If the vocals aren’t syncing with the beat…that’s an automatic gone for me right off. I can live with the vocals running away a little, but not being totally off.

I listen to see if the track compliments the vocals…does it have the original vibe to it, but can be called its own? Does the track have a lot of variation in it, lots of change ups, good smooth transitions, etc. Do all of these things work? Sometimes the vocals call for something simple….not a lot of extra sounds/noises.

If someone used the same part of the sample who did it better? Also, does the track get me hype…does it make me snap my neck.

This is what I do.

1. Listen to about an hours worth of the remixes. If I listen any longer I lose focus on the tracks. It takes me three days to go through the mixes. I have a list of “Yes” and “No’s.”
2. Once I get my list of “Yes” and “No” I go back through the “No’s” and delete them off of my iPod. I keep my list of 15-20. These are the ones that I really like.
3. I listen to the new list (15-20) at least two times to weed about the ones that I don’t think are good enough for “my final list.”
4. My second list is “my final list.” I normally listen to these at least 2-3 times to be sure I pick the best one in my opinion. Every mix in my top 10 that isn’t top 5 goes into the honorable mention. Then I pick 3-5 additional mixes from the second list to go onto the honorable mention.
5. When I pick my final five I go back and listen while I’m doing my write up.
6. So all in all I’ve listened to every mix at least once and the winner at least 7 times.
7. We all put a lot of time into this.

My best suggestion would be to get feedback from your peers. They are the ones doing the work. They can provide the best advice for you.

Hope this helps.

Sometimes though, the beats just aren’t clicking with these particular judges. I can tell you these are three of some of the most approachable cats you will ever talk to and if you message them, chances are you’ll get what you need to hear. If i didn’t have to sift through 20 albums a week, I wish I could give more in depth feedback, but I can’t.. hence why I’m not a judge here. Hopefully you get the answers you are looking for.

Peace,
RNP