Hi there!
Welcome to the auditions thread for the NEWGROUNDS AUDIO DEATH MATCH 2015! If you don't know what the NGADM is, read this thread. Even if you already do know, you should definitely read the entirety of this post if you're planning on taking part, because it has all the important information and quirky little details that will allow you to not make a fool of yourself.
Audio Deathmatch? Huh?
The NGADM (Newgrounds Audio Death Match) is one of the largest audio competitions on the website. It's run by Step and me, and is an annual competition that started seven years ago. The competition follows a basic knockout concept, where a number of participants are paired up each round, battle to the death (via music), and then proceed to the next round if they win their pairing. Simple, right?
Interesting. What do I do?
To take part, simply post what you think is your best song (the one which you feel best represents your talents) in this auditions thread. It may be an old song, a new song, one that's not done yet, or even one that you haven't started. Remember to post only one song - if you change your mind about your best song, then just post again in this thread saying clearly that you've changed your mind. Songs posted elsewhere will NOT be considered.
Once we've reached the deadline, a team of professional and thorough judges will listen to each of your submissions, then professionally and thoroughly procrastinate a lot and eventually hand-pick their nominations for the top 64. Don't worry about feeling like you're not good enough to make it in; you should post your audition here anyway, you've really got nothing to lose, and you never know what might happen!
So how long do I have?
You've got until the 30th of July to submit your audition in this thread. After that, no further auditions will be accepted and a five day judging period will start. The Group Stages start on the 4th of August, followed by the Knockout Stage rounds afterwards.
Ok, that makes sense. So how does each round work?
Well, each round consists of 2 weeks where each competitor has to compose a brand new piece to pit against their opponents. Like last year, in the first round (round of 64) we will have group stages, where everyone will be seeded into matchups of four, and 16 winners will emerge. The rest of the rounds will be seeded into matchups of two. After the 2 weeks of every round, the judging period will start.
Same as last year, each judge will still be giving a score for each piece, and an average of all the judges' scores will still be being taken, but due to the huge number of participants, the reviewing workload will be split. In round 1, the 64 pieces will be split amongst the judges evenly, meaning that you won't necessarily be getting a review from each judge. The number of reviews you get each round will slowly increase as the rounds progress, meaning that getting to the later rounds has the added incentive of getting you more reviews on your track. Also, we encourage you to review each others' tracks and let your competitors know what you think!
Also like last year, we will also be employing a fixed bracket system in the knockout stage. The winners of the group stages will be seeded into the primary spots on the bracket, but no further seeding will take place as the rounds progress, with competitors facing each other as dictated by the bracket. We feel this will increase transparency in the competitition and reduce claims of bias. It will also allow for a different sort of strategy where people can plan ahead based on who they believe they will likely face. For those of you who are uncertain as to how a knockout bracket would work, you can take a look at this fancy diagram.
Every round of the knockout will have a separate thread (like this one), and all the competitors will be kept up to date via PM. The schedule for the rounds can be found here, along with links to all the different threads as the competition progresses.
What about rules? Any of those?
Of course there are rules. What is this, a filthy uncivilised deathmatch?
Here are the rules for the AUDITIONS phase:
1.) You are allowed to post a track that you've made from scratch, or a track that you've made in the past.
2.) The audition track may be a cover/arrangement, but unless you're entering as a team, the track cannot be a collaborative effort.
3.) If you posted your audition track but change your mind and wish to change it, state CLEARLY in the thread.
4.) If you're entering as a team of two, your audition can be a collaborative effort between you and your collab partner, or a track by any one of you individually.
5.) Auditions posted after the deadline will not be accepted unless it's for a ridiculously good reason.
Aside from that, we've also got general rules for the knockout competition if you make it through. You can read those here.
And the judges?
So far, we have a few confirmed judges, but we don't as yet have all six. We will be revealing the judging team once we've gotten all the confirmations we need, so stay tuned for that. If you think you've got what it takes to be a judge and would like to help out, PM Step, and have a talk with him about getting on the team.
You also mentioned prizes.
Indeed I did! Unfortunately, we can't confirm the full list of prizes just yet, but rest assured we will keep you updated as we figure things out. We promise there will be some form of prize, we just don't know 100% what it is for the time being. In usual NGADM fashion it will likely involve something to do with serving the Dark Lords, as is your true purpose in life. Thanks for understanding!
Is that it?
For now! Remember that so far the contest hasn't started. These are just auditions, so nothing's entirely official yet. This means we're open to suggestions, and the stuff above may be altered slightly. We'll be reposting all the updated rules, procedures, etc in the NG Audio Deathmatch thread when the contest starts on the 4th of August.
If you're interested, simply post a link to your best submission in this thread before 30th July and you're all set. If you have any problems, or if you wish to express your undying adoration, feel free to send me a PM, or contact me in any way.
So that's that then! Let the auditions begin!
