Congrats 8th Mode!  good show everyone! 

Thank you very much for the critique, Stepharnicus! Yeah, happy music is not my specialty, and even harder is happy music without a bittersweet element to it. XD

Haha yes I got the impression that you couldn't resist just a little bit of a darker side in your compositions.  If I ever host again I'm going to have to try and come up with a theme that forces you to make something happy clappy 

Thanks so much for your critique!  I do agree that my track is a bit shorter than most, but that was partially intentional since I was going for something that makes you feel that you want more...and puts you in the mood of starting a new game.

It wasn't so much that it was short, it just felt shorter due to the lack of progression.  With that said it definitely gives the "one more game" sentiment if thats what you were going for.  I could imagine it being one of those ending themes thats a riff on the opening theme too since the hook is catchy =D

My track made you think of arcade racing games? Interesting, I imagined it playing after a happy ending in some story-based platformer. Wouldn't even be out of place as an ending theme to some FLCL-like show if it were made with rock instruments, heh. For the record,

and the

are my favorite chiptune ending songs (not only because they're good tracks, but specifically because they're fitting ending tracks for their mood), so you might hear a bit of those in my composition.

Yeah, I think it was due to the tempo and the driving rhythm you had going.  It evoked the end of Outrun to me, where its just driving down the road occasionally pausing to reveal credits on road signs.  I can definitely see the Capcom influence, but they tend to be a little faster in tempo, same with Popular Potpourri (which is an absolute choon).  Also, whenever I think of Megaman endings I instantly default to Megaman 2, so thats why it wasn't instantly obvious to me what you were going for 

About the ending, I guess I should've played the last bar of the chorus bar twice - first as part of the chorus, then just the triumphant three chords without drums, to punctuate it better. Would've made the transition back to the bass smoother too.

Yeah exactly, everything was in place to finish it with the chord progression and such but it just wasn't right structurally imo.  What you've described here should work fantastically though.  I'm following you on soundcloud now as well so I'll be keeping an eye out for the remix 

*gravelly voice* Kept you waiting, huh?

Steparnicus is back on TIGSource!

Thanks for the critique!

 

Thanks for the critique Steparnicus! Also, thanks for hosting the challenge. You made very clear what you want to hear, which I think is good for learning (having to work outside the comfort zone and all that...) while still allowing room for different styles.

The lead synth sound and the flow of the composition were actually things I was a bit unsure about, but I had to call it done at some point. Glad you liked the production!

No problem! thanks for taking part! I was a bit nervous about providing feedback and whittling down the entries to just 3 because there was things I liked about everyone's entries and I didn't want to discourage anyone.  Hearing the range of styles was great too, and made it even harder!

As for your entry, that lead synth wouldn't have been a problem if the whole track had that fully stripped down feel to it (like a PC speaker composition).  However, the synth that comes in at 33 seconds (which sounds much more textured) and then the nice bass sound that gives it that low end makes that basic synth sound out of place.  So it would have been better if you'd gone totally monophonic or just made the lead have a smoother and more textured quality to fit with the other sounds.  Either way though, musically it was so charming and the main melody is brilliant =D 

     

[Please review the criteria in the main competition thread and vote your winner!]

Voting time for this music challenge is now upon us!

Again thanks to everyone to entered, it was very close!

Please review the criteria in the main competition thread and vote your winner!

I have set the poll to expire a week from now so that's around 00:30 GMT on 28th March.

The finalists and their respective entries are:

8th Mode http://soundcloud.com/8th-mode-music/victory-parade-end-titles

PythonBlue http://soundcloud.com/sgtyayap404/mission-accomplished

MusiCore http://soundcloud.com/musicore-studios/the-8-bit-dance



Get voting and results will show once the poll is closed  

-Ste

[PythonBlue]

*gravelly voice* Kept you waiting, huh?

Sorry for the delay, I've had a few things to sort out and I didn't get chance to sit down and review these until now!  Thanks again to everyone that took part, all of your entries were great!

So!  Getting down to it!

PythonBlue - Top-drawer production and instrumentation, everything sounded brilliant.   I definitely got the WW2 vibe from it, and you nailed the sense of Triumph and resolution.  There was also a sense of relief that came through, kind of like the end of a huge battle (youknow, like...the war ).  But because of that the sombre mood did creep in a little.  The build of the crescendo did a lot to counteract sad undertones and got everything nice and major, and the final hit punctuated the ending very well.  It was nice to hear you produce something like this which was very much out of your normal specialty and I could definitely picture this as an end credits tune.

8thMode - Fantastic production and instrumentation! There was a real playfulness in the overall sound which I really enjoyed.  Big checks in the triumph and resolution boxes, it made me think of the end of a big adventure and would work for several types of game. My only criticism in terms of the challenge was that there wasn't as big of a buildup towards the crescendo as I was expecting.  However, you do hint at it earlier at around the 24 second mark so it doesn't come from nowhere, but I was anticipating more of a build towards the end.  The crescendo itself is executed perfectly though. Overall its hard to comment on the specifics of this entry since I liked it so much, so well done!

ChristianC -  Great production on this one, although I wasn't completely sold on the use of the chiptune synth along with the piano as it started to grate on me a little as the song progressed, mainly because of the juxtaposition of the harsher glitchy sound against the soft piano.  The banjo part would have been better higher up in the mix as that was really nice and I wanted to hear more of it!  The track did give a sense of resolution, however the mood wasn't all that triumphant throughout most of the track which was quite a big part of the challenge.  However, the build towards the crescendo at 2:58 was great and built up a happier tone, but the crescendo itself was hampered by the drums continuing afterwards.  With all that said musically it was fantastic and I liked how the whole track was a nice smooth building progression towards the ending.  Overall the song was definitely relevant to the theme and I really enjoyed it despite the melancholy feel.  But this wasn't an original piece for the competition so unfortunately I can't really let it get through.   

MusiCore - Great production and instrumentation! I really loved how it sounded retro yet modern & clean at the same time.  The sense of triumph and resolution were definitely there and it would easily fit with an end credits sequence.  For some reason I got a sense that it would be at the end of a Sonic game, or possibly even a Clover/Platinum games end sequence where they have all the characters doing a big dance sequence.  I would have liked to hear a little more progression in the melody, as a lot of the progression was based off just the one riff which made the whole piece seem shorter.  The use of the sweeping effects throughout worked well to split up the song though and helped build towards the crescendo, however this would have been more effective if the melody and chord progression built up along with it.  Unfortunately the track seemed to have been cut off early as well after the crescendo, but I got the idea!  Overall this was a solid entry and I was really hoping for a dancey kind of tune when I was setting up the challenge so good job!

BleakProspects Nice, clean production and a great use chiptune and more natural sounding instruments together.  The intro was nice and the progression throughout made for an infectiously catchy tune!  It definitely fit the bill as an end credits piece, and I got a sense that there would be an epilogue to accompany the credits as this was playing.  However, there was a slight sense of a bittersweet end rather than a triumphant ending.  Unfortunately there also wasn't the big finish I was expecting since the whole piece was a more subdued affair, so it would have been more in line with the challenge had there been more of a build and ended with a bang, rather than opting for the slowing in tempo.  I did really like this entry though, and there is a good chance I will find myself humming this at some point in the future.

Tipp - The production could have been better on this one, The bass kind of muddied up the song and everything else seemed a bit too quiet as a result.  This track would have benefited from being slightly longer as well as it seems to end before it really gets started.  I did like the melodies a lot though and it would have been nice if they had been given a bit more of a chance to shine!  This would work as an end credits tune as it does tick the boxes that I was after in terms of the mood, but there wasn't really any crescendo since it seemed to tail off slightly at the end.  The little flourish at the end was a nice touch though   I could definitely see where you were going with this entry though but the technical issues seemed to hold it back.

Tao Tao - The production on this was good considering the extremely lo-fi/retro style you opted for.  The main melody synth was maybe a little too basic for my taste though!  When I first listened, the intro had me a little bit confused, but when I listened to the whole piece it made more sense as a bookend for the track.  I loved the progression into the main section and this was another catchy track. You nailed the theme and it really made me smile a lot =D Whilst I could see the intention with the crescendo, it seemed a little overly complicated and there was a distinct gap as it started which broke the flow that you had established up to that point.  Overall though I liked this entry and was an unexpected surprise at the end of the competition.  I could definitely see the bad animation in my minds eye!

Sublinimal - Great production and retro style! however the whole mix was lacking in low-end which seemed a bit of a shame given the more upbeat style you opted for.  Whilst I imagine you wanted to avoid giving it too much punch so that it didn't sound like an ending theme, I think it would have benefited from having something to carry the track through in the bass frequencies.  Another really catchy melody though, I really got the sense this would fit at the end of a high-octane arcade game, something with cars or motorbikes  The progression was great and the overall mood was exactly what I was looking for (You got an audible "Yeah!" from me as this kicked in, which you should be proud of!)  Reverting to the intro at such a high volume at the end did detract from the crescendo though, as I would have preferred to hear a more definitive "ending". This is another entry that I would have liked to have been a little longer as well as I was really enjoying where you were going with it. 


It was a blast to listen through all the entries and hear the broad spectrum of ideas that came out of it, I was looking forward to hearing everyone get creative and I wasn't disappointed!  Apologies on the timing for those of you that wanted to enter but couldn't due to school commitments!

I've been having a ridiculously tough time whittling this down to the 3, as there were some entries that I really liked in terms of musicality and production, but didn't quite hit on the theme as well as they could have done and vice versa. 

But with that said, the finalists are:

8thMode, PythonBlue & MusiCore

Thanks for all the entries!  I shall be giving them all a proper listen and should have the review post up tomorrow-ish.


This post marks the comp officially closed! so all entries above this will be included =)

@Python & @8thMode  -  I'll be saving my official comments til the end but a sterling job done by both of you! Thanks for taking the time to enter

Hoping to see some more entries pop up soon! (Mono? petertos? MusiCore? sublinimal, Moritz?)  and don't forget you can post silly names/job titles in this thread even if you can't take part musically.

Hi Slash,

I compose a lot of music and have a great love of chiptunes.  I also do sound design and would have no problems creating a consistent sound pack for your game.

In terms of my music, here are some relevant chiptune examples for you to check out:

• Chiptune Space Shooter Theme (original composition) https://soundcloud.com/stephenhart27/captain-catastrophe
• Chiptune arrangement "Close Your Eyes" (original composition) https://soundcloud.com/stephenhart27/cye-chip
• Recreating the Chemical Plant music from sonic 2 using an emulated Genesis soundchip https://soundcloud.com/stephenhart27/chemical-plant-zone
• Covering Prodigy's Omen using Genesis Soundchip
  
  
• Covering Fall of Troy using Chiptune sounds
  
  

I am a chiptune specialist and my music should demonstrate my ability to create high quality sound that should match up with your game's retro style.

If you're interested in contacting me, please drop me an email at [email protected]

Thanks!

I want you to try and give a sense of Triumph and Resolution to put across the idea that the game is over and you should feel good about it. Try to avoid a sombre mood.

But what if the game doesn't have a happy end? My all-time favorite "credit roll" (actually an epilogue roll),

, has a very somber mood due to how the story turns out (they lose the game with the witch and everybody dies), but it totally fits the resolution and crescendo requirements.

I wanted part of the challenge to be to make something more major and upbeat as I think its more difficult to pull off.  Also, there has previously been a "Lose Game" challenge so I wanted to make sure there was no crossover.  Really its also down to my personal preference, I would prefer to listen to happier tracks than sad ones 

Well, finished the bulk of my own submission to this contest. Not submitting it, yet, though, in case I can think of ways to improve it later. Was pretty difficult for me, personally, given my specialty involves minor and/or chromatic scales. XDD

Can't wait to hear what you've come up with!

Man, I'd love to write an actual "outro song" with lyrics. That'd be awesome... Hopefully someone does!

Great theme, and nice banner!

Haha yes something like a Portal or God Hand ending song might end up winning by default  Hope you'll be taking part!

Oh and thank you, I can make a blank version of the banner if anyone would like to use it in future too

[Theme:]

Hi everyone!

So I've had a quick look through the past challenges to make sure this hasn't already been done and I haven't seen it (apologies if it has, let me know).  I hereby announce round 21 of the Tigsource musical challenge  

Theme:

"Thanks for Playing!"
End credits music challenge

Description:

The game is over, the boss has been defeated, and its time to bask in the glory of our achievement with an awesome end credits score!

Criteria:

I want you to try and give a sense of Triumph and Resolution to put across the idea that the game is over and you should feel good about it. Try to avoid a sombre mood.

Keep entries below 4 minutes.  They are short credits  

All entries MUST end with a big crescendo (go big or go home!) imagine that the crescendo culminates with a "Thanks for playing" message

You can be really creative with this as it's fairly open ended, all styles are welcome.

Judging:

Production Quality: It's gotta sound good  

Crescendo epicness: How well did you set up and execute the big finish?

Theme relevance:  Can you imagine this at the end of a game? Do you give a sense of a good resolution?

Smileability: Your entry should make me smile.  (This isn't too hard to do, I'm easily pleased)

Deadline:
16th March 2013 is the last day for submitting.  Extensions will be considered if you have a good reason and really want to enter.  The deadline expires when it's not 16 March anywhere in the world.

-The song must be a new track made for this challenge.
-You will post your song HERE, in the official challenge thread.
-Other participants will listen to your song. You will listen to other participants' songs. Critique will be had.
-Three runner-ups will be chosen by me.
-A winner from amongst the three will be chosen by votes on the forum, in a new FINALS thread (with awesome voting tech and all).
-The winner will host the next challenge.

Looking forward to hearing what you all come up with!

BONUS FUNTIMES: Please post spurious job titles and names with your entries/comments and if I have time I will make an actual credits sequence with the winning entry.

Have fun  

-Steparnicus

I really like this, definitely makes me think of head scratching puzzle-ness.

I think a combination of both instrumentation's would work nicely, the chiptune one is slightly more subdued whereas the midi one is quite harsh and could be a little distracting due to the use of staccato.  However, the chiptune does give that retro-vibe so it would depend on the visual style as to whether it'd be appropriate.

The actual tune itself is great though and is bang on for what you're going for.

Holy schmow!  Thanks everyone! 

Looking forward to the next one =)

Well, you are the host.

Congratulations btw

Ohhh, thats how it works?

Well I better get my thinking cap on for the theme =)

and thanks again =)

I think there is naturally a lot of crossover in the electronic/bass music scene largely down to how that music is intended to be experienced.  Structurally speaking they are all designed to fit into DJ sets and as such will have easily identifiable sections that can be dropped.  In order to counteract the formulaic nature, I suppose its inevitable that the variations will occur to keep things fresh.  Each one of these variations being dubbed a separate genre does seem a bit pedantic, but I guess it makes sense to make some sort of distinction.

With that said, I've been listening to a lot of  Wick-It the Instigator http://soundcloud.com/wick-it who is doing a really good job of producing tracks across the whole repertoire of these new styles.  Moombahton/Trap/Dubstep/Hip Hop stuff.  He's done a piss-take Trap Mix of Bryan Adams which I laughed my head off at.  His Tarantino-inspired album is a must hear.

As for its relevance to games?  I'm not sure, racing games are a likely candidate.  I don't know if trailer dubstep is still a thing.

Holy schmow!  Thanks everyone! 

Looking forward to the next one =)

[Steparnicus – Infiltration/Alert Phase/Escape]

Steparnicus – Infiltration/Alert Phase/Escape, stealth action
Another great stealth themed entry that met all the requirements. The first loop, is full of suspense. A few slight variations keep it interesting. The transition is definitely “jarring”. It's easy to visualise how this would fit into a game. The alert phase is nice and intense. The distorted synth seems a little too dominant and harsh. The high frequencies are a bit much for me and it's a little distracting. Other than that, I think it's great.
Overall, a quality piece! Listening to it makes me feel like I'm playing Metal Gear Solid...

Thanks for the feedback Leo! I can see what you mean about the distorted synth now that you mention it.  My issue at the moment is my monitors died a little while back and I haven't got them fixed yet.  As such all my mixing/mastering was done on Ipod headphones, making it tricky to keep my frequencies in check >_<  But the Metal Gear Solid comment may be the highest form of praise I could hope for and thank you for the nomination, I enjoyed all the entries a so its an honour!

I don't see the point in making negative comments about your own work.

I agree, but that is something I've always done and probably will always do. I simply don't seem to be able to quit doing that. Any advice regarding this subject would be appreciated, because I generally do this with everything, and I find it very annoying, not to mention the folks around me.

I felt the need to comment on this.  As a musician I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with being critical of your own work, in fact I wholly encourage it.  You should be your own biggest critic, just so long as you use that to take an honest listen to your work and see how you can improve it.  And as Leo has said, let the listener make their own mind up once they've heard a piece, rather than setting up the negative connotation before they've even had chance to hear it.  I think the best thing you can do when commenting on your own work is at least indicate your intentions, that way the feedback you get will be geared more towards improvement in what you were gunning for.

But at the risk of taking the discussion elsewhere entirely, great job everyone 

Seems like this has been going on for a while. I only just joined the fun last month.
From what I gather, it moves as quick as each comp does. When one finishes, the next one begins.

Great news, well I'll definitely be sticking around and getting involved.  I've been making music for ages now but have lacked a proper focus.  Getting involved in game music seems like great fun =)

And @8thMode, where are your string sounds from? they are amazing.

They're from Spitfire's Loegria http://www.spitfireaudio.com/albion-ii-loegria.html

I love your entry btw, high energy awesomeness! And I love the choice of dorian in the alert phase, makes it so unique!

Ooooh I'm gonna have to get hold of that at some point, does seem very pricey but you're definitely getting what you pay for there! Is there a lot of flexibility in the velocity settings on it? I've only recently got into using Kontakt instruments and Im finding a lot of disparity between different instruments in terms of how the samples trigger.

And thank you for the feedback =) It goes without saying that I really love your entry as well, there are so many subtle elements like those little plucked flourishes (dulcimer or harpsichord?) along with the swelling strings really made for a rich sound.  I got a distinctly middle-eastern vibe from it if that was intentional? 

Here's my entry:

https://soundcloud.com/stephenhart27/infiltration-alert-phase

I've opted for the Stealth/Action angle, going from infiltration to a frantic alert phase.

Although I couldn't resist adding a bit of a progression, the first part is a fairly short loop.  I wanted the shift to be quite jarring as I wanted to give the impression that it could have happened at any point.

Hope you guys like it! I'm new around here =)

<3

Thanks duder! =)

Also @ Leo, how often do challenges like this get posted?  I had a blast making my entry and hope its a regular thing I can take part in.

And @8thMode, where are your string sounds from? they are amazing.

Here's my entry:

https://soundcloud.com/stephenhart27/infiltration-alert-phase

I've opted for the Stealth/Action angle, going from infiltration to a frantic alert phase.

Although I couldn't resist adding a bit of a progression, the first part is a fairly short loop.  I wanted the shift to be quite jarring as I wanted to give the impression that it could have happened at any point.

Hope you guys like it! I'm new around here =)