this is a good treatise about art in general.
I just remembered something you said… You said you play in the beats… I know a trick is to bring the tempo down a bit to play in, then jack it back up to get to DnB level…
Let me see if I can master embedding links as I type this!
This is the first, whole track I’ve made since diving in to learn about synths.
It was also my first attempt at using a sample for more than a single beat. I grabbed a bit of the glockenspiel (?) part at the start, and the guitar parts (starts at 43 secs) from this YouTube video of the 1960’s children’s stop frame animation, Camberwick Green
The whole track was built inside the Polyend Tracker. The guitar part was an odd time signature and, in parts, not strictly to time so that made my job a little harder. I ended up with 96 beat patterns with the guitar sample fitting four 24 beat phrases into the pattern while the drum and bass had just three 32 beat phrases per pattern…poly rhythmic I guess. Made things awkward but interesting.
I went into this not actually knowing what DNB was so my drum pattern was probably a little simplistic but I was happy with it for a first attempt. I selected the drum components from an 80s drum kit sample (that may have shipped with the PT) and same for the bass…just picked the fattest thing I could find! Getting a bass riff that sounded vaguely in tune with the guitar sample was a bit tricky.
Listening back to all the finished pieces, a stand out feature for me was how good some of the other mixes/mastering were. I did apply a few effects and a little filtering but the song was a pretty much a vanilla export out of the PT…this is an area for me to (hugely) improve on.
edit: bass not base!
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Hey, I’m happy to mix this playlist but I would much rather do it properly which means using the actual files instead of streaming them.
Not sure how everybody feels about this, but I would need the .wavs to continue. It IS possible to stream direct into Serato from Soundcloud but its kind of clunky and requires the Soundcloud GO subscription, and is likely to be poorer quality audio.
Maybe, keep it in mind for next time round, with participants sending @BLKrbbt the audio files?
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I have a folder with all the tracks I can send you… Ill PM you
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I’m totally fine with this, who wouldn’t want to hear their tune actually used in context for a change instead of isolation, I actually can’t wait to hear the results 
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As ex-dnb-dj and enjoyer of all submissions here, I will be more than pleased to hear all tracks in a continuous mix!
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I’m quite happy with this. 
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So I’ve now got all your files loaded into Serato 
I just had a brief but fun mix with them to get a feel for how they sound and I’ll get a recording done over the weekend. It makes me feel kind of nostalgic, due to the broad array of gear used to make the tracks, I have that feeling where different vinyls could have a vastly different sound from each other.
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I think also since its unlikely anyone really slaved over the mixdown, and without proper mastering etc they’ll all have a very different overall character. Thinking back to my vinyl mixing days, I also feel quite nostalgic about that
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Yeah I think best to leave them. Mine had clipping and limiters on buses and the master, and any more would probably just make it worse lol.
What could be interesting is loudness normalisation, so all the tracks are perceived as having similar loudness.
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This.
Also this. A tiny bit.
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My track was definitely not created with intention of fitting in a mix, probably would have made so many different choices.
With general mix issues for my track that I didn’t fix like the bass being too loud, uneven volume in parts and other sloppy mix issues- I would have no problem with someone changing/ taming some things with eq comp etc if they wanted to. especially if it helped to fit into the overall mix of tracks.
That was just unintentional poor mixing from me that I didn’t have the time/skill/equipment to fix. No attachment from me thinking this track is where it should be.
Man, I’m just reminded of buying janky bootlegged white-label 12’s that would have like 4 to 6 out of print early jungle tracks per side. Super flimsy vinyl, questionable cuttings, god knows what the levels might be like, tempos and quantization all over the place. My poor Gemini XL-500’s couldn’t handle the amount of manhandling it took to get them mixed into a set with anything current (99-03 era).
Nostalgia, I’m having a moment
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Very pleased to be part of a mix by @djenzyme and a part of this whole thing! I look forward to hearing the mix. Congrats to the winners 
and thanks to all for sharing your process. Nice to read a variety of gear in use.
My track was made entirely on an OP-Z with a zoom ms70cdr for some effects. I sampled Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors, one of my favourite cartoons as a kid and definitely deserves a live action remake!
I noticed instantly when listening to other songs the superior sound quality of theirs. I really need to improve my sound design and work on my mixing/mastering skills. It is tough to do on an OP-Z though: there isn’t an EQ just a multimodal filter per track and adding the inbuilt compression shreds the audio over usb signal.
I would really welcome any constructive critique of my efforts to help me improve. I’m here to learn.
Positives to take away:
- Sampling and making kits for op-z via a computer isn’t that bad
- Yes you can program DnB hard step beats on an op-z
- Step components and p-lock style step editing on the op-z is fun and powerful
Goals for next time:
- Quality: focus on high quality sounds from synths
- Simplicity: less sounds and more space between samples and synth sounds
- Complexity: more drum variation needed
Something I’ve realised since completing this challenge is that if I make a jam for each of these monthly challenges and I’m happy with even 1/3 of my efforts then I’ll have enough for an EP—fun and productive!
Pumped for the next one!
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I think that especially if you’re working on an OP-Z, this is the thing that will benefit you the most. Since you can’t even EQ, you’re gonna need more space for things to get a good mix. Less is more in this case.
Also with dnb the tempo style of the beat can make it really hard. Like between your kick and snare you’ll likely be covering the entire frequency spectrum, and it’s fast, so they both hit regularly, not to mention other percussion and ghost snares etc. Spacing things out in time also helps your mix. Like maybe your kick and bass don’t hit at exactly the same moment and take turns a bit, for example.
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I’m of the opinion that my own tracks tracks don’t need it, I always use the the stock Ableton full mastering chain at the point of exporting so I’d rather have the final decision on that if it’s okay, I’ve managed to get things pretty consistent now…
Yeah, I was just spitball in when @djenzyme talked about the different levels, but that’s part of production, mastering. And I’m no mix engineer, so I may do something that the originator doesn’t like.
I think it’s a factor of the competition that’s should be part of the judging process.
I’m going to post tracks as I receive them and respect the integrity of the artist.
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Me too!
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I support your vinyl hauls, friend 
It’s a much more enjoyable experience than hoarding mass produced paper cards. Plus, those janky bootlegs have treasures no one will ever know about! 
It might seem like I’m an outsider chiming in right now, but I very much agree with your feelings and it is a really great way to challenge oneself to produce. It’s always amazing to see the outcomes of these challenges! It feels like being at a cipher for producers.
This is solid advice and it can be heard in your play style 
I used to struggle with this a lot in the past. Still do, but I used to too. 
@djenzyme looking forward to the mix May yours, and the fellow members fingers be aided by the musical gods on your paths
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Yeah I mean it’s all part of the process artistically but I try no to let it cloud my judgement to much when voting, obviously if a track is horrendous start to finish it’s hard to get past that but I don’t discount good work that maybe has a slightly iffy mix or mix elements…
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