The MIDI Contest

[Ferkvbm]

Hope I'm still on time.

[Emerates]

DEADLINE IS TOMORROW.  POST, GODDAMN YOU.

[Ferkvbm]

I wish I could correct the mistakes...but I'm noot good enought yet. Well...maybe someday
       
        Norsemen:   http://www.box.net/shared/g6hynvybd9

[Al~Len]

*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

[Prpl_Mage]

Whoa, Al~len is back as well? Well that's special allright. Still remember those old songs of yours.

[Hell Angel]

So, this is closed up and ****, right? When will the judges be... judging?

[Emerates]

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.

[Meiscool-2]

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.

[Hell Angel]

Is six days long enough to complain? Where'd the Judges go?

[Moosetroop11]

I totally didn't know when this was supposed to end. I'll start judging now.

[Emerates]

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

[Emerates]

Judges need to start posting scores.

[Desimodontidae]

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.

[Hell Angel]

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...

[Djanki]

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