N G M T '13 - Round 1 Voting!

[SkyeWint]

Hello again!

First off, there were some amazing entries into this, I think people will have a hard time figuring out which is their favorite.

Of course, figuring out your favorite is the name of the game! This is the voting part of round 1, where we figure out the winner for this round!

This is important.
Rules for voting:
1. You may not vote for your own piece or you will be instantly disqualified.
2. You get a single vote. Not two, not five, you're not ranking them from "favorite" to "made of ant turds", you're voting for your favorite. No more, no less.
3. You MAY change your vote, but please try to listen to all of them and decide your favorite before spitting out "I LIEK DIS ONE" five times. That just clutters up the thread and makes it awkward for us to count all the votes.
4. Refrain from saying who made what piece, whether true or false. If you do, then your piece and theirs will have to be disqualified. :( Basically don't try to ruin the contest please.

Now, the submissions! (some of these took an absurd amount of time to upload because they managed to be about 8 minutes long. I don't know how or why either)

You can listen to these in embeds here, or you can go to this set on soundcloud.
Track 1
Track 2
Track 3
Track 4
Track 5
Track 6
Track 7
Track 8
Track 9
Track 10
Track 11
Track 12
Track 13
Track 14
Track 15
Track 16
Track 17

I really hope all of those worked and don't look like an awkward mess of html.

Man, you know how when you click "Link" to put in your post and the popup says "Spam Newgrounds with links"? I think I definitely just did that.

In any case, a few things before this thread ends.

When voting, it would be awesome if you could write one or two things about each submission - nothing much, just one or two things that you liked or that you think could have been done better. Maybe point out the submissions you really liked and give a reason about why. That way, everyone's supporting each other, and it'll make the contest so much more worthwhile for everyone.

To restate the prizes (and bold the ones relevant right now):

Victory in a phase: A speshul signature and high quality reviews from all hosts.
1st place overall: A super-speshul signature, frontpaging a piece of your choice, and an awesome $75!
2nd place overall: A marginally less speshul signature, frontpaging a piece of your choice, and a sweet $50.
3rd place overall: A somewhat-cool signature, frontpaging a piece of your choice, and a still-cool $25.
The top 3 and bottom 5 pieces of each round will get some reviews either way, as a reward for the top and as improvement help for the bottom.

Keep in mind that the sigs could take a little bit to get in, considering we're asking an artist to make them! Also, if you know someone who might want to make the sigs or if you want to make the sigs yourself, please send us a message! We know some people who can do it as well, but if someone wants to do it, we'd love to include that.

Finally, special thanks to...

-deadlyfishes, for donating the prize money.
-Scott Rogers (Scottr5680), for his absolutely awesome artwork. Looking forward to seeing what the next round's image will be?

Your hosts (and I have enough characters to link to their pages this time, so you should totally become their fans!):
-Me!
-camoshark, wherever he's hidden...
-Stunkel!
-Samulis, the guy who knows way too much about classical instruments.

[SkyeWint]

And the embeds didn't work. Here's a list of the links, hopefully that'll work better. (though if it doesn't I'll look like a complete moron)

https://soundcloud.com/ngmt-entries/track-1

https://soundcloud.com/ngmt-entries/track-2

https://soundcloud.com/ngmt-entries/track-3

https://soundcloud.com/ngmt-entries/track-4

https://soundcloud.com/ngmt-entries/track-5

https://soundcloud.com/ngmt-entries/track-6

https://soundcloud.com/ngmt-entries/track-7

https://soundcloud.com/ngmt-entries/track-8

https://soundcloud.com/ngmt-entries/track-9

https://soundcloud.com/ngmt-entries/track-10

https://soundcloud.com/ngmt-entries/track-11

https://soundcloud.com/ngmt-entries/track-12

https://soundcloud.com/ngmt-entries/track-13

https://soundcloud.com/ngmt-entries/track-14

https://soundcloud.com/ngmt-entries/track-15

https://soundcloud.com/ngmt-entries/track-16

https://soundcloud.com/ngmt-entries/track-17

[Chongo]

While its a little late, I feel like only getting one vote may put all of the votes to one person if they're significantly better, and the lower ranks wont really be differentiated in rank unless a frikken TON of votes come in.

[SkyeWint]

Okay.
I feel stupid.
brb while facedesking.

[alternativesolution]

At 5/31/13 11:56 AM, SkyeWintrest wrote: And the embeds didn't work. Here's a list of the links, hopefully that'll work better. (though if it doesn't I'll look like a complete moron)

But..the embeds worked just fine for me..?

[alternativesolution]

At 5/31/13 11:53 AM, SkyeWintrest wrote: You can listen to these in embeds here, or you can go to this set on soundcloud.

Excuse the double post; why are there only 10 tracks on the set instead of 17?

[Chongo]

At 5/31/13 11:59 AM, SkyeWintrest wrote: Okay.
I feel stupid.
brb while facedesking.

Yyyyyyyeah. 1-7 is missing

[SkyeWint]

At 5/31/13 11:57 AM, Chongo wrote: While its a little late, I feel like only getting one vote may put all of the votes to one person if they're significantly better, and the lower ranks wont really be differentiated in rank unless a frikken TON of votes come in.

I understand the concern, but I firmly believe it won't come to that. There are multiple submissions which we think are a cut above the others, and if one submission is good enough to get all the votes, then that simply means: It was VERY good.

Considering that multiple people have brought this up, the next time this contest comes around we'll likely increase it to 2 votes per person. It's a bit late to change it for this year's contest though, so it's 1 submission = 1 vote.

At 5/31/13 12:02 PM, alternativesolution wrote:
But..the embeds worked just fine for me..?

Excuse the double post; why are there only 10 tracks on the set instead of 17?

Well, if the embeds are working fine for you then I guess my computer is being buggy - the embeds are working for me in different posts, but not mine above. Go figure.

Also, there are 17 tracks in the set. I've double-checked that. If it still doesn't work - go for the embeds/links.

[alternativesolution]

At 5/31/13 11:53 AM, SkyeWintrest wrote:

When voting, it would be awesome if you could write one or two things about each submission - nothing much, just one or two things that you liked or that you think could have been done better. Maybe point out the submissions you really liked and give a reason about why. That way, everyone's supporting each other, and it'll make the contest so much more worthwhile for everyone.

Err.. I suppose for the artists that participated who are also voting - we say something about our own piece, too? Otherwise not commenting on one's own submission would make it rather obvious who created what.
Or do the artist just not comment xD ?

[SkyeWint]

At 5/31/13 12:17 PM, alternativesolution wrote: Err.. I suppose for the artists that participated who are also voting - we say something about our own piece, too? Otherwise not commenting on one's own submission would make it rather obvious who created what.
Or do the artist just not comment xD ?

Well yeah if you're commenting on them all be sure to comment on them ALL (who knows, maybe this means that you'll look at your own piece with a truly critical eye to find something you could improve?). Just remember you can't vote for your own. ;)

You don't have to comment on them all either, you could just comment on a few you liked or didn't like.

(Also, about tracks 1-7, turns out they had automatically switched to private for some reason. Obviously that's fixed at this point. My bad - still ironing out the kinks in this. ^_^)

[bassfiddlejones]

So... should we post our votes in this thread? I foresee the potential for vote-changing based on seeing who votes for what as we near the close. Like, if a particular piece is getting a lot of attention, it may sway someone to vote differently. Would it make more sense to PM the hosts? Just an idea.

[SkyeWint]

At 5/31/13 01:10 PM, bassfiddlejones wrote: So... should we post our votes in this thread? I foresee the potential for vote-changing based on seeing who votes for what as we near the close. Like, if a particular piece is getting a lot of attention, it may sway someone to vote differently. Would it make more sense to PM the hosts? Just an idea.

You can vote in this thread or PM people. I'd encourage people to vote based on what they think rather than what other people think - if you try to write a comment on each track that can help you figure out which one you genuinely like the most!

[SkyeWint]

At 5/31/13 01:20 PM, SkyeWintrest wrote: You can vote in this thread or PM the hosts.

Fixed typo. "People" isn't exactly specific.

[bassfiddlejones]

PM with vote sent!

My thoughts:

Track 1 - Interesting concept, I like the rewind/reverse thingy. Took the prompt literally. Sounded campy, but got the point across.

Track 2 - Not a bad ambient piece, sounded pretty chill. DidnâEUTMt convey monochromaticism to me.

Track 3 - Instantly intrigued by the bells, good production quality, would have liked more variation in the chordal structure. It sounds a little busy to me, doesnâEUTMt really convey âEUoesimpleâEU.

Track 4 - Are there more than 4 instruments playing here? Interesting concept in that itâEUTMs different from the rest so far, but I still donâEUTMt see it as âEUoesimpleâEU. Perhaps it was trying to convey color and then the lack thereof? This song was way too long to keep the same structure.

Track 5 - Beautiful sounds! The cello sounded good, violin patch was a little cheesy. Decent composition, I really love the piano. This piece conveys lack of color more than any other so far. Good choir sounds.

Track 6 - I like the ambient-ness, a neat little piece. It paints a colorful picture in my mind more than a black and white one. Perhaps itâEUTMs the way that the sounds all meld together. Very nice.

Track 7 - Neat concept. Decent guitar work, I really like the back and forth. Ends quite abruptly.

Track 8 - Decent composition - the reverb was distracting. There was a lot going on in the piece, cuts off abruptly. Maybe that was intended?

Track 9 - Cool harp sounds. I appreciate the use of a live instrument - some intonation issues. Neat back and forth between the instruments, good production quality.

Track 10 - IâEUTMm not feelinâEUTM it. DoesnâEUTMt seem to fit the style for this part of the contest.

Track 11 - I like the beginning of this with the guitar, it really sets a mood. I think it would be better without the rhythm guitar/bass and whatnot.

Track 12 - I appreciate the string quartet approach. Production quality isnâEUTMt very high. Sounds a bit choppy.

Track 13 - Look at skills mcgills over here on the geetar. Good guitar work, I like it. The drumming and rhythm guitar take away from it a bit, makes it much less âEUoesimpleâEU. I do however really like this piece.

Track 14 - Very repetitive, but I kind of like the minimalism here. I like that there are only two instruments. Song seems to drag on, though it does convey a lack of color.

Track 15 - This sounds neither simple nor monochromatic to me. Abrupt ending.

Track 16 - Props for using vocals, only song to do that so far. Quality isnâEUTMt too bad, some intonation issues as well as timing issues. Electric guitar lead is out of place.

Track 17 - Loving the Asian feel. I can see the colorlessness.

[bassfiddlejones]

aaaand apparently Newgrounds can't handle apostrophes if I don't type them in this box. Sorry about that. -_-

[SkyeWint]

At 5/31/13 01:46 PM, bassfiddlejones wrote: aaaand apparently Newgrounds can't handle apostrophes if I don't type them in this box. Sorry about that. -_-

If you type it in a word document, NG will take it as a different format. You need to type it in notepad/textedit or the box.

's cool. :)

[alternativesolution]

At 5/31/13 12:28 PM, SkyeWintrest wrote: You don't have to comment on them all either, you could just comment on a few you liked or didn't like.

After listening to all of them at least twice, here my thoughts on each track:

Track 1--> I actually see a lot of color in this one. Very bright and happy-sounding, but perhaps not that well-suited the theme. Also, it sounded like 2 completely different songs. Very nice composition, although at the end..well, I thought'd ended- but then it didn't! That second ending probably wasn't necessary.

Track 2 --> I really like the melody in this one. Instrument-wise, it's simple. Composition-wise, it's short, and extremely repetitive. Didn't give off any monochromatic vibes.

Track 3 --> Okay, so I think it is pretty hard to convey this phase's theme. Rather than a single color like intended, I am getting something like 2-3 colors. The composition is very nice, however- I like the chill, gentleness of this piece; It's calm and relaxing, and beautiful.

Track 4 --> A somewhat colorful one, in my opinion. Again, pretty cool composition. I think that with this genre, a more full sound could really do do this song some good. Otherwise, the restrictions on the number of instruments just didn't do this one any good. With maybe just one more synth or even two, this could sound better.

Track 5 --> Beautiful, beautiful composition. I don't like the sound of the violins too much. The addition of the choir was the only thing that really added (unnecessary for this contest) color. The cello and that soft piano are the main contributors to the single-color monochromatic theme. Somewhere between the midpoint and the end, however, it gets pretty emotional, which does bring in color.

Track 6 --> Nice sounding strings. Slow, and pretty, but not very memorable - which is good in this case. It borders boring, with the composition being rather dull. The ending is not too bad. Does feel pretty monochromatic at times.

Track 7 --> Interesting guitar melody, and that repetitive riff thing in the background is the main contributor to this phase's theme. Otherwise the melody appears to give off a bit of color. But...ending? Perhaps let that last note linger for a couple seconds longer, or let the mild decay be included in the recording instead of letting it end half a second later.

Track 8 --> This one is very nice sounding. Unique composition, and just very nice overall. I like it a lot. But again.. ending?? What happened? Unfortunately, this one seems to exhibit heaps of color.

Track 9 --> Probably the most monochromatic one I've heard. The soft plucking with that necessary decay is perfect for this theme. Adding in that dry cello did it no worse. In fact, it was pretty much perfect. Beautiful playing, too, though I'm pretty sure I heard a missed note or two. There's some slight issues with the quality, with the lower notes of the cello booming a bit. Heard some clipping at one point.

Track 10 --> A pretty fun, simple piece.. composition-wise. I didn't really appreciate the vocals(??) though- speaking of which, I couldn't understand one word (again, if that's just a synth, excuse me). With the same melody, or similar chords, but simplified ...and played in a different fashion, this could probably fit the theme a lot more. But the way it is right now just doesn't seem to cut it, though. I blame it on the rhythm of the drums and bass, for the most part, however melancholic and dancey they were.

Track 11 --> In the middle I think it got too busy sounding, and tried to creep in some color. Dark blues and purples, really. :P The very beginning and the toward the end were the most appropriate sounding for this contest. Also, the song ended too suddenly. I made sure it's not just the fact that the next songs in the playlist were coming right after another; a couple of extra seconds and perhaps a slightly better ending would have done this one much better. The piece, however, is one my faves for sure.

Track 12--> I almost started writing my mini-review for track 13 here, lol. That was pretty quick. The composition is intriguing, for sure, but I think with some more effort this could have been extended more. This was way too short, and I was really liking the mood this was setting. However, it didn't last whatsoever. Kind of monochromatic sound.

Track 13 --> Nice recording quality! I like the tone of this one, yet it doesn't seem very monochromatic at all. Fun piece though. Pretty cool composition, indeed! The guitar work is very, very nice. The drums also made me happy.

Track 14 --> Unlike the one prior, the quality is a little lacking. Composition-wise, I can only hear one chord the guitar plays, a simple E minor. Nothing here is too exciting nor colorful...and it takes a second listen for sure in order to hear some of those softer details. The intro was a little slow and laggy, but there were some interesting parts throughout the piece. Piano could have used some amplification at parts, especially at the very end, unless that was intentional.

Track 15 --> I'm not really sure what to make of this one. There are some conflicting parts, and it sounds too busy in general. Perhaps not an appropriate piece for this phase?

Track 16 --> Nice use of vocals :) The guitar sounds pretty cool - its tone gives off a kind of melancholic tone, and kind of goes back and forth between being colored and not; I can't really tell if this one's monochromatic or not! At some parts it does. Somewhere between the midpoint and the end, that guitar solo certainly didn't help with the theme. That was too colorful, in my opinion. And with that same guitar work combined with the singing didn't make it any less busy. Too busy, I think. Nice lyrics, though. I liked this one.

Track 17 --> Hmm...I didn't really get any monochromatic vibes from this at all. I hear exactly four instruments. This one also sounds pretty busy. Too many instruments at once...I think the song could have take a break and let only one or two do the talking for a just bit. You kind of do that for a few seconds right before it suddenly speeds up, but ...ehh. The instruments are also extremely quiet...it kind of feels like the the microphone is here, but the instruments are too shy to come forth! This piece is also pretty short. Overall, I'm not really feeling any monochromaticity (whatever, I will invent this word now) I think this song could benefit from some extension and variation. Variation! Yes. That was the word I was looking for. With four instruments all in the mix, variation is definitely something that could have been dabbled in, without taking away from the theme of this phase in the contest.

As for my vote, that will be sent in a PM to each host ! :)

Great job with the music, guys! ^___^

[SkyeWint]

All the comments on the other pieces so far look excellent! :D I'm sure that everyone reading them is appreciative of the criticism!

[DivoFST]

Track 1- I find it too happy and also has some weird random moments i dont really like, the second section is pretty nice :)
Track 2- Altough it might fit the theme its just over simplistic and repetitive
Track 3 - Love the intro, very floaty and interesting, the instruments are used in a really nice way with a lot of floatyness
Track 4 - Has some nice sections but in my oppinion fails the theme completly
Track 5 - Sounds really sad as a monochromatic world would be, love how emotional it is
Track 6 - Desperate and melancholic, i really like this one
Track 7 - There is a lot of noise in the submission, it is kinda repetitive, the section that enters at 0:49 is sweet!
Track 8 - Sounds really good and fitting, sometimes sounds a but muddy
Track 9 - Minimalistic is the word, the cello is so sweet, reminds me of Game of Thrones, it fits the chalenge the best
Track 10 - I liked the song, it just didnt fit monochromatic in my opinion
Track 11 - Emotional and touching, fits the theme...the ending is really sudden however
Track 12 - Nice molodies, the instruments sounded a tad unrealistic
Track 13 - Love the guitars, fits the chalenge really well and its decent for the theme
Track 14 - Creates a nice ambient quite fitting, it gets a bit repetitive for being so long also some there is quite some noise in the recording..love the song btw
Track 15 - Not very fitting on rythm or instruments, also the instruments dont sound very good
Track 16 - Lyrics very fitting and rythm guitar, the solo guitar sometimes takes the monochromatic feel back
Track 17 - A different and nice approach, together with the last track giving a different view on the Theme

BTW my top 8 is this:
3,5,6,8,9,11,14,16.
Good work, awesome submissions :D

[Neon-Bard]

First off, I think it's important to note that I think that EVERYONE did an awesome job and it was a pleasure to listen to every single one of these songs. Every song has its definite strengths and I'm looking forward to listening to other stuff by everyone here! :)

Here we go:

Track 1 - Catchy piece, well put together...though quite colorful sounding at the beginning. However, after the surprising reverse, things become quite interesting and everything seems to settle into a more monochromatic theme than before. The single, assertive piano notes that can be heard from 1:00 to 1:14 seem to hinder the song a little. The conclusion is quite nice! Well done.

Track 2 - Love the neat guitar introduction with the subtle woodwind instrument. This piece captures the whole theme quite well, though it is quite repetitive and somewhat short. Overall this was very interesting to listen to, great job!

Track 3 - Interesting introduction, very peaceful and gentle. This piece could definitely use some more variation though. Overall it's quite relaxing, though at times it shows less-than-subtle hints of color as opposed to a blanket of grey.

Track 4 - Quite a surprise to hear something like this for the theme being presented. I imagine a vibrant city when listening to this, not a dense colorless world. Nonetheless, it is still intriguing. This is a repetitive song, and due to its length some variation would be something to consider. I picture someone trying to reverse the changes made to a colorless world, which is pretty cool.

Track 5 - Fantastic use of instruments here, I really enjoyed the piano in particular! The violin is overused a little, but the choir accompaniment was a nice touch and helped balance out the song. The song shines with a great deal of emotion which is great, but it causes a distraction from the theme.

Track 6 - I really enjoyed the nice blend of the different sounds used in this piece. Perhaps the strings could be more mellow in order to really bring out the draining monochromatic sensation. I feel that the 'background' sounds should be turned down just slightly in order to emphasize the more prominent strings.

Track 7 - I could really imagine a world painted all grey while listening to the introduction to this one. The gentle guitar and the 'tapping' blend quite well. The ending caught me off guard...the song seems a little short. I would have liked to see where you could have taken this beyond 1:36.

Track 8 - The first thing that popped into my head was a cavern covered completely in ice, so I immediately thought of pale blue, and blue-green colors. At times I caught a sense of the theme, but I can't shake the image of walking around in an ice cavern. The conclusion was abrupt. Nevertheless, this is an interesting piece that I really enjoyed listening to.

Track 9 - Captures the theme quite beautifully. Nice choice of instruments, the harmonic harp matches the deep strings remarkably. Due to the instrument choice, I get a very strong feeling of despair and emptiness. While this works in some ways, I can't help but think of death. It really seems to permeate the piece....but wait, perhaps the theme and death go hand-in-hand? Either way, a few more notes here and there would still work.

Track 10 - This song is quite melancholic in nature, which both helps and hinders it. The beat is interesting, and the piano has an 'oldies' sort of sound to it which brings to mind old, dusty photographs. The 'voice synth' reminds me of Daft Punk a little..but anyway that shouldn't matter haha! Pretty cool song, with interesting moments here and there, but it strays a little from the theme.

Track 11 - Solid introduction. I loved the instruments used in this song. The guitar brings a lot to this piece and it blends incredibly well with the other instruments. For some reason I thought that someone was going to break out into a whistle mid-song...but much to my dismay they did not hahaha! The song has a hint of western-blues feel to it so perhaps th---nevermind. I feel that the ending was too sudden.

Track 12- I respect that you took an all strings approach, quite gutsy! I liked the melodies you've used here, though it feels that something is missing and I can't put my finger on it. Regardless, this is an interesting piece and it fits the theme.

Track 13 - Awesome guitar work going on here! The percussion is a little distracting, but it is definitely fun to listen to. The introduction worked well with the theme, but the body of the song strays from this slightly. This feels like a song based on reminiscence, which I rather like. Solid ending.

Track 14 - I really liked the subtlety of this song, the guitar really had me from the beginning. The song seems a little long, and at times just a bit empty, though this fits the theme well! I like the small portions of piano you've sprinkled throughout the song, I would have loved to hear more.

Track 15 - To be completely honest, I'm having trouble making up my mind about this one. Despite this, I should add that this song is most certainly interesting. The long notes seem to create a notion of singularity quite well, but the snappy percussion seems to conflict with the other instruments, at least in some ways. Perhaps by taking the 'voice-like' synth or pad and slowing it down or using it more sparsely would do the trick. Or maybe even using the percussion in different ways, like adding a 'trailing' or phasing effect to it.

Track 16 - I was not expecting vocals, so it came as a nice surprise! I get a very 90's vibe from this (that's a good thing, and I mean it in a positive way). Thoughtful, creative lyrics, and nice guitar work. It would have been cool to hear another instrument and it would have given the song just a bit more depth.

Track 17 - I'll admit that I have a soft-spot for the instruments used in this piece. I think this was a very unique way to portray the theme, and you pulled it off quite wonderfully. At times it seems that the instruments are out of place though...and I immediately think of rich colors. This served as a distraction at times, but overall it wasn't a nuisance to the theme. This song feels ancient and mystifying which, in my opinion, really just adds to the depth and simplicity of the song.

....That took a lot longer than expected hahaha! Well done everybody! :)

[midimachine]

tracks 5, 9, 11 and 14 were the only ones that felt "colourless" to me
track 1 would've been fantastic if it was an actual piano rag (and mixed accordingly!)

i vote for track 9 because reasons

[frootza]

Great contest idea, and everyone did an awesome job. It was a pleasure to listen to every track and write my thoughts on each piece! I'll PM one of the hosts with my vote.

Track 1: Bouncy vibe to start off. Was interesting to see two themes present in the piece. Would have enjoyed more hearing some counter melodies over the piano lead.

Track 2: Good attempt at ambience, the delay created an interesting rhythm over the woodblock thing.

Track 3: Very soothing, rich, warm track to begin. The bongo track didn't deviate from the quarter notes which would have been interesting too hear. Nice sense of harmony and song progression.

Track 4: For a dance track, it did seem quite monochrome. Would have enjoyed some variation and darker themes over the main lead earlier in the song. Was somewhat disappointed when the track reintroduced the same melody during the second portion.

Track 5: Dark feel, which is what I'm looking for. Slow, dreary, gloom. I can picture a gothic scene where someone is walking along with a black umbrella while it is raining. Continues onto more dramatics. The multiple dueling voices may count as an extra instrument, but that shouldn't take away from the track. I enjoyed being "dragged along" with the song and the rhythmic fermatas and pulsing.

Track 6: Soothing track. The droning synth was a bit dramatic. I enjoyed that it ended as a cliffhanger, and believe that this fit very well with the piece.

Track 7: Happy to hear a live instrument! Would have enjoyed some rhythmic variation from the guitar pattern. Ending appeared cut off, nonetheless valiant attempt at a monochromatic feel.

Track 8: Very cool concept for a song. I believe a different instrument choice would have given the song a darker feel, as the xylophone sounded pretty bright. Enjoyed the variation, and especially the walking bass line that enters the track. The panned delays gave it a psychedelic vibe.

Track 9: The piano was quite percussive (unless that was a stringed harmonic), but that happens. Enjoyed the segmentation. Loved hearing the scattered double time of the cello.

Track 10: Reminded me of a cartoon zombie dance party, which could be seen as monochrome. Honestly quite a vivid and unique track. The talk-box effect was a great touch as was the vinyl record effect.

Track 11: Cool that this was in 3/4! Reminded me of an old western song. The bass was a bit boomy, but that didn't take way from the track for me. I applaud the use of real instruments.

Track 12: Loved it, great transitioning and theme. Gloomy and quite monochromatic. Short, but it got the job done.

Track 13: Sounded a bit like improvisation. Cool flamenco attempt, although not quite. The dry guitar intro added to the monochromatic theme.

Track 14: Slow pacing was a nice change of pace. (hah! get it?) But it was. Interesting rhythmic choice, as it had a sense of time but it was in no way set to any specific tempo. Simplistic, but I wish there was a variation of chord changes. Was minor inversions over and over, but that is okay since what made the track was the placement of such chords.

Track 15: Had a great start, with the added percussion I felt as though the track was leaving the realm of the monochrome. I really enjoyed the reverse effect on the strings.

Track 16: Yay another real instrument. Was happy to hear that. Wow, and lyrics to go along with it. Can't really deviate from the theme with lyrics backing the track. Was kind of like Creed to me. Due to the strumming I would have enjoyed hearing an acoustic version of the song. Clean playing.

Track 17: The changing rhythm every measure gives the track depth. Track volume could have been boosted a bit more, but it that may have been intentional. Enjoyed the slight variations in phrasing. Interesting to hear someone use Asian instrumentation in a song.

[SkyeWint]

At 5/31/13 08:42 PM, midimachine wrote: tracks 5, 9, 11 and 14 were the only ones that felt "colourless" to me
track 1 would've been fantastic if it was an actual piano rag (and mixed accordingly!)

i vote for track 9 because reasons

Sorry - I might have forgotten to put it in the OP of this thread. Only people who submitted a piece are allowed to vote, though everyone is certainly allowed to join in the discussion.

If you submit something in the next round, then you can vote!

[ZipZipper]

I'm having a really tough time deciding. I'm trying to really peg the piece I think is the road less traveled but still befitting the theme, which by the way...I foolishly interpreted as a world dominated by different shades of one color, not black and white. Ugh I know generally the word monochromatic instills immediate thoughts of B&W...and the picture used as inspiration was B&W...but I thought I could think outside the box when I probably shouldn't have. Anyways...

I'd like to comment on how interesting most of the guitar pieces were. I generally dislike guitars, but in this contest they were implemented in more creative and flexible ways, to me. Same goes to the use of strings; they all had a realness to them, though of course some more than others...almost seemed like there was a gap in quality between the strings being used hahahaha.

4 & 10 are kinda unique in that they went the electronic route, however they sounded like they went the opposite direction in terms of the theme. Instead of soft, mellow ambience, they were hard and upbeat. I would think simplicity is subtle; it doesn't stand out. That being said, sounded like there was a lot of rising and falling action in the pieces. I guess that's another reason why I thought the guitar pieces were so good since they were pretty constant throughout...conveying singularity of color. Y'know, I think for that reason I'm going to choose one of the guitar-centered pieces. I know a lot of the other pieces were also great at showing that singularity, but for some reason I just think the guitar ones fit so well with the theme.

I must say, I do enjoy the Asian ambience going on in 17. That one is unique in its own right for choosing a path a lot of people can't even really fathom attempting. Perhaps if the melody was a single zither playing a melody with very spaced apart tones, maybe with the occasional injection of erhu, it would both convey simplicity and lack of variety in color. Then again, would something like that have been too easy? I found that to be one of the difficulties of this contest...trying to make something complex and interesting enough so that in your own head it was a challenge and not a piece of cake. Sometimes that lead to going overboard and sometimes that lead to being too simple.

Alright, all this contemplation writing out this post and re-listening to tracks along the way has got me decidinnngggg...
Track 7.
Yeah, it really does bug me beyond compare that the ending was so abrupt, but the swinging rhythm and melody really caught my attention. It showed a lot of character without being drawn out and strummy. The sound quality itself also added some character that I think is allowable for this theme. It showcased a drudging melancholy, a tiredness for the same-old, wanting to break out. I also liked how concise it was, I actually enjoyed that with all of the shorter pieces.

Well I'm gonna end it here because right now I'm too distracted with being mad at how fail my internet connection is right now ahsadjkfahjk!!!! Good luck to everyone in dis contest!

[bassfiddlejones]

Great responses so far! When is the voting period over/when will results be posted?

[SkyeWint]

At 6/1/13 01:59 PM, bassfiddlejones wrote: Great responses so far! When is the voting period over/when will results be posted?

I can't believe I forgot to add that as well. The voting period ends at the end of Sunday, 11:59 PM EST.

Results of the first round will be posted with the second round's challenge/theme on Monday.

[SourJovis]

Great track list. I like how different they all sound. Shows how everyone has an own interpretation of how monochromatic should be portrayed. Making the list quite colourful. As a whole. Some very original outside the box thinking. And yes, like ZippZipper pointed out; monochromatic doesn't mean black and white. Just one colour with different shades. A completely electronic track is as monochrome as a completely acoustic, just a different colour. Of course if you combine acoustic with electronic you can still convey the theme, for example when you sing about your personal struggle with colourblindness or whatever. I'm not going to say who didnâEUTMt capture the theme. That's all very personal, and each has an own association.

My reviews:

Track 1: A piano centered piece. Pianos have black and white keys, so there is your theme. Also I like how there was a contrast between the sadness and happiness (also black and white). The things I didn't quite like were the sounds. The piano doesn't sound real enough. Not too fond of the synth pad. Would be better if that was a realistic string section. The mix is a bit muddy. I like the melodies.

Track 2: Has the same elegance as black and white colours. The ending is too abrupt for my taste. Also I'd like to have more variation. Nice mood though. I enjoyed listening to it.

Track 3: Beautiful sounds. Once again piano. Sounds like more than one instrument, but I assume it isn't, so nicely done creating such a full sound with so little instruments. I would've held back on the reverb. Especially on the piano. It fits the mood, but it's more transparent and beautiful with less reverb.

Track 4: Could be performed at Sensation Black or Sensation White. Quite nice sounds. Not easy mix something this loud. Sounds a little over compressed or distorted though. Not very pleasant to the ears that way. Could've done with less of that, because the song is more than loud enough. Not completely sure how this captures the theme black and white. A bit long for my taste. I'd have liked it better when it would've ended at the midway point.

Track 5: Sounds sad. Beautiful piece. I like the cello, and the piano. The violin is indeed a little less good than the other instruments. Sounds artificial in a way. It sounds a little too brick walled. Or is that just because soundcloud deforms it? Perhaps it becomes more dramatic that way. Reminds me of rain and grey weather. The choir really gets great at the end. The violin also gets better there.

Track 6: The reverb on top of all of the sounds creates a nice pad effect. I like it. Sounds really great. Would've liked some variation though.

Track 7: Makes me too think of an old western. Could've had a little more of that though. The ending is a little too abrupt. Great guitar sounds. Original.

Track 8: Great main instrument. Beautiful piece. The string sections I like less. Not real enough. Perhaps that's too because it wasn't allowed to make each note more individual. The song sounds distorted when it gets louder. The ending doesn't sound like it's supposed to be that way. Quite a stately sound. I enjoyed listening to it.

Track 9: The instruments sound so great. Well played. Very sad and minimalistic. I like the deep droning sound, and the coldness. The reverb I liked less. Was it digitally added? If so, real reverb would've been better. If not, sorry, I just have bad ears. I can see the black and whiteness. Perhaps a little bit of a too straight forward approach of the theme, but there isn't another submission like it, so original as can be.

Track 10: I like this kind of music. An instant black and white image, because of the old sound, style and instruments used. Perhaps it's because I've watched too many 60s Gorgio Moroder and Gershon Kingsley videos? The music reminds me of that. Some of them are black and white, and I think it fits. The old fashioned jazzy style reminds me more of black and white than orchestral music does, because orchestral music is less restricted by time periods. Modern film noir films are still sometimes in black and white, and often have a jazz score. Too bad I can't understand all of the lyrics. I do get they're about black and white, because I can make out the word "Monochromatic" because it's repeated so often. Also I think the first sentence reads "Over the rainbow there's a land" derived from the few words I pick up. Which is kind of clever since the song over the rainbow is associated with a film that's partially black and white. And since this song is not as happy as over the rainbow, it works even better in focusing on the black and white aspects. All in all not too bad I can't make out the lyrics, since I never listen to them anyway. Now Frootza mentioned Daft Punk it reminds me of Daft Punks 70s disco revival songs, only older and slower, but that fits the black and white theme better. Sorry for the longer review. I couldn't stop listening to the track.

Track 11: Also life instruments. Only more than track 9, and that makes it sound more interesting. Epicness. Yet not extremely memorable. The violin gets out of tune sometimes. A bit messy and distorted in the middle, when the instruments are the loudest at the same time.The guitar sounds really good. The bass as well. Nice climactic build up. One of my favourite songs this contest.

Track 12: Nice composition. Not too great sounds though. Too artificial. I like the mood.

Track 13: Another guitar piece. Very well played. The snare hits a little too loud compared to the base drum. The jazzy feel reminds me of black and white. Fits the theme very well. I like it.

Track 14: The guitar sounds great with the piano. I like the noises in this recording a little less than in the previous track. Though in a way it creates a nice mood. Reminds me of black and white yes.

Track 15: The strings didn't sound very real, but that was made up for when all of the electronic instruments kicked in. It wasn't really necessary for the strings to sound real. Perhaps it would be better with a different sound though. Like a synth pad. Then again, it's a nice contrast to have both real and synthetic instruments.

Track 16: Lyrics again. Also with the rainbow theme. The lyrics sound quite like that of track 10. Serendipity. Other than that this track has quite a different mood. I like it.

Track 17: I like this song too. Very different from the other songs. That's nice. The instruments don't always sound very rhythmic. The speeding up and slowing down is a little strange at times. Still it keeps it lively. Great listen.

Thanks all of you. I liked all of the tracks in a certain way. If you think I was too short or negative about a certain track I'm sorry. That wasn't my intention. Just a lot of work reviewing all of the songs.

I'll think about who to vote for, and then I'll PM Skye.

[EvilRaccoon]

All I can say is woa! A surge of tracks from when you said you had just seven a few days ago.

I apologize in an advance if NG's messes up with the apostrophes, i wrote half of it this morning, had to do some work and came back to it and re-listened to them all again.

Track 1: It was a good track, I liked the theme in it. I felt the piano was always at max velocity though. I also felt it could do with just a little reverb just to bring it alive. If anything I think I would have preferred it without the drums, and maybe had a different instrument in there, maybe something acoustic. It feels very upbeat.

Track 2: This is really good, I enjoyed it,. It certainly feels like im lost somewhere, I think the guitar could have went a little more on the reverb side, or to widen it to really surround me. A good ambient piece.

Track 3: Great production, piano is gorgeous but sounds distant to me, like where I'm sitting in the hall. I can hear the effort in this. Choice of instruments is great, i found it original and lighthearted.

Track 4: Its good, a bit overly compressed. I do agree with the others, as its an enjoyable track but there's a lack of connection to the theme. I do feel like there's a lof of repeating in it, and only eventually changes it up, but then repeats alot again.

Track 5: I like the cello, it sounds simple and enjoy how it sweeps. I do think the violin is too exaggerated and pulls itself out too much over the piano. The theme is there but the choir starts to phase out the monochromatic lightness of the piece it should be in the background more.

Track 6: I enjoy this kind of sound, it's really open and vast. I do think though the theme somewhat gets lost, and could be more prominent to be less dependent on the chords underneath. A bit heavy velocity wise I would have preferred it if it had been lighter, i think it has a futuristic sound to it yet open in the wilderness.

Track 7: I like the acoustic guitar in it, and how it slips up and down. I love the theme in it, this feels somewhat Spanish and warm feeling. It's a shame it cuts off, a good composition.

Track 8: This is good, It feels like im in a 90s movie or something, it has a hint of horror too, i dont know if that was intentional. I think the piano's delay was abit distracting, and too powerful. The track becomes quite full though and does end abruptly.

Track 9: I think it fits the theme, and like how it feels in a room but think it could have sounded wider. I do agree with others, and I think that the instruments could have been together all at once. I think the cello's got great flow. I would go so far to say it's live, which would explain why things are separated here.

Track 10: It's a good track, but I'm not sure that it fits the theme. It's a bit too comical, I do find myself swaying to it though. So I think it's a good track, just unfortunately not very fitting.

Track 11: Nice guitar, very fitting of the theme here at the start. I did feel though as it progressed it was like I was in a western though at one point, and should be ready for a gun battle. As some said, a bit too much colour and fullness, some of the strumming was really hard.

Track 12: It's good, rather moody. I think the velocities are a bit hard at times, but the composition is quite enjoyable. I like how its a mysterious theme and imo goes well with the theme we have here.

Track 13: I like it, it has a great theme to it, recording quality is nice too. Very chill out flamenco style. You can hear the good use of guitar playing. Whether or not it fits this theme perfectly though im not sure, it's still a bit colourful. It's an enjoyable track though, just a tad fast for the theme.

Track 14: The initial chords sounds like a spaghetti western flick, it's quite surprising that this route has been went down as I think it doesn't say monochromatic to me. I think as a track though, it's quite nice, and has a good ambient quality to it.

Track 15: This seems a little to fast and strong paced for the theme of the contest. It's a shame because it does have a nice underlying melody, but it gets covered up by the chord progression, then somewhat lost. The ending could have done with fading out.

Track 16: Alot of effort here, and I really like it. I like the audio effects on the singer (you?) it really shows off the the mood. I feel like it's really warm though, and lacks a void which I'd expect. I wonder if it was done without an acoustic guitar to with ambient electric it it may have sounded more suited.

Track 17: It's good it sounds very precious and agree it has that asian touch. I think it's fitting for the contest, and I quite like it. It has an ambient quality in it which works well too. Im not sure though as a composition, it seems a bit disjointed.

Will give my vote via PM.

[midimachine]

At 6/1/13 11:40 AM, SkyeWintrest wrote:

At 5/31/13 08:42 PM, midimachine wrote: tracks 5, 9, 11 and 14 were the only ones that felt "colourless" to me
track 1 would've been fantastic if it was an actual piano rag (and mixed accordingly!)

i vote for track 9 because reasons

Sorry - I might have forgotten to put it in the OP of this thread. Only people who submitted a piece are allowed to vote, though everyone is certainly allowed to join in the discussion.

If you submit something in the next round, then you can vote!

oh, yeah you did forget cause i definitely checked!
if i do submit something do i have to write an essay along with my vote? :v

[SkyeWint]

At 6/1/13 05:47 PM, midimachine wrote: oh, yeah you did forget cause i definitely checked!
if i do submit something do i have to write an essay along with my vote? :v

My bad - I think it's in the original thread.

You don't *need* to write an essay along with your vote. It'd just be awesome if you could. Y'know, feedback and all.