Charas-Project
Community Projects => Contests => Topic started by: Emerates on October 04, 2008, 04:04:52 PM
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Well, the day has come, my friends to talk of many... MIDIs.
This contest is open to all members, except those judging, of course. Judging this event will be:
1. Emerates
2. Lucas_irineu
3. Meiscool
4. Moosetroop11
5. Djanki
These are the rules:
1. Contestants will have until Wednesday the 15th of October to download this MIDI sample and create a track around the melody.
http://www.freewebs.com/emerates/MIDI/MIDI_Contest_Melody.mid
2. Contestants are allowed one entry only. Post once to enter, and post again with your finished product.
3. Songs are to be no longer than 3.5 minutes.
4. There is no specific theme required, so go crazy.
The MIDIs will be graded based on a cumulative 10.0-point system, based on harmony, emotional value, and so on. Whoever has the highest score wins.
If anyone has any questions, you can post them here or PM me.
And with that, let the games begin.
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Finished Entries
Drenrin:
http://www.box.net/shared/btxdyfbycp
Hell Angel:
http://www.box.net/shared/d9uizlymsg
Dragonium:
http://www.box.net/shared/3gijz0tqbb
Ferkvbm:
http://www.box.net/shared/g6hynvybd9
Al~Len
http://www.box.net/shared/25505c9a6m
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2 questions only.
1- Whats that sp on my name? :P
And 2, its irineu, not ireneu :C
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Cool. I'll enter.
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I'll enter and do we have to match the same pitch as the Contest midi , and if so can you make a Downloadable of it?
in not midi form
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The MIDI must be in the same key, if that's what you mean. That doesn't mean you can't modulate, of course. As for the rest of your post, Felix, I don't know what you mean.
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I'll enter.
That melody breaks my mind. I can't seem to fit it into bars. What's the time signature on it? O_o
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5/4, I think. It repeats twice within a 5/4 scale... So... 5/8...
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In midi maker you can save files in a form that others can open and edit...thats what I'm talking about :eyes:
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Oh. It just has to be in MIDI format anyone can play on a standard PC and Mac. As long as I can hear the MIDI, it's fine.
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In midi maker you can save files in a form that others can open and edit...thats what I'm talking about :eyes:
.MID is that 'form,' which it's already in.
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but how do I get it to my computer...so I can accurately work with it?
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Download it... and open it with your composer?
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I has Firefox...there's no Download page...and no Save target as...
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I just tried with Firefox. There's "Save Link as..." which does the same.
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All it does is save a HTML link...which isin't close to waht I need.
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Uhm, that's kinda weird. It actually saves the MIDI for me... I tried attaching it for you, but I can't.
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Where do we post finished midi?
EDIT: Okay, I guess this is my entry post.
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2. Contestants are allowed one entry only. Post once to enter, and post again with your finished product.
We post them here, Dren... I'm actually a bit scared, if you're entering.
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And this'll be my posting of finished product.
Theme9 (http://www.box.net/shared/btxdyfbycp)
and please, don't be scared, I'm pretty rusty, this is my first serious midi in months.
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Emerates, let me know when I should start judging. Also, are you going to put all the midis on the first page, or are you going to zip them and email, or what?
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My entry.
http://www.box.net/shared/d9uizlymsg
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I'll just link them all in the first post so it'll be easier to access for everyone.
EDIT: In case anyone's confused, just post a link to your file here, since you can't attach MIDIs anymore...
Just judge them as they come in, Meis and Co.
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No it doesnts o.O
I have firefox too.Works just like Cerebus's.
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I'm talking about a MIA File
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I think I'll enter, provided I get a few answers first:
Must the song have the model track in it? As in, same pitch, same tempo, same everything? Or can we take it as a skeleton to base our song off of?
I currently have an idea in mind, but the song doesn't have exactly the same melody (however, it sounds extremely similar), and even if it was the same, it's not the same pitch. But I can work around that if need be.
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It has to be the same pitch, though you can change tempo. I think I also told someone else you could modulate, but not transpose. The actual original sample must be used. Also, to clarify something I was asked earlier, the actual melody is repeated several times in the sample, but you don't have to repeat it the same amount. It could be repeated 2, 3, 8, or X times, as long as it is used.
EDIT: To Felix: Since I don't know what an MIA file is, no. It specifically has to be a playable MIDI file.
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you made that beat yourself right?
So In MIDI maker instead of export to midi you click Save as..and it saves a MIA...which can be directly edited from MIDI maker, cause I have no idea what the pitch/ tempo or instrument your using
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you made that beat yourself right?
So In MIDI maker instead of export to midi you click Save as..and it saves a MIA...which can be directly edited from MIDI maker, cause I have no idea what the pitch/ tempo or instrument your using
Or he might be using a MIDI program which doesn't allow MIA saving.
Also you ought to figure it out yourself. That's part of the contest. Emerates isn't going to do the hard bit for you.
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I need to al LEAST know what instrument he used for that beat...or do we not have to use the same instrument?
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you made that beat yourself right?
So In MIDI maker instead of export to midi you click Save as..and it saves a MIA...which can be directly edited from MIDI maker, cause I have no idea what the pitch/ tempo or instrument your using
Just use Anvil Studio. I've never heard of MIA, but from what you're saying, it sounds like a format that your editor uses in editing mode, which is weird, since every other MIDI program can just open and edit MIDIs. So just get Anvil. Even if you don't prefer it to write your song, you can view the notes and instrument (which is String Ensemble 1 btw) of Emerates' MIDI in it.
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So I'm finished.
The Burial Of A King (http://www.box.net/shared/3gijz0tqbb)
I hope I understood the rules properly, it's still not totally clear. If anything's the matter with it I can change it quickly enough.
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Never heard of it..but heck it's fee so I'm Downloading it...
In between Halo3 team practice and Gaia's zOMG beta testing I'm busy
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Hope I'm still on time.
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DEADLINE IS TOMORROW. POST, GODDAMN YOU.
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I wish I could correct the mistakes...but I'm noot good enought yet. Well...maybe someday
Norsemen: http://www.box.net/shared/g6hynvybd9
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*Scratches head* Well, just a few hours ago I saw there was a midi contest going on. Could still use some more work, but oh well. ^_^
Normally I'd have some key changes and what not, but the requirements kinda confused me a tad. o_o;;
I had fun either way.
It Came From the Sky (http://www.box.net/shared/25505c9a6m)
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Whoa, Al~len is back as well? Well that's special allright. Still remember those old songs of yours.
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So, this is closed up and ****, right? When will the judges be... judging?
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Judges can start posting their scores as soon as they can. I know Djanki doesn't have home internet like me, which means he and I probably won't until Monday, at soonest. Shouldn't be more than a few days before all the scores are up.
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Since it hasn't been stated exactly how the midis should be graded, other than on a 10 point scale, these ratings might not be in the format that Emerates desired. Never the less, here are my judgements.
Drenin - The midi starts off strongest and most sudden of all the songs, which is something I like a lot about it. It almost copies the required melody exactly in the begining, so you did well in that aspect. At post 30 seconds, the quality of the song begins to dwindle, but is regained at post 50 seconds. My biggest qualm with the midi is that it did not have a good ending... or much of one for that matter. I can understand if you wanted it to loop, but I played it in the maker to see if it looped decently and it really didn't.
All in all it is an epic sounding midi without an end. Score: 7.5
Hell Angel: Just wow. You've improved a lot since the last time I have heard your stuff. Your entire midi revolves around the required theme, and you didn't even seem to stray from it in the least. And yet, you managed to make it entirely different than the required melody. I most enjoy the slow start of the song, and the fast ending it has. If I had to pick out something I don't like, it would be the time between 40 something seconds and 50 something seconds, but that would be if I were purposely looking for something to complain about.
All in all it is utterly fantastic and contains all the things I love to hear in game music. Score: 9.0
Dragonium: I had a lot of trouble finding where you used the required melody. I'm not certain if it was just slowed down to the point that it would be harder to trace, or if it wasn't used at all. Despite this, it is a very good midi. It might not have as great of quality as the previous two songs I have listened to at this point, but it invokes far more emotion than they do, and is the most plausable midi to hear in an actual game.
All in all it is an emotional song that is held back by its unimpressiveness. Score: 7.5
Ferkvbm: Great opening, and I took special notice of how you used the required melody as background notice for the majority of the song. I actually disliked how short it was, and didn't even know it ended when it did, but the ending was effective none-the-less. Your midi reminds me of something I would see in a game trailer or a short cutscene. I really don't have anything much else to say about it other than I like it haha.
All in all it is an epic song that ends to soon. Score: 8.5
Al~Len: Amazing. You definately went the farthest with yours in terms of making it different from the melody, yet still using the required theme. After 20 seconds of listening to yours, I was quickly reminded of old 8bit games, specifically megaman. I'm getting really lazy at the moment about how to compliment people and still give them critism, and as corny as this might sound, my compliment was that I was smiling the entire time I was listening to your song. Maybe it was because I was getting great head, or maybe it was because I liked the song? You'll never know. The thing I didn't like was the extremely slow start and the droppoff ending. Those are easily overlooked though.
All in all it sounds oldschool and invokes happy thoughts. Score: 8.7
Great job to all of you. I enjoyed listening to all of your music, which is more than I can say for the last midi contest. I hope to see another contest like this soon, and I hope even more than you'll all enter.
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Is six days long enough to complain? Where'd the Judges go?
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I totally didn't know when this was supposed to end. I'll start judging now.
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I sincerely apologize to all for taking so long to get back on this, and for not making the rules as clear as they should have been. So without further excuses, here are my scores:
Dragonium: 8.6
Drenrin2120: 9.0
Ferkvbm: 9.0
Hell Angel: 8.8
Al~Len: 8.0
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Judges need to start posting scores.
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Oh right this. Almost forgot. Gimme half an hour.
EDIT: Hm done.
Drerin: 8.2 - I liked it, but it had no ending.
Hell Angel : 9.3 - Pretty epic, but I feel it could be better in some parts. Wont get in details as I dont know a thing about MIDIs.
Dragonium : 8.5 - I would say this is the one of the best MIDIs here, but I cant really see where you used the sample midi.
Ferkbin: 8.8 - Pretty epic, but I think it was too short.
Al~en: 9.5 - You used the sample MIDI, and it was also pretty epic sounding. Liked this one a lot.
Kay here we go.
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Well I am not a judge, but I hope you wont mind me giving my opinions anyways. This is more like constructive criticism.
Dren - I didn't really care much for the melody overall, but the drums were amazing. Very amazing. You did a good job with the bass too. And the little piano-y parts were nice.
Hell Angel - I enjoyed it very much. Something I think you could have done better was have more defined bass to counterpoint the very high parts. And also diversified it a bit more.
Dragonium - LOVED it. Can't really think of anything bad to say about it. The only thing i didn't like was at the end it seemed like you gave up on the high melody...
Ferkvbm - Short, simple, and great. Love the piccazo (I think?) thing. And the arpeggio sequence at the end. My favourite of them all, personally.
Al~Len - I liked it, but noting seemed to really make it stand out. Not to say that's a bad thing. Very mellow, very steady pace. I really liked the part at 1:22, it seemed like a little classical breakdown.
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Hell Angel - I enjoyed it very much. Something I think you could have done better was have more defined bass to counterpoint the very high parts. And also diversified it a bit more.
Yeah, that's pretty much where I think I lack, with all of my midis; bass and diversity...
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Due to a little problem with my Uncle's computer, I now only know these songs by their titles, not by who made them...so, uh...yeah...let's get on with this....
"It Came From The Sky":
A nice, airy-feeling song, complimented with a fade-in, a few air-instruments, and a harpsichord. When the bells aren't playing, though, the song feels a little tacked-on. Also, the ending is a little abrupt. I give it 6/10.
"He's Evil, After All"
It starts off suspenseful, but not as 'evil' as I would have expected. It's dramatic, however, if nothing else. Evil notwithstanding, it sounds like a song from a 'Tales Of...' game; a party member having just betrayed your group, or something like that. 8/10
"Norsemen":
It doesn't sound particularly 'norse', so the title is a bit of a misnomer. Even so, the song feels a little 'meh'. A nice try, but not particularly inspired... 5/10
"The Burial of a King":
Sad and regal, although the flutes ruin the effect to a point. I think the song could have used more cowbell bagpipes; all bagpipes aside, this was a decent and respectable attempt. The fade-out is a nice touch, as well. 7/10
"Theme9"
Okay, just let me start by saying that this has to be the song with the best title ever. Theme9!? That's in the same league as 'Surf Ninjas' or 'Future Cop L.A.P.D.', or 'Punch Out!!'! Silliness aside, the boisterousness of this song is catchy. The snare-drums and low-piano-key notes make it soud a little like the battle theme from Final Fantasy VII, but with a little of Final Fantasy X mixed in for good measure, and maybe a little 'Save Them!" from Final Fantasy VI, too. Great work, in my opinion. 9/10
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Sorry about the lateness. Honestly, I feel bad about it, but life is hectic at the moment and I simply kept forgetting to make time to listen to each track a few times. I've done so now, and I'm glad I didn't rush this because some of the songs improve over several listens. Here's my concise verdict:
Al~len - It came from the sky:
I love the progressive drums. The fade in worked great with the instrument you used, too. My favourite part was that very different bit near the end where you hint at something awesome you'd run into if you weren't restricted by the contest requirements. I love that sort of thing. Maybe a little more innovation like that would've helped the piece even more.
7/10
Ferkvbm - Norsemen:
I like how the piece builds up at first, but then it quickly dies down and ends far too quickly. It really needed to kick in with something loud exactly where it went quiet, in my opinion :p Just for the buildup, and the instrument choices and interaction in the beginning, though, I've gotta give you a fairly respectable score.
6/10
Dragonium - The burial of a king:
I like how differently you took this to everyone else. The instrument choice is pretty great all the way through, and the song feels complete, unlike many of the others. You didn't have a long buildup to nothing. At first listen it didn't sound like it was doing a great deal, but that melody you put in has really grown on me.
7/10
Hell angel - He's evil after all:
The instruments in this one have all got a little too much treble for me. I mean, I know you're working with midis, but something more bassy to ground it would've been good. The dramatic pauses just felt uncomfortably empty. The ideas were all there, but I wasn't a fan of the execution, sorry :p
5/10
Drenrin - Theme9:
At times I love this midi, and at times I think it gets a little muddled up in itself. Overall, though, it's definately a good'n. The drum and bass style bit in the first half is fantastic... Definate final fantasy influence here, but I won't let fanboyism affect my judging XD The ending was really abrupt but because everyone seems to have different ideas about the ending (some have indicated that it loops, etc) I've decided to leave it out of my scores. Like in Al~len's, the drumming is very well done throughout.
I was about to give it an 8, which would have been the highest, but I've noticed that it keeps interesting no matter how many times you listen to it, and the muddling seems to have sorted itself out in my head. So I'm gonna have to give it a 9.
9/10
I'd post the overall scores, but I think that's Emerates' honour. Well done for organising the whole thing, man.
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Ouuuch, so close...
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This has actually been really interesting, seeing all the difference of opinion. =P
And Djanki, just a note on the name, I didn't think to give it a name. I've got a folder of random midis, some finished, some incomplete and I just kind of number them... Battle1, Battle2... Theme1, Theme2... etc. haha =P
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And Djanki, just a note on the name, I didn't think to give it a name. I've got a folder of random midis, some finished, some incomplete and I just kind of number them... Battle1, Battle2... Theme1, Theme2... etc. haha =P
Hell, better than me -- I just hit random letters for incomplete/unworthy songs... I've got 'kkislo' and '8uejdo' and so forth... Lol.
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Hell, better than me -- I just hit random letters for incomplete/unworthy songs... I've got 'kkislo' and '8uejdo' and so forth... Lol.
That works too, I guess. That's gotta get confusing after a while though with names like "ggjk", "ggkj", and "ggjj".
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My inspiration is pretty random, so opening songs that I've forgotten what they are, sometimes gets me inspired to finish it, moreso than just thinking over and over of the same ol song, or even one that I remember more vividly. Anyway -- congratulations man. Coaster told me right when you posted your up that you were going to win, so yeah.
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...why didn't coaster compete, anyway? He would have rocked.
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Thanks Hell Angel. I actually enjoyed this contest a lot. And why didn't Coaster compete? That would've been awesome.
EDIT: Slathering was not my intent.
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Hmm, yes, well... I guess the winner's already obvious, since he's slathered it all over this page like a bad political slogan.
Anyways, I would like to thank the five of you for parcipitating. Every piece was an enjoyable piece, and I hope we can do this again sometime soon, and with more people. Next time, though, we'll have to get around to judging a bit faster, since that was a kind-of ridiculous wait... But I digress. Basically, I've already said everything everyone else has said, and so this debate is now closed. Congrats, Drenrin, haha all you others, you know how it is.
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It has been very interesting but the best thing for me are the prizes : A very cool midi from everyone and a midi made by me that can be much better. I heard it lots of times and I have to agree with Moosetroop11: it really needed to kick in with something loud exactly where it went quiet. It can be improved a lot and it will as soon as I think how.
Congrats all and I hope to hear more of your midis soon (and if coaster competes in the next contest it'll be great too, I heard some of his midis and some of them are really spectacular)
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If there is a next time, I would love to compete!!
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Hmm, yes, well... I guess the winner's already obvious, since he's slathered it all over this page like a bad political slogan.
I hardly call that 'slathering like a slogan.' Read more carefully next time.
And yeah, if there's another -- I'll definately go for it, again.
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Yes we all know drenrin2120 is awesome. I have almost all his midis in mp3 form now.
I can't do this even if it was still open. I can whistle or hum something original but I can't make anything. And all I can do is edit midis in wav or mp3 once converted.
All in all, I liked all of these. If I find any use for them you'll may see them in a game if I ever get the chance.