Ghormak is away, and I've been asked to set up this weeks tune contest. So here it ares :)
ch00nz!
This weeks (Sorry, Friday to Friday)'s challenege is simple.
Make a catchy tune
Sounds easy? It only has to be 30 seconds long (say, the intro to a TV programme or radio show) but its got to be as catchy as possible. Everyone knows the X Files theme, everyone knows the Simpsons theme, the Archers and the Monkey Island theme.
Even my dad whistles the Larry Vales theme, as does my friend.
Good luck!
Do do do dooooo do de do de do do dooo!
m0ds
What's the deadline? I want some live instruments for this one and my new piano arrives Thursday.
The deadline is Sunday 7th September. 19:00 GMT!
:)
m0ds
Man, this MIDI business is hard! I should have my entry in within the next day or so, but it's going to be pretty haphazard, and I'm not sure how catchy it is. I just got Sibelius, and I've been struggling a bit, but I think I'm getting the hang of it overall. Definitely looking forward to next week's contest ;)
Ok, forget it. I decided to just finish it as is. Here you go:
http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/remixor1.mid (http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/remixor1.mid)
I'm still not sure how to do things like volume or tempo changes (please, can anyone tell me how to just plain set the tempo in Sibelius??), not to mention I stupidly did the whole thing in 6/8 instead of 4/4 because the glockenspiel part was easy to write in 6/8, and I wrote that first. It sure wasn't easier for any of the other instruments :P
Also, when I play this on my machine, certain parts (like the glock) cut out when there are a lot of things going on. It makes it sound kind of odd. Does this have anything to do with "channels"? Remember, I have never made a MIDI file before so I am clueless about many things.
Also, Sibelius doesn't export to any other file formats, so what is a good program to convert midi to wav/mp3/ogg/whatever?
Also, what are these "sound fonts" I see people talking about? Are they like new sets of instruments to replace the stock ones? Mine sounds pretty crappy right now :P
Anyway, hooray for first entry! C+C are welcome (unless that's not what these contests are for, which is fine too).
I hope to see some other entries! :)
EDIT: hmmm, this is about a minute. I didn't notice the 30-second thing. Er...whoops?
Geez, what a stupid rambling post. My apologies.
Nice tune! It sounds very well made, so well done :)
Let's see if it'll stick in my head...
m0ds
Thanks m0ds :) I wasn't sure if it was really as catchy as it was supposed to be, since I just sort of made it up as I went along. I'm still not sure if the catchy part is supposed to be the glockenspiel or the horns later on. :P
Mine will be done... before the deadline. :P I'm working, I'm working.
And remix0r... Make a tempo text (you should know how to do that, at least! Create/Text/Tempo or ctrl-T (or shift-T? I never remember those)) then right click, and a little thingie showing lots of symbols and texts come up. This is very practical. You should see various notes. Click the one you need, maybe with a dot or something if you like, then make an equals sigh (=) and write out how many of these it should have per minute. That's that.
The way I convert MIDI to audio is basically using CoolEdit (this applies to any recording tool). I set my mixer to record MIDI ("What-U-Hear", which the soundblaster mixer has, works too I guess) and... record it. Usually I edit the MIDI a bit in Cakewalk (use whatever you like here, too) first, especially if it has a trill anywhere in it: Sibelius isn't too bad at doing trills, but they sound horrible written out fully in MIDI. If I record one, I use lots of pitchbend messages instead. (As you'll see in my entry in the last tune contest). I think there are programs made solely for recording MIDI, but I like to know I'm recording exactly what I hear. Plus I'm old-fashioned. ;D
Also, I'd like to tell you how soundfonts work, because they're great, but I'm too tired at the moment. :P
Oh, and I'll actually listen to your entry tomorrow. ;D
Here is me with my entry. I find it pretty catchy and I made it some time ago, it was going to be kind of birthday song for my friend but I forgot to give/send/play it to him... and there's also a piece of melody which was inspired by one m0ds' tune :P
ch00nz! (http://koti.mbnet.fi/hurjat/catchy_birthday.mid)
LOL Petteri! Cheat! It can't be a tune we already know! :P
Still, nice tune. Big up that fretless bass!
m0ds
THE WORLD IS A PUMPKIN (http://www.eviltrailmix.com/Lemon%20Demon%20-%20The%20World%20Is%20a%20Pumpkin.mp3) by Lemon Demon.
There ya go, my track's finished. I only have a crappy microphone at the moment, but I still dared to sing on it.
As usual, I forgot completely that I was going to participate until a few hours ago. But now it's done, and I am unusually satisfied with how well it turned out.
http://biphome.spray.se/erik.igelstrom/EldKatt_-_D_Major_a caccia.mid (http://biphome.spray.se/erik.igelstrom/EldKatt_-_D_Major_a%20caccia.mid)
The filename is a very lame pun which some of you might understand.
Hey m0ds... could I enter the BR theme? Or do you have to make a tune specifically for the competition? Because, you know I didn't see this here til now, and I don't feel like thinking of another tune.
I mean, I did make it myself, so does it qualify?
Tell me, quick, somebody!!!
EldKatt: Heh, reminds me of the ALF theme. :D
Yufster: I think it's ok. As long as the song didn't take more than a week to make.
http://www.geocities.com/parasitegames/SP1.mid
Er, well, that's all really
http://cygnes.homestead.com/files/anthem.mid (http://cygnes.homestead.com/files/anthem.mid)
National Anthems can be catchy, maybe this one is too.
Okie doke, time to stop!
I'll check them out in a minute, need the loo! ;)
RESULTS ARE IN!
And, i just typed a long post and lost it. Basically, Trapey, very nice! Professional sounding track ;) But the winner is Eldkatt, remixor was very near! Great anthem too sluggo and all :)
m0ds
PS, sorry you didn't win Yufster, even after that lap-dancing video you sent me to accompany it. Your song did remind me of this (http://screen7.adventuredevelopers.com/Leyuf.mid) somehow tho.
And very nice tune Petteri! Very catchy birthday ;)
Shame its a trademarked tune :P
Session time outs >_<
PS, are these tunes public domain now for people to use in their games?
:)
What an honour! Thanks. :)
Good work everyone else, too. ;D
m0ds, I'm a bit too happy with mine to call it real public domain, but if anyone asks nicely and gets a 'yes' (and, of course, puts my name somewhere) it's perfectly alright to use it. But one would have to ask. :P
The new tune contest will start tomorrow, when I decide what rules it should have.
Ha ha ha... how on earth did it remind you of that? *innocent*
Well done :) I will enter all tune competitions from now on, methinks they are fun
Wooo! Getting "pretty near" is good enough for me :)
I wouldn't mind anyone using my tune in a game, I'd just want credit in the game (and I'd need to know about it first!).
Well I hope I'm not too late. If I am, that's ok. Also, this is an mp3 so if I broke the rules it's cuz I didn't see if that was ok or not. Nextly, it's not piano or midi, well I have a guitar here so. It's kinda catchy, I think. Maybe not game material...I'd use it in an action cartoon or something. Peace!
My Entry Tune (http://www.flakquest.zapto.org/media/mp3/moresco_contest.mp3)
Morseco: when I try to play your mp3, it's just a bunch of silence
Try downloading it again... I think I was accessing it or something, so maybe that was the problem?
I should have removed that birthday thingy then :P But rest of the tune is very catchy, right? :)
Well, I composed the tune this week, but when I wanted to upload it, my provider went offline :P, well, at least listen to it :). Bye!
http://www.ldc.usb.ve/~ciro/tomate/rolling.mid
Eldkatt, are you going to hook us up with the new compo? Sorry to be impatient, but it's already Tuesday over here ;)
Yeah, I'm going to. :P
I've had some network troubles the past few days, and I've been stupid enough not to think about the rules. Hopefully sometime today it will be up, given that my network continues to work.