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.Start.of.MC4.Updates.001......................................................
_______ _________ .______ ____
\ \ \_ ___ \ | \ \ / /
/ \ / \/ \ \/ | \ | /
/ | \ \____ | |\ /
\____|____/\________/ |___| \___/
Music Contest IV Updates issue #1 - 15 Jun 1996 | Entrants : 0
| Change : +0
Music Contest is a competition for the scene. |
It is hosted by Hornet at the site ftp.cdrom.com. | Voters : 26
Our demo archive is located under /pub/demos. | Change : +26
|
==[Contents]===================================================================
Schedule
Contest Rules
Articles
Introduction................................GD
Judging Tips................................Kal Zakath
Rating Scale................................Kal Zakath
Subscribing
Closing
==[Schedule]===================================================================
Date Event
--------- ------------------------------------------------------------------
15 Jun 96 MC4 Updates Newsletter #1
01 Jul 96 MC4 Updates Newsletter #2
10 Jul 96 MC4 Updates Newsletter #3
| Due date for entry registration
15 Jul 96 Due date for entries
| Due date for voter registration
20 Jul 96 1st round voting begins
01 Aug 96 MC4 Updates Newsletter #4
05 Aug 96 1st round voting ends
10 Aug 96 2nd round voting begins
15 Aug 96 MC4 Updates Newsletter #5
20 Aug 96 2nd round voting ends
01 Sep 96 Contest ends, results released,
| MC4 Updates Newsletter #6 (final)
==[Contest Rules]==============================================================
_____The Rules
1. Song must play in Cubic Player v1.6+, or Impulse Tracker v2.02+ for .IT
and contain no more than 32 channels.
2. No remixes or remakes of other songs (even your own)
3. The only text allowed in the song file is your verified song title
4. Uncompressed entry size must not exceed 1,000,000 bytes
5. The song and zip-compressed file format must follow the specifications
provided in your entry verification.
6. Entry must be in ftp.cdrom.com/incoming/MC4 before 00:00 GMT, 15 Jul 1996
7. A single version of one song may be entered
8. Entry may not be publicly released until final results are posted
_____Reasons for Disqualification
1. The entry or author violates any of the rules above
2. The author's name or handle appears anywhere in the song file
3. An entrant votes on his/her own song
4. The song is ripped
If you are disqualified you can not re-enter.
The organizers of MC4 reserve the right to disqualify a song due to
unforeseen circumstances.
Changes to rules or deadlines of the contest (posted in the MC4 newsletter)
become the responsibility of all participants. Failure to observe such
changes is not the burden of the MC4 organizers.
==[Articles]===================================================================
=--------------------------------------------------------(Introduction)--(GD)-=
Hello and welcome to the first MC4 Updates Newsletter! This newsletter will
be your guide to the current happenings related to Music Contest 4.
We are going to release this newsletter approximately every two weeks. Check
the calendar for the scheduled release dates. The release dates have been
planned such that they coincide with key events in the schedule. Keep your
eyes here so that we can inform you of any updates.
I'd like to thank Kal Zakath for his hard work which provided us with two
very nice articles: "Judging Tips" and "Rating Scale". These articles
contain important information that every Music Contest judge should read.
A few months before the contest was opened, the voices started speaking out
through email and on IRC. "When is MC4?"... "Should I enter rookie or
veteran?"... "What are the prizes?"... "How do I enter?"
At last the time has come, so don't delay! Fill out the correct registration
forms and participate. :)
GD / Hornet - gd@ftp.cdrom.com
=------------------------------------------------(Judging Tips)--(Kal Zakath)-=
_____Introduction
This article will outline the specifics of the MC4 judging system. It is
important that both judges and entrants understand this process. Entrants
need to know what factors the judges will be examining, and on what basis.
To have a successful judging process, all judges' ratings must be both
accurate and consistent. To be clear on the importance of accuracy and
consistency in the judging process, please read this article carefully.
_____Accuracy
Judges will rate each song based on specific criteria. They must understand
what each sub-category means and what their ratings for each category should
reflect.
_____Consistency
All judges' ratings are compatible with each other. They all understand what
level of quality deserves what rating. Judges do not rate songs compared to
each other, but on a holistic evaluation of the quality level of the tune.
Therefore, any given rating is consistent for all songs.
_____Accuracy in Ratings
To help you rate accurately, I have written a paragraph or two on each
judging category: what exactly it means, and how it should be rated. All
judges should read this to ensure that all songs are judged the same way.
Consider these two hypothetical cases:
- Judge 1 thinks "technical" means how well the composer uses effects, while
Judge 2 thinks it refers to his use of music theory.
- Judge 1 thinks that all songs with ripped samples should be severely
penalized in that category, while Judge 2 doesn't care about the origin
of the samples so long as they sound high-quality.
I am sure you will agree that although those two judges perhaps reviewed some
of the same songs, their ratings would not mean the same thing at all!
Therefore, all judges should make sure they are 100% clear on what each
sub-category means and how it should be rated.
_____Originality
When a song is rated in this category, one should keep in mind two types of
originality. First, how unique is the style of music? Is it a genre which
has been tracked to death many times before, or is it something relatively
different which not many composers have attempted in a tracker?
Second, and perhaps the more important aspect of originality, how unique is
this song within its particular genre? For example, if you hear a demo-music
style song, does it sound fresh? Or is it merely cliche, like a failed
attempt to imitate the style of other respected musicians?
Do not take off too many points for similarity to other musicians' styles, so
long as the tune is not an obvious rip of another's style.
_____Form
This category represents how well the composer has managed to create and
structure a musical piece. When you rate this category, try to judge how
well the song "flows". Does the song have variety or is it repetitive and
boring? Are the transitions between parts smooth or are they abrupt?
Form differs from technical. "Form" focuses more on the actual musical
composition, whereas "technical" concentrates on the actual tracking.
_____Technical
"Technical" is a very important category. It should reflect how well a
composer has succeeded in bringing his musical ideas into the tracked format.
How professional does the song sound? Are effects used well? Do leads sound
smooth or are instruments cutting each other off? Are samples used properly?
Are instruments tuned? Are the volumes of the different components of the
song mixed well? Is the stereo panning well balanced?
All of this should be considered when rating a song's technical quality.
Note that this differs from "form", as mentioned before. As a basic rule to
differentiate between the two: "form" judges the actual composition, and
"technical" judges how it has been tracked.
A note about extended samples (e.g. drum loops, guitar riffs). A composer
should not be penalized (in either "technical" or "samples" categories) for
use of extended samples, as long as one condition is satisfied: the extended
samples should be used well and should only be used to produce certain sounds
which require considerable skill to accomplish in a tracker.
When judging a song with loops, ask yourself "how easy would it have been for
the composer to have tracked this, rather than using an extended sample?" If
it seems like the composer was just taking the easy way out (using a loop
unnecessarily), a penalty should be made in the "technical" category. Loops
are also addressed in the "samples" category, so be sure to read that
section carefully.
_____Samples
This category is probably fairly self-explanatory, but keep in mind a few
guidelines you may not have thought of. The "samples" category should not be
scored merely on the quality of the individual samples. Above all, one
should judge the whole sample set; how well do all the instruments work
together?
A song which has many high-quality samples that seem to clash with each other
should not receive a high "samples" rating. Rate the composer on their
choice of instruments, the mix of samples, and their appropriateness to the
song.
Extended samples should also be taken into consideration for this category.
A composer should not rely too heavily on loops and extended samples. Be
sure to take off points in "samples" if a tune is overdependent on loops.
However, if you feel that a song uses looped samples where they are not
necessary, that is addressed in the "technical" category.
_____Overall Quality
In Music Contest 3, the fifth and final rating category was "personal" (the
judge's subjective opinion of the tune). In Music Contest 4, that category
has been replaced by "overall quality", which encompasses slightly more.
When judging this category, be sure not to just average your other ratings.
Instead, simply listen to the whole song and come up with the rating which
you feel best represents the entire work. This category is weighted triple,
so be sure that your overall quality rating is as accurate as possible.
Remember that in round 1, the only rating is "overall quality", so the
accuracy of that category is of greatest importance. Judges will be
responsible for selecting 40 songs out of hundreds (25 songs to qualify for
round 2 in the veteran category, and 15 songs to qualify in the rookie
category), so read the article "Rating Scale" and see how to assure
consistency in ratings.
_____Conclusion
Hopefully you now have a complete understanding of each of the categories and
how to judge them. Thank you for reading this, and I hope it helps you to be
a more accurate judge. ;> Read on for information on the MC4 rating scale.
Kal Zakath / Night55, Carcass PC, Inferno Productions - yankee@global1.net
=------------------------------------------------(Rating Scale)--(Kal Zakath)-=
_____Introduction
Even if all judges' ratings are accurate, the voting process will be flawed
if they are not also consistent with other judges' votes. Some judges might
be rating the tunes compared to each other, while others are rating them
compared to all of the tunes they've ever heard.
One judge's "7" might represent the best of a pathetic bunch of songs.
Another might be giving "7" to one of the better tunes in an elite group.
Even if they're perfectly clear on how to rate their tunes, inaccuracy works
its way in, as they are rating on entirely different scales. The only way to
solve this problem is to have all judges rate on a holistic scale of quality.
For example, "7" would be equivalent to a DemoNews rating of "***+". It
means "very good; better than average, but still not top quality." This way,
we can ensure that judges' ratings are compatible with each other. A certain
score will always represent a certain quality level.
_____The Rating Scale
To ensure that ratings are consistent, I wrote a rating chart. This is the
scale that I keep in mind when rating tunes, and hopefully you'll find it
easy to understand and work with. ;> I've included comparisons to DemoNews
ratings to minimize confusion.
_____Rating: 9.6 - 10.0 (*****)
This rating should represent only the most perfect songs. There should be
almost literally _nothing_ wrong with them, and have a professional quality
sound almost unattainable in tracked music. All aspects of this sort of tune
(composition, samples, form, tracking) should be as close to perfect as
you've ever witnessed.
Don't give a rating like this away lightly. This should occur not more than
once out of 1000 or so tunes.
MC3 Veteran tunes which fell within this range: (none)
_____Rating: 8.6 - 9.5 (****+)
This rating should represent a song of a notably professional sound. There
should be no glaring faults in this sort of tune. There is one key question
to be asked if one is going to give a score within this range: after hearing
this tune many times, would you now count it among your tracked-music
favorites? If so, this is probably the sort of rating it deserves.
MC3 Veteran tunes which fell within this range:
- Kingdom Skies (Jase), The Crossing (Necros), Drift (Nemesis).
_____Rating: 7.6 - 8.5 (****)
This range of scores should represent tunes you feel are of a substantially
high quality. While maybe not among your absolute favorite tunes, these
tunes should clearly show that the composer is very skilled. This is the
cutoff point between the "excellent" tunes and the "good" ones.
If you feel that the song is clearly well tracked and composed, and the
overall effort impresses you, this is the rating it should receive.
MC3 Veteran tunes which fell within this range:
- Wanderlust (Leviathan), Second Thoughts (Big Jim), Can't Fake Michelle
(Shikando), Babewatch (Ryan Cramer), Fate (Bar), Forgotten Dreamtime
(FireLight), Phoebe (Esper Division), Betrayal of Innocence (Future
Assassin)
_____Rating: 6.6 - 7.5 (***+)
A tune in this range should represent something you consider quite good, but
not without its flaws. Perhaps the composer still needs to work on putting
together better sample sets or improving usage of effects. Overall, this
song shows some degree of skill. It is a nice tune to listen to. While it
doesn't rank up there with the scene elite, it is certainly significantly
better than the majority of tunes out there.
_____Rating: 5.6 - 6.5 (***)
This should represent an overall "good" quality level. Nothing spectacular,
but a solid tune. It has at least some enjoyable parts, and shows a bit of
tracking skill on the part of the composer. This should represent a tune
which is nice to listen to once or twice, but it's not really something
you're going to come back to after you're done judging.
_____Rating: 4.6 - 5.5 (**+)
One word, _mediocrity_. This represents the middle of the quality spectrum.
Maybe there are some decent parts, maybe there are some bad parts. They all
balance out to form a song which is just plain average. You'll listen to it,
rate it, and forget it a few hours after.
_____Rating: 3.6 - 4.5 (**)
A bit lower than average quality. At this point, you start to find quite a
few problems with the tune. The tune is fair, overall, but with some notably
bad parts which drag it down. A tune of this quality is one you'd really
rather not listen to more than once.
_____Rating: 2.6 - 3.5 (*+)
Now we get to where you start asking yourself, "what is actually any good
about this tune!?" Samples, form, tracking: all point to _bad quality_.
Once in a while the composer seems to stumble onto a decent sound, but loses
it seconds after. A tune like this will make you think, "is this composer
entering his first tune ever into the veteran compo?"
_____Rating: 1.6 - 2.5 (*)
This song is horrible, and has really no redeeming qualities. Even the best
parts of this tune don't manage to sound mediocre. Everything needs work,
doesn't show any true potential at all. It makes you think that the composer
must have no sense of quality to even release this. You'll feel like turning
it off after barely a few seconds.
_____Rating: 0.0 - 1.5 (+)
Pure torture. Drives you insane to even listen to. Not even music, this is
utter crap so pathetically cacophonous that it literally hurts to listen to.
Don't give out ratings like this too casually either; it should be saved for
the most absolute crap. ;>
_____Conclusion
Now you should have all the info you need to be an MC4 judge. If you have
any questions about MC4 judging or comments/criticisms on these articles,
please do not hesitate to contact me. Thanks for reading, and good luck in
your judging and tracking! See you around on IRC. ;>
Kal Zakath / Night55, Carcass PC, Inferno Productions - yankee@global1.net
==[Subscribing]================================================================
_____How to subscribe to MC4 Updates
Mail to : listserver@unseen.aztec.co.za
Body : subscribe mc4-updates [first_name] [last_name]
The listserver will send MC4 Updates to your e-mail's return address.
_____How to subscribe to DemoNews
Mail to : listserver@unseen.aztec.co.za
Body : subscribe demuan-list [first_name] [last_name]
The listserver will send DemoNews to your e-mail's return address.
_____Back Issues
New releases of MC4 Updates are posted to /demos/incoming/mc4/news
Old issues of DemoNews can be found in /demos/hornet/demonews
New releases of DemoNews are posted to /demos/incoming/news
==[Closing]====================================================================
Questions related to MC4 should be directed to GD, gd@ftp.cdrom.com
........................................................End.of.MC4.Updates.001.