This website is the home for our ongoing musical projects. The main one is the "beatoffs", where we choose a theme and do whatever we can with it within a timelimit. Usually about an hour. We're sometimes graced by the presence of Kluvma in these short sessions, and hope to include even more people in the future.
The goal with this project is to get better at coming up with ideas quickly, and try out features we wouldn't normally use. Usually we don't take the songs further than the very basic idea you will hear here, but sometimes we'll follow through with one.
I’ve had “Worlds Remain – Moderator” stuck so hard in my head that not using its chords would be impossible. I had learned them earlier, but took some time to add some variations to them. Spent most of my time trying to get a decent take as usual when playing instruments in these challenges. Then, while looking to improve its tone, I stumbled across this weird bassy one that I started to play around with. Finally I finished it off by throwing in the first drum samples I could find. I like both of the guitar parts, but they do not fit together well at all. I would scrap the drums immediately if I continued working on this.
Fun to be back doing the hourly challenges! I just bought the spitfire firewood piano so I thought it would be fun to try it out here. I couldn't find a way to transition into the “beat-part”, would’ve tried out some pads or strings if I had the time.
Vals! Sa Vidar. Ja! Sa jag och hämtade mitt dragspel.
I wanted to take the time to finish a song since it had been a while since last time I did it. “Spoopdrop”, from beatoff nr.12, had been on my mind for a while so I went with it as a starting point. At first I tried in vain to escalate it further but was forced to give up on that route after going nowhere for multiple sessions. I started leaning more into the dark adventure mood and went with a calmer B section instead. Having three different pads alternating made a big difference, and so did the further modulation of the lead throughout the song. In the end I managed to get some more intensity in it by having this oscillating note on top.
A cromatic progression means playing multiple notes right next to each other in a row. The goal was to somehow include that in this piece.
I decided to impose the one track limitation to myself since Bubb was recording outdoors with a cellphone. While this led to a more detailed part than I usually get, the complexity of it made it even harder to get a decent take within the deadline. My problem with finding the correct guitar tone is still bugging me as well. Still, I think that a cleaned up version of this could be a solid foundation for a good song so I’m happy with it.
I might have stolen a chord or two from paranoid android but still proud of this little idea. It was good for me to step out of my comfort zone and incorporate more chromatic notes in my playing. The main part has two parallel descending chromatic lines; one goes down three notes and one four.
I’m so pleased with this one! It isn’t the hardest drop by any means, but its intensity fits well with the atmosphere. The wub sound is a new best for me if we set aside the fact that it requires a very specific note velocity to work in the DAW. And the modulation of the lead gives it much more character.
I actually think this could be a banger if I just knew how to make a buildup and a drop. I like the notes and the sound of the lead. I should have done more research on basic production tips for build ups and drops before attempting this.
Use and manipulate some fire samples we found. All parts of the track must consist of altered or unaltered fire samples.
I knew from the start that I had to go the action movie route. Unfortunately that was all I had going for me apart from having watched some of Andrew Huang’s videos. The hour was spent pitchshifting things and trying out different effects at random. I got surprisingly close to my goal in the end, but I’d say it was mostly luck. This is definitely something I’d like to improve on!
This was a fun challenge! I found manipulating the sounds very difficult and I didn’t like anything I made. The mix is ear-piercing but it was still fun and I learned a lot.
This got into LoFi territory real quick. I started with the midsection chords and then went on to the longer than anticipated intro. I’m reminded once again that I wish I could play the piano better, but at least it’s a bit smoother than usual this time. While playing the part over and over in hopes of a decent take I found myself humming along, and decided to try to include it. I’ve got no clue what I’m doing when it comes to voice but I slapped a phaser on it and it sounded fitting. I’m also very proud by the fact that it doesn’t sound too of key.
Everything I make after this masterpiece will sound like a steaming pile of trash and I’m considering quitting now before I ruin the legacy of this absolute banger.
By far the most chaotic drums I’ve made, and also probably the most interesting ones to listen to. Though I do wish that I could have made samples sound better. I like the other sounds I used, and somehow I even had time to spice it up with some details. All in all I count this as a success!
I spent most of my time programming the drum beat and I think it’s really cool. I used quintuplets, triplets and even a weird nested tuplet. I was pretty worried that I couldn't find a lead that would work over the beat considering how complicated it was but I somehow managed to come up with one almost immediately.
Solo piano piece consisting of three parts. One hand is free to play anything during all three parts but the other hand can only play one, two or three notes. A part is defined as a period of time where you play n number of notes with your right hand and n remains unchanged.
I thought it’d be fun to impose the 1 2 3 rule on the high notes instead of the low ones. It didn’t take too long to find an idea I quite liked, but getting an acceptable take was another matter. The only reason I settled for this take was the lack of time. Ignoring the performance I do like what I came up with. The first part is lightly inspired by Lena Raine, and the last part made me think of a Zelda game.
I’m very proud of this chord progression. I kind of cheated by putting the lead as the bass part but I couldn't find a lead that worked in the higher octaves. I also had no idea what to do for the third part and with a few minutes remaining, I just copied the first part and fucked it up out of frustration.
I attempted to make a house song but I could not for my life create a sound I enjoyed. In the end I just jumped straight to the orchestral library and threw something together so I at least get something done.
The title sums up the process of making this pretty neatly. I have no idea what polymeter or time signature this is. I’m pretty sure it’s a polymeter though.
Most of my time went to getting a good enough guitar recording. After that came some knee-smacking, a kick and some midi upright bass. This is definitely one of my favorites so far.
I was really into this idea while making but it sounds extremely convoluted and muddy now that I listen back on it. I like the strings and the guitar part but everything else is pretty ugly. The “airplane swell” thing somehow got put over the entire mix. I tried to remove it but couldn't.
Make a LoFi beat based on a drumsample Bubb found.
First I EQ'd the sample in an attempt to make it sound more LoFi. After that came the "wannabe jazzy" piano, some detuning, background noise and a pad. I wanted to add a guitar but did not have enough time.
This was supposed to be lofi but it felt a little more dark/jazzy to me. The distorted guitar solo doesn’t help it sound any more lofi either. Overall I’m pretty indifferent to this idea.
Write a melody, transpose it in time and use it as a countermelody to itself.
I tried going for a Melanie Martinez vibe since I thought using all twelve notes in the scale would sound weird, and the best thing to do was to lean into it. Can’t say I got all the way there, but it does sound like there could be some creepy clown nearby so that’s something at least.
I finally got my Focusrite audio interface which meant that I finally could record guitar. I’m not too sure why I thought this was “kanon”. This was the first time ever that I programmed drums.
I tried going for a Melanie Martinez vibe since I thought using all twelve notes in the scale would sound weird, and the best thing to do was to lean into it. Can’t say I got all the way there, but it does sound like there could be some creepy clown nearby so that’s something at least.
Well, this is a mixed bag… I actually really like the synth part in the beginning and I like the cool fx thing I put over it too. The problem was that I still had like 5 chromatic notes that I somehow had to fit in the track so I made this horrible drop. The kick isn’t even in time because I had no idea how to quantize.
The beginning of this project! I went with Spitfires “Soft Piano” to sketch out a lead, and then managed to make a nice chord sound based on a harp. The key modifications were the wet reverb and stereo Ping-Pong delay. I’m not as pleased with the drums and the glitch effect at the end. But it was very enjoyable to play around with the fracture plugin.
This was one of my first ever projects in Ableton. Considering that I didn't know how to do anything but record midi inputs, I’m actually very proud of this little idea. I found a very pretty bell pad and a beautiful piano that I found suited the phrygian sound nicely. The mix is terrible of course but there is something special about this track to me. It evokes a dark foresty-nostalgic feel that I can’t stop loving.
