35 replies to this topic

[TKurata]

Weekly Battles

This is the STMB Beat Battle that Stones Throw has just promoted on the front page! If you are interested in joining or voting, please read the directions below.

Directions

• Look for the most recent Beat Battle thread near the top of the Beat Battles page. There will be a link in the first post containing the sample choice for the week
  
• Go to the bottom of the page, you will find the sample mp3 located there for download.
  
• Flip the sample and make a beat (see below for Production Rules)
  
• Upload your beat to the same drop.io webpage you got the sample from. (See Posting Rules below before uploading)
  
• Become a member of STMB and let us know you posted the beat. Membership to STMB is required.
  
• Vote on Thursday and Friday, until Midnight Friday NYC time--there will be a new thread up for voting after Midnight on Wednesday. (See Voting Rules below)

Production rules

• 1 beat per person
  
• flip the chosen sample any way you want
  
• outside drums and bass are allowed
  
• no outside keys/synths (exception - bass)
  
• no acapellas
  
• vocal samples/skits are allowed, but keep them short to meet 2 minute time limit
  
• cuts/scratches are permitted
  
• use the chosen sample that is in the drop to make your beat, no outside sample
  
• These are default rules and can be changed by request of the previous week's winner.

Posting rules

• post your beat by Midnight New York City time on Thursday Wednesday night to the same drop.io page you got the sample from.
  
• 128kbps 192kbps mp3 only - no wavs, no uncompressed files
  
• make sure to include your name in the mp3 filename
  
• 2 minute running limit
  
• respect the drop - don't post links to your myspace unless they are in your own beats comments
  
• post outside link to the extended version of your beat in your beat's comments if you feel you have to go longer than 2 minutes
  
• VOTE if you posted a beat

Voting rules

• Votes must be in by Midnight on Friday, NYC time on Friday
  
• Anyone can vote, including newcomers, beatmakers, non beatmakers---EVERYBODY!
  
• The Voting Thread will be a new thread posted after the deadline on Wednesday
  
• Vote in the thread by naming your favorite producer
  
• Don't vote for yourself
  
• Vote in BOLD with a BIG FONT and ZANY COLORS

Winner rules

• If you win, congrats. You must choose a new sample from the Stones Throw / Now-Again official sample drop here
  
• Post your sample ASAP (by Noon NYC time on Saturday please) in the new battle thread, or make your own new battle thread and post the sample. The new drop.io page should be created by that time, if not get at Friies, Coel, sugoisounds, or myself to make the drop page. If you create the new drop.io page yourself, make sure to disable the 'guests can delete files' option. This is important to secure the drop from disgruntled trolls who like to delete beats.
  
• You also have the option of changing that week's battle's rules and guidelines. Make cats get creative. Pretty much anything is allowed.

Deadlines

• Post your battle beat - by Wednesday at Midnight NYC time
  
• Vote for your favorite beat - by Friday at Midnight NYC time
  
• If you win, post new sample, rules, etc - by Saturday Noon NYC time

Tips and Tricks

• To upload a file to drop.io, click Add in the upper left hand corner of the drop page and then "Add Files"
  
• When voting, I highly recommend using drop.io's fantastic Dropcast feature. Click on "Share", then "Dropcast." It will automatically add the mp3s to your iTunes. Go to your iTunes podcast directory and click "Get All." All the beats and the sample(s) will be easily playable within iTunes, also it will update automatically when someone adds a beat. After the voting, If you are low on hard drive space, right click on a file in iTunes, select "Show in Windows Explorer," and you can delete one or all of the files from that folder. Vista and Mac users---not sure.
  
• Leave some feedback when you vote. It's appreciated by the producers and helps keep things interesting
  
• Follow the Beat Battles on Twitter for updates and info

That should cover everything. Post your questions and suggestions in this thread!

EDIT: Uploaded BATTLECODE.TXT -- BB code for new Battle threads. From STMB128. Swap out first 2 URLs, and change the 3 instances of XXX to the battle number, ie 128.

Attached Files

•  BATTLECODE.txt   1.48K   157 downloads

[Josh G]

Very concise! Would be decent to get this as a 'sticky' or whatever they're called.

[TKurata]

Thanks man, I hit up ST Bot for a sticky but I guess the system isn't set up for it for non-admin members or something...all good we can link this in the battles...

[Friies]

cosign, sticky material

only thing i'd like to point out :

Quote

Drop page must be secured because someone got asshurt in the battles and likes to delete beats and be a bitch.

maybe just add " disable the 'guests can delete files' option" so that it's a little clearer

other than that, great work !
now, i need to take some time away from the computer, that shit is time consuming as hell.

[TKurata]

ok Friies, it's toned down and clarified. thanks!

yeah dude take a break Friies, you deserve a vacation!

[Friies]

nah it's not that, just a bad addiction
i need to work it out

[Coel]

"Drop page must be secured because someone got asshurt in the battles and likes to delete beats and be a bitch."



That's both hilarious and true. I didn't mind seeing it, actually it had me laughing for a good minute!

[abstraktbeats]

i think keys should be allowed...it would add a whole new dimension to every1s beats.

[TKurata]

hey abstrak, win the battle and you can open up synths for the next week. This has always been a sample-focused battle and will stay that way for the time being...

[Munoz387]

TKurata, on May 12 2009, 05:20 PM, said:

[*]outside drums and bass are allowed

I'm a noob at beat battles but huh? then what drums are we supposed to use

[Friies]

? did your reading skills fail you?

[Munoz387]

Friies, on Jun 7 2009, 05:01 PM, said:

? did your reading skills fail you?

perhaps

[mR. id]

Yo, I don't get it. How can you use outside drums and bass but no outside samples? That doesn't make any sense.

[apidae.J]

mR. id, on Jul 20 2009, 05:25 PM, said:

Yo, I don't get it. How can you use outside drums and bass but no outside samples? That doesn't make any sense.

Are you being serious? If so --

The Outside Drums and Bass are the EXCEPTION to the rule of no outside samples - IE, making a beat and putting an acapella on it, or layering a bunch of synths and pads and strings, etc, is not allowed, but adding a bassline of some sort and a drum beat is okay. This is just the standard rule, sometimes it gets changed up, I mean, really, the winner of the battle could specify crazy shit like:

- Only Drums and Snare samples prior to 1950
- Synths must be in the C4 Octave Range and above
- Songs need to be in C Major

hope that helps


apidae.J

[Friies]

it's no outside sample than the sample choosed for the battle... in other words you have to use the same sample as everybody.

[TKurata]

FAQ updated for new battle schedule, also new bitrate cap for mp3 submissions

[mumkai]

this might have been answered already, but i was wondering if you can take your beat off the drop box, edit it and put it back on... all i really want to do is turn my beat up (seems to be a bit lower than the rest, stbb 149), but if this is OK i would def do a few more 'touch ups' on the sequence...

any feedback is greatly appreciated.

[TKurata]

You have to get with the person who started the drop for that week...usually the original poster of the battle.

It's important to upload your FINAL mix to the drop. The battles get busy, and lots of requests can be time consuming...

We've all done it though...waiting until the last day to upload you beat might help...

[Mr.Opz]

Hi,

I'm new here so axe me for asking some already debated questions.
But here's some about the rules

1: I think there's no need to allow outside drums. Why was/is this allowed?
This must have been debated before. You can always sample kick/snare/hat/sidestick/clap/whatever from the provided sample.
Layering whatever kind of drums/breaks is not done if you ask me. But, if the "sample-picker" feels there's a need for outside drums because the sample lacks it, he could specify it as an additional rule for the current battle only. But that would be a very weak sample imo. In the ST drop there's that Flying Turns track, even that has some weak kind of kick that can be used. But I can understand someone would allow outside kickdrums for that track's battle. But again, that would be an exception.

2: Who provides the 'sample'? What are the rules for the sample?
There's a Stones Throw generated folder now, right?
I assume this folder first has to be emptied? How often does it get refilled?
There are now 2 tracks left after battle 152, that's not much of a choice for any future winner.
Can't Egon drop some African riddims? lol

3: New Rule: Disqualification if you don't properly tag your mp3.
Damn, how hard is it to let the others know who you are if someone wants to vote for you.
However, in BB151 everybody tagged it properly.

Cheers

[jv0x]

Vote Thread Template

Since it's kind of a pain to create and format the vote thread, I made a template.
Just click on this link, copy the text and paste into your post. Then change XXX
to the Battle number and replace ---DROP URL GOES HERE--- with the url of the drop.

http://www.jvox.com/...vote-thread.txt

[Alexander Product]

...........

[choz1n]

one ? what about sound efx i use alot of synth sound efx in my beats

[Grifty-Rodriguez]

so.... i've always wondered why we have to post by 12 NYC time. what's up to changing that to 12 cali time? I mean... stones throw is in cali after all, you know? that makes it easier for us longhairs and gives any nightbird east coasters three extra hours if they be slippin

[buttaslick]

•2 minute time limit

•flip the chosen sample any way you want

•outside drums and bass are allowed

•no outside keys/synths (exception - bass)

•no acapellas

•vocal samples/skits are allowed

•cuts/scratches are permitted

these are the rules as they stand the hold midnight EST has been a problem so any ideas ?

[jsensei]

winner can change rules, but winner is not always starting new battle so something must be posted (then can be edited the winner want).
i think except 2 min limit rule (practical stuff/case/[other word i dont know],,,
see: 2 min * 5 sc pages = 2 hours, who want more? (less time (ect.1 min), would be pathetic).
thats all folks


ps. butta did you have read FAQ??????

[upprhand]

For the sake of rules on how the beat should be, there should be some way to encourage voting. maybe a message board on the soundcloud page or something. i dont think the top vote getter should have the title taken, but we deserve more voters. i have no problem with the times, but maybe for others the time to get it in should be midnight for the timezone you are in, if that make any sense. maybe thats too complicated, but something like that. also there shouldnt be kats giving disrespectful comments, like that dude who pulled his beat down cuz he got negative messages. positive or encouraging only. im just throwin ideas out there, so no one has to listen to this post. lol

[keys3000]

What up ya'll. Haven't been around in a bit but every time I check in lately there is an issue with the new sample not being posted. Why doesn't whoever is adding/tallying up the votes preemptively list the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners. That way if by noon the first place winner hasn't posted a sample it automatically goes to the next place.
So if by 12:30 it's not up, second place can post, 1:00=3rd place can post. If we can't get a sample up after that we're just a bunch of lazy bums!))

[Grifty-Rodriguez]

if you ask me we should change it to midnight pacific time. that's what stones throw runs off anyway, plus that gives you east coast cats three more hours to slaughter all of us

[upprhand]

Grifty-Rodriguez, on 27 March 2011 - 03:12 PM, said:

if you ask me we should change it to midnight pacific time. that's what stones throw runs off anyway, plus that gives you east coast cats three more hours to slaughter all of us

haha, say it!

[Outro_Distint0]

Cant acces the drop.io/stonesthrowdrop link 4 some reason