Music Contest #1 - Poll

[Waldbaer]

wow you got me there... sorry seems i didnt read that (you know at some moments i just dont think at all^^)
but its (only) 1 vote... i hope it will not decide everything.

Won't be counted anyways, so it should not decide anything. Maybe you noticed it yourself already: Self-voters simply get -1 in the vote-count.

 

[VoidLordXtreme]

Won't be counted anyways, so it should not decide anything. Maybe you noticed it yourself already: Self-voters simply get -1 in the vote-count.

puh... i feel much better now

 

[WherewolfTherewolf]

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.

*sigh* I can see that this theme was prone to getting this argument in the first place but for the first contest I guess it's ok.

1: I originally didn't want to have a poll for reasons like that, many people don't take into consideration how well a piece is written, just how it fits their musical tastes - like anything from the Jonas Brothers is very, very, very x 10^24 bad, and yet girls everywhere like it for reasons external to the music and the fact that it fits into the crap pop that sells well. I'm thinking a more abstract theme is in order for the next contest (I think I'll follow Keiji's model of choosing a theme, by asking what themes people want then putting up a poll for the most popular themes).

2: This contest was in no way a Wc3 Music Contest, it was a Music Contest - thus any sort of style of music was allowed as long as it connected with the race. Though Drenferalis's music wouldn't fit in with Wc3 music, it was connected very well with the race through it's explanation of the theme and thus was a good entry in my opinion. I also saw some people trying to cash in on this by asking people to make entries of music that fit their map, and not to fit the theme (sort of like priorities, it must fit my map cause I'm too lazy to ask or make my own music, THEN make it fit the theme).

3: Don't be ashamed for whatever style of music you write, I wanted this contest to have a large variety of styles and types (we almost got a Black Metal entry) and it did work pretty well in that.

 

[Fanny.Shaver]

@up

Shame it wasn't explained that well before. I wouldn't of made what I did.

 

[WherewolfTherewolf]

I thought it was pretty well explained:

Contestants will choose a race from warcraft lore and develop a musical piece around that race. Though the piece does not have to be used as background music for WC3, it should be related to the race in a way that makes sense.
(Example: If I chose trolls as my race, I can include a percussion part that includes tribal drums. I can explain that by saying trolls live a shamanistic life style so they would use tribal drums. But if I included some thrash metal guitar riffs, I can't say "they are awesome just like trolls". It must make sense.)

Some people are just incapable of reading the rules (not talking about you, but the hordes of nubs asking me how to enter and if they can enter and what they should enter and when they should enter became incredibly annoying even after I told them to read the rules).

 

[AIagremm]

Voted for furbolgs, however all of them quite good. Good luck everyone!

 

[InStars]

I voted for VoidLordXtreme's Human theme -The Rise of Lords,
because it fits WC3 and is powerful!
And yea btw - i am human

 

[Waldbaer]

...
2: This contest was in no way a Wc3 Music Contest, it was a Music Contest - thus any sort of style of music was allowed as long as it connected with the race. Though Drenferalis's music wouldn't fit in with Wc3 music, it was connected very well with the race through it's explanation of the theme and thus was a good entry in my opinion. I also saw some people trying to cash in on this by asking people to make entries of music that fit their map, and not to fit the theme (sort of like priorities, it must fit my map cause I'm too lazy to ask or make my own music, THEN make it fit the theme).

3: Don't be ashamed for whatever style of music you write, I wanted this contest to have a large variety of styles and types (we almost got a Black Metal entry) and it did work pretty well in that.

...
Some people are just incapable of reading the rules (not talking about you, but the hordes of nubs asking me how to enter and if they can enter and what they should enter and when they should enter became incredibly annoying even after I told them to read the rules).

I agree with everything you wrote in your posts above, but can't let it be without stressing the quoted passages additionally.

It was/is a great contest in my opinion also BECAUSE it was so open to any style and now people should really listen to every piece more than once to try to get the right feeling and the possibility to understand the pieces and what the creator wanted to express with them.
But who cares, the people who these things are addressed to will read these posts as much as they read the rules when thought about to entry into the contest or not.

 

[Sephalo]

Damn I'm going to feel sorry for myself.. I feel it..
I voted for (atm) my biggest threat in the poll... void Simply because his entry was good

 

[Gamecrafter_DK]

Yeah! That wasn't too good XD

 

[Sephalo]

Well losing from an entry you voted for isn't that stupid.
IT would be stupid if there's a difference of 1 vote lol. But that will never happen with the amount of ppl voting on this site. And I still believe that I won't reach top 3, I'm just hoping more and more because I got the feeling the judge comments won't be that good for my piece.

 

[VoidLordXtreme]

Damn I'm going to feel sorry for myself.. I feel it..
I voted for (atm) my biggest threat in the poll... void Simply because his entry was good

at least i can give you rep for that

 

[Traxamillion]

hahaha,

trax and myself Trax. both voted the same song.

I found that lulzy.

 

[Sephalo]

at least i can give you rep for that

lol

 

[Momo]

Hmm, I really had a hard time choosing between The Rise of Lords and the Furbolg Theme, they're both very good. I decided to give my vote to Void, good job mate!

 

[Sephalo]

Hmm, I really had a hard time choosing between The Rise of Lords and the Furbolg Theme, they're both very good. I decided to give my vote to Void, good job mate!

Nooooo!
So close and yet so far away!

 

[Drenferalis]

Drenferalis	The 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 there	18/30
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 opinion	4/20
Composition	This is a part that should be improved. I think you can tell why by now	11/30
Total	49/100

Pan flutes? There is not 1 pan flute in this song, and if your talking about the wet synths played in a high note starting at 2:45 then again your mistaken, this is meant to sound like a water elemental, Your mention of the pan flutes in every single area of the review weakens your review even further. As Werewolf the werewolf put he thought my song fit my theme/explanation very well. I have a feeling that this contest is going to end badly as it seems even the judges are going to biased. (No offense desired, I just want to make sure that each category [Theme, Creativity, Dynamics/Tones, Composition] are understood by the judges as reviews like the one quoted seem to be slightly lacking in the understanding of the areas being judged.

On another note, I see alot of people marking my song off as "not sounding like WC3". I am glad this poll isnt worth much of the final score as it is really hurting quite a few songs. I agree that there should never be a poll for a music song again as very few people understand what musical "dynamics" are, let alone composition... (Not meaning to bash on those that do, but the "jonas brothers" reference pointed out what I meant very well.)


My comment to the judges:
Do well, and don't pay attention to prior of this message.
If you don't understand a section of what your judging take a look at the accompanying posts, the reason we were supposed to make them was so you know what was going on in our heads. Reviews like the one above should be avoided.


My comment to everyone else:
ENJOY THE MUSIC!
I don't want to rant about what is right and what isn't.
But i do want to emphasize this:

This contest was not designed to see if the music fit WC3. It was meant to be a musical contest, does it fit its theme. Not a "does it fit WC3" contest.

 

[JetFangInferno]

JetFangInferno	Pyrrhic Victory
Theme	It sets a good mood, but that's all. It doesn't match any race for all I can tell	7/30
Creativity/Originality	Only 1 type of instrument used here. Not much more I can say about it I'm afraid	6/20
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 that	17/30
Total	48/100

For theme, did you read my post explaining why it relates to the human race? In my opinion, the thematic relevance of a song should not be restricted to one genre (i.e. a human theme should not be limited to classical symphonies). Though it may lead to my downfall in this contest, I wished to convey a less-heard-of sentimental side of the human race and if you read my explanation, it should address the theme.

As for creativity/originality, I understand my limited usage of instruments but as far as I know, my song should be "creative" and "original" enough considering the theme I was going for.

 

[Fanny.Shaver]

Well, as I completely misunderstood a purpose of the contest and I have a personal issue with it's functionality I decided to quit it, so please people responsible for this thread, read started, please remove me from the poll so voters can vote someone else.

 

[Samuraid]

If it were possible to vote for multiple entries, I'd vote for:

Pyrrhic Victory - JetFangInferno
This one fits the theme very well, and as my mind imagines, it would make a very dramatic piece with more instruments. It is only unfortunate that this song isn't rendered as a full orchestral arrangement; I think it would have an easy victory if that were the case. Solo piano, while very elegant, doesn't seem to give the song the fullness it demands. Even so, very nice work. Props to the composer.

Burning Legion - Waldbaer
This one definitely sounded reminiscent of a Warcraft cinematic sequence or even an end-level theme. It definitely fit the motif of the contest. Nicely done.
As a suggestion: the trumpet and trombone parts remained at the forefront the whole time. If you varied the arrangement and used more instruments, I think the song would be more interesting.

 

[EMPerror]

at least i can give you rep for that

imma vote for you then too, i'm not winning anyway

 

[whatever]

Omlk

Oh, my Lich King! I just HAD to dump my disappointment somewhere (I am writing the artist and song names, as they appear in my winamp):


Norman Tran - Pyrrhic Victory (Final)

I don't know if you made this entirely by computer program, or actually played a piano and recorded it. But it both cases I think it sucks! Sorry, absolutely no personal offense, but from my kinda "professional" piano-playing view (and I do use the term loosely) you have two places where the music just clashes with itself, totally unmatching the current rhythm, it's like driving down the highway, only to have two giant-sized uber-trucks crash into each-other. My piano teacher explained it to me like this, when I was young and just starting to learn to play the piano:

You should play it gentler, otherwise it conflicts with the melody so far, it's like if your mother is singing you a lullaby and then suddenly slapping you on the head

First happens at about 1:32 until this point the listener is (should) be enjoying a nice, slow, quiet piano play but then the relaxing melody is KILLED by a key stroke so heavy Arnold Shwartshenigger wouldn't be able to lift it, and then we get to the "a bit more exiting melody part"... which apparently every piano song has to have.

Last is at about 1:47 then the more lively rhythm just... dies - no key stroke no comment not even a memorial service. It's dead, gone just as suddenly as it appeared . And we get on with the relaxing one again.

+ Plus it is too short. I personally felt the need for more and not because it was good but because it feels unfinished... "lacking" I guess.

KeLeNoR - Orc Theme

Yeah, again, I wouldn't like to offend your person... just your musical skills .
Um-m-m-m... what, you only have ONE theme in you music studio computer program ? Pft, the whole piece is the same "sounds-to-me-like-beating-three-drums" again, and again, and again, and again, yeah at some points a squeak of other sound appears but it is ALMOST COMPLETELY deafened by the "drum-thing". Pff, a cat striking the same piano key can make a better piece.

VoidLordXtreme - The Rise of the Lords

This was a very nice piece, short, but nice... like having a dollar is nice, but having ten dollars would be good. I think you were on the right track, but personally, I think if you expanded it and improved it it would be even better.

EMPerror - Water Elements gets my vote.

Bu-u-ut... it was too loud, I had to turn down my volume, because it was loosing quality. If you ever fix it, by making it quieter - please PM me . And if you extend it - PM me TWICE!!

 

[Sephalo]

Just a question euhm.
Do the contest judges have any musical experiences or are you just regulair hive members listening to ehm let's say metal music? I mean. Do the judges have any chord knowledge or any other musical knowledges apart from what they THINK instead of facts like ahh you are playing a Cminor7 with D as a basstone there. People like that would be much better at actually seeing the good parts of someone's music instead of just guessing if you know what I mean.
For isntance the piano solo entry (believe it was from JetFangInferno?) had some really interesting chords that were pretty creative. I remember some 13 chords (like Fmajor7 with G as a basstone) and diminished stuff. The other entry's just went for 1 chord and built up in that 1 chord. Some contestants even had some false chords and some others had really uncreative chords like a regulair C, E, G builtup C chord like EMPerror. No offense though, it suits the music style very well. But I am really questioning if our judges are hearing those things and if they are judging people's work on a fair base.

 

[JetFangInferno]

Just a question euhm.
Do the contest judges have any musical experiences or are you just regulair hive members listening to ehm let's say metal music? I mean. Do the judges have any chord knowledge or any other musical knowledges apart from what they THINK instead of facts like ahh you are playing a Cminor7 with D as a basstone there. People like that would be much better at actually seeing the good parts of someone's music instead of just guessing if you know what I mean.
For isntance the piano solo entry (believe it was from JetFangInferno?) had some really interesting chords that were pretty creative. I remember some 13 chords (like Fmajor7 with G as a basstone) and diminished stuff. The other entry's just went for 1 chord and built up in that 1 chord. Some contestants even had some false chords and some others had really uncreative chords like a regulair C, E, G builtup C chord like EMPerror. No offense though, it suits the music style very well. But I am really questioning if our judges are hearing those things and if they are judging people's work on a fair base.

My thoughts exactly. What constitutes "good" and "bad" music to these judges? Of what ethos do they have to make such claims?

 

[Avator]

@Drenferalis:
It doesn't matter what instrument it is or is not. To me they sounded like they didn't fit in, and that's what I judged on. Whether it's a panflute or a water element symphony: I didn't find it very matching, so I gave you points based on that.

@JetFangInferno:
I'm not supposed to read your post. I judge your track based on what I hear in that track only. As good or bad as your intensions may be, the point of this contest is to create a mood matching a Warcraft III race by creating a sound track. Not by explaining why you think it matches. To make my point clear: I could play 1 note on any instrument and add a big block of text of why that note would fit undead. That wouldn't give me a good rating, even if my explanation was perfect, would it?

 

[Waldbaer]

Pooh, there was much happening here since I visited last time, so prepare for a long post, I'll try to structure it...

@Drenferalis

Quote from Drenferalis

Pan flutes? There is not 1 pan flute in this song, and if your talking about the wet synths played in a high note starting at 2:45 then again your mistaken, this is meant to sound like a water elemental, Your mention of the pan flutes in every single area of the review weakens your review even further. As Werewolf the werewolf put he thought my song fit my theme/explanation very well. I have a feeling that this contest is going to end badly as it seems even the judges are going to biased. (No offense desired, I just want to make sure that each category [Theme, Creativity, Dynamics/Tones, Composition] are understood by the judges as reviews like the one quoted seem to be slightly lacking in the understanding of the areas being judged.

On another note, I see alot of people marking my song off as "not sounding like WC3". I am glad this poll isnt worth much of the final score as it is really hurting quite a few songs. I agree that there should never be a poll for a music song again as very few people understand what musical "dynamics" are, let alone composition... (Not meaning to bash on those that do, but the "jonas brothers" reference pointed out what I meant very well.)


My comment to the judges:
Do well, and don't pay attention to prior of this message.
If you don't understand a section of what your judging take a look at the accompanying posts, the reason we were supposed to make them was so you know what was going on in our heads. Reviews like the one above should be avoided.


My comment to everyone else:
ENJOY THE MUSIC!
I don't want to rant about what is right and what isn't.
But i do want to emphasize this:

This contest was not designed to see if the music fit WC3. It was meant to be a musical contest, does it fit its theme. Not a "does it fit WC3" contest.

I really encourage you to be strong enough to accept some people did not understand your music. This is not offense against you nor the people who critisized your music hardly, there is simply the fact that everybody has different possibilities to understand a musical piece by his feelings or not. And these possibilities are widely spreaded: did you read my review (was on Page 3 I think)? I even voted for you, because for me it worked very well. Also e.g. Werewolf wrote something very positive about you. So keep the positive reactions in your mind, too, and try at the same time to let the negative comments not hurt you too much. ​

@Samuraid:

...
Burning Legion - Waldbaer
This one definitely sounded reminiscent of a Warcraft cinematic sequence or even an end-level theme. It definitely fit the motif of the contest. Nicely done.
As a suggestion: the trumpet and trombone parts remained at the forefront the whole time. If you varied the arrangement and used more instruments, I think the song would be more interesting.

Thanks for your positive comment and also your suggestions. I listened to the piece too much at the moment though, so if I work on it again, it will be not in the very nearest future, I fear.
By the way, you did not vote at all until now, did you? Maybe you'll like to do so... ​

@whatever

Quote from whatever

Oh, my Lich King! I just HAD to dump my disappointment somewhere (I am writing the artist and song names, as they appear in my winamp):


Norman Tran - Pyrrhic Victory (Final)

I don't know if you made this entirely by computer program, or actually played a piano and recorded it. But it both cases I think it sucks! Sorry, absolutely no personal offense, but from my kinda "professional" piano-playing view (and I do use the term loosely) you have two places where the music just clashes with itself, totally unmatching the current rhythm, it's like driving down the highway, only to have two giant-sized uber-trucks crash into each-other. My piano teacher explained it to me like this, when I was young and just starting to learn to play the piano:



First happens at about 1:32 until this point the listener is (should) be enjoying a nice, slow, quiet piano play but then the relaxing melody is KILLED by a key stroke so heavy Arnold Shwartshenigger wouldn't be able to lift it, and then we get to the "a bit more exiting melody part"... which apparently every piano song has to have.

Last is at about 1:47 then the more lively rhythm just... dies - no key stroke no comment not even a memorial service. It's dead, gone just as suddenly as it appeared . And we get on with the relaxing one again.

+ Plus it is too short. I personally felt the need for more and not because it was good but because it feels unfinished... "lacking" I guess.

KeLeNoR - Orc Theme

Yeah, again, I wouldn't like to offend your person... just your musical skills .
Um-m-m-m... what, you only have ONE theme in you music studio computer program ? Pft, the whole piece is the same "sounds-to-me-like-beating-three-drums" again, and again, and again, and again, yeah at some points a squeak of other sound appears but it is ALMOST COMPLETELY deafened by the "drum-thing". Pff, a cat striking the same piano key can make a better piece.

VoidLordXtreme - The Rise of the Lords

This was a very nice piece, short, but nice... like having a dollar is nice, but having ten dollars would be good. I think you were on the right track, but personally, I think if you expanded it and improved it it would be even better.

EMPerror - Water Elements gets my vote.

Bu-u-ut... it was too loud, I had to turn down my volume, because it was loosing quality. If you ever fix it, by making it quieter - please PM me . And if you extend it - PM me TWICE!!

You are speaking very importantly if I keep in mind the fact that you did not dare to submit a piece to the contest yourself. Maybe you should try to say your opinion a little nicer next time (and with less "thumbs-down"-emoticons), especially when it's critical. This would make it much easier to take you more serious probably. ​

Judges discussion

Quotes from Teuncreemers and JetFangInferno

Just a question euhm.
Do the contest judges have any musical experiences or are you just regulair hive members listening to ehm let's say metal music? I mean. Do the judges have any chord knowledge or any other musical knowledges apart from what they THINK instead of facts like ahh you are playing a Cminor7 with D as a basstone there. People like that would be much better at actually seeing the good parts of someone's music instead of just guessing if you know what I mean.
For isntance the piano solo entry (believe it was from JetFangInferno?) had some really interesting chords that were pretty creative. I remember some 13 chords (like Fmajor7 with G as a basstone) and diminished stuff. The other entry's just went for 1 chord and built up in that 1 chord. Some contestants even had some false chords and some others had really uncreative chords like a regulair C, E, G builtup C chord like EMPerror. No offense though, it suits the music style very well. But I am really questioning if our judges are hearing those things and if they are judging people's work on a fair base.

My thoughts exactly. What constitutes "good" and "bad" music to these judges? Of what ethos do they have to make such claims?

In the Contest's opening post it was written that people who want to judge should have some musical experience also in music theory (seems to be edited now). At least WherewolfTherewolf seems to be a potent judge to me and I think (hope) the other judges will be as objective as possible, too. I don't think we should doom them too early. ​

@Avator:

@JetFangInferno:
I'm not supposed to read your post. I judge your track based on what I hear in that track only. As good or bad as your intensions may be, the point of this contest is to create a mood matching a Warcraft III race by creating a sound track. Not by explaining why you think it matches. To make my point clear: I could play 1 note on any instrument and add a big block of text of why that note would fit undead. That wouldn't give me a good rating, even if my explanation was perfect, would it?

Of course the music should work on it's own, but often you'll also get a much better feeling for the music when you read a note of the composer, because I'm sure that you won't get everything at the first listen. So reading the comments is a fair chance for the author's piece because it may manage to give you the correct perspective. And you need a perspective since you are just a human as everybody else here.
Example: If you are looking on a metal piece from a classical perspective, it's simply bad and loud. You have to change the perspective of your feelings to discover the things that are done well. ​

Final Note at all:
Guys, this is a contest only for 40 reputation points and an award-icon, not for your lives, so keep cool and enjoy the music that was made for it!

 

[Darkness-4ever]

After listening to them all, I voted for Water Elementals.
And no, I will not explain my reasoning, I simply liked it better than the others, so suck it thats all I have to say.

Edit: By the way drenblahblah voted for himself.

 

[DudeSpirit]

Wow, I'm highly impressed by these pieces
Great works all.. But going to vote for... Burning Legion by Waldbaer
Its got some MIDI-issues.. Some instruments sounding midi instead of acoustic, bothers me a bit but very well composed.

 

[Wanarax]

well thats intresting

 

[VoidLordXtreme]

imma vote for you then too, i'm not winning anyway

does that mean youre voting only for me because you want me to give you rep?
bullsh*t !
vote for the music you like the most !!!

 

[Sephalo]

I wanted to share my opinion on people's work and started to judge it like I would if I was one of the judges. I didn't judge all songs yet but just had to take a break. Will judge the remaining 4 pieces tonight or tomorrow. I mainly want to share my opinion because I have the feeling I got a different approach to judging the music then others and might be able to show you things on a different side.

Songs of the Earth Mother - Cobra b

Theme:
It fits perfectly in the theme. I would give this a 30/30

Creativity/Originality:
Well because it fits the theme so well with the picture everyone has with 'tauren music' it's not that creative anymore because it's exactly what you will expect from tauren music. The melodies weren't that creative either and quite easy to come up with. I do like the many things going on through eachother with many small 'question and answer' thingies. I would give this a 10/20

Dynamic/Tonation:
This piece has a nice dynamic flow. Not perfect, but not bad either. 15/20

Composition:
Nothing is in a wrong key. There is just 1 key but that doesn't matter that much. No really special chords but no false notes either. 21/30

Total: 76/100

The Cavern - Darkgamma

Theme:
Could fit a theme well. If you would give the theme. A cavern isn't a wc3 race so I don't know what kin d of theme you're thinking of. But because it could fit a theme well I will give it 15/30

Creativity/Originality:
Well the melodies weren't that hard to make. You got various chords and improvising a melody like this aint that hard. I liked the chords though, sometimes they went to diminished stuff and a littlebit 'advanced' chords. Could hear you got some musical knowledge or atleast played piano or something before or am I wrong? It's not a damn original song idea but I like it anyway. 15/20

Dynamic/Tonation:
Hmm a weak spot I suppose. Dynamically there didn't change that much and it all stood the same. 5/20

Composition:
Sometimes a little false note but all in all a fine composition. Nice modulation in the end, quite obvious but atleast there is one. Nice sound modules aswel. I would give this 20/30

Total: 55/100

Elemental Chaos War - Drenferalis

Theme:
Fits the theme quite well. Gives a weird feeling but that suits the elementals good. 22/30

Creativity/Originality:
Sometimes it gives me the idea you randomly picked some notes. I could be totally wrong there, and even if I'm right it suits the theme quite well, but it aint that creative ofcourse. Some of the parts didn't make that sence either and were nothing withoud the echo effect. 5/20

Dynamic/Tonation:
Quite fine but I had the idea this had been randomly done. No intention of changing it dynamically because if you press one note with a synthesizer sound for a long time it will automatically balance between loud and soft. 10/20

Composition:
Weird schedule of 'parts' if you know what I mean. Intro, A, B, A, C, Intro (as outtro) and especially part C didn't make that much sence to me. I would give it a 15/30

Total: 52/100

Water Elements - EMPerror

Theme:
Don't really get the theme her. People keep saying it fits the water elementals well. I don't see why that is. I find it too energetic for water elementals. In my opinion water is something peaceful and to make water as a sound you should work with sounds that give you a peaceful idea and make you wanna sleep if you know what I mean. Listen to the Moldau (smetana) per example. His piece is about the river the Moldau and should assemble the flowing of the river. I would give this a 10/30

Creativity/Originality:
It starts with the theme. After a while the drums join. After a while the drums go away again. Then the drums come back. Then they go away again and come back. Nothing happens! It's just that one thing with this broken Dminor chord. I can't really find a creative point in this, it's just the same as most of the songs in this style. 8/20

Dynamic/Tonation:
Not very good. The only thing you can call dynamic is the adding and removing of the background drums, but apart from that nothing dynamic happens. The chords you picked are pretty basic and easy and have nothing special in it. 10/20

Composition:
I didn't really like this composition because it brought no story or feeling. It was just another 'pump it up' song withoud any emotion or message to the listener. I really didn't like the schedule of the parts in the piece. A B A B A B A B.. etc with A being the theme and B being the theme WITH drumcomputer. Nothing special happened apart from that. 10/30

Total: 38/100

Night Elf 2 - Fanny.Shaver

Theme:
I really loved this theme. It really fits the night elves well with a quite different approach then the normal wc3 music. The shaker on the background, the basssound, the bells.. This was perfect. 30/30

Creativity/Originality:
I really loved your approach so much in here. The musical instruments used. However some parts reminded me a bit of Age of Wonders background music. Nice chord selections aswel. Not huge chords with 9 of 11 additions but perfect chords to what they need. Could've been better with a modulation or something. I will give this a 15/20

Dynamic/Tonation:
Very nice dynamically. You start with a nice intro and you feel that it is building up. You are perfectly taking the time to build it up and after a while the drumcomputer comes in. Usually I would hate drumcomputers in this kind of music but you just made it fit. It's a really nice lounge piece which also makes it fit with the Night Elves. 18/20

Composition:
The entire composition is the best I've judged so far. I really loved this composition. Everything made sence, you used the instruments like they are supposed to be used. You didn't have weird notes on weird times and the rhytm was relaxing. I give this a 25/30

Total: 88/100

 

[Waldbaer]

Wow, I'm highly impressed by these pieces
Great works all.. But going to vote for... Burning Legion by Waldbaer
Its got some MIDI-issues.. Some instruments sounding midi instead of acoustic, bothers me a bit but very well composed.

Thanks for your vote.
Yes, I know the sound is not so good. I really have learn how to get that better... the MIDI-instruments I used didn't sound that well for themselves and I did not have enough experience to get it really good in post production. The trumpet parts were played acoustic, by the way... well I didn't have much experience recording trumpet, too, so it does not sound that good, too, also because I'm not a professional trumpet player of course... I really should create more music.
Well, let's end this comment here, I have to write something.

@Teuncreemers: interesting reviews so far. I'm curious about what you'll write about my piece...

 

[WherewolfTherewolf]

At least WherewolfTherewolf seems to be a potent judge to me and I think (hope) the other judges will be as objective as possible, too. I don't think we should doom them too early.

Yeah I should probably get started on that soon (I got a whole weekend so I should get to judging soon).

 

[JetFangInferno]

@Drenferalis:
It doesn't matter what instrument it is or is not. To me they sounded like they didn't fit in, and that's what I judged on. Whether it's a panflute or a water element symphony: I didn't find it very matching, so I gave you points based on that.

@JetFangInferno:
I'm not supposed to read your post. I judge your track based on what I hear in that track only. As good or bad as your intensions may be, the point of this contest is to create a mood matching a Warcraft III race by creating a sound track. Not by explaining why you think it matches. To make my point clear: I could play 1 note on any instrument and add a big block of text of why that note would fit undead. That wouldn't give me a good rating, even if my explanation was perfect, would it?

Sorry for the late reply but according to what you said, what point is there to require this in the contest: "All entries must be accompanied by an explanation of how the song fits into the theme and the chosen race. The Race that you have chosen must be clearly indicated in the final entry post?" If it was required as part of the submission, should it not be judged as well?

 

[syltman]

I've listened through all of the entries now except water element as it gave me a headache. I think that the most intresting entries were Burning Legion - Waldbaer, The Rise of Lords - VoidLordXtreme and Songs of the Earth Mother - CoBrA b.

However the burning legion one didn't really remind me of burning legion, the ending was a bit worse, not horrible tho.

Songs of the Earth Mother was really good except for parts of the drums, the rest was nice. Also not that much tauren like

The Rise of Lords was nice and I couldn't find any real flaws with it.

The rest were either a bit too repetitive (I like that type of music but it doesn't really fit) or too electronic.

I guess I'll vote for Rise of Lords.

 

[The Panda]

Keep voting people, the judging scores will be calculated soon enough.

 

[CoBrA b]

Here are my reviews. I have reviewed every entry as thoroughly as I thought was necessary, and decided on who I think is best. With the exception of the cheater, Darkgamma (see below), I think that everyone did an excellent job. Congrats to everyone.

Reviews

Darkgamma:
This entry is a complete and utter cheat. I urge a moderator to go to the homepage of noteworthy composer (just google “noteworthy composer”), and download the free trial. Go to file, and click the option that says “Open Samples” there will be a file near the top of the list called “Caverns” If you open it, you will find that it sounds exactly like this entry. I am highly disappointed in Darkgamma and would expect better from anyone. This entry should be disqualified. I know for a fact that this song came with the original version of Noteworthy, which means that, even if Darkgamma is the real composer, the song was composed way before this contest started.
Rating: 0/0 Highly disappointed.

Drenferalis:
This is interesting, to say the least. I was certainly never bored while listening to it, and found it pretty entertaining. As it is, the music makes me feel more like I’m on an alien spaceship than in the warcraft universe, even if this is about elementals. Also, while it is interesting, and entertaining, it’s not particularly exciting. The music doesn’t really go anywhere, it stays at about the same level, volume, and mood for the duration of the piece. At the same time (although I have to give you credit for this, because I find it incredibly hard), the music meanders about, with no apparent goal or purpose. Yes, I know it’s about chaos, but I honestly did not feel the slightest glimpse of war. However, it was resolved pretty well in the end. In all I find that I can best compare this piece to pie with no filling. The crust on the outside is fun and delicious, but I lacks any substance or variation, since it has no filling.
Theme: 7/30
Creativity: 13/20
Dynamic/Tonation: 5/20
Composition: 15/30
Total: 40/100 Average

EMPerror:
I do seriously like this piece. It has an incredibly catchy theme, and is upbeat, entertaining, and exciting throughout. In terms of criticism, there are two main points I want to make. Firstly, while this is an incredibly catchy and well-written song, it is very clearly a had a race fitted to it, rather than a song fitted to a race. However, there is nothing wrong with it, and, while I probably wouldn’t think of water elementals if I were an average gamer hearing it for the first time, I can see how it could represent water elementals. Secondly, it is a tad length for a monothematic song. I have to admit, I was getting a little bored of hearing the same thing over and over near the end, but as soon as I felt that, it got into the final bit and ended very pleasingly. Also, you did do a good job of varying the theme enough to keep the song interesting, and, while, the song pretty much kept the same dynamic level for most of the song, it flows, all in all, very well. You did a great job with this.
Theme: 12/30
Creativity: 13/20
Dynamic/Tonation: 11/20
Composition: 24/30
Total: 60/100 Good

Fanny.Shaver (not on the poll, but I’ll still review it anyway):
This song had so much potential. My greatest criticism, and this is what really ruins the song for me, is those laser-sounding bits that enter throughout the song. They serve no purpose, as I can tell, and both wreck the tune, and detract from theme relevance. You really should have gotten rid of them and replaced them with light drums or something, because, behind them is a gorgeously serene melody which would have been one of my favorite of all entries for this contest. Now, I don’t want to only say what I didn’t like about this song. The melody was amazingly beautiful, and flowed very nicely. However, it does meander a bit, and follows no specific theme or pattern, but, then again, it is piano music. The ending, while it was okay, felt a bit unresolved and sudden, but was still pretty good.
Theme: 15/30
Creativity: 10/20
Dynamic/Tonation: 11/20
Composition: 15/30
Total: 51/100 Okay

JetFangInferno:
This is an excellent piano piece. While I don’t particularly think of humans, or really any race when I hear this, I can totally feel what you were trying to depict. Infact, I can see an entire film scene from a hypothetical Wacraft 3 movie playing out as I listen to this, the music playing in the background as we see a silent montage of what the war has both brought and taken. There were certain parts that sounded jarring, not because of tonality (the harmonic structure was superb), but because they seemed slightly offbeat. I don’t know if that was what you were aiming for or not, but I did find myself cringing slightly when I heard them. Still, though, the thematic development is great, and the piece flows very well, although the ending is a tad abrupt. All in all, this is a very good piece.
Theme: 17/30
Creativity: 14/20
Dynamic/Tonation: 17/20
Composition: 26/30
Total: 74/100 Very Good

KeleNoR:
This really isn’t all that good. It’s basically just the same drumbeat over and over again way too many times with seemingly random quiet things in the background. That being said, the drumbeat was pretty catchy, and I thought it had huge potential. As I heard it in the beginning, I found myself wondering where the song would go, only to find out that it did not go anywhere at all. After the first few playings of the beat, I found myself incredibly bored, and the little held notes in the background did nothing to help. If you had made the drums a little bit more quiet, perhaps it could act as background music, but, as it stands, the you would have to turn the volume up to hear the background notes during a game, and, at that point, the drums would be too loud for your to concentrate.
Theme: 15/30
Creativity: 5/20
Dynamic/Tonation: 5/20
Composition: 6/30
Total: 31/100 Lacking.

VoidLordXtreme:
This is really good, head and shoulders above many other entries. I won’t say it’s my favorite, because it’s not. However, the main theme was very well thought out, and the instrumentation and harmony were both brilliant. I’m going to break the piece down into sections because that’s the best way to critique it. The piece opens very strongly, plunging into the main theme. The theme is powerful, and brilliant. I like it a lot. Then however, the transition to the next part comes far too abruptly, suddenly halting and turning in bringing us to softer, yet still powerful part. For me, the transition was far too abrupt. If you had made this transition more smooth, perhaps by adding a diminuendo on a downward-moving melody, this next part would totally complement the first part. Then, however, we are smoothly transitioned back into the main theme, which repeats several times (almost to the point where I was bored, but not quite), and ends a tad abruptly, but still very nicely. In all, this is a superb piece. I am very curious what programs you used to make this, because I loved the sound of the instruments.
Theme: 20/30
Creativity: 12/20
Dynamic/Tonation: 14/20
Composition: 21/30
Total: 67/100 Pretty Damn Good

WaldBaer:
Pretty Good. Your choice for race was very good, and I can totally see how this song fits it. There were several points where this song sounded truly evil and militaristic. I could totally see the hordes of the legion marching to this. Also, your combination of the melodies and countermelodies played on the brass were truly brilliant. However, I did find the introduction rather slow, and the main theme came in rather late for me to consider it a true main theme. Furthermore, I really liked the melody introduced on the tuba, and thought that, while it was fairly simple, I really wanted it to repeat more times than it did. Also, the main melody, played on the trumpets and trombones, is also fairly simple, and sounds rather weak in the beginning, though it quickly picks up strength. Also, while the brass were an excellent choice for this race, and very well written for, I do think that you needed to also have some strings playing a clear, dramatic countermelody to the brass to add tension and emphasis where needed. Finally, while the ending was pulled off well, I was disappointed with it, because, considering the overall motif of this piece, I wanted it to end with a bang, and all I got was a rather soft ending. Still, though, you did a great job, and I do think that this piece was the best fitting for its race of all entries for this contest (except perhaps mine, but I won’t talk about that).
Theme: 23/30
Creativity: 12/20
Dynamic/Tonation: 13/20
Composition: 17/30
65/100 Pretty Good

Teuncreemers:
Definitely one of the better compositions in this contest. I thought that your harmonic structure and melodies were very well thought out and executed. That being said, I did not really think that this fit the Furbolg race very well. The opening part would be more suited to something like night elf or forest troll. However, when the xylophone (at least, that’s what I think it is) comes in, I do get a sense of that this could fit Furbolgs, and the melody is very nice. I wish you had developed it more. The violin/fiddle (again, that’s what I think it is), while it also has a nice part, and complements the other parts well, kind of ruins the mood you had going. To me, it sounds nothing like a shamanic race of bear-people. I wish you had reiterated the theme introduced on the xylophone on a different instrument, maybe shifted up or down a few notes. From there, the music develops well, and the ending is superbly pulled off. All in all, this is a pretty good piece on its own, with the exception of the violin, but I, while I think it had the potential to do so, I don’t think it fit the race you chose that well.
Theme: 11/30
Creativity: 14/20
Dynamic/Tonation: 14/20
Composition: 24/30
Total: 65/100 Pretty Good

My vote goes to JetFangInferno. That was one excellent piece of music.

Again, congratulations to all. I was really impressed with this contest.

 

[Sephalo]

Teuncreemers:
Definitely one of the better compositions in this contest. I thought that your harmonic structure and melodies were very well thought out and executed. That being said, I did not really think that this fit the Furbolg race very well. The opening part would be more suited to something like night elf or forest troll. However, when the xylophone (at least, that’s what I think it is) comes in, I do get a sense of that this could fit Furbolgs, and the melody is very nice. I wish you had developed it more. The violin/fiddle (again, that’s what I think it is), while it also has a nice part, and complements the other parts well, kind of ruins the mood you had going. To me, it sounds nothing like a shamanic race of bear-people. I wish you had reiterated the theme introduced on the xylophone on a different instrument, maybe shifted up or down a few notes. From there, the music develops well, and the ending is superbly pulled off. All in all, this is a pretty good piece on its own, with the exception of the violin, but I, while I think it had the potential to do so, I don’t think it fit the race you chose that well.
Theme: 11/30
Creativity: 14/20
Dynamic/Tonation: 14/20
Composition: 24/30
Total: 65/100 Pretty Good

I can live with that And you're right about the end and maybe the fiddle aswel. The thing is. I tried to compose for a certain race and that didnt work right. Then I just started to compose music like I was making it for a medieval movie or something. I actually composed this piece for wood elves but unfortunatelly there are no wood elves in wc3 lol.

 

[whatever]

@whatever

You are speaking very importantly if I keep in mind the fact that you did not dare to submit a piece to the contest yourself. Maybe you should try to say your opinion a little nicer next time (and with less "thumbs-down"-emoticons), especially when it's critical. This would make it much easier to take you more serious probably. ​

Um-m-m... I kind of didn't understand what you mean by "You are speaking very importantly" but I did not "dare" to submit a piece - I did not want to. Pft, I'm neither interested in it nor I knew of it before the memo for the poll popped on my window. From the way you said it I take it you think submitting a piece and criticizing are strongly related, if not the latter requiring the first. I am no composer, I do not know how much exactly I would suck if I tried, since I've never tried before.
Yeah... I'm an asshole. A jerk, a un-nice person, if you will. I say what I think directly, I do not do it to offend anyone, when I am angry - I speak angrily, I can't stand hypocrisy and when I am annoyed acting nice, to me is that. I still do regret my inability to convince people, or speak well, at all, but - that's me - I suck!
I like the "thumbs down" emoticons, they give easy visual evaluation . And I kinda don't wanna be taken too seriously. I mean if someone would ignore my comment just because I use such emoticons I wouldn't think much of him/her. If he/she would ignore it, because it is worthless/meaningless - that's OK. Normal people put too much importance on appearances - I don't.

Thanks for the comment Waldbaer, appreciated it.

 

[Sephalo]

For some reason I can't see Fanny.Shaver's submission on the contest poll anymore.
Did someone accidently remove his submission instead of the cavern submission after Cobra B's nice discovery that it was stolen?

 

[VoidLordXtreme]

oO what the hell..???
thanks for your votes (btw 25% of the final score shall be determined by a public poll.)

 

[Pyritie]

For some reason I can't see Fanny.Shaver's submission on the contest poll anymore.
Did someone accidently remove his submission instead of the cavern submission after Cobra B's nice discovery that it was stolen?

He asked for it to be removed

EDIT: Also Darkgamma has been banned from future contests. Thanks for that cobra.

 

[Waldbaer]

Darkgamma:
This entry is a complete and utter cheat. ...

...
WaldBaer:
Pretty Good. Your choice for race was very good, and I can totally see how this song fits it. There were several points where this song sounded truly evil and militaristic. I could totally see the hordes of the legion marching to this. Also, your combination of the melodies and countermelodies played on the brass were truly brilliant. However, I did find the introduction rather slow, and the main theme came in rather late for me to consider it a true main theme. Furthermore, I really liked the melody introduced on the tuba, and thought that, while it was fairly simple, I really wanted it to repeat more times than it did. Also, the main melody, played on the trumpets and trombones, is also fairly simple, and sounds rather weak in the beginning, though it quickly picks up strength. Also, while the brass were an excellent choice for this race, and very well written for, I do think that you needed to also have some strings playing a clear, dramatic countermelody to the brass to add tension and emphasis where needed. Finally, while the ending was pulled off well, I was disappointed with it, because, considering the overall motif of this piece, I wanted it to end with a bang, and all I got was a rather soft ending. Still, though, you did a great job, and I do think that this piece was the best fitting for its race of all entries for this contest (except perhaps mine, but I won’t talk about that).
Theme: 23/30
Creativity: 12/20
Dynamic/Tonation: 13/20
Composition: 17/30
65/100 Pretty Good
...

Thanks for pointing out the problem with Darkgamma. He always seemed to be a little curious to me since he only submitted one file and never explained even the race it was for.
And thanks for your detailed reviews, especially the one for my piece of course.

 

[WherewolfTherewolf]

@Everyone

Thank you for your help so far in removing cheaters - being the first music contest dealing with and sorting out such entries is a bit unclear, but this will improve over time. Hopefully next contest, we will be able to prevent cheating much easier by developing more anti-cheat/steal rules.

It is apparent that the 2 WiP rule isn't going to work perfectly on it's own, further measures to prevent future stealing may include requiring screanshots of your piece in development with the name of the piece, measure number and the end of the current tracks clearly visible on it. If you feel that this would either be too intrusive or you have a better suggestion I'm sure we can integrate your idea should it seem reasonable

Note: I have gotten people that want the contests to require to have the piece played live recording you on your instrument - though that play actual solo instruments have been giddy at the thought, it is impractical and exclusive - many people either don't have real instruments or don't have the skill to play what they write on real instruments - thus this would discourage entering and even creativity.

Sub Note: Though such a contest as described above would be impractical, a mini contest requiring the player to record themselves on their instrument playing a solo may be plausible.

Good luck to all the contestants

 

[Sephalo]

Note: I have gotten people that want the contests to require to have the piece played live recording you on your instrument - though that play actual solo instruments have been giddy at the thought, it is impractical and exclusive - many people either don't have real instruments or don't have the skill to play what they write on real instruments - thus this would discourage entering and even creativity.

Sub Note: Though such a contest as described above would be impractical, a mini contest requiring the player to record themselves on their instrument playing a solo may be plausible.

Good luck to all the contestants

Yeah it would be cool to have that as a mini contest. Since this submission was also live recorded by me I don't have any problems with it and if you mean that I should really LIVE play it instead of recording several layers on top of eachother then that's fine aswel. But you're right that its kinda exclusive so we should keep it as a mini contest then.

 

[Luffy]

lol this is crazy. so they eventually started to create music too

 

[Martin Barbov]

My vote goes for the Burning Legion and these are my favourites:
Burning Legion - Waldbaer - Very good. The most complex music. I like the military like march. It doesn't exactly fit the theme but it's the best piece of music.
The Rise of Lords - VoidLordXtreme - Very good but not as melodic as the Burning Legion theme.
Songs of the Earth Mother - CoBrA b. - Quite good and melodic but that drum ruined the otherwise very good track.

 

[Sephalo]

So when are the judges actually going to judge?

 

[WherewolfTherewolf]

Soon, but the poll is still open until the 24th

 

[Levdragon]

After analyzing all the music I believe that The Rise of the Lords by VoidLordXtreme was the best suited for this theme and it sounded great. If someone made a medieval map or something like that Void's song would best fit it. Some of the songs I listened to didn't really fit the theme and sounded like random music put together [like techno]. Overall I think the contestants did a great job at composing music but only a handful put together a medieval piece.

Also Furblog, Legion and Pyrric were very nice