Topic hijacked - it's relevant enough already and multi-page threads attract more attention. And I don't want to flood the entire sub-forum.
Basically, discuss arrangement contests here.
Some of the more nit-picky of you would probably insist that this be called remixing contests, but anyway:
This idea has been stuck in my head for some time, yet it's taken a while to come up with some details and build up the courage to publicly propose it:
Now that we've got a more open attitude towards orchestral submissions here, would it be an idea that we ran some informal arrangement competitions to make people more familiar with other instruments than piano? Or simply give people an opportunity to play around with their favourite musical styles? Or just tweak the beloved songs a little?
I'm thinking something along the lines of a set of competitions, running for a period of time (a month or two. We're not known to be in a hurry on this site). Unlike The Musical Showdown, the rounds would be fully independent of each other, and a single task would be given for each competition. After a winner is declared, it's back to blank sheets, and a new round could be started. The way I've thought about it, is that we could have one "theme" for each contest, with very loose specifications.
Examples:
- "Calmify" a theme (essentially what's been done with Pokémon's
"SS Anne" to
"Oceanic Museum", or SM64's
"Inside the Castle" to SMG2's
"Special One" - Arrange a VG theme for (insert various (and sometimes obscure) instruments, i.e. fiddle, organ or bagpipe).
- Make a VG theme ROCK! (Two words: Gourmet Race)
- We Want a Waltz: "Ballroomify" a theme.
- Given a theme, who can make the best arrangement?
- Lyrics? (hey, not all of us are good with Finale, are we?).
There would obviously have to be a set of judges, basing themselves on a set of criteria, and perhaps an additional popular vote. And it would require some organization, of course. Perhaps even prizes as well? Even though I'm on a student budget, I could probably cough up some kr for prizes for a couple of rounds. It wouldn't be any expensive stuff, but it would anyway be a token of your effort and perseverance... or if you were the only attendant of the competition, your ability to overcome procrastination. And I feel that concept and execution should have as much to say as technical skill. "Something for everyone" is a great goal to strive for.
But for the time being, I'm just wondering what people think about the idea. Is it feasible? Could we motivate enough people? Do we need to focus our effort elsewhere first? What are really
those weird creatures in the background of Shiverburn Galaxy? What limitations do we have to work with here (I'm thinking what the various versions of Finale are capable of, for example instrument selections and such)?
Do you feel that you have an answer to any of these questions, please press that "Reply" button and type in your opinion. Thanks in advance!
(tl;dr version: You'll get a virtual cake if you reply "Yes, good idea!" to this post)