Libre Music Challenge #6 : Lullabies !

[a.very]

Hello everyone, and happy new year!

I've been checking out this forum and various related YouTube videos for quite some time now, even though I wasn't doing anything like composing or arranging. Saying to myself that one day I'll find the time to get into it.
With some days off work for the holidays, this challenge seemed a good opportunity. Also, being an amateur xylophone/glockenspiel player irl, I thought I could stand a chance with this theme .

So last week I installed Manjaro (thanks, @unfa) and learned some basics about MIDI in Ardour (thanks again, @unfa), so I can present you today with my debut "ardour-test" er... I mean "Sweet Dreams".
It's only a short song (about 2min.) and using only one main theme (with some variation in used instruments), but I guess that this simplicity is appropriate for a lullaby.

https://archive.org/details/sweet-dreams_202101 (edit: removed unsupported audio-tag)

Used software: Ardour 6.5, Surge, Zyn
Used hardware: what I guess must be almost the bare minimum: Intel Core2Duo E8500 Processor with 6GB RAM / 1280x1024 Samsung monitor / keyboard and mouse for midi note input

Though you won't hear me sing, here is my attempt at some lyrics:

Be still, my baby
And close your eyes
The stars will be guiding you
All through the night

Sweet dreams, my baby
Let me keep you warm
The world is your oyster
When you're safe in my arms

[Sahaathyva]

sfizz, Virtual Playing Orchestra, JJazzLab soundfonts, some ACE, LSP and Calf effects.

That reminds me that I have a question about:

Only the plugins built in effects are allowed this time, just allow FXs on the master bus.

I only used Ardour's team's stuffs, but I wondered about the MIDI sounds and left the general MIDI's default. Hearing and reading the other competitors, I think I've been too extreme on the interpretation of “built in”.
So, even though, lacking time, and the general MIDI piano sounding quite good, I will certainly leave this as is, are there any limitations on the choice of MIDI sound banks?

Well i meant FX must be in the plugin you use (sampler, synth whatever), Fx in the mixer should only be in the master track

But frankly don't worry , same about the release date , it's all about fun so if you need 1 or 2 more days you can

i will put a reminder just before closing the collect of lullabies

[y6nH]

The brief says you can use any synth plugins, so use any samplers and soundfonts you like (as long as they're FOSS). The restriction is on effects plugins.

[Senbee]

Uhm... This disqualifies my song
I put tons of effects on every track: compressors, equalizers, reverbs... All FOSS, all coming with KXStudio, but anyway still effects on tracks.

I'm sorry, I didn't read properly.

Feel free to take off my song from the competition.

[Sahaathyva]

Will keep without voting for the pleasure of listen if you permit @Senbee

[Lèyon di li Neûris′]

But frankly don't worry , same about the release date , it's all about fun so if you need 1 or 2 more days you can

i will put a reminder just before closing the collect of lullabies

I prefer not to impose any delays to others, so, here is the song as is (with “Oohs” sounds of the general midi instead of my vocals) — as an artist, I always have a problem with deadlines anyway:

• Fais dodo Louise (FLAC file of this unfinished version)

• Fais dodo Louise (Ardour project up to now)

(sorry not to use archive.org but I'm not use to it and don't have much time left today). Those files are in the Creative Common Zero licence and even though you perfectly have the right to do that with this licence, I prefer it not to be used in any commercial private network, all the more those of very big companies that proprietarised the world wide web, so, I prefer it not to be used in YouTube as for what concern this challenge.
I will do the version with vocals for Louise later (and not for the challenge, to be frank, I don't like challenges anyway), hopefully in the following days, but I'm not even sure as I have an other important project to finish (and that a few people are waiting).
And here are more information (in french) about the idea of that song[edit], lyrics[/edit] and more generally about the concept of adapting it to any baby (like I've done with my nephew).
Last and least: it's short, but it can be repeated multiple times .
[edit="as I forgot to mention (and mostly to summarise as almost all was mentioned here and there)"]
Made with:

• Ardour 5.12.0 using:
  • General MIDI with:
    • Stereo Grand (piano);
    • Voice Oohs (in replacement for not recorded yet vocals);
  • On the Bus Master:
    • Volume automation (for the fade out that I made better on the private version for my nephew but it's not the definite version);
    • a-Amplifier (by Ardour Team).

[/edit]

[Senbee]

Will keep without voting for the pleasure of listen if you permit @Senbee

Sure I permit
Thank you guys, and sorry again.

[Lèyon di li Neûris′]

I put tons of effects on every track: compressors, equalizers, reverbs... All FOSS, all coming with KXStudio, but anyway still effects on tracks.

I'm sorry, I didn't read properly.

Feel free to take off my song from the competition.

I didn't wanted to point that out, I took your description as a base point to understand how that works. Sorry. The most important is that you participated and made a great song.

[Lèyon di li Neûris′]

(sorry not to use archive.org but I'm not use to it and don't have much time left today).

I looked a bit on it (now that I make a pause on my other stuffs to do) and sign-in is mandatory in archive.org, I don't like that, even though it's a non-profit association, they don't seem transparent in terms of what software they are using, are they free / libre? Besides, in their archive, they have unfree / unlibre stuffs. Wikipedia doesn't require to sign-in (I never signed in in Wikipedia or Wiktionary and I've done plenty of — little — contributions) and I think this kind of website should be the same. You (and anyone) can put my Creative Common Zero music there to work as usual for the challenge (as I understood it) or for whatever reason, no problem, but I won't do it myself because of this mandatory sign-in, sorry.

[dr4co]

I thought I wasn't going to make it, but since Sahaathyva extended the deadline a bit, here's my lullaby.

Lydian Lullaby (flac)
Lydian Lullaby (mp3)

Made with:

• Helio Workstation (composition)
• Surge (+built-in delay)
• Helm (+built-in fx)
• Vital (+built-in fx)
• Ardour 5.12 (a-Compressor on the Master bus)
• Audacity for final editing (fadeout & normalization)

To drive the dreamy drifting ambient feeling home, I decided to use Lydian and 5/4 time. I hope little Louise will appreciate it

[Sahaathyva]

Ok Girls and Guys !

It is (lately ) time to close the subs, i collected them all.

Internet Archive link is coming as the voting

Stay tuned

[Sahaathyva]

Well archive.org kind of sux when being an uploader
It considers that i'm a spammer , so i had to write them an email to unlock the thing,
i will tell you when it is done.

See you!

[Sahaathyva]

Ok fellow libre musicians !

Upload is done there : https://archive.org/details/libre-music-challenge-06/

As the challenge tiny dictator ( the great clearly commander in chief still being Rob ) i decided that Senbee's subscription could be in the voting as the Fx could have be putted on his guitar before the microphone and therefore it would have been ok.

If you find this unfair or want to exclude this nice track tell us and we can discuss it, or maybe Does Stefano not want to be voted

Now you know what to do of your sunday, there are 11 tracks to listen/review

Happy sunday, see you later

[Lèyon di li Neûris′]

If you find this unfair or want to exclude this nice track tell us and we can discuss it, or maybe Does Stefano not want to be voted

This is totally unfair …that you waited (uselessly ) for me!

[Senbee]

If you find this unfair or want to exclude this nice track tell us and we can discuss it, or maybe Does Stefano not want to be voted

Well, guys, I didn't respect the rules, while you all did. So I feel I'm stealing votes.

Let's do this, if you agree: I'm ok to be voted, at least I'm curious to see if someone likes that song, but in the unlikely event it wins, I will give off the winner position to the 2nd.