Sound Lab Presents: The 80s Beat Battle Voting Thread

deepfriedjellol · Post by **deepfriedjellol** » Thu Dec 20, 2007 8:23 am

great discussion so far
ill try and relisten and comment like i normally do tonite or tomorrow
shits been hectic with the placenta son!

torchETB · Post by **torchETB** » Thu Dec 20, 2007 4:52 pm

In general, i tended to favor any beat that managed to avoid sounding like we drew from 80s sample sources. The instruments of the era typically sucked, and the melodies for the most part are too recognizable. Here's what I thought:

ardamus - A solid beat as usual. The breakdown kept a nice movement to it, but those synths are way cheesy. Maybe a detune could have kept them relevant to such hard beat.

Nacho - I really like this one. You had an excellent base sample layer and built nicely on it. I like it enough to bump it (though it's rather sedate), but there are three beats I liked better. You got any emcees lined up for this one? Shed the 80s constraints, make it what you want it to be, and bring it back to Sound Lab, and I can think of at least one emcee who will want to check it out.

Phat Anorexic - I think there was way too much re-pitching going on though. You used samples at a range of pitches that ruined the original. I liked some of the tones you were able to utilize, and those would have made for a strong atmosphere, but trying to work those tones into melodics killed it for me. Your creepy building intro had me excited to hear something a little psychotic and sparse and dark, but then there was too much that came into the beat: too much drumming, too much synth, to much pitching. 0:04 to right about 0:10 would have defined an excellent entry if you had kept that sound or lack thereof.

cornsnake - Welcome to Sound Lab. People are digging your beat, and I can see why. This is very well sequenced. I'm not thrilled about the Corey Hart loop, just because it's such a signature loop of 80s music, but you definitely showcased a knack for building a track up, introducing some fresh elements, and setting it down. And for what it's worth, my lid flipped when you re-ordered the Sunglasses at Night loop just after the minute mark. That was dope. The only part of your beat that didn't work for me was the vocal thing ('ew ew ew'). A worthy entry.

citizen - I have absolutely no idea what you did to make this. Are those long string tones from the sample pack?? Did you just grab a tone and sit at the keys? Jesus, this is something else. I've listened to everyone's entries a few times on Repeat All, and this one moves me the most because it's geared at every turn toward stirring some deep brooding emotion. Every Sound Lab battle should have an entry as focused as this one to counter the beats that are submitted that (understandably) don't pull a solid identity out of a smattering of assorted sample material. As an instrumental, it's a little long or unchanging, but you'd probably have no shortage of emcees willing to throw down verse chorus etc. for this piece, so really that's not a problem. My one complaint is the mixing. On my bass-heavy headphones, the drums carry the beat enough, but on any less, I don't get as much of the drive. On smaller headphones, in order to get the beat I've had to turn up the volume past the point where the strings sound comfortable.

deepfriedjello - I'm sorry man, I did not enjoy listening to this, mainly because it's all over the place. Layering the beat box with the kick and clap created a nice texture to the beat and had a great feel to it. I would agree with Planit that we can see your skills being developed in this piece, and to that end I did enjoy the chop job that takes place from 0:45 to 0:50, and while that's not what we mean necessarily when we say we want you to start chopping shit up, the fact that the feel of that passage was in your ability to sequence a sample and not in the sample itself, I am looking forward to hearing your next beat when it's not fucking Culture Club.

QWALMS - Your opening sample was ILL, and the intro leading into the beat drop was great things. The drum swap at 0:30 sounded okay, but I much preferred the previous drums to the newer ones. Every sample did its thing, and I don't think that was easy considering that our sources were mainly synth pop garbage. There are times I hear this beat and think the kicks and snares are too hot.

torchETB - Maybe next time you'll go back to your drum library. Sampling 80s drums? Come on. Tough luck, kid. And get a bassline while you're there.

Piff Tannen - This beat has some wonderful chops. Of all the possible interpretations that placed obviously 80s sounds into a modern-sounding beat, I think this was the one that bridged the two the best. I think you'd have gotten some votes, for real.

my votes:
1. citizen
2. QWALMS
3. cornsnake

Nacho Vidal · Post by **Nacho Vidal** » Thu Dec 20, 2007 7:19 pm

Thanks to Torch for listening to my shit!

Phat Anorexic - The movado/beenie man sample had me excited. The drums were cool, but the melody was too random.

cornsnake - The mix is a bit rough. The composition is nop-notch though. Love the "ew ew ew".

Ardamus - This was hype as usual, but it didn't rele move me to be honest.

deepfriedjello - This kid makin 8 part symphonies n shit. I think you're aiming for the stars and comin up a bit short, but it's different and I can get with that.

QWALMS - My problem with this is that the drums don't suit the music. Woulda had a whole other feel with different drums. Other than that, it's dope.

citizen - I can see why so many of the voters dig this, it's dope on some sicilian gangster shit. Bothers me that the drums didn't bump harder.

torch etb - I'm a fan of melodies, and this one hits you immediately. Could be some ill pop music, and I say it as a compliment.

1st - cornsnake
2nd - torch etb
3rd - citizen tied with qwalms

CHANCE RANDOM · Post by **CHANCE RANDOM** » Thu Dec 20, 2007 7:33 pm

this is going to be a close one.

cornsnake · Post by **cornsnake** » Thu Dec 20, 2007 8:19 pm

I am looking forward to hearing your next beat when it's not fucking Culture Club.

i think i t takes some balls (or ignorance) to sample something that big.
i think its the nuts in this case------ let em swing

deepfriedjellol · Post by **deepfriedjellol** » Thu Dec 20, 2007 11:50 pm

phatty warbucks - if the entire thing was as subdued as the main beat id be all bout it bout it - but the crash kills me
i like the subtlety and grime of the beat itself, and the synthy gravy, but yeah, crash ddz needs to go (no crash ddz dis)

cornsnake -
i love this - its layered clean, the samples are TOTALLY 80's and oddly enough vibe together perfectly
and the NKOTB sample (we're rough) earns him 17 extra points automatically - where at first it annoyed me, once i discovered that dude DID IT, dude wins automatically, everyone delete their zshares
now

ardamash -
pop up video suicide beat
stiff drums, again, loud as fuck, i think if the beat wasnt so straight armed id enjoy the chopped samples more

myself -
this is funny shit people - put the bra on your head now

qwalmsers - when it starts up the drums arent mixed like the two parts ( samples and beat) are from the same track
but i love the way this progresses and i liked that i was able to recognize more of the samples' original songs
ill drive, miser myagi gave me a yellow converty
didnt like the abrupt end, but i think the x'files's thing you got goin is fresh
i likes

ziticen - wish the drums had a looser feel
at like 45 seconds when that guitar comes in, its fucking STRAIGHT
wish that synth by itself wasnt so annoyingly weak
together theyre sinister for a while there
yeah, overall, synth sample kills me in its thinness and annoying factor

torsh - this starts like a chase scene from like "long hot summer" - thats tight - dude, dont slam the door on my fiero
as the layers get slid in i lose my connection with it and wish it would segue into that scene with phoebe cates where she shows her tatas in fast times...
liked the intention immediately
i like boobs more for sure

1rd cornsnake with a bonus 17 point battle winning moon shot

2st kwalms

no mindbender
3nd flaming torsha

ardamus · Post by **ardamus** » Thu Dec 20, 2007 11:51 pm

dammit i knew i should've put one of my other tracks in as the entry. fuck.

i'll post them up later.

cornsnake · Post by **cornsnake** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 3:27 am

ardamus- keep hearin about these tracks- lets hear the tracks yeeuh!

deepfried - good m.w. lookin out--- you want that franklin green or paypal?

CHANCE RANDOM · Post by **CHANCE RANDOM** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 4:31 am

deepfriedjello wrote:phatty warbucks - if the entire thing was as subdued as the main beat id be all bout it bout it - but the crash kills me
i like the subtlety and grime of the beat itself, and the synthy gravy, but yeah, crash ddz needs to go (no crash ddz dis)

cornsnake -
i love this - its layered clean, the samples are TOTALLY 80's and oddly enough vibe together perfectly
and the NKOTB sample (we're rough) earns him 17 extra points automatically - where at first it annoyed me, once i discovered that dude DID IT, dude wins automatically, everyone delete their zshares
now

ardamash -
pop up video suicide beat
stiff drums, again, loud as fuck, i think if the beat wasnt so straight armed id enjoy the chopped samples more

myself -
this is funny shit people - put the bra on your head now

qwalmsers - when it starts up the drums arent mixed like the two parts ( samples and beat) are from the same track
but i love the way this progresses and i liked that i was able to recognize more of the samples' original songs
ill drive, miser myagi gave me a yellow converty
didnt like the abrupt end, but i think the x'files's thing you got goin is fresh
i likes

ziticen - wish the drums had a looser feel
at like 45 seconds when that guitar comes in, its fucking STRAIGHT
wish that synth by itself wasnt so annoyingly weak
together theyre sinister for a while there
yeah, overall, synth sample kills me in its thinness and annoying factor

torsh - this starts like a chase scene from like "long hot summer" - thats tight - dude, dont slam the door on my fiero
as the layers get slid in i lose my connection with it and wish it would segue into that scene with phoebe cates where she shows her tatas in fast times...
liked the intention immediately
i like boobs more for sure

1rd cornsnake with a bonus 17 point battle winning moon shot

2st kwalms
no mindbender
3nd flaming torsha

citizen · Post by **citizen** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 12:15 pm

dang deep frizzle, how did i go from winning to not placing, harsh times

deepfriedjellol · Post by **deepfriedjellol** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 12:27 pm

citizen wrote:dang deep frizzle, how did i go from winning to not placing, harsh times

quick listen (mainly the part that i liked was the part i dragged the slider to when trying to give an opinion at work) vs baked off deepfriedfellow
you still my ninja, just once i heard the cornsnake in the proper frame o mind i was hypnotized like spuds mackenzie on a surf board yo

Captin Planit · Post by **Captin Planit** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 12:43 pm

When does voting close?

The Red Scare · Post by **The Red Scare** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 2:21 pm

The Phat Anorexic: This is really sinister. The main sample is dope. the vocal sample I think works well except for the "eww" part at :48. Nice shit

Cornsnake: Welcome to the Sound Lab man. Great intro. I really like this. The main instrument and the "we're rough!" sample work very well. I'd like to hear a deep, thumping bassline that follows the main sample, 'cause right now there isn't enough low-end.

Ardamus: You really chopped shit up here. Nice louds drums, I wish there was a low bassline to supplement them. With with there was a bit more movement to this, but the changeups you have with the vocal sample work well.

deepfriedjello: haha this is....different. The part around :55 is my favorite. I also like the harmonica part. If you could find a way to create a bit more continuity between the sections that would help things. I feel like I shouldn't like this beat, but for some reason I do, if that makes any sense.

QUALMS: Love the main sample, geez. The original drums and the drum changeups are RAW. Damn and you think this is "so much worse than everyone else's"? Wrong!

citizen: I agree with Planit's comparison to a Morricone joint. That's a big complement because he's my favorite person to sample. The guitar works sooooo well in this. The frequencies bother me a bit though, I would either EQ the guitar differently or at least lower the volume slightly. I'd also like the drums to pop a bit more.

torch ETB: main loop is dope. where's the bassline though? That would really help fill this out. Also I think the drums need to be a bit heavier, at least in parts. What you have is plenty good though, samples are great

---

All in all, I'm really impressed by these submissions. I tried briefly to put something together, but I wasn't happy with the results. But you all managed to avoid sounding "too 1980s" which I think was the biggest challenge. This is a very, very tough choice even to narrow down the top 3, but....

1. citizen
2. QWALMS
3. cornsnake

citizen · Post by **citizen** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 2:50 pm

i wish more non sound lab people would vote in the beat battles

oh well, thanks for the feedback guys, glad you liked the beat

i am looking forward to reworking it adding some more instruments and posting it again for you to hear

ardamus · Post by **ardamus** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 2:18 pm

here's an outtake i did for this battle:

http://www.zshare.net/audio/58320802d91094/

and another one:

http://www.zshare.net/audio/583216311cb372/

and no, i'm not uploading these to cheat. just figured i'd share them since the pole will wrap up soon anyway.

Piff Tannen · Post by **Piff Tannen** » Sun Dec 23, 2007 2:07 pm

damn, that second beat was dope, mad minimal, i felt like it coulda used one more sample over those drums, but that also mighta made it too busy, i reallllly like that seocnd joint, more than your OG submission actually, you shoulda entered this one. i want to rap on thsi

ardamus · Post by **ardamus** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 11:04 pm

We'll let this run until Wednesday and after that we'll tally up the votes.

Next up: porn soundtrack battle.

cornsnake · Post by **cornsnake** » Tue Dec 25, 2007 8:14 am

wsoo hooo . . me luv u long time,

whose idea is this? i can dig it!

ardamus · Post by **ardamus** » Tue Dec 25, 2007 3:33 pm

cornsnake wrote:wsoo hooo . . me luv u long time,

whose idea is this? i can dig it!

i made a thread a little while back about ideas for battles and this came up. i forgot who on here has a porn soundtrack but i know someone mentioned they had one that could be used for making beats.

Captin Planit · Post by **Captin Planit** » Wed Dec 26, 2007 12:38 am

Looks like all the votes are just about tallied.

Time for a bar graph and the bloodshed to follow?

ardamus · Post by **ardamus** » Wed Dec 26, 2007 1:07 am

Captin Planit wrote:Looks like all the votes are just about tallied.

Time for a bar graph and the bloodshed to follow?

yeah do your thing

CHANCE RANDOM · Post by **CHANCE RANDOM** » Thu Dec 27, 2007 4:15 pm

let's get this thing counted!

The Red Scare · Post by **The Red Scare** » Thu Dec 27, 2007 5:02 pm

Damn you all are so lazy! Alright I'll tally 'em.....

drum roll please........

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

CORNSNAKE WINS!!!!

Congrats man, I hope you stay around The Sound Lab after coming from nowhere and whoppin' ass.

Here's the final point tally:

cornsnake - 17
QWALMS - 14.5
citizen - 13.5
torchETB - 13
deepfriedjello - 4
the phat anorexic - 2
ardamus - 2

Hope I counted those right. There are a couple .5's because Nacho Vidal split his vote.

The porn track competition is next!

CHANCE RANDOM · Post by **CHANCE RANDOM** » Thu Dec 27, 2007 5:04 pm

blast! i've been subverted!

congrats snake. definitely hope you stick around this piece.

ardamus · Post by **ardamus** » Thu Dec 27, 2007 5:59 pm

@ the fact i had to count the votes twice myself yesterday and i was about to come in and do it again. i didn't want to screw up the count because it so damn close. i pretty much got my ass whooped in this one.

but its all good.

we need to get on this porn soundtrack battle ASAP though. how about we kick off the new year with this one? whaddaya say?

The Red Scare · Post by **The Red Scare** » Thu Dec 27, 2007 6:18 pm

ardamus wrote: we need to get on this porn soundtrack battle ASAP though. how about we kick off the new year with this one? whaddaya say?

Sounds good. Do we have a collection of samples ready yet?

ardamus · Post by **ardamus** » Thu Dec 27, 2007 7:38 pm

The Red Scare wrote:
ardamus wrote: we need to get on this porn soundtrack battle ASAP though. how about we kick off the new year with this one? whaddaya say?
Sounds good. Do we have a collection of samples ready yet?

i got a cd full of sound effects of sex. but someone on here mentioned a porn soundtrack. i just can't remember who.

CHANCE RANDOM · Post by **CHANCE RANDOM** » Thu Dec 27, 2007 8:14 pm

probably twob. that guy has a shitload of sample sources if i remember correctly.

some chick · Post by **some chick** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 3:32 am

congrats corn!

citizen · Post by **citizen** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 4:21 am

good times