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TIGSource ForumsDeveloperAudioTIGSource Musical Challenge XX - A Frantic Shift (REVIEWED)
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Author Topic: TIGSource Musical Challenge XX - A Frantic Shift (REVIEWED)  (Read 6440 times)
ZackParrish
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« Reply #60 on: February 18, 2013, 06:59:56 PM »

I decided to recant all my previous statements in respect of the nature of this contest.  I do apologize to everyone that I did not target with my comments.

Best of luck to you all as well.
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Voltz.Supreme
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« Reply #61 on: February 18, 2013, 07:15:14 PM »

I'll close the comp when Monday 18th no longer exists in any part of the world...
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E-Rock
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« Reply #62 on: February 18, 2013, 10:25:36 PM »

Here's what I got:
https://soundcloud.com/arobott/good-day-for-a-hurricane


It still needs work, in the mixing department.  But I obviously don't have time for that.  But hey, it gets the point across.
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Voltz.Supreme
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« Reply #63 on: February 19, 2013, 10:34:55 PM »

I'll get straight into it...

8th Mode Music - Out of Sight / Market Melee, A Stealth/Action Adventure!
Fantastic piece of music which met the criteria. Both sections complimented each other nicely. Each section appeared to be loop-able and not to overbearing as to distract the player from the game.
Section one had an incredible amount of suspense and anticipation which added to the impact of the shift. The transition was nice but I couldn't picture it being effective in a game situation. In the case of a sudden trigger, the moment would have well passed before the slow fade out and even the sudden fade in could play out. Section two was simple and effective. There is a fantastic amount of intensity and energy without the need for any real complexity. It would sit perfectly in a tense situation without being too distracting.
Well written and produced. Great job!

Keep it Simple – A Frantic Shift, fantasy strategy game.
A nice piece of music which delivered everything I asked for. Each piece was looped and the transition was randomly placed to prove it met the criteria. The first section sets a dark atmosphere with some mild suspense. The transition sounded a bit funny to me but it did the job. It reminded me of Age of Empires. Section two is not overly frantic or intense but it definitely gets the message across.
You showed a good ability to follow and meet the instructions/guidelines.

Moromis - Into The Jaws of the Sea God, 90s theme and boss
Interesting piece... Part one starts out really nice. It's a got a cool melody and groove, and sounds great as a song but it fails to produce any imagery or set a scene. Because the first section is good, I'm going to be completely honest about the second section... To me, it sounds very rushed. It creates a sense of "frantic" no doubt and the high pitch swell bend things are nice but nothing really makes any sense. I don't think I need to go into detail except I will say that if I didn't beat that boss the first time through, I'd probably stop playing... Haha it's just too much.
Seems liked you were onto something great to begin with. Unfortunately the second part didn't meet the standard of your first.

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...

Python Blue – An Alien Nightmare, horror
So originally you thought this didn't fit... In my mind, I could make this fit perfectly within the context of a horror game (as well as film). Unlike a few of the previous submissions, the first section doesn't create a sense of suspense. It's very relaxed and has a sense of wonder. This contrasts beautifully with the second section. The transition has a huge amount of impact and it's a shame you uploaded it to soundcloud where you can see when it will occur. I love how those sharp “falling hits” occur unexpected, off the beat, which are quite scary. It would certainly add a great level of intensity to a “running from scary alien” scene.
There's nothing too complex about it this piece but it's extremely effective in creating the required atmosphere.

Superchop – Time Phone 2.0, answering phone scene (?) haha
This is a cool song and kind of funny. Overall it's a bit busy and I imagine it could be a bit distracting, especially if a conversation was to follow the “answer”. Section one is nice. I find the transition pretty funny (in a good way) for some reason, especially the second time round with “not again”. I don't really know what to say about section 2. It's very busy and frantic! The fade back into section one sounded pretty nice!
So I get the phone bit but I struggle to imagine this in a game or understand what could be going on...  Probably could of done with a more detailed description.

BleakProspects – Space Pirates, pirates in space...
I really love listening to this, it's a fantastic song. I smile on the inside every time it gets to the fast bit. It has this “extremely epic, on a tiny scale” (juxtaposition) vibe. Too be honest, I don't think it meets the criteria. It really just sounds like a theme song... A good theme song.

EveEllis – Use The Boost To Get Through, space travel and meteorites (?)
Although it's nice, this seems like another song. I guess the first section could be looped but it does gradually build towards section two which would make an awkward loop. Section two very much feels like another part of the song rather than a new section.
Another nice piece of music but I think it only just meets the requirements.

Ozoh – A Not So Frantic Shift, Normal and two different difficulty levels
I don't see the point in making negative comments about your own work. As a general comment, if you're scared a song will tarnish your reputation, maybe don't publish/upload it? I actually think this is quite a nice piece but I do agree with the title, it's really not that frantic. Again, this ends up sounding like a song. The bass that came in at 1:36 made me cringe (haha) and it sounded like some clipping going on within that drum beat.
I think this is a really nice tune but it needs polishing in my opinion.

Zack Parish & Calum Bowen – Awww... What A Cute Bunn... Oh My Gawd,
I think you guys got a little carried away with this one. The quality is top notch, both the writing and production. However, it sounds as though it was written for a very specific film scene (something I warned against). Both parts (especially the 2nd) sound as though they are following a series of events, like a mild Looney Tunes/Carl Stalling piece. The transition works well.
I think you guys did a fantastic job, it's a brilliant pieces of music and your writing styles match well, but it falls short in the criteria department.

E-Rock – Good Day For A Hurricane, change in weather
Another piece which seems to be written a little too much like a song for my liking but I can see how it would work. The transition is quite gradual. It kind of winds down from the first part which doesn't really work well with the idea of a sudden event. The second part definitely carries the feeling of frantic intensity. It may be a little too busy in my opinion.
I think it's a nice piece but it could have met the criteria in a bigger way.


In the end it comes down to my personal preference unfortunately. I've chosen three pieces which I feel met the criteria and successfully served their purpose without the use of confusing or distracting melodies.

The three that go to the voting stage are: 8th Mode Music, Steparnicus and Python Blue.
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E-Rock
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« Reply #64 on: February 19, 2013, 11:21:57 PM »

Thanks for the feedback, Leo.  I gotta say, I don't disagree with any critiques of my piece.  I did sort of rush it yesterday, and I plan to return to it to tweak it (not to say I'm not ok with what I entered, I felt comfortable showing it as it is). And I'll certainly keep in mind what you had to say if/when I do that. 

In the mean time, I was going to go vote right now, then I realized that I'm going to need time to think about it.  Great entries, and a very tough choice.
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Calum Bowen
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« Reply #65 on: February 20, 2013, 03:39:27 AM »

However, it sounds as though it was written for a very specific film scene (something I warned against).

ah, fair point! should have read the challenge details a lil' more closely! Haha there was a specific point where we were like "ah, it doesn't need to loop does it? NAAAAH OF COURSE NOT!"  Shrug oops! Next time :~D
To be fair, I'd argue that the first half (Zack's part) is certainly easily loopable, it merely doesn't get to a loop point, my part was the silly one :~D. Thanks for the feedback!

Congrats 8th mode, Steparnicus and Python Blue.
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Ozoh
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« Reply #66 on: February 20, 2013, 04:18:45 AM »

Quote
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.

Quote
As a general comment, if you're scared a song will tarnish your reputation, maybe don't publish/upload it?
I didn't say this at any point Wink If it happened to be a huge failure in my opinion, I wouldn't have submitted it. I just said that it was kind of rushed.
ps. what reputation? Grin

Thank you for the honest feedback! Smiley These challenges are a wonderful way to get some!
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ZackParrish
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« Reply #67 on: February 20, 2013, 04:44:00 AM »

Yeah, I could easily argue about ours not being fit for a game.  My section as Calum said could EASILY be looped, but ya know... considering the fact you wanted two section and the shift was the most important part, I didn't feel the need to loop it and make the person sit there listening to that any longer.  Calum's part, could been a short chase sequence(which it was in the description) that follows a specific time line(which happens) and the "player" just happens to make it out of there just in the nick of time.  Music doesn't have to loop to be in a game, especially if you are running from point A to point B and you only have 30 seconds to get there.

That's cool though, your call. Smiley
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PythonBlue
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« Reply #68 on: February 20, 2013, 06:25:08 AM »


Python Blue – An Alien Nightmare, horror
So originally you thought this didn't fit... In my mind, I could make this fit perfectly within the context of a horror game (as well as film). Unlike a few of the previous submissions, the first section doesn't create a sense of suspense. It's very relaxed and has a sense of wonder. This contrasts beautifully with the second section. The transition has a huge amount of impact and it's a shame you uploaded it to soundcloud where you can see when it will occur. I love how those sharp “falling hits” occur unexpected, off the beat, which are quite scary. It would certainly add a great level of intensity to a “running from scary alien” scene.
There's nothing too complex about it this piece but it's extremely effective in creating the required atmosphere.

Thank you again for the reassurance otherwise. Yeah, it's a shame Soundcloud mandates you to see the waveform. Tongue Otherwise, it was loosely inspired by the soundtrack to Halloween 4, which had those same "falling hits" in some scenes. XD

Thanks also for the nomination into the finals! :D
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Python Blue - composer for NeonXSZ
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8thMode
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« Reply #69 on: February 20, 2013, 01:19:42 PM »

Yeah, it's a shame Soundcloud mandates you to see the waveform. Tongue
Yeah it ruins the fun, maybe it shoud have been a rule to close our eyes or something... Tongue

And thanks for the feedback Leo!
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Voltz.Supreme
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« Reply #70 on: February 20, 2013, 02:09:37 PM »

Music doesn't have to loop to be in a game, especially if you are running from point A to point B and you only have 30 seconds to get there.

I agree, but unfortunately that conflicted with part of the comp. I could have put more emphasis on the "loop" but that fact that it was a randomly triggered event pretty much says it all. It's still a fantastic piece!

Sorry Ozoh it was just a general statement. Telling the listener you're song isn't that great before they even here it will definitely play on their subconscious mind. My advice is, if it's not something you're completely happy with, don't make a big deal about it and just let others make up their mind.
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Steparnicus
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« Reply #71 on: February 20, 2013, 03:11:20 PM »


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 Beer! and thank you for the nomination, I enjoyed all the entries a so its an honour!

Quote
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  Smiley
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BleakProspects
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« Reply #72 on: February 20, 2013, 03:22:31 PM »

I guess it doesn't really fit! The reason I thought it was a "difficult theme" was because it placed a hard restriction on the structure of the song. It's much easier to bullshit that a song is "hot" than it is to bullshit that a song has an explicit "frantic shift". I tend to write songs as I go along, and just mix and match loops -- and I guess that results in not being able to capture "structure" very well. For my song, you will notice that the "not frantic" part is exactly the same as the "frantic" part but with two missing instruments, and a different drum beat. That's something I need to work on.
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