Stem Splitters

Not to highjack the thread, but as Binman, Andy and George mention "music" in the pod. I'd ike to give a shout-out to Six6Six, who orchestrated the following to which we produced an orchestral version at https://on.soundcloud.com/KOD6ADv2jgmjsjW2QI I can imagine hearing this loud at the G - playing this original track. I'd like to propose supporting Six6Six as a dedicated fan - in the emotive intent. Onya Six6Six for a great sentiment towards the club. Hoping the team rally to get this heard, at some point, at the G. Go Dees!

OM... so we have to pay to submit ideas. We Getz it now. How stupid we. Fumbles for credit card. :/x Love love! It's our best shot :)

Wasn't sure I was not being 'nice'. There are many ways to contribute to some things. The "AI Product" as you label it is voice over from Eleven Labs and yep AI gen. It's a submission after all. Not a suggestion to release. It's purpose is to demonstrate a third party 'voice' to intro the guys. The music parts are uploaded music compositions PLUS music produced in our DAW - from original source material i.e our own composition(s). Not AI generational expressions. If you look inside what is happening in the whole AI space there is much to be excited about. And then there is a dialogue/conversation which fears AI adoption. Not to be salty here but I'd suggest you reevaluate your comment. 1. No offence was meant. 2. If you listen to the likes of six6six's compilation for instance "Addicted To The Red And The Blue" it's a really terrific rendition of a hero felt sentiment towards the journey of a Dee fan. That's not over complicating things. We (Stem Splitters) in this instance, augmented with the assistance of AI, but were very particular and directional in it's application. I do appreciate feedback, as we all do. So I'll take it that you just don't like what you hear. No offence then. As for things sounding 'exactly like yours' you're not right in that regard - nuance speaks differing tonalities etc. take another listen or view. You may surprise yourself. Best

Thanks team, thanks Binman. Let's see if we can clean up the org then. And get some better fidelity. There's an online YT version but it's also a bit scrappy. I do know some of the vocal performers of the org. but not sure they'd have access to the original. Also, maybe we can suggest some music 'stingers' as you suggest for potential to intersperse with the pod. I wouldn't under sell the potential of the pod Binman. You guys are talking about the oldest club in the lands and you are well respected. Any endeavour here is to help lift the pod's potentials. Suggestions taken on board. Best for our year ahead. Go dees!

Ha. The "membership" I/others spend on is time to produce. Not to pin repos off the cuff just b/c someone has 'paid' a monetary price. If that's the platform then they'll lose out in the end, so things do. Let's hope they're more sincere.

Demonland Podcast Opener Suggestion V1 Gday folk, This is a short proposal to Demonland for a new Podcast Opening Music Track/Pod Announcement - so to intro the podcasts. There are many ways that one could 'introduce' the gang and the platform. They've relied upon the old C'mon Demons music, aka late 1980s as an intro. Some on other threads have suggested an update. So, this is a suggestion. Along with other music we/I have proposed to the MFC, to take onboard some fan inspired music, yet beyond the label of "fan art", as we are professionals in sound and picture design etc - with a love for the club. On behalf, I'm posting here to seek your response or any feedback of this short track. We can develop it in any number of ways. And to spice it up and introduce more energy if required. The purpose is to suggest to Andy and the team a refresh music intro for their podcasts. And or how ever you may phrase it... to invigorate the podcast and to lift the sounds and pictures of the Demonland "space" in general. In additions, and for instance, six6six and his endeavours produced a great music track titled 'Addicted To the Red And The Blue.' Whereby we re-imagined his efforts into a more cinematic music rendition here: https://on.soundcloud.com/Vy4fstxzT4bCoB6rsK Let us know if we're barking up the wrong tree, so to speak. We're here to help lift our feelings of what a great club we are fortunate to support. Thanks for your time reading this post. Any feedback is appreciated. Best, Stem Splitters

In fairness, no pun intended, you have to look at the role Cornes is playing. As a media insider prior, I can attest… these voices ie Cornes are deliberate. Whether they agree or disagree with your view. The point of their view is to stir you up. And invoke discussion. So with great respect there is no ‘fairness’ as you put it. There is a provocateur who is ruling and riling you up. Take all matters from the AFL source as the most minuscule grain of salt you can imagine. They are not your friends nor do they give a shirt about what you think. From there, only comes self determination and creativity. That’s something to look forward to.

In psychological terms, ie what happens in the mind, the theory may go that Petracca was always going to consider/coincide/acquiesce (however you may put it) to his wife Bella. If they were honest, it appears she was a driving force to live in the QLD. A young family, sunshine money and all. if you look at CP he’s a mummies boy and will acquiesce to the dominant female in his life. He will also take all the knocks to cover over feminine influences that would inevitably be born upon him by the [censored] up male dominated culture of the AFL. You could write a book about this stuff. Others have. Scratch the surface. He’s taken hits for those in his life who want more than what the MFC and Melbourne offered. I wouldn’t begrudge him for greener pastures. I would be honest to say what brought you to where you were led. Happy wife means a happy life. As they say. Her influence is being labeled as ‘brand Petracca’. The only people who really care are those who are paid to write stories, and that “care factor” is debatable. Don’t give them any weight. They’ll manipulate and lie to you at every opportunity. As far as CP goes. He’s a great player but not a great of the MFC. Although in years to come, if he did a RDB and couched the team, in say 2035, then you’d likely think he was worth the time to converse.

Are you kidding? Ever heard of Grammarly? It's an AI tool for writing purposes.

I totally hear any skepticism and views here - our AFL game is a game of heart, grit, and 'gut feel,' and the idea of a laptop coaching a team feels a bit sterile. But it’s worth looking at AI not as a 'replacement' for the likes of Sam Mitchell's soul, but as a high-powered pair of glasses. Here’s why even the most old-school fan might find it interesting: It’s about 'Seeing' the Unseen: We’ve all been frustrated when a player looks 'off' or lethargic. Currently, coaches guess why. AI can look at the biometric data and say, 'He’s not lazy; his central nervous system hasn't recovered from last week's 12km load.' It protects the players we love from injuries that are currently 'invisible' until they pop a hamstring. The 'Vibe' vs. The 'Fact': A coach might feel like we are losing the clearances because our rucks are beaten. The AI can instantly point out, 'Actually, the rucks are winning the tap, but our rovers are positioned 2Mtrs too wide for this specific ground.' It turns a 'vibe' into an actionable instruction in seconds. Removing Bias, Not Humanity: Humans are prone to 'recency bias' as it's called. We remember the last mistake a player made or has made (usually on a subliminal level) and judge them accordingly. AI doesn't have a 'dog house.' It looks at the cold, hard efficiency of every involvement/interaction. This may lead to ensuring the best players stay on the ground based on output, not reputation. And the like. We truly are on the cusp of a new era of data management. One that takes sterility (and guess work) out of a knowledge-base. And turns it into actionable takes beyond what we may have perceived prior. i.e taking the data analysis that is gathered (since the likes of GPS and other metrics) and actually doing some things profound with the data. That's where AI enters the fray. The Sam Mitchell Factor: Coaches like Mitchell aren’t trying to turn players into robots. They are trying to find the 1% tactical gaps and advantages that the human eye misses when watching 36 players moving at 25km/ph. At the end of the day, a computer can’t give a three-quarter-time speech that makes hair stand up on your arms. It can’t teach 'courage.' But it can ensure that when a player goes to show that courage, they are in the best physical condition and the best tactical position to win the ball. It’s not 'Moneyball' taking over the game; it’s just making sure teams like us, have the sharpest tools in the shed. I’d rather we be the ones wielding the tech than the ones trying to catch up to it in two years' time. This Sam Mitchell snippet is really about the AFL telecasting/approving to the wider audience that AI is in use and the likes of Mitchell are being projected as frontier leaders. I'd be disappointed if the Dees were not adopting AI use. As an extension to thoughts... 1. Pre-Season & Player Management (The "Optimizer")In the AFL, pre-season is about the delicate balance between "loading" and "breaking." Hyper-Personalized Loading: While coaches use GPS data now, AI can cross-reference that with sleep data, heart-rate variability (HRV), and even psychological wellness scores to predict a "soft-tissue window" before it happens. It moves from "the group is doing 8km today" to "Player X’s biometric signature says he’s at 85% risk of a hamstring strain if he sprints today." Drafting & "Moneyball" 2.0: AI can analyze thousands of hours of minor League (U18) footage to find players whose "spatial awareness" or "decision-making speed" under pressure matches current AFL stars, identifying "diamonds in the rough" that recruiters might overlook. 2. Game-Day: Preparation & In-Game (The "Super Assistant")This is where Sam Mitchell and others are likely looking for that 1% edge. The "Opposition Oracle": Imagine an AI fed with every game the opposition has played for three years. On game day, it can alert the bench: "When the opposition is 2 goals down in the 4th quarter, they increase corridor usage by 40%." * In-Game Tactical Shifts: In the heat of the game, a coach's bias can take over. AI acts as an "unemotional observer," suggesting structural changes: "The opposition’s spare man is intercepting 70% of entries; recommend moving a defensive forward to negate." It’s about processing 22 moving parts simultaneously - something the human brain struggles to do perfectly for 120 minutes. 3. Injury & Recovery (The "Predictor")I'm drawing on the DeepMind's 'AlphaFold Project' here: As it really shines as an example. Biomechanical Analysis: AI can analyze a player’s kicking or running gait in real-time. If a player starts favouring one side by even 2-3 mms - unnoticeable to the human eye - the AI flags it as a fatigue-induced mechanical failure, allowing for an early rotation. The "Digital Twin": Some elite teams are moving toward creating a "Digital Twin" of an athlete - like a virtual clone or model that can "play" the game first to see how much stress their specific joints and tendons will take. That is where the State-of-the-art will take us (in coaching and all manners of Industry). Some final thoughts: On the "Human Element": AI doesn't "whinge." AI frees up coaches to do more "human" work. If AI is doing the heavy lifting on the data, the Coach has more time for the "soft skills" - like mentoring, empathy, and the psychological "rev-up" that an algorithm can't replicate. Think of it like a pilot with a sophisticated heads-up display. The pilot still flies the plane and makes the final call on the landing, but the AI ensures they have every scrap of data they need to make that call perfectly. For a club like Hawthorn and Sam Mitchell - and hopefully Melbourne - integrating this isn't just about 'using tech'; it's about making sure players are the best-informed athletes on the field. I'd invite any expansion on this topic, that the OP has raised. Go Dees!

@ Six6Six Hiya, First up: kudos for writing Addicted to the Red and the Blue. I did think it was produced/commission works. By an artist with close ties to the club - along the lines. On my first listen it really landed for me - sentimental in the best way, with well-shaped lyrics and classic storytelling. The version here you uploaded captures that spirit beautifully: https://youtu.be/QVTCinojCI8 It’s a cracker. That’s why I had a crack at reimagining it. To my ear, the current band backing leans into a mild country trope that doesn’t quite do justice to the words and melody. The more “cinematic” approach I went for is simply my taste - I hear the song working with a more substantial, emotive bed under the vocal. Also: if that vocal is AI rather than a real performer, it genuinely fooled me - and either way, no shame in it. Where I’m less convinced is the second version you uploaded: https://youtu.be/CGTw32SQOto For me it pulls the lyric and melody into a different lane and, IMHO, it loses some of the magic of that first, slightly Springsteen-esque interpretation. If your goal is to produce/present/submit something to the club, my advice would be to focus on the first version (particularly the melody) - it best nails what it feels like you set out to achieve. On Glory Glory Red and Blue: I get the motivation, but I think it’s trickier territory. That “Glory, glory…” line is heavily associated with older American hymn/anthem melodies (often linked through John Brown’s Body / Battle Hymn of the Republic lineage). Personally, adapting that to an Aussie club comes with baggage and potential complications. That said, I completely agree with your broader point: a lot of AFL club songs feel dated, and they’re mostly just “accepted as is.” Even newer clubs haven’t exactly delivered themes that feel genuinely stirring. So yes: I understand the frustration and the impulse to modernise. Same goes for “logo land.” I had my own issues with the Demons logo pre the last incarnation. On your logo variations - why I think they’re running into trouble A few thoughts, offered in the spirit of constructive critique: 1. Logos are notoriously hard to get right. There’s a reason only a handful of designers become globally known for it. People like Paul Rand, Milton Glaser, David Ogilvy, etc. 2. The space is flooded with second-rate, clip-art-ish logo language. A mock-up can look “passable,” but great logos hold up under scrutiny and across real-world uses. 3. In your current directions, two choices feel like they work against a modern submission: • embossing / 3D treatment • the demon face 4. The demon face is especially hard to land as a club mark. Even if it has and has been utilised in the past. It’s very personified and can tip into a “satanic” reading or take on things, whether intended or not. In my view it’s a risk you don’t want in a mainstream club identity. Even though the Club is know as the Demons. For context (so you know where I’m coming from): I’m a cinematographer with international/major TV experience, and I also do semi-pro graphic and web design. I’ve been around/worked in top-tier F1 and made ads for Coca-Cola - so take my opinion as informed, but still just one person’s view. If you look at curated lists of the best football badges (subjective, of course), a strong common thread is flat, simplified design: https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/100-best-club-football-badges-ever There are practical reasons (reproduction, printing, embroidery, small-scale legibility), but also aesthetic ones: the best marks are usually simple, distinctive, and built to last. Even if the current Melbourne logo eventually gets a refresh, I doubt it changes unless something genuinely exceptional appears. Something they can’t ignore. I’d strongly avoid embossing. When I worked in Tokyo years back (different design culture, sure), embossing often read as “cheap.” And practically, 2D marks are just far easier to execute consistently across every application. There’s an example on that FourFourTwo page - badge #25 (Caen) - that uses a Viking face influence and makes it work because it’s restrained: not overly literal, not aggressive, not scary. That restraint is doing a lot of heavy lifting. Any redesign of a club logo - especially one with history - has to account for a lot of stakeholder viewpoints. Final thought Both club anthems and club logos are subjective - but the ones that become classics tend to do a few things well: they’re simple, emotionally clear, and they feel timeless, like they’ve always existed and always will. If you’re interested in talking offline about a potential collab, let me know. It feels like we share a few overlapping instincts and goals. Best, Stem Splitter(s)

@Six6Six Thank you for your super references. That first tune is an absolute banger! A great vocal performance. Who is the artist? I've taken some liberty to have a play around with a re-imaging. I get your mention of Springsteen. I was moved to put strings and another backing to the vocalists performance in Addicted. Taking a more ‘cinematic’ approach, it's kinda Springsteen meets the Man From Snowy River or maybe John Williams. Hehe You can check it out here if you're like. Addicted to the Red and the Blue_Reimagined It’s loose and needs polish. However, you ought to get the idea. Let me know if you know of or have a connect to the artist. I'd love to seek permissions and to access the original vocal recordings for any possible interest in tightening/polishing this prop version - if they may be interested at all. Your second ref I hadn’t heard either. I’ve set aside some time to play with it too. If something inspiring occurs I’ll post. Thanks again for your references. As said, the first tune is a real banger and moved me. I hope you enjoy this take. It's meant to be played loud. Despite being a loose draft. However, it pulls on my heart strings.

Thank you kindly for the thought and refs. I will def dig in and check them out. @Trident22 The initial thoughts were to pay an homage to the C'mon Demons track of 1987. So there was deliberate references to pursue a late '80s Stadium "Modern Cinematic Retro” feel. Not sure that was accomplished. However, the platforms (AI) are evolving so quickly, directing the tech to achieve desire outcomes will get better. The 'flow' you speak of is likely due to my quick edit of producing a medley. And not spending too much time in execution. It's also something of an art to be able to thread varying music pieces together into a seamless run on. If you get my drift. @layzie I would definitely reach into your archive of older tunes and writings you have. That was my initial purpose in experimenting with AI. As a songwriter myself, it's been surprising in hearing how one can re-imagine songs you may have kicking around. I would encourage you to dip your feet into the AI music waters, so to speak. I have divided views but the genie is out of the bottle and the current upload statistics to the likes of Spotify of AI music is mind boggling. Yet, let me know if you have the next Billboard Top One hundred contender laying around. I'd be happy to help carve out an updated version of any of your works. hehehe As this, re-imagining past works, is where I am personally achieving the best results. Some old band tracks of my own that never saw the light of day other than the odd play on triple R are feeling refreshed. As a footnote: This exercise was/is for the purpose to revisit the C'mon Demons song, pay some homage by referencing the track. Find something new. The lyrics def need to be looked at closely should a more pro reset be pursued. In additions, it's difficult to please everyone when serving up an array of music as it's so subjective. I'm fairly confident that there is some merit in pursuing something distinct that grabs attentions. What that maybe is hard to say. I imagine as a worthy exercise to see a band of singers on both sides of the fences from the club and supporters screaming out some catchy hook and chorus - in modern contemporary manners. This type of imagery would go along way to bring contemporary performance elite athletes and their humble supporters into a shared experience. I'll dig into your thoughts and feedbacks some more. Thanks again for the replies. Go Dees

G’day guys & girls, Somewhere along the lines I read on a thread (I now can’t find) a suggestion by a member that an update of the 1987 C’mon Demons tune would be a good idea. As a music producer, amongst other media making roles, I had it in mind to tackle an original update to the tune. Lo and behold, over my post NY break I took to producing some tracks to experiment with AI. Yep I know! Many of us in the music industry are either embracing the tech or sh*t scared of how music will be/is evolving. Anyways, I’m after some feedback on a medley of tunes which are in effect an homage to the C’mon Demons release of ’87. Utilising the old track as a ref, the original lyrics and directed prompting. So if anyone has the time or inclination checkout the demo (only) mix link. BTW, if anything appeals to the likes of the podcast team i.e to replace the ol’ opening tune let me know and I can put some real polish on what is essentially a rough mix. FYI, I have forwarded a submission to the club for any reaction. I personally would like to see, in an ideal world, a collection along these themes with a group of singers from the club and the fan-base - to produce a complication. Potentially exploring a wider array of music genres celebrating the club and fan-base in song. In all there are about 7 music tracks/segments presented as a medley. Be warned the mix is loud and in-your-face. But hey sports anthems and the likes are designed to be. I hope you get some enjoyment, if you take some time out to have a listen. Go Dees! https://on.soundcloud.com/pOUKwcVP7pYNdCsY7t