303 Compo Finals! Reviews!

logikz

I Am Not The King
Joined
Feb 8, 2002
Location
www.easternpromiseaudio.com
REVIEWS 303 COMPO REACTOR GRITS


H

This is a well produced track with a promising intro and very well execution of 303 sounds into the overall structure. The latter however, does suffer from being repetitive in the used melodies. The drums however, sound good and clear and make nice switches with the main melody. Overall, a good effort which could have used a bit more melodic variation, but stands pretty strong for the rest.

7/10


I

From the five entries, I must say that this one is the most experimental and interesting. The executed 303 sounds are processed beyond belief and sound like belching gremlins, as do many of the other sounds. The structure and drumworks are heavy and contain much variation which blend well with the rest of the 303 sounds. A main point of criticism is the mixdown; the 303 sounds totally overplay the drum and bass sounds and that’s a waste for a tune that is for the rest very strong. Still, a great contender.

8/10


A

This is some nice kind of liquid drum ‘n bass de la Calibre, but not a single 303 sound is present and the tune is only a minute long with an appalling fade out. At least it has a bassline, but it should not have entered these finals.

4/10


G

This tune is with track I among the best. Great melodies are used here and interesting drum patterns are used. The 303 sounds are not overly present but make a great texture against a kind of minimal two step pattern. A plus is that the tune keeps on evolving and doesn’t grow stale. Elements keep coming and going and keeps the tune interesting. The mixdown could have used a bit more beef however, especially in the drums department.

8/10


Never submitted tune

This is a nice little piece of two step liquid vibes. The mixing is quite well balanced en and the arrangement asks for more. The drums however, sound a bit thin and repetitive and could have used some beef. What really are key factors to this song not succeeding is it short length, being unfinished and using a fadeout, and last but not least, I couldn’t hear a single 303 sound. Points are scored here for the idea and the nicely mixed arrangement, but the lack of the concept of the competition plus the song not even having a bass line or being completed, makes it not very interesting.

4/10
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303 reviews Mania:
1. G
This tune, for me, was the one that encapsulated the 303 vibe the best. It chooses vibing pads and phasey stabs to keep the mood going, with a uber-acid synth-arp thing that just never seems to stop, but you never want it to because it works with the tune so well. The beat is a simple but pleasant drum-machine filled break that rolls at a tempo a lot slower then we’re used to, but with great effect. The mixture of of classic analog vibe throughout the whole arrangement, with the rolling, slow tempo just begs you to kick back. Fits the brief to a tee and is a genuinely solid tune, make it my no. 1.
2. H
Starting off with grainy sci-fi vocals, and spooky ambient fx, this tune sets the scene awesomely, as the heavy reese starts to creep in underneath you, and the distorted lead synth screaming a forth coming drop. And then a lovely tight break comes in with rhythm, right before the heavy sharp hit of the main beat hits you. The bassline on this one is might, with an arpd jungle-esque 808 causing serious damage. The drums, the bass. Heavy. Heavy drum and bass. Some nice tearing reeses show themselves right before a tight amen leads in the next phrase. Then the beat goes straight, and the 303 line pops in. The arrangement is spot on. I felt the acid line didnt slide in as well as it should, and neither did it feature as much, but its still a baller of a tracks and would definitely find its home on a good dancefloor. Close second, big up!
3. I
This was an interesting track, from the get go. Some big ambience and awesome dark & gritty drums really drove the track well and built up massive anticipation for the rest of the song. There’s some cool dubby vocal shots that work wonder too. But, when the drop comes there really isnt much to follow. You can hear some top shelf break editing throughout, but everything around the beat seems a bit chaotic and blurry. Some crazy sounds going on, with a robotic vocal acid thing noise taking up most of the airspace, with glitch hecticness all around, it sounds impressive somewhat. Thats were the mix really lets it down, because everything seems to be in everythings ways. You hear the majority of the track, instead of feeling it. The solid ideas and editing really make it worth a good place though, especially that crazy warped interpretation of a 303 (if you could even call it that).
4. S
For me, Strobys submission and A were super close to call, like G and H, but in a different way. Because they offered the same meal! both very short, both without any hint of 303, and both very very good. In S, the use of horn synths to progress the chords is just sport on. You feel every sound. The bassline is warm like a soft pillow, if a bit straight and standard. The stabs of horn and guitar just sounded beautiful, you could just listen to it roll forever, with a bit more actual progression and a bit more actual song. But what is there is lovely, and late submission or not, definitely worthy of a 4th place.
5. A
A, as i said, was wonderful, a lot like s, for what you got The roomy lowpass stab just reeks of vibe, and when the string and percussion come in you know your in for something special. Love that shaker shuffle! and then the drums come in. Big, fat, filtered amen. Sounds mint. Then the somewhat cheesey but classic repeated horn + filter sweep leads into the drop, which has this lovely roll, which like S you could just listen to forever. The horn and piano melody mashup is just classic liquid, sounding straight out of a 00’s liquid handbook. Lovely break fill, with a classing vocal stab to keep the roll, and then thats it. No more meat to feast on. Or 303 for that matter. But enough for a solid vote count, and 1:22 seconds of bliss.
- Mania
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tv_g 303 compo reviews:
My vote is G, then I followed very closely by H. For personal taste, I would win but G is more in the 303 theme and has less technical issues.

G – Right away the synths in the intro sound interesting. I like that through out the piece there are a combination 303 synths and automation. Regarding the mix, I would prefer the drums be a couple db louder. The snare feels flat as if it has a number of layers and has been compressed heavily loosing the brightness and snap. The main thing I would look at is how predictable the arrangement is with decisions like reverse symbols leading into the next phrase and obvious transitions. I would prefer more surprises. Overall, I enjoy the percussive kicks at different pitches, the shuffly hats, and the synth work.

I – I really like the ideas here. Just from the intro, there are a number of unique sounds and percussion. The main break threw me off but it makes sense as the track progressed which is really cool. The drum break suffers from being heavily compressed without the proper EQing. Not in the sense that the break needs to sound clean. What I mean is that you lost clarity of the different elements when the smashing the dynamics like this: the kicks lost sub and dynamic, the snares and hats no longer have distinguishable transients. The toughness of the drums does work well with the synths and I quite like the arrangement as a whole. The timbres of some of the sounds make me enjoy this even more.

H – The long vocal hits on a pet peeve for me, but I left that out of my decision since it is just a personal preference. I enjoyed the combination of the deeper, pitch bent subs and the distorted saw sub. The kick is cutting through quite nice too. I would watch the high-hat which is a bit loud in the mix. It feels scratchy and isn't sitting quite right in the rhythm. Other than some atmosphere in the intro and reverb, the track is rather mono. The Amen change-ups fit well with the style and the rhythm. I also like that the second half really emphasizes the drums and sub. Nicely achieved.

?? - The intro synth is really pleasant. Lots of detail in the timbre. The drums are nicely tuned and sit great in the mix. I would score this one higher but it is not a complete track and even at two minutes the loop starts to get repetitive.

A – The intro up to 20 seconds is captivating which is the strength of the 303 synth and its richness. I enjoyed the jazz loop, but it gets repetitive and I am note sure where the arrangement would go to make this a complete track.


Strobys track:
https://www.sendspace.com/file/0aqvtl


And there we have it, thats the reviews!
 
So, I did something based on the three judges reviews, let's see if you agree: 5 points for 1st place, 3 points for 2nd, 2 points for 3rd.

Grits voted:
1st - G and I
2nd - H

Mania voted:
1st - G
2nd - H
3rd - I

tv_g voted:
1st - G
2nd - I
3rd - H

This makes:

G - 15 points
I - 10 points
H - 8 points

Guess we have a winner here (if you agree with my logical thought on point system)

A and "Never Submitted" should win something just for making it to the judges.
 
blackjack, as in the melee weapon? a short overhand baton, often wrapped in leather, kind of thing? cos then it makes total sense, hookers and a baton, to punish them for their waton conduct and immoral behaviour.
 
The intro on G is really cool! Super atmospheric vibes!

"A" may not have been any of the judges favorites, or really fit the rules but I think it's pretty cool track regardless! Are we allowed to know who made it?
 
The intro on G is really cool! Super atmospheric vibes!

"A" may not have been any of the judges favorites, or really fit the rules but I think it's pretty cool track regardless! Are we allowed to know who made it?

Cheers man, A was mine. After receiving positive feedback i decided to finish the tune and put it out when it's done!

of course, why the hell didnt i post that yet actually

H - IV4
I - logikz
G - whos G? Tewky?
A - saftstein? or are you G?

secret track - Strobys

I can remember you posted a list in the voting thread mate
 
Yup mine was G, big ups for all the nice comments. Im just trying to remember how I did everything as I lost my laptop to hard drive heaven a couple of days after submitting. I got the basics of it, so can give something of an explanation.
 
@tewky1
Hey Tweeks, post a link to your song in Sound cloud I will put it in my sig. Also, well deserved win, you got my vote.
 
is the link for the soundcloud Ivan, sig away good chap

Yeah Grits, very very shit indeed, lost everything i ever produced, bit of a bugger, also lost all my Dam Nation stuff and any other stuff not bought through itunes :( On the other hand, learnt that i need to back my shit up. I blame skynet
 
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