I have peeked around in the forums, and I am shocked to find out that Music Competitions for these past few months have had little to no participants. In fact, this last one was won by me, only because nobody else participated!! To solve this problem, I have been thinking that we should reduce the number of Music Competitions per year. Instead of twelve per year, or once a month, there would be six per year, or once per two months. What do you guys think about that? Are there any other suggestions to solve this problem also? Please let me know. :(

[quote="MarioSonicCouncil"]I have peeked around in the forums, and I am shocked to find out that Music Competitions for these past few months have had little to no participants. In fact, this last one was won by me, only because nobody else participated!! To solve this problem, I have been thinking that we should reduce the number of Music Competitions per year. Instead of twelve per year, or once a month, there would be six per year, or once per two months. What do you guys think about that? Are there any other suggestions to solve this problem also? Please let me know. :([/quote] Right now I'm unable to install programs, so If I was able to install FL Studio I would have started on something. I was going to use a tracker that I use for 8-bit music, But my sample sounds have disapeared, making it pretty much useless until I get new sample sounds. It's a pain to look for the samples [s]so If you could find some I'd be grateful.[/s] Edit: Finally found what I was looking for so now I just replaced the samples I lost, so I'm going to start on some 8-bit music. Yesh!

What do you think about the reduction of comps?

seems like the main reason is because there aren't many people interested in them. Reduction probably won't solve much.

I believe reduction of comps will give people more time to make their music truly stand out. I don't want this to go like Drawing Comps. Music is my specialty... :(

[quote="MarioSonicCouncil"]What do you think about the reduction of comps?[/quote] Not many people want to make music I guess.

participation fluctuates in the comps, its kind of a given, the minigame comps, the music comps, the artwors and spriting comps. It all happens depending on what the local populous has to do IRL, and unless they are all willing to fork over information in their real lives, which i am certain most are not, its not going to be predictable enough to warrant reduction in the comps frequency.

I love Music Competitions, but I hardly ever get motivated to make actual music. In this case, I think I could use my entry in the indie game I've been working on. The problem is the person who's helping me with the graphics is in Mexico for the month, so she doesn't have a scanner and is limited in what she can do, so I'm working on other projects instead. In other words, it's that M-word (motivation) again.

I don't compete in music comps because I don't know how to compose. If i knew, I definitely would compete in them.. I don't think that slowing down the production of the comps is going to get more entries though, if I had to pick, I'd say it probably make it worse? Just my guess.

I agree with Wiiboy4ever. It would probably make things worse. When would they occur, anyways? I have an idea. Either find easier programs to use, or learn how to compose! Usually for me, music often comes whenever it wants to. Mostly in my sleep. -_- I don't want music competitions to die out either. Besides spriting and drawing, music is one of my specialties. :(

Thanks for the input guys. So far, I have gathered this information: - Reducing the number of Music Competitions will not help gather more people. Instead the situation will get worse. - Most people do not participate in Music Competitions because they do not know how to compose. Once again thanks for the input. I guess this topic has no purpose anymore. Lock it maybe?

By the way, if you don't have a way to sequence music, Anvil Studio and LMMS are two good freeware programs that don't require the use of a dedicated keyboard. If you're unsure about harmonies, chords, and other matters of music theory, there are lots of good tutorials around (like on the VG Music forums).

It's more likely for more participants if people know the capabilities of the programs that are designed for music. That way, more people will be motivated to do something not out of their limits. I say we post a tutorial on how to use every aspect of most programs.

Thats alot of programs.

that will not help in my opinion I am a firm believer of "if it can make sound, make music." People have their own ways of creating sprites; Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro, GIMP, MS Paint, GM picture editor, Clickteam picture editor, there's little point in providing a tutorial when there's not only different programs of doing so, but different methods in each program to approaching the creation of sprites. And pictures? I won't even cover that ground. Therefore, there is also little point in tutoring each program available to create music for the same reasons. There's also another reason - sometimes you don't need a sequencing program to make music. All you need is the simple default sound recorder. Got a piano in the house that your mother keeps around but no one plays? Hook a mic up to it and give it a whirl. Can you slap your mouth and make different notes? Step away from the mic to breathe in, then give it a go. Hell, do you notice a pitch change when you smash your father's favourite records? Make some music that way. As for the knowing which notes, chords, harmonies and progressions and such to use, don't let that deter you - they are very important and will make things easier later on, but there is another way, and that's the beauty of sequencers. You can create it the same way programmers do - trial and error. Create something, see what it sounds like, and amend it depending on that. A little did-you-know about me for those of you aspiring to create and apparently see me as some great musician: I started out my sequencing music on the PC using only the trial and error method. Only later did I realize there existed programs like Finale Notepad and such to properly etch out music theory digitally, but until then, I created songs utilizing this method, hearing the idea in my head and literally looking at the notes on the piano and matching it to the best of my ability, then listening constantly while making corrections. And no, the corrections did not come to me automatically, I would play sections again and again, toying with each note.

Thanks for the inspiring words DJ! When I started making music, I just used soundfonts. These days, I want to stand out and maybe even get a real instrument. :)

Ha ha, soundfonts are still great things to use these days. I never composed mid files, because I disliked the fact that there are no standards for how it sounds, since the general midi sound output is different depending on the listener's sound card.