The Challenge 13/05/2009 Voting

Renesongs

[quote author=Garth S link=action=profile;u=48 date=1242628054] Here's my entry. I had a rush of creativity after watching SRV live at the El Mocambo on DVD. http://gfsa.s3.amazonaws.com/48/Laid%20Back%20HendrixSRV%20idea.mp3 [/quote]

[quote author=Spyke link=action=profile;u=71 date=1242718298] Here's my entry for the Umbrella Cocktail Challenge. http://www.box.net/shared/etse7mojnj Two tracks only, kept it nice and simple. Drew on inspiration from Israel Kamakawiwo'ole and have now found myself lusting after a uke... :P Main: Squier Strat Capo on 5th, bridge pup, acoustic sim on the 505II Harmony: Squier Strat Capo on 5th, neck pup, acoustic sim on the 505II Recorded on Audacity Oddly enough, the Squier had a more acoustic sounding sound than the Yamaha FX310 DI'd. [/quote]

[quote author=CDee link=action=profile;u=382 date=1242723790] Here's my entry. I really struggled to get inspiration for this one and just ended up noodeling a bit. So if it's not spot on the theme... sorry :-[ 3 tracks, 2 guitar and 1 drums. http://www.box.net/shared/7m7bz67bh2 [/quote]

[quote author=mattayou link=action=profile;u=581 date=1242756958] Hi! This is my first shot at this so here goes! Here is the link to my entry http://gfsa.s3.amazonaws.com/581/Umbrella%20Cocktail_mixdown03.mp3 This is the style of music I feel would be condusive to lying back in a hammock & sipping on Pina Colada's! I used The following: Drums (Zoom B1X) Rhythm (Ibanez SA08LTD) Lead (Ibanez SA08LTD) Bass (Ibanez GSR180BK) [/quote]

[quote author=Squonk link=action=profile;u=298 date=1242768862] http://gfsa.s3.amazonaws.com/298/Squonk%20-%20Umbrellas%20for%20Leah.mp3 Tried my best not to be jazzy Track one - Takamine tuned DADGAD - little picking piece Track two - Takamine tuned DADGAD - strumming Track three - Peavey T-60 standard tuning - bad attempt at Wes Montgomery type lead [/quote]

[quote author=Alan Ratcliffe link=action=profile;u=10 date=1242793962] Stayed away from the Lounge Jazz for this and rather went for a mellow jazzy blues. Drums bass and two guitars. With only four instruments it was a tough call whether to have an electric guitar or a Rhodes piano for the rhythm instrument. More details in a later post http://ratcliffe.co.za/music/alan_blue_cocktail.mp3 OR http://www.box.net/shared/sunv8pkjf7 [/quote]

Here are the contestants for [b]Umbrella Cocktail[/b] - Please vote for 1 contestant in each category before midnight Tuesday.

[quote author=andrewjbryson link=action=profile;u=34 date=1242809481] "Island Jam" Gear : Jap Strat / BAJA Tele Effects : BossGT8 Stereo Chrorus Drums : Battery with StudioReverb plugin http://www.box.net/shared/zasni0u9hk [/quote]

[quote author=Tailon. link=action=profile;u=360 date=1242797517] Link for my entry in this weeks chat comp beginner cat http://www.box.net/shared/k96laftou7 i didn't have much time so it was sorta thrown together in half an hour . [/quote]

[quote author=Viccy link=action=profile;u=755 date=1242811540] Aloha Here is my sunset cocktail entry [code]http://img531.imageshack.us/my.php?image=umbrellacocktail1150453ol5.flv[/code] [/quote]

(old forum) Poll Results: Umbrella Cocktail ?

CDee (B): 2
Mattayou (B): 7
Tailon (B): 9
Spyke (B): 1
Garth S (A): 1
Squonk (A): 1
Alan (A): 7
Andrewjbryson (A): 12
Viccy (A): 2

[deleted]

@ Alan

Dave Matthews just phoned, and he'd like his mojo back, please.

Garth-S

WOW!! Top class peeps...

Dirk

Well done guys and girl. Everyone certainly did a superb job, my vote is for Cdee, who I think nailed it, with combining good skill with an island vibe..

Heath

now we wait for the ratcliffe review ...... all in all excellent entrys

mattayou

Nice work everyone-especially Tailon!

Neps

O.K.. I'm blaming all of you for making me sleepy in the studio and almost falling out of my chair so relaxed I was!!

Heath

here have a cocktail :goodtimes: :goodtimes:

Spyke

Great work guys and gal! Lovely stuff, great to see so many entries and so many variations on the theme.

All winners in my book!

AlanRatcliffe

Stratisfear wrote: Dave Matthews just phoned, and he'd like his mojo back, please.

Ya think? Heavens! :-[ Don't I wish? Strangely enough, an earlier drum pattern I had, I threw out because I thought it had ended up too much like a DMB drum part. All jazzy patterns but with a hard hitting rock feel and sound - too aggressive for what I was going for...

AlanRatcliffe

My Entry

OK Here's details on my entry:

Drums: Toontrack EZ Drummer. Jazz addon kit. Was trying for a fairly mellow, laid-back jazzy thing that built up throughout the track. Difficult to get without being too up front or busy.

Bass: Quite like the part as it has a rolling feel to it. Neck and bridge humbuckers on my Hohner Jack bass, each going through a separate Ampeg bass amp sim. Neck heavily compressed, bridge a bit overdriven.

Rhythm Guitar: Here's where I had fun as not being able to pad things out with keys, I wanted to fill as much space as possible. Strat with both piezos and magnetic pickups. Piezos panned 25% left with a dotted 1/8th note single-shot delay panned all the way left. Mags all three pickups together into a Fender Twin sim, panned 25% right with a 1/4 note single-shot delay panned all the way right.

Rhythm was still sounding a bit too "tight" and precise and adding feedback made the delays last too long, making them a bit messy, so I set up a send from the rhythm trackto an FX buss in Sonar and applied a modulated filter with a fair bit of resonance to give it something like a cross between a wah and a phaser. Compressed heavily, summed to mono and mixed it back into the guitar buss at center pan but fairly low level. A little bit of send from the FX buss to the reverb buss also helped fill it out a bit.

Lead guitar: Neck and middle pickups on the Strat for the rhythm bit and neck pickup for the rest. Fender Twin simulation in Guitar Rig. Volume cranked up to eight, and a compression pedal sim up front of the amp. My challenge to myself for this was to keep it clean, so there's no overdrive anywhere - I still feel naked playing without overdrive.

The Mix: Pretty straight forward (aside from the filter on the guitar FX bus mentioned above). One reverb buss for drums & guitars with a room verb. Drum track had a brickwall limiter set to catch one spike near the end that was jumping out 6dB louder than anything else which would have kept the drum track way too quiet otherwise - the limiter caught just that one spike and left everything else untouched. Both guitars had a 3:1 compressor to make them sit in the mix evenly and a high pass EQ to cut all frequencies below 80Hz and clean up the low end for the drums and bass. Mater buss had a subtle multiband compressor inserted to bring out the sheen on the cymbals a little more and keep the bass freqs in check.

That's all I can think of... Any questions, just ask

AlanRatcliffe

Tailon. wrote: now we wait for the ratcliffe review...

I'm not going to just automatically comment on what's basically my competition, but the service is available to those who ask specifically... ?

Squonk

Good stuff ?

Andrew - What a good piece of music!
Amazing all the different interpretations, how many decided on the Island Theme.

My Piece is non tropical and not on an island, sounds more like on a beach in Cornwall, Polperro perhaps. ?
Will take a while to make my pick

Good to see others giving it a bash! ?

andrewjbryson

Shot buddy... I just listened to your track... Excellent work

The Takamine gives a beautiful , rich , textured sound..

I gots to get me one of those ...

The vibe also reminds me of Show / Movie

(when they cut to a scene of time passing / seasons changing)

Lekka!

AlanRatcliffe

I've listened to them all a few times now and I like the generally high level. Also loved the different takes and how some fixed on the "island" part, some concentrated on the cocktail part. Thankfully no-one even referenced the Copa Cabana in passing ?

[deleted]

Good show everyone. Sorry for the size of my video. Didn't realize the camera was set on high resolution. I'm ready for my tropical holiday now.

Lethe

Most impressive. Awesome entries!

Squonk

Good stuff guys

The 2 categories are almost neck and neck, let's get some more votes in to make it more interesting ?

Squonk

Alan Ratcliffe wrote: I've listened to them all a few times now and I like the generally high level. Also loved the different takes and how some fixed on the "island" part, some concentrated on the cocktail part. Thankfully no-one even referenced the Copa Cabana in passing ?

and I almost thought of doing a tribute to the Barry Manilow song.... ?

AlanRatcliffe

People have been killed for less...