@DJ-DG @TaintedLogic How are these groups selected?
Hi. I'm Andrew. Audio portal junkie since 2010, supporter since 2017. I always want to improve what I do! I make music, run the NGUAC, post poetry on BBS, and am the all-time #2 audio reviewer. I love this site, and I want to make it the best I can! ^_^
Andrew Mikula
@TaintedLogic
Age 27, Male
Policy Research
Bates College
Wellesley, Massachusetts
Joined on 8/16/12
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Comments
By fan total. Immediately after the deadline, we order the contestants by number of fans and split them into even groups. Usually the Underdogs have about 0-8 fans, Prof. Ams have 9-18 or so, etc. It can vary slightly between years, though.
What exactly is the length of a "full-length song"? In other words, why is this a criteria?
I'm asking because I'm not sure if one of my songs would fit as a tryout submission. (this one, if you mind: https://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/913767)
That's a good question. The "full-length" distinction is mostly meant to separate out things like drum loops and vocal reels, which both don't really require a lot of composition/arrangement skills to make. The NGUAC doesn't have any formal length requirements, but if you want some more guidance on this I'd suggest you check out my personal judging standards: https://taintedlogic.newgrounds.com/news/post/989340. The piece you submitted should be fine, though. Good luck!
Can we submit fart jokes
I dare you.
why does this happen at the same time as the NGADM?
Good question. Originally, it took place just after the NGADM's audition phase finished so that the people who didn't make the ADM's first cut (which is usually the toughest) could still participate in something. I'm always wary about starting it too late, because traditionally a lot of the contestants go back to school in late August/early September. But the tryout phase for this competition is still scheduled with the ADM in mind - results for the audition phase of the ADM are scheduled to be out on July 24th, a full week before the NGUAC's deadline. :)
Can i post a song even if i'm 14? Because i have really good songs and i want to join, but i don't know if i can join with this age.
Yes! If you're old enough to have a Newgrounds account, then you're old enough to join the competition. Good luck! :)
Is this for like all ages (13-up)
Yes! If you're old enough to have a Newgrounds account, then you're old enough to join the competition. Good luck! :)
Oh alright thanks!
My question: What I must do for submission?
All you have to do is post a song you made in this forum thread: https://www.newgrounds.com/bbs/topic/1454184. It can be any genre, an old song or new, a remix or an original. As long as it allows the judges to assess a variety of musical abilities - composition, mixing, sound design, etc. - you should be good to go. Let me know if you have more questions. :)
How will the judges be evaluating the music? Is there a criteria based on originality, mixing, etc?
The specific "rubric" is up to each judge, but I generally encourage them to consider a wide variety of criteria. You can read about my personal scoring method here: https://taintedlogic.newgrounds.com/news/post/989340
In what group am I in?, i have 20 fans and i'm not sure what are the number of fans for each group, i want to know to see how intimidated i have to be of my fellow competitors from my group xd
Right now, I don't know either. The competitors are only split into groups after the submission phase is over, because we want to make sure there are the same number of people in each group. If you're really itching for an idea of what you'll be up against, try to look for submissions from people with similar fan totals as yours. Good luck!
@Cesarinmono @TaintedLogic Oh well, thanks for the info, i'll check it later then :3
I’m just some 15 year old going to continue school once again during the middle of this whole thing. What can I do to be sure I can keep up?
When do you go back to school? The next round is scheduled to begin on August 8th.
@TaintedLogic beginning on September, let’s say I manage to hold off to the third round... I would have school then...
I think the timing works out better than you think it does, then. The Final Round submission phase starts on August 29th, which gives you at least a few days to make a track, plus the weekends. Of course, it's important to play it by ear, and obviously your studies are more important than the NGUAC. Let me know what you decide.
How will you know if you've moved on in the contest?
Every participant will be tagged in the results thread once it's posted on August 8th. You'll get a notification for it, just like you got a notification for this response to your comment. :)
Do both team members have to receive an invite?
No one has to receive an invite to join the competition. It's merely an effective way of engaging new users (and older ones too, for that matter). Good luck!
Excited!
I would love to participate but unfortunately I’m going out of town for the majority of the final submission phase. It’s unlikely that I would make it that far but if I did, would I just have to stop there?
Some people do drop out midway through every year, for various reasons. Several others decline to join the competition because they have scheduling conflicts. You're still welcome to join, but I appreciate you being up-front about your scheduling conflict.
If I already uploaded a song during a submission phase and I want to update it still during the phase, do I have to post it in the submissions thread again?
Good question. No, you do not. Updated submissions maintain the same URL. I'll remind the judges to clear their caches before they start scoring tracks. Thanks!
quick question. i noticed the rules don't mention anything about using instruments/sound effects ripped from video games, and i use a lot of those in my songs. are there any specific rules towards this that aren't exactly clarified here or can i just use video game soundfonts in any track i submit?
Thanks for clarifying in advance. I think you should be careful about making sure you have the rights to use whatever instruments or sound effects you get directly from video games. If it's a for-sale console game, it's almost definitely copyrighted. If it's a game on Newgrounds shared under a Creative Commons license, that might be different, but I also suspect that's not what you're talking about. Do you have an example I can look at before you submit it?
DJ-DG
What are the different categories (Underdogs, All-Stars, etc)?
Looking forward to participate this year!
TaintedLogic
The groups are Underdogs, Professional Amateurs, Above-Average Joes, and All-Stars. Based on past years, you'll probably be a Professional Amateur if I had to guess. Good luck! ^^