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Music Challenge - Instrumental Concept (AditTechno vs deepstrasz)

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Music Challenge - Instrumental Concept

Competitors:

Description

Both competitors create a song that will match an instrumental concept. This means that they must make a song that is suitable for vocals. They don't make the vocals, just the instruments.​


Rules and Conditions
  • Universal rules
    • Submissions may not be started / made before the official launch of the challenge.
    • Teamwork is not allowed. Such can be detailed and technical cooperation, like reviewing, which is prohibited. Smaller, subjective feedback is not considered as teamwork and is allowed.
    • Submissions must follow the Site Rules
  • Conditions
    • Challenge starts --> Judging, so we are not using public votes in general, unless there is a reconsideration.
    • Let the song lose that "vocal" instrumentation. That's basically what we're planning at all.


  • Your final entry must include the music in an accepted file Format (MP3, OGG, or MIDI) and an accompanying explanation of the song (i.e. explain how it fits into the theme).
  • You may not include long periods of silence in your song - rests are allowed but using 30 seconds of continuous silence simply to fill up space is not allowed.
  • Songs shouldn't contain only a single instrument soloing.
  • Your WIP must include a screenshot of your worksheet.
  • Minimum length is 1 minute, there is no maximum length (please keep it reasonable, 20 minute entries may create the necessity for a maximum length).
  • Any method of music production is allowed, including using sequencers, virtual instruments, sound samples and standard recording.
  • Vocals cannot be used.
  • Though sampling is allowed, it must be within reason:
    • If you use an instrument sound sample for a Sampling VSI (basically if you just use the sound for the instrument, and make it play your music) you must provide the source of the sound, be it a website or an individual.
    • Sampling copyrighted material without the consent of the owner is illegal and will not be tolerated.
    • You may use Royalty free sound samples - but you must provide the source of the sample.
    • The final song must be at least 75% of your writing - In essence, you can use a royalty free drum loop (or other form of sampled material) in your song, but if you chose to you must create enough of the other material or use in such a way that it can be said that you wrote 75% of the song. Samples of instruments are simply to be used for a sequencer (like building a drum line out of specific drums or using a pitch altering sampler to make a melody out of a sound sample from an instrument) are exempt from the 75% rule.


Reputation Award

15 Reputation points​


Duration
  • Start: July 24, 2018 GMT
  • Deadline: August 14, 2018 GMT (Extends up to a week)

Judge

@Its Ryan Boi


Judging Criteria

ThemeHow well does it demonstrate the feeling of the theme/15
Creativity/OriginalityHow original is the piece? How creative are you with the theme/instruments/etc./10
ProductionBasically, how well does it flow? Are accents used to good effect? Do overall levels make sense? etc./10
CompositionHow well is it composed? Do the key changes make sense?/15

/50
Results Calculation
Comparing the judge scores of each competitor.​



Applied moderator: @Naze
 
Last edited:
Level 38
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Feb 27, 2007
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Starting off early with this WIP right here. It's an early idea and won't kick everything off currently.
You broke my sense of time for a second with that fivetuplet! FUCK dude. I walk counting 5/4 all the time in my head but hearing it as a five over 16th notes really messed with me. My mnemonic for how to feel 5/4 is "I want to go running today" where yellow is both, red is 5, green is 4. It's reasonably good for a base progression but you need a better turnaround.

~later~

I played with it on my piano for a bit and make a couple short recordings of ideas that are attached to this post. Just my thoughts about where I might go if I was composing the piece. Ignore me if you want, lol. I said the wrong chord for one of them and what I played is F#min, Amaj, B9, Dmaj7, C#min7.
 

Attachments

  • chords.zip
    6.6 MB · Views: 114
Last edited:

deepstrasz

Map Reviewer
Level 68
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Messages
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Hey guys, tell me if it sounds too familiar with a song you know. I have this feeling it's not that original.

Uploaded a screenshot of the WiP:
vsAditTechnoWiP.png
 

Attachments

  • Untitled.mp3
    1.6 MB · Views: 80
Level 38
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Feb 27, 2007
Messages
4,951
Final WIP update. Next submission will be the final entry and the screenshot.
IMO you should focus more on the section at 1:40 and trying to integrate your different ideas into a larger phrase that evolves over the course of the piece. The pieces are there you just haven't properly integrated it all. Right now it sounds very disconnected to me, like "We're doing thing A now! ... Okay A's done, here is B now hopeyoulikeitwhoopiee! ... Okay that's B, wasn't it cool? How about A again YEAH! ohalsoadrumsolo". The only thing connecting the two parts together is the fact that you put them in the same song, and nothing propels the music along to the next section when you reach the turnaround back to F#-. It's robotic, uninspired without a rhythm/leading chord that makes you feel that F# before it happens. Just my opinion, though.


Also something about the first half your drum solo is off-putting and I can't quite put my finger on it. I think it's that the beats you accented with bass drum and snare/hi-hat should be swapped in part of it. Or perhaps it's just the accents on the notes being on a weird part of each beat. Do you know how to read music? I could explain with notation.

Code:
b is bass drum
s is snare
You have 4 beats per measure and your drums are hitting 8th notes, so 2 per beat. What I'm hearing as the 'proper'/'correct' accenting and grouping:

Beats:     | 1   2   3   4   | 1   2   3   4   |
Drums:   b | s b s b s b s b | s b s b s b s b |
Accents:   | >   >   >   >     >   >   >   >   |
Grouped: [    ][  ][  ][  ][    ][  ][  ][  ][    ]
 
Last edited:
Level 28
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You guys can post the results here in this thread if you want. Alternatively, if you prefer to have a separate results thread, I can make it as a neutral party if BlackEnvyX sends the reviews to me.

This has been a nice challenge guys :D
I'm looking forward for the outcome!
 
Level 14
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You guys can post the results here in this thread if you want. Alternatively, if you prefer to have a separate results thread, I can make it as a neutral party if BlackEnvyX sends the reviews to me.

This has been a nice challenge guys :D
I'm looking forward for the outcome!

I think it would be easier if I sent the results to you and we made a new thread.
I'll have the results by tomorrow.
 
Level 28
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Alright when I have Frieza's, I mean, BlackEnvy's judging I'll post the thread!

Winning gets me motivated usually and makes me want to continue developing and challenging more people.
Funny how people are different. For me it's quite the contrary: when I'm losing at a game/sport/something I get more motivated to understand why other competitors are going better than me. That's when I find myself watching some tutorials or reading tips/tricks online.
I can hardly picture myself doing that if I'm winning =P
 

deepstrasz

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