[Music] Weekly Beats 2014! Get yo challenge on!

[Moss.]

http://weeklybeats.com/

A music dude I know put this up on Facebook. It's a challenge! Write a new song every week, any style, and the focus isn't on production, it's on the creativity!

Write a new track every week, and upload it to the site!

DO IT!

I'm doing it, because I'm in a huge slump right now, and I think this would really help me get out of it.

Get in on this! Maybe we can collaborate some weeks, or do theme weeks, or something like that.

More info here: http://weeklybeats.com/

[Moss.]

Participators!

http://weeklybeats.com/#/haloofthesun
http://weeklybeats.com/#/ryan+leber

[Moss.]

Another post, in case I need it in order to keep things organized!

DO IT DO IT DO IT

[haloOfTheSun]

I might do this. Things are pretty busy right now, so I don't know.

[Jules]

DO IT!

I'm kinda excited to see what you guys do.


HALO, DO. IT. NOW!

[haloOfTheSun]

I generally write 2 or 3 pieces of music a week anyway, or at least I work on that many at a given time. I generally don't seem to have the problem most people have with coming up with material, so I don't think I'm exactly part of the demographic here, but I'll probably still do this anyway. Maybe I'll write stuff specifically for this instead of just uploading whatever I was working on anyway.

I think I'll do it but I probably won't start right away since things are so hectic right now.

[haloOfTheSun]

Ah, screw it. I was going to take a nap since I've been up since 5am, but I'll just spend that time working on something for this instead. I guess this is technically "cheating" since it isn't supposed to start for an hour and a half (why), but I'll be busy most of the week anyway, and this isn't a competition or anything so whatever.

[Moss.]

Yeah, to hell with the rules or starting a bit early, the real challenge will be whether or not you'll still be in at the end.

[Arrow]

I'll give this a shot. :O I may end up being in school and holding two jobs soon, but I'll certainly try!

[haloOfTheSun]

I think even with my high output I'll have a tough time keeping up with this as the year goes on. Progress is good so far though lol. This first thing I'm working on is turning out to be more complex than I was intending, but that's just how it goes sometimes.

[Moss.]

This past year has been shit for me. I've been in such a horrible dry spell that this first track is going to just be whatever comes out of me. It probably won't make sense, and it'll probably be all over the place, style-wise. But I don't care. It will be. That's the point, as far as I'm concerned. At least in the beginning of this competition.

Maybe later down the road we can coordinate. Have, like, RMRK theme weeks, where we all do a set style.

[pacdiggity]

I demand that you all write next week's tune in the style of free-form gypsy jazz disco fusion.

[haloOfTheSun]

This past year has been shit for me. I've been in such a horrible dry spell that this first track is going to just be whatever comes out of me. It probably won't make sense, and it'll probably be all over the place, style-wise. But I don't care. It will be. That's the point, as far as I'm concerned. At least in the beginning of this competition.

Maybe later down the road we can coordinate. Have, like, RMRK theme weeks, where we all do a set style.

Sometimes just writing randomness can result in some pretty cool ideas, and I'll probably do that at least a few times for this thing. A lot of musicians and composers seem to think they should just be able to sit down and write a song from beginning to end. And while that is certainly how it goes sometimes, that will just send you straight into a creative brick wall other times. Stream of consciousness - better than writing nothing at all!

And I'm all for doing a few theme weeks, even if it's free-form gypsy jazz disco fusion.

[haloOfTheSun]

I "finished" my first week's entry (there's basically no dynamics so volume isn't balanced too well but I need to move onto other things now). Apparently when you upload it, people can't hear it on that website until the end of the week. Kind of silly. But you can listen to it here right now if you'd like:

[mp3]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/355574/untitled%2025.mp3[/mp3]

Apparently it's also against the rules to upload works in progress which I guess this constitutes as since it's untitled and isn't technically finished - I got to the end of the piece but it's not exactly polished and ready to go. Not like they'd be able to tell anyway.

Hope people like it and good luck to the rest of you on finishing this week!

[Arrow]

That is fucking complex, man. Nice work! There are so many little flourishes and shifts... once again, you prove that I'm right to aspire to reach your level. I'll admit I kinda wondered where it was going when it started, but once it got rolling I was... kinda reminded of Rush? I think it was the guitar and the horns, around halfway in, when you started rolling down the scale.

[Arrow]

My turn my turn!

[mp3]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/85017929/General%20Music/Smoke%20and%20Glass.mp3[/mp3]

I wrote this in about four hours. Super simple, but I wanted it to be. I wanted it to feel natural rather than like, hewn from a fucking rock, like so many of my larger efforts do. This was fun! Especially the crowd noise around the middle. There are four characters in it, if you can pick them out.

[Jules]

I like this thread 

[Moss.]

Halo, that's pretty sweet. The Orchestra + Drum Kit gives it a old school RPG feel (the soundfonts do, too). Like an airship theme or something, but it's more than that, it's a movement. It's not just "WHEE FLY AROUND" music, it's telling a story. It's adventurous and exciting, but very lighthearted. And the build at the end is excellent. I love it.

Arrow, your track is goddamn awesome. Very cool chord changes. Super funky. The laughing in the middle was a nice way to break things up. Adding voice is a great way to immediately kick a track up a notch, even if it is a sample or sound effect.

There's so much old school RPG influence here, haha.





I'm absolutely nowhere with my track. I wrote about 5 10-15 seconds things this week, and I hated all of them. :\
I want to do something exciting, like an introduction. I think I have an idea, but it's clear that I'm incredibly out of practice. It's such a ridiculous chore just to get myself to sit down and write. I wish I could write here at work, but I actually have WORK to do.

[haloOfTheSun]

I don't even use anything other than Finale's softsynth soundfont anymore when I write lol. Much faster that way, just open Sibelius and gooooooooooo~ Of course, that leaves some things less than desirable like synths, somewhat ironically, because there are so few appropriate choices. And then there are effects you just can't do (which is why the beginning is so empty) such as col legno. But since I decided to use this for a future recording project, I didn't bother with the production side too much. Or at all, really. Glad you guys like it, that means a lot!

Arrow - I really like yours. It definitely sounds like it's right out of an SNES game. Are you using samples from anything specific by any chance? For some reason Secret of Mana popped in my head while listening to the flute, but I don't think that's right. Anyway, very creative. Nothing wrong with simple if you do it right.

Good luck, arlen. It can be difficult getting back into it after not writing for so long.

[haloOfTheSun]

I'm trying to work on other music but Arrow's song is stuck in my head lol

[Moss.]

There's something so Street Fighter about it.

[haloOfTheSun]

Man, it's been so long since I've heard the music from Street Fighter. I wonder if it's the bass?

[Moss.]

It's that, and definitely the kick/snare and the reverb/echo slapped all over everything.

[Arrow]

The sample set is Chrono Trigger, completely. The only non-Chrono Trigger samples are the voices, which include:

Alucard: Offended at Left
Dracula: Punched at Right
Richter: Empathetic laughter at Left

and of course Magus.

Thanks, you guys, I am beyond flattered. ; w ;

[haloOfTheSun]

I feel so dumb now. I can't believe I didn't even place the Castlevania voices lol. It seems so obvious now!