Challenge 1 - Maros

[synth]

I can tell he put a lot of effort into making this, and he even wrote out the lyrics.

I dug this...

[Dr.Awkward]

OFFICIAL JUDGE COMMENTARY - AWKWARD

EVALUATION OF YOUR CHALLENGE 1 TRACK

The instrumental: Perfect.

Timing: Your timing bothered me and I was listening over and over to find out why. You have a breath control issue that plagues most of your tracks, instead of taking a breath in between bars, you take it late and it interrupts the start of the next bar. This drives me nuts personally (see "Starscream,Donatello and teddy ruxpin" line, and "as i confessed my feelings,got them off my chest" line)

Energy: The energy was nice, maintained it pretty much throughout, although needed a little at the beginning of the second verse.

Emotion: Killed it, I felt you the whole time man, very nice.

Musicality: Well put together track, love the lyrics, love the hook, like the breakdown, nice job.

Creativeness: Like the different breakdown, it was creative for sure

Flow variety: You varied the flow a couple times, which was very nice. A few times in the song (near the end it got more frequent) you line didn't have enough syllables so you were pausing in the bar, that was a little rough.

Vocal quality: The breakdowns vocals could use a hike in volume, but otherwise nice quality.

Additional comments: I think this is another track that is album worthy once rerecorded and mixed


EVALUATION OF YOUR MUSIC SITE UPDATES

First impression without having to scroll or click through anything: Splash screen is cool, I actually dont like the background matrix graphics, the green is a bit much. On the site the buttons and layout are a no go for me.

Graphical attractiveness: Not digging it too much, The buttons on the official site are way way way too big, and the myspace graphics i commented on above.

Cohesiveness: Well it's all got that green theme for better or worse, it's all pretty cohesive there

Amount of content: The content was lacking mainly the photos, on the myspace a lot of the photos were poor quality, and on the site the gallery was not up and running.

Overall professionalism of the sites: No. both need some attention, but the official site needs a serious make over. That is the first order of business for you.

Additional comments: Less green

[Pistol Pete]

loved the song, will evaluate later after i get some sleep

[MC Diabeats]

This is a really fantastic track. I enjoyed your flow and the beat is, of course, flippin' sweet. Everything contributes to make it a rich, fun track. Great job!

[Britsy]

Dude, this was great. Well done. I can dig it. :P

[Pops Ghostly]

Yo, wanted to add a little more insight to my comment...

Really good job dood, best I've heard from you yet. Really like the beat, and your voice is perfect for it. The singing is nice too, you should do it more often. Your raps are nice as well...some parts are a little shakey, but I feel like if you re-did it a few more times you could tighten it up or maybe switch a word here and there...and it'd be golden. I think this style of beat fits your voice a lot more then the noisier chip-tune kinda thing...but that's more of my personal preference. I've got the "here I come" stuck in my head. This is one of my fav tracks of this round fo-sho.

[Lady L337]

OFFICIAL JUDGE COMMENTARY - KOURTNEY

EVALUATION OF YOUR CHALLENGE 1 TRACK

The instrumental: Agreeing with Deaf... Great choice. Definitely complimented the lyrics.

Timing: Timing was pretty good overall. Some parts were kinda iffy, but other parts were awesome. Try to be consistent.

Energy: Energy was great. Definitely a feel-good kinda track.

Emotion: I felt the emotion every step of the way. I also felt like singing along. You really put your heart and soul into this track, and it shows.

Musicality: Great overall. Song fit the beat perfectly. Great chorus. You were really hit the nail on the head with the subject matter. Exactly what the challenge asked for.

Creativeness: Interesting format for verses/hooks. It worked. Definitely not like anything I've heard in nerdcore before. Very nice.

Flow variety: Chorus's flowed very very well. The verses were decent. Like I said before, some parts sounded on point and some did not.

Vocal quality: Very good. I could understand you without needing to read the lyrics.

Additional comments: Agreeing with Deaf on this one also. Possibly reword some of the lines in your verses to make them flow better and sound less awkward. Overall, a VERY catchy track. :D

Score: 8/10

EVALUATION OF YOUR MUSIC SITE UPDATES

First impression without having to scroll or click through anything: Font on the site needs to be changed up.

Graphical attractiveness: Despite what everyone else says, I like the myspace. I like the green and black. Fonts on both sites should be changed. They're a little to plain to flow with the rest of the site..

Cohesiveness: Decent. I had no trouble reading it or finding the information.

Amount of content: Very good. All the stuff I wanted to see/read and nothing excess or unneeded.

Overall professionalism of the sites: The website looked very amateur. The myspace was pretty good, I thought. If you tweaked a few things it has potential to be awesome.

Additional comments:

[CutterJ]

OFFICIAL JUDGE COMMENTARY - CUTTERJ

EVALUATION OF YOUR CHALLENGE 1 TRACK

The instrumental: Got me in the mood to party from start to finish. Nice!

Timing: It felt like your words blurred together a few times. Sharpen it up and this track will punch lights out!

Energy: I love the hook- great bounce!

Emotion: Effectively communicated a sense of triumph and joy. I couldn't help but imagine a group of people with their arms raised up.

Musicality: Your words interacted with the music exceptionally. Really nice!

Creativeness: As a Peanuts fan, I loved the Lucy reference. You stuck to the assignment without a bunch of battle babble which is a big plus in my book.

Flow variety: Your flows really kept the ride going. Well done.

Vocal quality: For the most part, words were clear and discernible but occasionally I couldn't understand what was being said without the lyric sheet. This didn't turn me off to the track though.

Additional comments: I love it when music conveys infectious joy!


EVALUATION OF YOUR MUSIC SITE UPDATES

First impression without having to scroll or click through anything: Bold colors, Matrix style!

Graphical attractiveness: Just being picky, but the green on your Maros logo and the green of the Matrix numbers clash a bit to my eyes.

Cohesiveness: Solid.

Amount of content: Appropriate.

Overall professionalism of the sites: Good!

[bazuukajoe]

Okay, I'm going to be honest here. I've had time to check out all the contestants, so I can tell you how I think Maros fairs in all this. Although some of the contestants may have better flow and/or lyrical skill than Maros (at least on the tracks, they submitted, not necessarily in general) I think Maros did the best job of having a great song, great flow and lyrics, and also meeting the requirements of the challenge! His track quite clearly states his beliefs, his goals, and we get to know him through the track. A lot of the other tracks are sort of genetic "battle tracks" and gloating. Just my 2 cents!

EDIT: Level 1, bitches!

[Maros]

Thanks everyone for the criticism. I was trying to surprise all of you and i guess i accomplished that pretty well. I'll get to working on everything everyone has commented on that i need to work on. And I apologize about the neon green colors. I tend to over use it
But i'll definitely get to work on the sites as soon as the judging is over.

ah and Hatter, the beat was produced by OP Beats

[bazuukajoe]

Thanks everyone for the criticism. I was trying to surprise all of you and i guess i accomplished that pretty well. I'll get to working on everything everyone has commented on that i need to work on. And I apologize about the neon green colors. I tend to over use it
But i'll definitely get to work on the sites as soon as the judging is over.

ah and Hatter, the beat was produced by OP Beats

You can't comment in your own thread about other people's comments that they already commented on!

[Ashe]

God DAMN, Maros. Where was this shit in the n00b tourney? Kick ass job man. I think much like me, you're not a battler.

[KingPheenix]

impressed sir, an enjoyable surprise.

[bazuukajoe]

God DAMN, Maros. Where was this shit in the n00b tourney? Kick ass job man. I think much like me, you're not a battler.

He's a lover, not a fighter...

[Chester]

OFFICIAL JUDGE COMMENTARY - YOUR
NAME HERE

EVALUATION OF YOUR CHALLENGE 1 TRACK

The instrumental: HELL YEAH! That's my shit!

Timing: Sounded good for the most part. I agree with Deaf here.

Energy: You rocked it!

Emotion: You got in, you told your story and every word of it seemed real. Also see above!

Musicality: The singing was Badass on the break/lyrical bridge! Hell yeah!

Creativeness: Nothing that hasn't been done before, but stll different from the competition.

Flow variety:I didn't hear a whole lot of variety, but it was still fresh.

Vocal quality: Vocals could've been a lil' louder, but it wasn't too bad.

Additional comments:Definitely some competition, can't wait to hear what you'll have next time.


EVALUATION OF YOUR MUSIC SITE UPDATES

First impression without having to scroll or click through anything: This thing is huuge!

Graphical attractiveness: The graphics are a lil' bit too much. Kinda over the top-ish.

Cohesiveness: It's all cohesive.

Amount of content: Good good. No music player?

Overall professionalism of the sites: Seemed like a geocities site from 8 years ago. But it's better than Mysapce!

Additional comments: Eh, I'll go ahead and give it a B+

[hipsterplease]

OFFICIAL JUDGE COMMENTARY – Z.

EVALUATION OF YOUR CHALLENGE 1 TRACK

The instrumental: Excellent. My favorite beat yet. I am a sucker for soul-funk!

Timing: Wordy in places, which throws off the cadence, but acceptable, enjoyable and head-bob-able.

Energy: High. Super high. I actually feel uplifted having heard it.

Emotion: If you're gonna tell a story of alienation, self-discovery and triumph, this is how you do it. The most personal submission yet, and the most emotional.

Musicality: Love it. Top shelf. More please.

Creativeness: I think you can hear a lot of these elements elsewhere, but I love how Maros put them together.

Flow variety: The "weird chorus break" mixes it up nicely.

Vocal quality: Good. Could maybe use a little mix tweaking, but certainly acceptable.

Additional comments: Enjoyable. Totally enjoyable.


EVALUATION OF YOUR MUSIC SITE UPDATES

First impression without having to scroll or click through anything: Nice header on the MySpace. The regular site looks a little old school, but it's got a definite feel.

Graphical attractiveness: Not bad. Not exactly cutting edge either, but the logos more than serve their purpose.

Cohesiveness: The green, black and white color scheme brings everything together nicely.

Amount of content: Good content on both ends.

Overall professionalism of the sites: The MySpace loses some points for crazy background/transparency issues and the regular site looks a little dated, but both show Maros took the time to try and spruce shit up.

Additional comments: Certainly not the best sites I've seen, but Maros definitely has his own thing going own. There's a visual identity there.

[3rr0r]

K, I owe everyone some feedback... I'll get to everyone in posting order, and I'll try to get it done before we know the results, but no promises... 1st up, Maros:

1st up, props for getting it in early.
I'm feeling the beat. (I've been listening to alot of disco-y stuff lately)
The annunciation could you a little work, I keep hearing 'Hubble' instead of 'humble', there are a few other words that seem a little mumbley too. Overall the flow is tight enough to please my ears :).
I get a feel for who you are and how you got to now, which is what I'm supposed to get out of this, right? That said, I do feel like we're just scratching the surface, I look forward to hearing more from deeper down.
Vox levels are good for hearing you and the beat.
Little known fact: Gem is outrageous.
Website: (Skipping myspaces if there's a *real*, because myspace sucks.) You intermediately lose points because I have to scroll horizontally to see the whole thing. Content is sufficient with one exception: No place to hear your music. For a musician, this is pretty significant oversight :-/. The ads are a bummer, but I can't knock you for those because paid hosted service isn't in everyones budgets. That said, I use chrome, and for me, some stuff a the bottom is obscured by ads. Everyone should test their sites in multiple browsers (but not IE6 because fuck IE6).
Yeah, I don't you're going to have any problems getting out of round one. Bravo. Get this up on t61 so I can toss you some hearts ;)