatural.The Dolls in Love
3: D.H. Miltz - Taken by the Tide
4: Entropy Audio - Playing Games
5: Clarago-die gouvernante
6: Marcus Rasseli - mvrasseli - At Your Side
7: David Stiles - Fractured Childhood Memories
8: Wopelka - Dolls Waiting
9: Nickel Smith - saint-tropez
10: Nat Davis AKA Key88 - seaside

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1 - Nickel Smith
2 - bzur
3 - EntropyAudio
4 - Hellfog
5 - Barnadine
6 - davidstiles
7 - beanpole
8 - ShangSean
9 - wolpeka
10 - ClaRago

Great variety of sounds this month!

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My first ever comments. I hated writing them to be honest, but seeing as I may have gotten into trouble if I didn't - here they are (and my votes):

1. Enotropy Audio – Great atmosphere throughout. I thought everything fit really well.
2. ClaRago – Well produced and a playfully creepy atmosphere.
3. Mister Natural – Not what I was expecting, especially the percussion. When the percussion came in after the spooky beginning I was a little disappointed, but then it all seemed to come together.
4. DH Miltz – Nice and spooky and lofi (which suits it). Love that ghostly choir –like sound towards the end.
5. Barnadine – Very creative track that fits the picture well. That tapping percussive sound panned to the right irritated me somewhat though.
6. Bzur – Very well done, but I would’ve preferred something a little more off-kilter considering the subject matter.
7. Nickel Smith – Not my type of thing at all, but it’s well put together and I think the music fits what you were trying to present.
8. DavidStiles – I like the work and I think the second half works well. I thought the way the strings come and go was quite off putting though. I thought they faded out rather abruptly.
9. Wopelka – This is well made, but I didn’t get what you were trying to convey through the music and I found the horn a little harsh compared to the rest.
10. Yeager – I quite like the track, but I didn’t feel it did a lot with the theme.


The following are in no particular order:

Mvrasseli – A nice piano melody, but choice of synth sound didn’t blend well and just ruined it for me.
Key88 – I think I get what you’re going for here and I like it, but not for 3 minutes without any real progression.
Laguna Rising – Playful, but sounds a little too messy.
Beanpole – Good instrumentation, but I found it too repetitive and vocals were outside their comfort zone a little too often (sorry, I hate saying anything about vocals).
Hellfog – Nice idea, but I found it a little too obvious in its craziness/creepiness and I just didn't feel the atmosphere.

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