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Music Contest #1 - Poll

Vote for your favourite entry! (See the second post for videos!)


  • Total voters
    97
  • Poll closed .
Status
Not open for further replies.
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Races

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  • Each user can only vote once in the poll.
  • You cannot vote for yourself. If a voter has the same IP as the author then the vote will not be counted and it may result in the disqualification of the entry.
  • You cannot create multiple accounts to vote for an entry in the poll. If a voter has been found to be using multiple accounts none of the voters votes will count in the final result.
  • You cannot bribe users for votes. Contestants who break this rule will be disqualified and given negative reputation.
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  • First Place: 40 reputation points and your entry on an award icon
  • Second Place: 25 reputation points and an award icon
  • Third Place: 15 reputation points and an award icon

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Pyrrhic Victory - JetFangInferno
Burning Legion - Waldbaer
Orc Theme - KeLeNoR
Furbolg Theme - Teuncreemers
The Elemental Chaos War - Drenferalis
The Rise of Lords - VoidLordXtreme
Water elements - EMPerror
Songs of the Earth Mother - CoBrA b
The Cavern - Darkgamma
NightElf2.mp3 - Fanny.Shaver

You can download a .zip of all of the entries at the bottom of this post. Youtube videos can be found on the post after this.
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  • Army-of-Pandas
  • Spectre4802
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Theme
How well does it fit in with the theme and your selected race?/30

Creativity/Originality
How original is the piece? How creative are you with the theme/instruments/etc./20

Dynamic/Tonation
Basically, how well does it flow? Are accents used to good effect? Do overall levels make sense? etc. /20

Composition
How well is it composed? Do the key changes make sense?/30
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Inviting your friends to vote for you, bribing random members with rep and otherwise cheating with the VB poll system will get you DISQUALIFIED, BANNED from future contests, -REPPED, and possibly INFRACTED. So don't do it!

This includes, but is not limited to, sending PMs out to various users, getting other people to send those PMs, advertising this contest on other sites with the intention to gain more votes (whether it is explicitly stated or not), and so on. If you are suspected of cheating, the staff will notify you and interrogate you (hopefully) over PMs. <3​
 

Attachments

  • Music Contest 1.zip
    36.9 MB · Views: 149
Last edited:

To listen to all of the entries on a playlist, click here!




0:00 - Songs of the Earth Mother - CoBrA b
5:30 - The Cavern - Darkgamma


0:00 - The elemental chaos war - Drenferalis
3:50 - Water elements - EMPerror


0:00 - NightElf2.mp3 - Fanny.Shaver
2:55 - Pyrrhic Victory - JetFangInferno
5:13 - Orc Theme - KeLeNoR
7:15 - The Rise of Lords - VoidLordXtreme


0:00 - Burning Legion - Waldbaer
3:50 - Furbolg Theme - Teuncreemers

 
Moral, maybe?

Like I always say, you need to open a contest for people to actually create quality stuff. I'm listening to "Songs of the Earth Mother" right now and it's great!
I'm going to find whoever came up with the idea for this contest and give him(her) a double reputation gift!
It was WherewolfTherewolf
 
Level 23
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Mar 29, 2004
Messages
1,979
Going by "if it sounds good, do it"...

The Cavern
was pretty cool.

The Elemental Chaos War was very strange but the squeaky leads were somehow nice, though the song did seem to have lots of independent segments rather than being a coherent whole.

Water Elements sounds like clubbing on a Mediterranean beach... Not that I've ever done that, but I really enjoyed this song. I would have liked to hear more of that synth that comes in for the ending above the piano, perhaps.

NightElf2 isn't in the poll? It's pretty cool too, felt very Unreal.

Going to have to for Mediterranean beach clubbing, I think.
 
Level 11
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Messages
2,362
My vote goes for Water element. Why? Because its fastest and loudest one, and I like em, can't expect more from a metalhead. I know that's not to the rule, since you are creating a medieval/or-even-earlier music, but then again most don't fit so go figure.

GJ to all contestants.
 
Level 19
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Oct 12, 2007
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Nice work on the youtube links pyritie! That will deffo get more interest from people into listening all the stuff:D:D
Good luck to all contestants. Think it's been a quite succesful contest!
Oh and I voted for Voidlord. Sounds really cool.
 
Level 28
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Jan 26, 2007
Messages
4,789
There were many good entries. But some of them didn`t fit the chosen theme.
I`ve decided to vote for JetFangInferno.
2k posts =D

Anyway, I've listened carefully to all entries and I must say that I was dissapointed because of some loops...
Well, there were some good entries: Waldbaer's entry (Burning Legion) was a bit too "thick" (can't really explain it otherwise) for my taste, but fitted his theme pretty good.

VoidLordXtreme started off very good, but becomes a bit too generic afterwards and the sound of the tons (drum) could've been more human-ish indeed :/
If you change the drums a little bit, this can really be used in fantasy games as a human theme.

KeLeNoR's Orc Theme is a basic drum loop, with a synth and bass loop in the background, the only change is at the end, but a 2-minute song without variation isn't good, sorry.

JetFangInferno's Pyrrhic Victory sure is a nice piece of piano, but there were some 'incorrect' notes (or the transition wasn't really good, but this might be the used program's fault).

CoBrA b did a good job on tauren-music, but I think it's too euphoric at certain points, making it more fit for humans (apart from the constant drum in the background).
The rest is pretty good though (especially the intro/outro).

Darkgamma's piece is quite... mysterious :p although I can't really find a race for it ("cavern" is more a theme than a race, right?).
In GP5 I would have chosen a few different instruments, but all in all not too bad.

Sorry, EMPerror, but I just cannot see how your song (Water Elements) would ever fit in warcraft, or any other fantasy game for that matter...
It's also not too original (I've heard the intro before, I'm quite sure of that).

Umm... the last one, Drenferalis' music about elements isn't my favorite either.
I'm not too good in judging pure synths, but some phasers were absolutely unnecessary as far as I've heard.


My vote goes to either CoBrA b or VoidLordXtreme :/
I think I'll go for CoBrA b ^^
 
Yeah, EMPerror - even though i like what you elseways do - that at least intro part, of your song, seems stolen - i HAVE heard it somewhere, in one of those new-dance-techno things, and it does NOT fit to warcraft. Techno(like) doesn't blend at all with the remaining music. Too bad for you that i am mostly into metal :D Besides that, i think you struck the water elemental mood quite well.

When i want custom music for my theme - i always use the orc theme already in the editor, and ramp up the pitch to 1.3-1.5 - It's the thing for me, go hear it! It's awesome.
 
Level 12
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Voted for Furbolgs theme, I did! A bit noisy at times but overall it's the best in my opinion.
I also liked the cavern, the rise of the lords and the orc theme.
However, the orc theme was overall very repetitive and the cavern had little to do with warcraft. Rise of the Lords was very impressive but the furbolgs were more of my style.
Good job everyone! Sorry but I didn't get to hear the nightelf.
 
Level 18
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CoBrA bSongs of the Earth Mother

Theme
Sorry, but I couldn't really attach a race to this. I can only say what races wouldn't fit5/30

Creativity/Originality
Nice use of instruments. Variating, yet matching17/20

Dynamic/Tonation
There were a few points where I was wondering where it was going, but overall there was a good flow throughout the soundtrack17/20

Composition
It's a bit 50/50 here. I wouldn't say great, but it wasn't bad either13/30

Total52/100

DarkgammaThe Cavern

Theme
I hear it's a cavern theme, but I don't hear anything that would point to a race3/30

Creativity/Originality
Not bad. If you want to make a soundtrack for a cavern it's hard to get original, but you did a decent job I'd say14/20

Dynamic/Tonation
It wasn't all smooth, but there were also enough parts that created a flawless mood12/20

Composition
Just below average in my opinion. Maybe a bit more variety would've done the trick, but that would most likely get you to avoid cavern styles completely13/30

Total42/100

DrenferalisThe Elemental Chaos War

Theme
The 'crystal' effects made me feel like it indeed belonged to various types of elementals. But the pan-flutes? You lost me there18/30

Creativity/Originality
Not the most common instruments and a good application (except for the pan-flutes I already mentioned)16/20

Dynamic/Tonation
And this is where the now well known pan-flutes kick in HARD. Sorry to ask, but what were you thinking of adding those? It ruins the whole scene in my opinion4/20

Composition
This is a part that should be improved. I think you can tell why by now11/30

Total49/100

EMPerrorWater Elements

Theme
The piano gave a nice touch for the theme. Combined with techno effects, I think you deserve good ratings on this field26/30

Creativity/Originality
Somewhere it sounds partially familiar. No idea where it's familiar from, or I could be wrong. Either way: A decent, but not outstanding rating on originality12/20

Dynamic/Tonation
One great flow this track has! My compliments. Two different styles, but they combine wonderfully here20/20

Composition
It's like a professional. There's hardly anything that would convince me you haven't put thought into this28/30

Total86/100

Fanny.ShaverNightElf2

Theme
It gave a nice wilderness touch, which is (as we all know) quite characteristic to Night Elves26/30

Creativity/Originality
It's definitely not the first way I would think about when composing for Night Elves, but it's good nevertheless17/20

Dynamic/Tonation
All was in very good harmony with eachother. A good smooth feeling gives you high ratings here20/20

Composition
I'm not too convinced here. It might just be the type of track, but maybe you could improve somewhat here18/30

Total81/100

JetFangInfernoPyrrhic Victory

Theme
It sets a good mood, but that's all. It doesn't match any race for all I can tell7/30

Creativity/Originality
Only 1 type of instrument used here. Not much more I can say about it I'm afraid6/20

Dynamic/Tonation
The flow was good. It goes over quite well (maybe the major lift could've been a bit less major, but that's just my opinion)18/20

Composition
Not bad, but not that great either. Let's just keep it with that17/30

Total48/100

KeLeNoROrc Theme

Theme
Eeeeeeeh... This track was so.. unexpected, that I don't think I can match any race to this, even though it says Orc Theme. Just drums won't do8/30

Creativity/Originality
Whoa, wait a minute. Was there something used besides that drum?2/20

Dynamic/Tonation
A flow is what you're looking for? Well without a doubt, every aspect of this track flows over flawlessly, but not because of the great effort put into this1/20

Composition
Do I even need to explain?3/30

Total14/100

VoidLordXtremeThe Rise of Lords

Theme
Trumpets, light drums and a deep horn. This is human fortress sound for sure!28/30

Creativity/Originality
The instruments picked for this weren't very original, but that's why the theme scores high. However, that application of various instruments is well done18/20

Dynamic/Tonation
All was as one. Very good overflow, even when using completely different sets of instruments19/20

Composition
There has been put some thought in here. Keep up the good work!24/30

Total89/100

The last 2 songs will be reviewed later, and I will give my vote then. Please add Fanny.Shaver to the poll by then Py. It's really unfair like this, since he/she has a good chance.
 
Level 19
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I liked this btw

First Place: 40 reputation points and your entry on an award icon

How are you going to put someone's entry on an award icon?:p:p I can imagine a keymark as an icon or something but can't imagine 'someone's entry' on an award icon?:p:p Or maybe a certain unit from the chosen theme's race? like if it would be EMPerror winning, a water elemental?:D
 
Level 18
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@Pyritie: Sorry, I guess I started making that post just before you added that entry. It took a while to make that post lol

Here are the other reviews:
WaldbaerBurning Legion

Theme
It's not overwhelming, but I can imagine it matching a human or blood elf race20/30

Creativity/Originality
Good combinations. Not too rare to find, but put together nicely14/20

Dynamic/Tonation
At some points I was kind of wondering if that was really so smooth. It was good to listen to, but it could use a bit of fine-tuning14/20

Composition
There may be put some extra effort in this part if you'd ask me. I think mainly because of the overall judging on the other points of judgment.18/30

Total66/100

TeuncreemersFurbolg Theme

Theme
Furbolg is not really the first thing I would think about with this music. I would say rainforest, but nothing specific to that race15/30

Creativity/Originality
It sets a nice mood, even though it's not what I would expect for that race.18/20

Dynamic/Tonation
Overall a nice track, worthy of being played in the right situation20/20

Composition
Good job on composing this. Not much more I can add to that24/30

Total77/100


My vote goes to VoidLordXtreme's The Rise of Lords. If I were to be able to pick another great track, I would choose EMPerror's Water Elements for sure.
Great job on these pieces of art!
 
Level 4
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Jan 6, 2009
Messages
100
Suppose I should probably start voting, then.

Just downloadin' the final submissions. Took quite a while to start downloading.

*whistles and rocks back and forth on heels*
 
Just curious, do people and/or judges even consider the "stories" included in the contestants' final posts before voting or is judging entirely dependent on one's musical tastes?

Well though background story to the piece enhances, it wasn't of huge importance as this isn't a lore contest. What is counted is the consideration for different decisions with musical style that were included in the required explanations to the pieces. On top of that, it's not so much based on musical taste as that differs from person to person, its more so on how well the piece is written and how it relates to the theme.
 
Teuncreemers said:
How are you going to put someone's entry on an award icon?:p:p I can imagine a keymark as an icon or something but can't imagine 'someone's entry' on an award icon?:p:p Or maybe a certain unit from the chosen theme's race? like if it would be EMPerror winning, a water elemental?:D
Something like that lol, a lot of the polls and stuff nowadays is just CnP

Nice work on the videos Py, that should make things much easier for people to sample the songs

Thanks, they took me about 2-3 hours total, partly because windows movie maker doesn't like midi so I had to find a decent midi converter :\
 
Level 28
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Just curious, do people and/or judges even consider the "stories" included in the contestants' final posts before voting or is judging entirely dependent on one's musical tastes?
I'll be honest: I'm really dissapointed in this myself...
Techno does not fit in warcraft at all, but it is the most 'mainstream' piece of music in the list, so it gets a lot of votes because people like it.
 
I'll be honest: I'm really dissapointed in this myself...
Techno does not fit in warcraft at all, but it is the most 'mainstream' piece of music in the list, so it gets a lot of votes because people like it.

You're absolutely right. I think there should have been a reviewer post, called 'fits for warcraft' or something. You'd NEVER find EMPerrors music in WCIII - maybe in a ridiculous themed map, but not elsewhere.
 
Level 18
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I disagree. Check my review, I've given him good points on Theme, because I think it matches elementals, even though it avoids the Warcraft feeling. But it's not about the Warcraft feeling, it's about the race. Therefor, his entry is (in my opinion) well suited.
 
Yeah - that was my conclusion also - therefore i said, that i wanted a new thing you had to moderate on "warcraft feel" - Of course it can't take effect now, but maybe next time. I thought i made that clear in the last post. - in the post i made before that, i also said, that it fitted water elementals - if you've read it. I can't see why you say 'I disagree'.
 
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I'll be honest: I'm really dissapointed in this myself...
Techno does not fit in warcraft at all, but it is the most 'mainstream' piece of music in the list, so it gets a lot of votes because people like it.

Agreed. People should be required to back their vote with why they think so. That would also indicate if someone was bribing or not. Plus it would show if people really paid enough effort to read posts in contest itself, of how people backed their work, and whether they took the opportunity to really judge the whole work, including what we did in total plus writting part, or just, if they like it, they vote it. I don't think it's the way it was meant to be. In other polls that could of actually work out, as in other places, model, terrain or whatever must look nice and fit some requirments, but first of all, must look nice. In here we should be only judged of about how is the track fits the theme, not if it sounds nice, as if I knew it was meant to be that way, I'd get some trance track myself...
 
Level 10
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463
OK, here are my reviews:
CoBrA b - Songs of the Earth Mother
I generally like this piece. It fit's its theme not bad and your instrumentation is nice as well. Somehow I often have the feeling it's just not exciting enough. I think your material is not really grabbing me enough… often some instruments sound as if you wanted to give them a job to prevent that they are bored, especially the drums which are playing the whole piece but never do anything special, sometimes just beat the rhythm of the melody - I think they should have played a more stand-alone role. Anyways, this is criticism on a high level. It would be nice if you had produced it yourself and maybe optimized the sound! 8/10

Darkgamma - The Cavern
Nice thing, but which race is it for? You did not post any explanations to it, did you? Also relaxing, but it's always happening enough to keep me to it. 7/10

Drenferalis
Very interesting sounds you have here and they are fitting the concerning kind of beings very well I think. I really like how you are working with these foreign, synthesized sounds; also your piece has a clear structure. Originally and greatly fitting! 8/10

EMPerror - Water Elements
Well, I think you meant "Water Elementals", am I right? Anyways, quite hard and exciting music, that you are writing here. In the beginning it is very nice but at last after about 2:30 it is hardly lacking for something new. But what is following is again the stuff you had before. Hey, the ending is a little different. You're nice building downwards here. Also i really don't like that it's always overdriven so much. There is clipping and clipping and clipping which makes the sound really bad. You may compress the piece very hardly to get it louder, but just turning the gain up until neither speakers nor ears get through it without hurt can't be the solution.
I also only get only a very thin connection with the theme, but I fear that most of my criticism comes up because I'm not familiar enough with this type of music. 6/10

Fanny.Shaver - NightElf2
Well, this is really too relaxed for me. It's simply not thrilling enough to keep me listening intensively enough to transport a special mood. For me, it does not really work with the night elves, it's too general, not really mystical enough. I think there is simply to few change in it. The chord progression is always the same and the shaker+drums make it even more calm since they don't have any surprise in it at all, also there isn't any real melody with any suspense in it, just relaxed improvisation.
Well, you wanted to show the everlasting nature and the often more than 1000year-old elves as a part of it. I'm still wondering why this does not really work for me. Probably it's just because the sound is not unique, not foreign enough. In the opposite it's very familiar, it's the kind of sound/music used in TV when there is a break and they don't know how long they need music and want to be able to fade out at any time they want.
That's really sad because your concept is a good idea and it's musically not bad at all, only the overall sound is just too familiar to be something as foreign as the night elves. 5/10

JetFangInferno - Pyrrhic Victory
Very nice piano piece. Maybe a little too mawkish (? only looked up the word in a dictionary, should mean some kind of over-emotional) for me, and often reminds me on something I can't define nearer. By the way, the strings are so quiet that I can hardly hear them, only if I turn up the volume very much. The only thing I wanted to add is the following: This piece could be orchestrated greatly, I think. Maybe you'll like to do this. :wink:
If the theme/story is fitting for a "races" contest, is another question, but it's nevertheless a nice piece worth to be heard! 7/10

KeLeNoR - Orc Theme
Well, nice drums, but why don't they change at all over the complete piece. There is also nothing else. Just too few for my taste; especially because the orcs are a highly emotional people, they really need more contrast, I think. 6/10

Teuncreemers - Furbolg Theme
Nice piece. Especially the pounding beat pattern is very fitting in my opinion. The theme's melody is not bad, too, and everything is kept quite simple, which is again very fitting for the furbolgs since they are not really a highly developed culture or anything like that. They are more like animals which are just living their lives following their instinct. Nice! 8/10

VoidLordXtreme
Well, the first 16 seconds are absolutely great, but then it seems you have no idea what to do with this great beginning. The theme is not brought to an end, only the first idea is repeated: I'm always waiting for more material of the theme, but it won't come. The middle part does not seem to have any connection to the beginning for me. The third part is partly a variation of the first part and partly a repetition, which is not bad at this place (structurally very well done!), but does not work since the first part is not able to stand for its own for me, so its reprise won't do either. Then there is the ending from 1:54 on, which sounds also like "nothing special" - not bad, but compared to the beginning, another disappointment.
Damn it, your beginning is so cool that the whole remaining 2 minutes look bad compared to it. You handle the drum pard very well though, through the whole piece. Only the other parts don't have anything further original. 7/10

Waldbaer - Burning Legion
Pah, I won't review my own work. :razz:


OK, my favorites are Teuncreemers' "Furbolg Theme" and Drenferalis' "Elemental Chaos War" as well as CoBrA b's "Songs of the Earth Mother"… I think my vote goes to Drenferalis since there seem to be few people to see the quality in this until now. :wink:

I'll be honest: I'm really dissapointed in this myself...
Techno does not fit in warcraft at all, but it is the most 'mainstream' piece of music in the list, so it gets a lot of votes because people like it.
Of course such a poll is always depending on people's tastes. But it's also only a small part of the final score and judges will really try to keep their tastes out of their judgement, I hope. Anyways it's not 100% possible, especially when you have to decide if a musical piece touches your soul or not. So let's just hope the interests are different enough to spread the votes.
 
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Level 6
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Feb 27, 2008
Messages
222
sry for my absence guys... my computer got f***ing virused :angry: :angry: :angry:
got a ubuntu now until i fix it. So, i can't vote for the next few days cause i can't listen to the songs (plug-ins don't work properly). Anyway, good luck to everyone in the contest.


oh, and about techno vs warcraft, techno is a music style too, you can't judge a music just cause it's techno or anything. I do enjoy listening to softer instrumental music while playing a game, but if I want something energetic, metal or techno does it for me. And since FL is the only music making program i know how to use (apart from reason, which just takes a lot of time which i don't have until summer), making rock is extremely difficult, and it still doesn't sound good (to me at least).
And you could say "learn to use other music making programs"... well, the same problem as with reason - don't have a lot of time to learn to use it.
However, next time i'm bored, i might try out some of those programs in the list.
 
oh, and about techno vs warcraft, techno is a music style too, you can't judge a music just cause it's techno or anything. I do enjoy listening to softer instrumental music while playing a game, but if I want something energetic, metal or techno does it for me. And since FL is the only music making program i know how to use (apart from reason, which just takes a lot of time which i don't have until summer), making rock is extremely difficult, and it still doesn't sound good (to me at least).
And you could say "learn to use other music making programs"... well, the same problem as with reason - don't have a lot of time to learn to use it.
However, next time i'm bored, i might try out some of those programs in the list.

FL has other instruments besides "heavy" ones like you chose :p
 
Level 19
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All this game music stuff..
I'm going to make a new wc3 background piece! I'm inspired! Woohoow
 
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Well, I voted Night elf. In my opinion is intense enough to be voted for and when listening to it I felt like being taken into a night elf forest. Many people voted Human theme, for me this is more like a music, not a human theme...
 
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