Voting time!!! Thanks to everyone who participated on battle 38 (and everyone who tried 
).
Special thanks to @yoof for setting up the playlist for a more comfortable listening experience:
And here are the battle entries:
@motone - thanks for hosting the battle!
iâve had a listen to the tracks, and there are some gems in this set.
do you want to decide on a deadline for voting? in past battles, deadlines usually range up to a week or so for folks to weigh in.
would like to listen a couple more times before i select my choice, and see if i have time to make a few notes on the tracks.
ooh. Lots of good stuff. @motone thanks for the battle. I really feel like it brought out some of my favorite results of any of the battles Iâve participated inâŚ
Some thoughtsâŚ
@gambler I love what you made. The texture is really beautiful⌠you make me wish Iâd filled out the low/low mids in mine way more 
I mightâve been unconsciously inspired by your track.
I mightâve been unconsciously inspired by your track.
@LyingDalai I like your whole track but the outro bit especially makes me smile⌠Something like chiptunes gone wrong. I donât know. I just love the outro
@aeoner The texture and energy of this track is great. I wish the drifty-ness was a little less chaotic and more consciouses. Like when it drifts off I wish it would come back to sync more predictably or spend less long adrift. The rhythmic drive is so strong in the beginning I was sad when everything drifted apart for so long :â(
@kln That shit is polished and beautiful. You only arenât getting my vote because I feel like even though you made a great track, the panning was more incidental than really the central theme. It was hard to make strong drums without centering them. I got lazy and just cut the drums and some others used some cool techniques to make it feel like there was something in the middle. I know we had the artistic freedom to choose but to me there was too much stuff in the center. Still super dope though.
@yoof I really like the way you treat my ears 
Seriously though you had, for me, the most interesting approach the the challenge. The use of stereo and the little moments where things come together and provide fleeting relief from the tension of hard panning keeps everything interesting. This track feels more technical. I loved that other one you make, tearing shapes, is that it? Because I felt like it did the same stuff but felt super nostalgic and sweet. But you still get my vote.
Seriously though you had, for me, the most interesting approach the the challenge. The use of stereo and the little moments where things come together and provide fleeting relief from the tension of hard panning keeps everything interesting. This track feels more technical. I loved that other one you make, tearing shapes, is that it? Because I felt like it did the same stuff but felt super nostalgic and sweet. But you still get my vote.Thanks to everyone for all the awesome listening. I sold my OP-1 a few years ago and just bought a new one like 2 days before this challenge posted. What a fun thing to come back to.
Also so whoeverâs tallying doesnât have to read all my pretentious feedback :PâŚ
@yoof gets my vote!
Letâs finish the voting on next weekend (Feb 14th).
Iâve really been enjoying the battle entries and giving them repeat listens⌠Iâll do a proper write-up and cast my vote later in the week. Just have to decide which one gets the vote first! =)
Me too. I already listened to the whole playlist twice and I still donât know which one will get my vote. Awesome submissions everyone. Really a hard decision.
Alright, time to place my vote. It's nearly impossible to decide on one track because every entry is awesome. So it'll be a matter of personal taste, I'm afraid...
@Servando Very nice sounds, especially the 101-esque bass. The whole arrangement sounds very balanced, even with the extreme panning positions. Well done!
@Aahz Nice and dreamy piece of music. I really enjoyed it.
@yoof Awesome sounds and very detailled sequencing. Thumbs up!
@kln Very trippy track. I really like the different pannings of the vocals.
@vehka Great piece. It has such a great feeling. Really nice!
@goose_bumps <= Nomen est omen. Love that fine and minimal orchestration of your piece.
@quarantequatre Epic piece, from the vocals to the sounds to the calming field recordings.
@Spheric_El What a strange subliminal track. I love strange subliminal tracks. Nice tempering with the child's voice samples!
@LyingDalai Hope everyone is well again. Awesome track, especially the break in the second half, that made me smile!
@Edzilla Great introduction. Your entry is full of surprises. Good implementation of the panning rule, each side does indeed work as a piece alone.
@aeoner Nice track. I wish it would be a bit longer. I love the odd sequence which seems to run out of timing and back all the time.
My vote goes to @Spheric_El, because ... yeah I already wrote it: so beautiful subliminal and strange.
Hey everyone! Havenât been around in a while, happy to see this is still very much a thing!!
Chucking in my vote for @KLN, very impressive work! That bit around 1:30 where youâre bouncing the arp off each side was what really caught my attention. I love that kind of intricate detail, reminds me of those people who build model ships inside of bottles hahaha
@LyingDalai was a very very close second for me, that guitar(?) bit at the end reminds me a bit of Mars Volta 
@Edzilla I really like the variety of your entry! The drums are kick ass. IMHO you missed some âeasy winsâ not scattering things like the rain drops or drumrolls across both channels
Everyone else also did a great job with this. I didnât hit the skip button once!
My vote goes to @quarantequatre. It had the most emoptional impact to me personally. Runners up are @yoof and @KLN for technical excellence.
tl;dr - my vote goes to @Gambler. More commentary below.
@Gambler:
Organic, moody vibe. Like a soundtrack from a weird 60s horror movie. Builds intensity towards the end skillfully. It's amazing how much emotion you compress into two minutes. Great work!
@Servando:
I like how the drums take turns in the channels. Although I liked the groove a lot, I felt the track could've had more of a progression or a dramatic arc. Still, I enjoyed the sounds and the groove!
@Aahz:
This was really great too, the pads are both mellow and somehow... dangerous. I like the understated melody. The back-and-forth of the channels work well too I think.
@yoof:
You're really showcasing the awesome beat here, with so much space in the mix. In the beginning, I kind of expected the tempo to double or a bassline to drop at some point, but once the pad b-part comes in for the first time, it feels natural and works great. The crazy panned beats in the end were my favorite stereo tricks in the whole battle.
@kln:
The production's super-slick, the mood's great. Really liked it! I wasn't that crazy about the vocal sample, but still, this one's was one of my favorite ones!
@goose_bumps:
I love the melancholic, cinematic feel of the song. Not sure of the filter effects, but they do add a sense of progression to the track. It's a great track in any case!
@quarantequatre:
There's a great emotional tension throughout the song, and the production is awesome. My only criticism is that I think you didn't really embrace the challenge of creating two separate channels of music, but then again, the stereo image is very thoughtfully constructed and it sounds awesome with headphones. Artistic freedom, what @motone allowed for in the rules. Compress the vocals a bit more and it's ready for the local indie radio channel!
@Spheric_El:
Out there and strange. You manage to really make it sound like it was composed on analog tape, and I thought that was super cool. One of my favorites for sure!
@LyingDalai:
There's a heavy, brooding vibe to this track that I liked. Also, the tempo change in the outro creates a sense of urgency. You really tell a story with this one! Really liked this one too!
@Edzilla:
Fun medley, would totally work in a soundtrack for a game. All three parts are solid compositions and would work on their own too. Great build-up with the last one before the "death"! Extra points for the guitar + synth combo. =) =)
@aeoner:
Really interesting conceptual approach with the different rhythms in the channels. I think you were onto something great but I still felt the execution was quite not there yet. There was something weird in the left channel, small gaps in the rhythm or something? I suppose that was unintended? Really liked the main string riff.
Had to leave this for the next message, because I hit a post character limit or something:
This one was a really tight competition, had a hard time deciding which one would get my vote out of the 7 or 8 ones that I liked the most! Well done everybody!
All good, I can say, listening through the whole playlist. Good stuff guys!
I vote for @quarantequatre for the epic vibes!
Thank you for your coms @motone @vehka. I know I broke lot of rules, mainly cause of my merging issue of my 4 tracks (jewâs harp and birds). As I said, this track thrilled me, Iâve really touch something and I didnât want to stop it :). Iâm gonna try to recompress the voice a bit, just got to find an indie radio then :D, should be great.
Thank you very much for the vote @mixrasta @Samurai1v_v7Black @borden, I really appreciate and Iâm glad you like it
@Gambler
Awesome piece, perfectly balanced, your track could be a movie track for sure ! Reminds me some Radiohead intros mixed with some Chapelier Fou tunes. One of my favorite.
@Servando
I really like the work on the beat you made, and the bass. All well panned. Good work dude !
@Aahz
These pads <3 Lovely, Iâm in love with these ambients sounds. Awesome, peaceful and your track is a real cream for my ears. One of my favorite
@yoof
These beats man ! And the lead is so gorgeous, I love it. The stressed beat is really well done, and the panned effect is pretty awesome. Great work buddy
@kln
The drums are perfectly sampled, and sound like a pro. Awesomly balanced track, even with hard pan. Thatâs a very good work. The voice reminds me Miss Kittin.
@vehka
Really like the acoustic guitar, very nice piece. As @motone said, it has a great feeling. Thatâs a very nice analog and acoustic mixture.
@goose_bumps
Love the atmosphere of this one. This reminds me some space opera soundtracks. And I feel like Iâm floating in space. Great track !
@Spheric_El
This sound really strange, and thatâs the way you make it really interesting. It reminds me some of BoC tracks which I Love. I think this could be a game track (Maniac Mansion or Day of the Tentacule for example) when exploring some strange places or labs :D. One of my fav
@LyingDalai
One more great track ! Thatâll be hard to choose one ! Really like the melodics, so smooth and soothing. Did the break show us the âanarchyâ at home when your whole family was puking everywhere ? Another awesome track. One of my fav tooooooooâŚIf think there is to much fav on this battle !
Edit : Just found it ! Your track reminds me some Ratatat tunes !
@Edzilla
The first part is epic ! As vehka said, the 3 parts are very good basis for 3 different tracks ! Love the Last one too, but the first one is my fav ! One of my fav again in this crazy battle.
@aeoner
This sequence is one my favorite. I like the way you use it ! The different rhythms are interesting, seems like a cycle that goes awry and returns to its original state. Great work.
Now thatâs hard, cause all tracks are awesome, every participants made real good tracks.
I 'm still hesitating between @Gambler the orchestral, @Aahz the cream, @yoof the hard panned leader, @kln the prosound, @goose_bumps the space opera, @Spheric_EL the strange tentacule, @LyingDalai the reggaepuke, @Edzilla the 3 mindedâŚ
I really need to listen the whole tracks once again.
After several listenings, my vote goes to @LyingDalai cause I really like the melody, very hard choice, everybody made beautiful work, in such different styles.
Congratulations to all participants.
Ok wow,its been a long winter ,still not over,nice though coz of these open and fun rules,leading to lots of entries hereâŚ
@Gambler soo sountracky, love it.Chords are deffo doing it for me. Worthy of any Radiophonic Workshop record comp (-which is the highest of praises).
@Servando nice polyrhythmic square wave and appreciate the OP1ness with the mix and you stuck to the brief well.This would definitely rock a club, reminding me of nights gone by.
Nicely mixed in and out parts too.
@Aahz another soundscaper, nice. Dreamy, other worldly.Good progression. Also good use of pan and I like the choice of synth sounds. Well realised.
@yoof Back with the Beats! Very original in that the drums are centre stage .King of the beats, I love the way you do them.With this track the other elements add really well and the mix is perfect.
I have to say I loved your other entry tooâŚ
(In future a good rule could be enter as many tracks as possible ,voting for all as a group).
This track was maybe the most original entry (?)
@kln wow, another great beatsmith from the group.
This has one of the strongest musicalities of the tracks this time sounding so complete.
I am prejudice against samples that are made for that purpose (my own small mind I know- but I prefer samples from found sound places ,like radio ,vinyl and concrete.Stuff that needs clearing)âŚ
But this blows it out the water , telling me to, er, open my eyes.
@vehka Like it. Great mix of electronic and acoustic with full use of panning , making for a heady happening of jazzy, OP-1ness.Sounds great on headphones and stuck to the brief really well.
This track grows with repeated listens, showing a depth and quality.
@goose_bumps Great space in this track, letting the elements breath. This could be in a film , so there for its speaks well ,with a lot or feeling and meaning in the arrangement.Like the synths too, which do sound like our beloved OP-1. Excellent beatlessness.
@quarantequartre wellâŚermâŚwhat can I say?
(delete expletives) This thing hits like a ten ton truck.
I didnât know that was a jews harp until you showed the picture (couldnât recognise it-and I play one) so well effected/sampled.
This track rules as far as musicality. The chords are killer, Rhythm section just builds and builds on such a solid foundation. Love this.
I was at a disadvantage coming after such a full sounding and brilliantly written track,hehe. I was shy with my drive setting, wanting to retain dynamics ,but wished afterwards iâd crushed mine to compete.
I know you had trouble and had to break a rule by using a DAW. Breaking the rules was part of the brief, so I shall bear this in mind. I know how hard you tried to make your OP1 version work and I can only wonder about what that would of sounded like.
(btw where are the vocals from?You and your girl?)
@LyinfDalai This is a really nice chilled track,glitchy too.Loving the pan work and arrangement and OP1 effects, plus its quirky changes , from just a few note shift to full tempo and phrase shifts.That guitarâŚIt has a certain âŚBowieness to it! I like ,and guitars aint my comfort zone.
Love that you entered this regardless of difficulty (and would of preferred more work). Also great name,summing up excellently.An excellent track in itself.
@Edzilla Great concept and loving the moods you evoke, telling stories of 8bit dungeons and atmospheres. Great to have it in three stages and final stage being very topical. I like the unbalanced mix of left and right at end and could only hear it on headphones ,so hidden depths. Great musicality ,which is what iâve chosen to judge this battle on. Totally quirky too with original arrangements and rhythms.
@aeoner Excellent panning and I like the unusual timing of melody ,that still holds ,even if un-gridlike.
Plus enjoying drones and rhythm. I like the way youâve jammed it making use of the stutter ,while staying on beat. It has good OP1ness to its sound.
Much respect and thanks to @motone for such open rules and flexible times.
OKâŚMy vote is âŚ
@quaratequartre So well done. You had very tough competition beating veterans at their best.
I will refrain from mentioning 2nd place, hopefully you guys know who you are.I do wish (again) I could vote twice. It feels so hard. I just want to say I am a big fan of you guys and it was an absolute honour and pleasure to take part and be including with some of the best OP-1 musicians in the world !
Keep the Love.
Hey thanks a lot for the vote @motone .Iâm really surprised as wasnât expecting any.Just read through after making my comments and thanks everyone else for the good feedback. Just great to get involved.
@44 beautiful track ! But not enough panning games, imo.
@yoof favorite stereo tricks, this is the kind of track I would have loved to come up with !
But the track that touches me the most is @Gamblerâs one ! Best intro track for a Battle:)
In the end you get my vote, @Gambler !
Congratulations everyone, this was a really nice battle !!
pheew, sorry for the late feedback, life pulls you awayâŚ
@vehka - really really loved the guitar work - this is one is one of my favs cause to me it sounded most like the brief - two different songs that came together.
@Gambler eerie cinematic vibe, could see this setting the mood for a story-heavy game.
@Servando nice groove to this, and then the acid kicks in, big fan of the sound.
@Aahz love the way everything keeps peaking up and then running off to the other ear. Nice layering, interesting vibe.
@yoof enjoyed the little delayed fx and foley stuff bouncing around in there.
@kln gave me a feeling of a battle-record beat, would love to cut it up over this, the breathing was really cool as were the pitched vocal play, dope!
@quarantequatre - loved the tape speed work, loved the nature foley, loved the bass line, yea!
@Spheric_El - panned delayed tapestops! yes please! this one was super interesting and built really well - loved it!
@LyingDalai - some cool âcomeupâ moments in here
@Edzilla Visions of platforming-Amiga-goodness.
@aeoner - like the tape stop work and it really did sound like two different pieces. nice job!
My standouts:
my vote goes to @Spheric_El just got more and more interesting as it went along.
Great fun, operators! Well done to all!
Thanks to everybody who already gave their vote. I think Iâll extend the voting for another day.
So everyone who didnât vote yet: last chance!
Hey thanks a lot @goose_bumps .
I really loved yours too.Definitely a special vibe and really well played.