Battle 34 Voting

OP-1 Battles
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#1
Time to vote for these fine battery powered tracks. Let's keep voting open for a week and tally them up next Wednesday night. I'm not creating a poll this time, instead robbing voters of their anonymity and requiring a shout out to your winner in a comment. Good luck!


@sammyjams OP-1, PO12, PO14, PO16
https://soundcloud.com/sammyjams/forward

@josker (misnaps) OP-1, camera, power drill
https://soundcloud.com/misnaps/brees

@Flom (neenenee) OP-1, PO12, PO14, PO16
https://soundcloud.com/neeneneee/dubble-a

@wingo OP-1, Volca Beats, Volca Keys
https://soundcloud.com/wi_ngo/side-a-batteries-included

@iriebeats OP-1, Volca Beats, Volca Keys
https://soundcloud.com/snurps/battery-night

@Quarantequatre OP-1
https://soundcloud.com/quarantequatre/du-bon-cafe-side-a

@aeoner OP-1, Roland SP404sx, Ipod
https://soundcloud.com/aeoner/1342a

@borden OP-1, Casio VL-1, Homemade PWM oscillator, kit distortion pedal
https://soundcloud.com/mbordenj/assault-on-batteries

@kln OP-1, Stylophone 2, Numark PT-01usb +vinyl, PO12, Volca Sample
https://soundcloud.com/dj_kln/oooh-yeah

@Tribrix (Lenny Timons) OP-1, Volca Bass, Monotribe, CasioVL-1, Casio Mt-540, Texas Instruments Speak and Math
https://soundcloud.com/lenny-timons/what-is-binary

@brunogola OP-1, PO12, Mini Kaossilator, acoustic guitar
https://soundcloud.com/brunogola/toots-mi-a-lie
#2
@lymtronics - thanks for hosting! nice battle and great entries. i have to ask if you have a track in the works, based on the rule set? would be cool to hear if so!

@sammyjams - forward

i like the party vibe of this track. arpeggiated funk and smooth groove, with a dope vocal sample. nice baseline and drums. overall composition is fresh and i dig it. cool where it goes towards the end too, a nice change up indeed.

@josker - brees

not sure if you ever ended up updating your entry…but it sounds the same to me as the first listen. and is definitely a nice track! drums work well under the lead and melodies. the slow and mysterious vibe is really cool. the pitch shifted voice, that i can’t quite make out, provides some texture and interest. not sure where you used the power drill, but i appreciate your use of the synths.

@flom - dubble AA

nice dubby synth jam. mellow and smooth. at around 2:26, i like how the dub bass opens up a bit, and had a second listen to catch those details, which i was thankful for the second time around for the whole intro to the song, for almost first full minute. lots of cool movement in that sound.

@wingo - Side A: Batteries Included

this track is pretty rocking in my opinion. cool changes and like the springy drums, opportunistic muting, and little reverse details. then at around 2:00 track takes a nice turn. gets spacey and fun. hello! i also like the grit and distorted vibes throughout…is that the volca keys filter that you refer to? cool composition and style.

@iriebeats - battery night

proper dub style work. quite enjoyable and nice entry for a noob to OP, in my opinion. my first battle entry was the first time i did more than just fiddle around with the smaller and effects, and actually tried making a full track as well, so totally get what you mean in your post. after making a few tracks, i actually got the hang of it, and now can’t live without it. can’t wait to hear more of yours, since the first showing is pretty nice!

@quarantequatre - du bon cafe (side A)

another dubby track. awesome. super warbly and evocative of listening to some of my old dusty roots 45s with a quality of the warble and the distortion of samples. the change of pace in the track gives it an unexpected lift and the composition goes in some pretty neat directions throughout the rest of the track. another nice bit of work for a first!

@aeoner - 13:42 [operator-1 forum battle]

i could picture and MC over this for certain. the intro has that jazzy MC Solaar vibe to it. you always utilize a dope break. overall simple, jazzy and calm.

@borden - assault on batteries

distortion and agression. this feels like a rock tune at first almost, which is epic, and i really like that i changes and almost goes industrial or very early techno..and then just embraces that early techno feel shortly after the 2:00 mark. early nineties flashback. nice outro.

@tribix - what is binary

this also has a cool techno sounding vibe. cool melodies and and acid feel that stands out from the background later in the track (or at least it did to me).

@brunogola

sweet synth sound and drums in the intro. what patch was that made with? the dubby bit that comes in around :50 is a great patch too, almost sounds in reverse. drums in this one stand out to me. i like the hard hits moving into the 2:00 mark. and then almost a vocal in the background emerges. is there a voice sample? seems like one comes through there for a second…or is that just some crazy feedback or CWO? anyways cool track dude!

after considering all of the impressive entries, i think it’s between sammyjams and wingo. both solid tracks throughout with great compositional qualities! but it comes down to one vote, i suppose. one has some party and fun to it, and the other has the grit and distortion…both of which i am liking for different reasons.

need to have a couple more listens to these two (and all, for that matter). but will be back with my final affirmation before the deadline.
#3

@kln thanks for the comments… i still need some time to listen to the entries and vote. the synth in the intro is DSynth with some fx and detuned recording, the sound around 50s is indeed reversed, acoustic guitar + strings synth engine layered. and yes, there is a sampled voice (from the radio) :slight_smile:

#4

I listened to each track a couple of times. There are some solids entries!

@sammyjams I think we could give you any rule and you will still sound as good as you do! I have subscribed to your soundcloud and each time one of your tracks play I know it is one of yours ;). I dig your funky hip hop breaks and I really like how the synth “fit in” with the samples.

@josker I like the ambiance of your track, very calm and minimalistic but it is still rich and complex. The bass line is very intriguing (in a very good way). Plus using a power drill is such a good idea!

@Flom I may be obsessed with basslines but I dig your bass sound, its roundness. Good work on the melody starting at 1:00, the placement and effects are perfect!

@wingo Best use of the delay/reverb effect on keys I have heard in a while! I like the break beat part after the first minute.


@iriebeats The conga-style dub works very well, the “sliding thing” starting at 0:18 as well. Just like @kln, I will look for your next tracks!

@quarantequatre Just reading the title of your song made me travel (French guy here). Very good use of tempo change and distortion, make me feel like I took a shot of caffeine :). Besides the song itself, the choice of the picture for your track feels just right

@aeoner What a track! The intro and lead sounds, the breaks, I really like the atmosphere!

@borden Best intro and outro for this battle! This up-tempo track seems to come directly from an action movie of the 90’s. And using homemade gear is always a plus :slight_smile:

@kln The voice sample are very well used, I really like the drums, mix of PO12 and samples? Very creative track in its genre!

@tribrix Using the Texas Instruments Speak and Math was a great idea! Did the idea of this track came after you strated playing with the TI or did you add this part after? “One…is…one”, love it!

@brunogola the synth and melodica-like sounds are awesome, the keys arpeggios that we here in the back are filling the track nicely. I dig the mood change starting at 2:00!

I am checking the battle entries for a few months now and so far this is the most homogeneous in term of quality in my opinion. Lots of good idea!

But I fell in love with @aeoner 's track. So you will have my vote if and only IF you reveal the name of the movie you took the sample from :wink:

#5

Great entries all. Here are some limited impressions of each track:


@Sammyjams I don’t know how you can do something like this on the OP-1. It’s very impressive. Dig the glitchy vocals and beautiful synth sounds over that infectious beat. Superb craft here. Nicely done.

@josker Wow, very cool, spooky vibe, puts me on edge (I like that) . . . and then that pitched down voice -creepy!- eeek. Seriously though, I love this track. Very beautiful, slightly icky, almost like the ST of a Brothers Quay film. Excellent track.

@Flom Not knowing the POs very well, I can’t tell what comes from what in this work, BUT on the other hand, it doesn’t matter, because what you’ve made here is quite compelling even if I can’t figure out how you put it together (that is almost a benefit, lol). It gives me the impression of being an almost abstract video game soundtrack, and hearing this, it’s a game I’d want to know a lot more about. Truly cool and unique musical construction. Kudos.

@wingo (lol, we used the opposite Volcas, and hearing this makes me want those two that I don’t have). That said, I really dig the minimalist vibe of your track, and the gritty timbres. Captivating composition. It really pulls you in. Nice surprises along the way too. Great work.

@iriebeats Your track could sell a lot of Volca Beats and Keys. Certainly increases my interest in them (after that last track). Really nice composition here, kind of chill, but never dull. I was tapping and bobbing along, happy to go where it took me. Excellent trip.

@Quarantequatre Childlike melody is a very edgy contrast to the scratchy beat and grittier synth sounds. When the tempo picks up, things tie together more coherently, but maintain interest and keep consistency with the more creepy intro. I think it’s kind of brilliant, actually, the way your track metamorphasizes from the intro to the body. One of the cooler things I’ve heard in the amateur musician community. High Praise!

@aeoner Great jazzy vibe. Very chill. I could listen to a whole album of this and never tire of it. Calls to mind the US3 CD I have with Cantoloop on it. Thanks for taking me to an unexpected place toady. I really dug that.

@borden That homemade PWM is so cool. And I really dig your drum kit, perfectly suited to the beat you have, just the right amount of reverb too. This reminds me of Ministry, though I have to say I like it more, for being more musical than I generally find their work, even if it treads lightly in their milieu. Very cool track, I love it.

@kln OMG, love this, like a disco glitch track for the chill room that doesn’t let you really relax at all, lol. You’ve put that Sylophone 2 to great use here too. I love that synth. What else could I say, great track!

@brunogola Really great collection of tibres in this DnB type groove. The melody is very refreshing in this context, not what one would expect, IMO. I keep going back to the sounds though, they are so perfectly blended, excellent craft. This is so well done.

Very tough call, but my vote goes to:

borden

Honorable mentions to: Quarantequatre and brunogola (though honestly, the whole group were fantastic this time, great job everyone).
#6

@Eti I always intended to use the Speak 'n Math for the vocals, but it wasn’t until I started playing with it did I realize what the “lyrics” would be, which then informed the title of the track.


Treating it like any other instrument, I try to let the thing tell me how best to use it, rather than bend the device to my will. I have an idea how I will use it going in, but remain open to it’s quirks and strengths, to get the best out of it.
#7

Thank you everybody for your kind words about my entry!

Boy, this was a great battle, super hard to pick a winner. Came down to @borden and @kln in the end for me. I listened to both again several times and my vote, by a narrow margin, goes to @kln Awesome track, love the vocal samples. But seriously great tracks all of you! Thanks @lymtronics for hosting a really fun one!

#8
thanks @Lymtronics for setting up this battle. its my first time giving feedback. i tried to write a short one for every song.


@sammyjams : great Bassline and beautiful melody starting at 00:40. The part starting at around 3:33 feels to me like another song.

@josker : very nice athmosphere.

@wingo : i really like to listen to that song. espacilly the delayed stuttering makes the cuts feel very soft.

@iriebeats : very relaxed song. If i had a car i would listen to it while driving.

@Quarantequatre : beautiful beginning with a great disharmonic sample. would be great to have the melody starting at 1:00 with a real brassinstrument. nice left right channel changes as well.

@aeoner : I like how the saxsample is always slightly behind the beat of the drums.

@borden : the bass in the beginning totally filled my head, from the left to the right straight to the front. and then the cut. great.

@kln : yeah yeah yeah. i like the melody starting around 1:00 that ends in the part at 1:30.

@tribrix : great bass in the first 10 seconds. sad it didn't return in that intensity.

@brunogola : beautiful subtle bass. really like the part that starts at 00:35. is the melodicalike sound made with the op-1?


My Vote goes to @Quarantequatre

#9

What a great set of submissions!


My vote this time goes to @wingo. I really loved the textures on some of the synth parts in this track.

Honorable mentions go to:

@Quarantequatre - This was an extremely close second. Just loved the emotional impact of this song.

@tribrix - Sup VL-1 buddy! Awesome rezzy bass line.

@sammyjams and @kln - You guys just consistently knock it out of the park. I have voted for both of you multiple times in the past so I wanted to give somebody else a chance this time around.

Good work everybody. See you in Battle 35!
#10

@brunogola - awesome use of DSynth. i really like that sound. thanks for sharing.


@eti - yes, i used several different drum sources. sampled a break or two from vinyl to Tape. then drop & chopped it up in Drum and recreated a new drumkit. sampled PO-12 and sampled Volca Sample to Tape and drop and chopped those ones up too.

@tribrix - the stylophone 2 rules. i was instantly pleased with the depth of sound when it first arrived at my door. it is s bit strange to play live, but doable. definitely makes for amazing sample material, with it’s rich analog warmth.
#11

@kln you are not making this easy (again) to choose.And @Sammyjams you too. What I like with both your tunes is we get some flavour we know and love ,but there is unexpected elements -you are taking it further and experimental .I am always left wondering how you do it.@Sammyjams I found your mix evolving and complex and I am guessing with @kln you get such punchy drums and mix via the orange knob when recording,but still I wonder how you get your mix and arrangement so tight.
Not sure who to vote as we still have longer to choose,but will mention @Quarantequarte ,loving that.So much fun involved and the initial filtering on your sample sounds authentic.
Very difficult to decide but I have kept my other choice secret while I make up my mind…
Well done everyone,there is a definite harmony amongst your entries and thank you @Lymtronics for some more curveballs in making me have to comment to vote.

#12

I will vote for @brunogola. Some of the best parts have a beat-fluency not too unlike those from the LA beat scene. The first half could even be mistaken for Bonobo.

#13

First of all, thank you for your feedbacks and analysis, it’s been a pleasure to read all your comments about the whole entries !
It’s the first battle I’m participating, and I’m really impressed by the quality of all tracks you made.
Special Thanks to @kln @eti @tribix @flom @borden and @Spheric_el for your feedback ! I really appreciate :slight_smile:

@sammyjams This beat is simply awesome, this goes hard ! I really like the “money” part :slight_smile:

@josker Very nice work on this chilly ambiant track ! The use of a camera and power drill is pretty ingenious. I love the bassline. This one could be on Groove Salad for sure !

@Flom This track could be on Groove Salad too IMO ! These little PO seems to be very nice :). I love the windy side of the track, which makes me levitating. Great progression ! And the bass is really awesome !!

@wingo Very nice work on this track ! I love the break at 224 and the kid voice at 238. Awesomely equalized ! Can I ask you which params do you used on the OP1 compressor ?

@iriebeats Awesome housydub track, your work is very clean dude ! Do you use something to sync these 3 little things ?

@aeoner Superb sample, superb drumkit, for a supatrack. I think kln is right when he says that he could picture and MC over your track ! Maybe you should try !

@borden That’s impressive how different style can be produced with this little thing ! Your track sounds analog and as Eti said, seems to be an action movie track :). Your Outro is simply Fantastic !

@kln The intro synth and the drums are perfect. at 104 this melody reminds me a 90s dance track, I don’t remember which one exactly. The beats goes hard ! Awesome return to the slower beat at 220, well done!

@Tribix Is this an LFO track ? For sure it should be ! This reminds me a track I made too ^^ (called everybody are if you wanna check). That’s a special track style, with special stuff. You made a very good work with all of that, congrats :slight_smile:

@brunogola The intro synth is awesome ! Drums are powerfull and awesomely managed. I donno what to say, I just love your track dude, that’s a style I really appreciate, and you made it right !

To conclude, it is very difficult to make a choice. All tracks are great ! Very good work everybody.
My top 5 : @Flom @Josker @kln @brunogola and @wingo
I need to listen all tracks again to make a final choice (but it’s very hard !)

#14

@josker is the winner.


-Spoil- buddy
#15

Great tracks everyone!
I really wanted to enter this battle but I’ve been spending all my free time trying to learn my octatrack.
Tough call but my vote will go to @brunogola

#16

Ok -very sorry @kln but you are a close 2nd.I loved your track.
@brunogola very well done,you beat some heavey hitters -you are my vote for 1st.
My choice between you two came down to harmonics and sound design (more melodic and one or two noises creation-the reverse guitar/synth layer and that acid noise that arrives 2nd half-was it off the KO?Also some sly side chain effect-is that an amp envelope?) So @kln it was tough.Your track has excellent mix and arrangement.
Honorable shout to @Josker for original use of power drill and camera.that too was a great track.

#17

@sammyjams so many things going on! really nice sampling, arrangement, use of tape tricks. love the synth lines/arpeggios coming and going :slight_smile: nice work on the drums and transitions as well

@josker bass and synth lines are so cool in this one… and the voice (!?) in the background creates a weird atmosphere that fits really nice with the rest

@Flom nice slow tune, the bassline is so cool! sounds like constantly evolving.

@wingo nice stereo and fx work, totally op-1 proud :slight_smile:

@iriebeats love the chill vibe, summer is coming! great work on the beats

@Quarantequatre the sampling work on this battle was great. the change in the middle is awesome.

@aeoner nailed it with the sample! would love listening to a version with a MC

@borden EBM all the way, nice!! would also be great to have some vocals :slight_smile: the noises creating a dark atmosphere in the background go really well with the main bassline, congrats!

@Tribix yeah, the speak and math is the star here he! together with the acid synth, of course :wink:

really difficult to choose one, but my vote goes to @kln … so many details. specially with the drums. congrats!!

thanks for the comments everyone. @Spheric_El the acid noise is DSynth with nitro if I remember correctly. and yes, the side chain effect is an amp envelope.

#18

@sammyjams – I’ve really been digging this vocal style lately and I think you pull off the drums and vocals very well, nice tune.


@flom – I like the way you’ve managed to keep the tune pretty busy sound-wise, but it doesn’t sound cluttered, just flows really well. I like it!

@wingo – the bass works really well in this, also dig the breakbeat-type choppiness in this!

@iriebeats – dub stabs always work for me, so you’re way ahead :slight_smile: I like the way the drums and perc are fairly toned down, which leaves room for other interesting elements.

@aeoner – very well done. The sounds are really nice and smooth. Could maybe do with a bit of variation, but great anyhow.

@borden – Cool use of the delay!’’

@kln - very nice, leftfield stuff. one of my biggest favorites.the drums with the 808-style kick and the vocal samples are really great.

@Tribrix - wow, what a gearlist! I like the acidy stuff on here!

@brunogola – everything’s very well thought out, but there’s just the right amount of chaos to keep things interesting.

For this, I would have to choose @brunogola ! It’s just a killer track, plus everything is in it’s right place! Congrats, well deserved!

honorable mention @Sammyjams – the song makes you feel badass and I really like your drums and overall production style, the way things mesh.

#19

Thanks for all the kind words and/or vote! You guys rule. Here I go:

@sammyjams – Rad beat, as usual. Great use of stereo, lots of variety.

@josker - super creative, and dark in a nice way. Vocal stuff is way creepy and I like it.

@flom – Groovy dubbiness. You make the POs sound really good here. Like that main lead line.

@iriebeats – looks like we had the same instrumentation! I love your sound, it’s mixed really well. Super chill vibes. Great use of the Volcas.

@Quarantequatre this made me feel like someone had slipped something in my drink. Are you ok, dude: ;) Total trip. Oh, and my drive settings were 60/25, with the blue sliders at like 75.

@aeoner– Very cool, classic ‘90s triphop/acid jazz vibe. Hypnotic. I feel like I'm floating.

@borden – I’ve gotta say, dude: that oscillator sounds fucking badass. I’m terrible at building electronics and I’m jealous. Love the dark EBM sound, too. Classic vibes for me - reminds me of when I was younger. :)

@kln - This is just fucking tight, dude. Your beats and your sampling are top notch. I gotta say, this is just totally excellent stuff. Chill, trippy, dope AF.

@Tribrix - Dude I dig it. I have a S&M I bent a long time ago, and it was my first and only real attempt. I didn’t even think to use that! I love that sound. Cool stuff - some good acid type vibes.

@brunogola – this is just really great sounding. Nice variation. Smooth, trippy beat - i dig that sort of stumbling triplet thing. Great huge bass sound in the second half. Very tasty.

So it was a pretty close call for me (really I like them all for different reasons), but the two that really grabbed me the most were @brunogola and @kln, and I'm gonna have to go @kln with my vote. That is just some dope stuff.

#20

oh damn, a shameful oversight by me – I managed to skip by @quarantequatre’s track yesterday! Sorry man!


@Quarantequatre – Really like the transition from wonky, drunken stupor to something that feels like a drunken foot chase :smiley: It’s nice how organic you’ve got the track to sound – I guess it’s something that’s best achieved by paying attention to small details and making sure you have small variations, and this is this track’s strong suite!

Still, despite all the others and even @Quarantequatre’s cinematic effort, @brunogola gets my vote.