The Contest
Compose a 3-layer, 30-second, looping piece of music based on the concept artwork, At Home in a Cave by Alex Kintner.

The artwork:


From artist Alex Kintner:

“This piece, At Home in a Cave, was done as part of a larger world-building project. Here we have our main character’s hideout, set in the mouth of a cave where the water level changes with the rain, so his house actually has a hatch for a front door. This character has a history that makes him want a life of seclusion and that’s really the vibe I was trying to achieve while creating this piece. And that’s one of the most important aspects of visual storytelling really, making sure that the environment is reflecting whatever state of mind the characters are going through.”

General info

Interactive music

In games, music must respond to input from the player during gameplay. This could be to provide feedback to the player on the dangers ahead or the health of the game character, or an indication that a level has changed, or the game character has gone from exploration to enemy engagement. Perhaps the most important reason for interactive music is to avoid repetition.

Layering technique in interactive music

There are many ways to achieve interactivity in game music. One technique is through layers. A game theme may be broken up into instrument groupings, or stems. The stems function in tandem and can be brought in or out, thus creating intricate, responsive capabilities. Depending on the active stems, the music adjusts in intensity, and can vary in melody or phrasing.

Composing based on concept art

Game composers are often asked to write music based on concept art. The concepts could be storyboards, characters, environments, or other elements that will eventually be part of a game. Being able to draw inspiration from concept art, and write appropriately matched music, is a crucial skill for game composers.

The Prizes:

Grand Prize


Mix & Master Bundle from iZotope (includes Ozone 5 & Alloy 2)
One Free Year of Scorbit
A signed print of the contest concept artwork by Alex Kintner
A featured artist spot on Scorbit’s website

Runner-Up


Iris+7 from iZotope
One Free Year of Scorbit

Contest FAQ
Does Scorbit own my composition entry?
No, your composition is your’s and your’s alone. In the terms & conditions it states that by entering the contest you agree to grant Scorbit a license to use your composition in conjunction with the contest, and for promotional materials for future contests and for the site. At no point will Scorbit seek to sell or distribute your composition to a third party. We aren’t in the business of ripping off composers.

Can I submit more than one entry?
Yes you may, but any duplicate entries will be discarded.

Contest Rules & Regulations: http://www.scorbit.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Scorbit_concept_art_contest_terms_and_conditions.pdf

Go here for full info, the contest package and the participation form: http://www.scorbit.org/contest/

Looking at their subscription prices I'm having thoughts about that. Whatever...

Even if you don't want to participate officially, it's still a good composing exercise. A sweet opportunity, anyhow.

Some more important info:
The Competition will run from 09:00:00 AM EST (15:00:00 CET) on Monday February 10, 2014 (the “Starting Date”) and continue through 23:59:00 PM EST (05:59:00 CET the following day) on Friday April 11, 2014 (the “Closing Date”)(collectively the “Competition Period”). For the avoidance of doubt no entries will be counted before or after the Competition Period. At the end of the Competition Period, Scorbit will judge the Competitions and select up to ten (10) finalists, which will then go to an open vote on the website http://www.scorbit.org
All Compositions must be uploaded by 23:59:00 PM EST (05:59:00 CET the following day) on April 11, 2014

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Compositions will be judged based upon the following criteria: 1) How well it matches the concept art image (25%); 2) How well it works from a technical standpoint (25%); 3) The quality of the composition (25%); and 4) The quality of the production (25%)("Judging Criteria").

 

Hi gramofon.. can U please be more specific? or maybe Is me that don't understand well?
the winner or the runner up will be elected from open vote?

 

Both. Read the Terms and Conditions:

Paragraph 6.1
(...)
After the [10] Finalists have been selected [internally], the Compositions will be featured on
Scorbit’s website for an open vote. The Compositions with the highest and second
highest number of votes will become the grand prize winner (the “Grand Prize Winner”)
and runner-up (the "Runner-Up”) (collectively the “Winners”), respectively.

 

ok sorry I didn't see this.. however personally I don't like voting based from likes of people.. in this way the one that have more frends that vote will be the winner.. however good luck with the contest

 

is there a way to avoid being caught with a cracked daw?