Conceptual Music Competition 16: Beyond the Depths

CMC: Conceptual Music Competition

This competition is based on the rules of the classic TOMC (Thematic Original Music Competition).

The CMC (Conceptual Music Competition) is designed so that each participant enters a piece of music based on a set theme. The participants take the theme and interpret it as they will to come up with something that fits. Any style can work, as long as it portrays a sense of what the theme is.

Feel free to be imaginative!

Each successive theme will be chosen by the winner of the previous competition. For example, say the theme of the last competition, CMC 21, was "Doomsday" and the winner, Carly, submitted a piece that knocked the socks off of everyone, so she won. Carly then gets to decide the theme for CMC 22.

This competition is open to registered members of the forums of

OverClocked ReMix, VGMix, Ormgas, VGMusic, Gaming World, and Young Composers.

CMC 16: Beyond the Depths

"In the deep parts of this world are treasures unimaginable. The darkness hides wonders unspoiled by the eyes of men. On this endless night, a captian and his crew drift toward the secret shores of the underworld - like the slow falling of a leaf. The journey promised fame and riches, but it has come at a cost. He has already had to quell two insurrections on the way down and a particular passage in the ancient maniscript has unsettling implications: 'Beware the dark things of the deep. They will swallow you.'" -Jeremy Robson

Results!:

• Text results and critiques

There are 11 entries for this round...

HoboKa - "Underwater Feat"

• "Set in the future with weird industrial drums, an eerie rhythm and a mysterious feeling. There be treasure underwater ye scurvy dogs!"

• "This piece has been made whilst watching a pretty good TV series called Fort Boyard. There's one challenge in it, where a contestant has to zip-line from the top of the Fort, into the sea, then they have to swim to a nearby ship, and climb it within a 3 minute time limit. There's something they need at the top, and if they don't get it in time, it explodes. That's why this piece is three minutes (well, the ending part happens at 3'00). I've taken inspiration from the actual pieces used in Fort Boyard, and did the No.2 cliche for this : reverb percussion. No.1 is using a phaser, and it didn't feel right when I tried it. Oh well, enjoy."

Miri - "Beneath the Surface"

• "Beneath the surface is the mysterious underworld where strange things are lurking in the darkness."

• "The deaf sounds of machinery, organisms, and melancholy in complete darkness."

Virtualshock - "Descent into Darkness"

• "The submarine dips it nose under water, and submerges into the depths. The men and captain inside begin their journey with high hopes, however as they progress into the shady, silent water, their mood fades... They have begun their Descent into Darkness."

• "A large ship approaches, gliding on through the dark ocean, the crew gaze out at that which they have left behind, all seems surreal as they drift toward their end. They sail onwards, each crewman's consciousness begins to fade as a siren song dissolves into the distance. What lies ahead for these condemned sailors? Only that which lies beneath... deep waters."

Dev - "Aye, We Dive for Atlantis"

• "This is an orchestral piece divided into roughly three parts: the first being a submarine, out in the open ocean, prepared to dive. The second, denoted by the dissonant build-up, is the dive into the deep unknown. Finally, the quicker section is meant to represent the adventures had... BEYOND THE DEEP! And supposedly searching for Atlantis."

• "Entering the depths of the dungeon cave. The crew seeks the legendary Talon Eye, an artifact that grants its bearer God-like powers. Said to be placed by Aztec Gods within caves unexplored by man, will they recover the treasure within the depths or go insane with frustration trying to find it?"

Alex Smith - "Into the Black Cavern"

• "You open the dusty, weathered book. Only a few pages remain legible:
  --
  [0:00] Day 8 - We should reach the Black Cavern in less than a week. We drift further across this dark sea, praying we may soon see clouds once again.
  [0:37] Day 13: A distant sound can be heard coming from the depths. It sounds like the beating of a drum - but surely that can not be. For two days now our ship has been slowly descending the watery cavern - deep as any sea and blacker than the darkest night.
  [0:59] Day 20: Disaster. We are rapidly running out of food and there is no sign of the fabled treasure. What is more, we have started hearing unfriendly whispers echo from the deep. I do not like this at all.
  [1:43] Day 22: The men are taking up arms. Creatures are attacking the ship. I fear we may not survive this. If we do not return to port, I pray someone one day finds this diary… I - *splattered blood obscures the rest of the entry*
  --
  [2:07] You close the book, taken aback. Could the legend of the Black Cavern really be true?"

Brainstar - "Tribute to Dark Depths"

• "A dark way, shown by their own fearful light, will lead them to a choir of ceased voices, ended by hopeful light."

• "This is the story of an explorer who dives deep down into the ocean hoping to find the entrance to the underworld. Having lost his wife and children on a fishing trip, he hopes to retrieve them back. Our protagonist dives deep, with nothing around but water for miles. However, he soon sees a strange light in a hidden crevice. There, he sees his wife and children.. but they are trapped within. Hopeful, he heads toward the strange light, not knowing what will happen, he continues through the dark water."

Voting Rules!:

• Voters will be allowed to pick a first place (3 points) and any number of honorary mentions (1 point). Only one set of votes from any one voter will be accepted and a person cannot vote for any one piece more than once. Corrections to votes, from the original voter only, will be accepted, but corrections will void the previous votes. Basically, a voter can vote and correct the vote, but only the final form of that vote will be counted. Send all votes to Abadoss by PM or e-mail. Please include any and all constructive critiques (not to be confused with bashing) about them with your votes as well, so that there's always a sense of growth in the artform. If you wish to remain anonymous, just state so in your PM. Thanks.

• The voting period will last from the moment the entries are posted in the thread to the Saturday of that week. The voting period for this round ends February 2, so be sure to spend some time really listening to the pieces.

• Any participant in the competition can vote, but not for their own pieces. However, in an effort to encourage voting among participants, any participant who votes will have 2 points added to their voting score.

1. Each piece must be originally composed for this competition. Arrangements and remixes will not be accepted. (Pieces composed by the participant prior to the competition will not be accepted.)
   
2. Each piece must be 2:00 or longer and match the competition theme.
   
3. Only one entry per person. Collaborations will be allowed, but each collaborator may not submit any other pieces. (This also means that a person cannot collaborate on two or more different pieces at the same time.)
   
4. A link to the entry piece must be e-mailed or PMed to Abadoss prior to the deadline set for each competition. DO NOT POST THE LINK IN THE THREAD!
   
5. Important: Each file must be labelled accordingly: Composer_Name_-_Composition_Title_CMC#.mp3
   (For example, if Bethany Smith submits a piece called "Wallowing in Jello" to CMC 19, then her filename would be: Bethany_Smith_-_Wallowing_in_Jello_CMC19.mp3)
   
6. MP3 file format is required. Know that even OGG will need to be converted into MP3. (If someone is unable to do so themselves, Abadoss would be willing and able to do it for them.)
   
7. Entries should be accompanied by a description and/or story to help listeners understand what the piece is about. (Not required, though.)
   
8. All entries must be submitted by Saturday, January 26, 2008 at 11:59 PM - PST, GMT-8.

You can find the competition threads for each forum listed below:

• OverClocked ReMix: Conceptual Music Competition 16: Beyond the Depths - OverClocked ReMix Forums
  
• VGMix: VGMix Forums • View topic - Conceptual Music Competition 16: Beyond the Depths
  
• Ormgas: ocremix at ormgas.com - Streaming videogame music remixes: Forums / General / Conceptual Music Competition 16: Beyond the Depths
  
• VGMusic: VGMusic :: View topic - Conceptual Music Competition 16: Beyond the Depths
  
• Gaming World: Gaming World Forums - Conceptual Music Competition 16: Beyond the Depths
  
• Young Composers: http://www.youngcomposers.com/forum/conceptual-music-competition-16-beyond-depths-12775.html

Good luck and have fun! :D

Previous CMCs: Conceptual Music Competition (1-9)

Ooh, juicy, I'd like to see what I come up for this myself... :happy:

OOOH!!! I'm in!

sounds fun, I will probably take a stab at this one......

COUNT ME INWARDS.

In.....wards?

Better than innards...

I think SSC is my new favorite master of phraseology

(For example, if Bethany Smith submits a piece called "Wallowing in Jello" to CMC 19, then her filename would be: Bethany_Smith_-_Wallowing_in_Jello_CMC19.mp3)

I think Wallowing in Jello needs to be a theme eventually...

Okay, let's hope one of us wins this round then, we can choose the next theme...

Wallowing in Jello. :musicwhistle:

sounds like fun to me.......

I'm really gonna enjoy this one!

I still have ten days... :ermm:

I hope I can start something.

I've got something going, but I only have about eight measures... :ermm: :ermm:

Yep, I'm pretty far behind too...I've been working on theme and variations, only to realize this one is due before it. Ah well.

I'm afraid I'm going to have to drop out- The idea I had wasn't working, and I doubt I can come up with something AND live life at the same time.

hmm not sure if I can finish either........

EDIT: Nevermind I am rolling.........

I wrote my unicorns. I hope success is at arriving! :> :>

Just so no one freaks out, the website is going to go down tomorrow for the afternoon/evening as I re-upload everything. Why re-upload? So I don't run into server permission errors... long story...

oK,

will there be voting tommorrow or will this server dealyo, postpone it?

This don't change the timeline.

Tonight at midnight right? I guess I'm dropping out then... I just can't get mine onto my computer fast enough, I don't have the time. If I had a MIDI-cable to link to my keyboard, it wouldn't be such a fuss... I have the perfect idea, I just don't have the time to get it down in two weeks. :(

You're always welcome to submit a bonus track.

All entries are in! Time to vote!

WoW, great entries this round!

The results are in!