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If you're having trouble focusing your learning process, I can relate - I have minimal formal theory training as well, and it can be especially hard to know where to start when you don't really know terms. Here's the resource that's helped me the most lately: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeZLO2VgbZHeDcongKzzfOw/videos If you're having issues with composition specifically, I'd particularly recommend any of his videos that talk about utilizing motifs. There's a Dark Souls vid and a Zelda: Link's Awakening vid that talk about motif use and transformation pretty thoroughly, and it's really made a huge impact on my writing lately. Aside from that, the best recommendation I have is to transcribe. A lot. Even from your own tracks. If you find a chord progression you really like, throw down a dummy instrument (my go-to is a simple triangle wave), write it out and examine it isolated. Or if you like the interplay the chords had with the melody, put down another dummy for the lead and look at the relationships between the two. When you find something you like, even if it's from someone else's work, try emulating it. Don't feel bad about borrowing elements from music that inspires you, especially when you're learning something new! Adding techniques to your repertoire will make you a much more effective composer when it comes time to write to a client's specs, and I find that the more comfortable you get with a new trick/technique (even if it's "borrowed"), the easier it is to implement it into a track with your own spin to make it sound more unique. It's not necessary to rediscover every composition technique for yourself, only that you can use it effectively. The chord/lead dummies also translate into my own originals and arrangements, not just transcription. Blocking out a new section can help you determine how well it flows with the preceding material, and it really helps me avoid wasting time fleshing out an entire section only to find it won't work structurally. I also have to echo Timaeus that if it's possible, make at least a little time for music stuff almost every day, whether it's starting a new tune, transcribing one of your favorite game tunes, or making a new synth patch. But don't beat yourself up if you miss a day and definitely take a day or two off if you need it. The mind needs time away from conscious processing to recombine novel information and let what you've learned solidify. It functions a lot like a muscle; overtraining is more detrimental than it might seem on the surface, so if you find that it's too stressful doing X number of days per week, back it off a bit and make sure to focus on enjoying the process. Maybe even just pick a few days of the week to purposely be away from music, or schedule out what you want to work on for which days - it's the consistency that's most important rather than the sheer quantity of time you spend with music. Hope that's helpful

Welcome to the Voting Stage! There are 3 entries this round. There is 1 Bonus entries this round There IS a voter bonus this round, due to only 2 eligible entries. Silverpool has a vote worth 2x Don't vote for Bonus entries please Participants may not vote for themselves Vote ends Dec 9th Saturday @ 11 PM Comments: Copy-paste-itis again. THERE IS a voter bonus. People who cannot access ThaSauce, PM me your votes and I shall enter into system. Thanks all!!

Alright, so people who need to know the ropes on how to vote (edit) do as follows. 1 joe 2 blow 3 moe Now if you participated and there is only 3 entries, you leave the THIRD spot empty, since you cannot vote for yourself in ANY instance. PM me your vote if you cannot access ThaSauce. Thanks all!!

*edit* Share your thoughts in a PM vote or vote at ThaSauce (if you're able) whilst the voting stage is on. Then you may share as you will. We don't want to color perception before the time is done, as it can sometimes skew opinions before they're done. That's what Bundeslang and the other compo hosts believe(d) in, and I shall stand by that. Silverpool is a BONUS entry, thus it is OK to comment on him now since he is not an eligible entry to be voted upon. Still, it's best to leave comments with a vote or until the voting process is done. Apologies for the hassle, all. But rules, 'n all. #6 We should have you sorted out soon, KlevarKoopa MnP Instructions/Guidelines Covers and Sound Upgrades are permitted. Most or all of the source notes must be present (but not necessarily in the exact same order), secondly the mood (energy, pacing, feelings being conveyed etc) should also be retained. For example, a source tune that is fast-paced and energetic that's remixed into a mellow/chill-out theme would be a hard sell. If you decide to do a genre swap (i.e. symphonic to techno), make sure that the conditions of #2 are met. Submissions must be at a maximum of 20mb (keeping in step with ThaSauce's file size max). Only 1 entry per participant. Previous winner cannot participate but can submit a BONUS entry. Please don't make any comments about people's entries - including your own - until the Voting process is concluded. BONUS entries are exempt of this rule. All competitors and voters must adhere to the rules stated within: Competition Code and Conduct

Yes, indeed! KlevarKoopa is me! Still no success on activation, unfortunately. Also, on the current topic, I'm loving the entries so far! (Removed a question here, since it was answered below).

In general, yes. The idea with the dummy instruments is laying down the harmonic foundation and figuring out how the track will progress on a larger scale. I'm not looking to find the perfect instruments at that point, just figuring out what chords I want to use and probably chunking out some melodies to be molded as I go (it's almost never perfect the first time, so iterate!). It can be easy to get overwhelmed by feeling like you have to make all the right choices right off the bat. So don't! Don't worry about it until you've put down the basic notes you want. Instrumentation/orchestration and voice leading can come later. If this is still difficult, I recommend simplifying even further. Try writing chiptunes and imposing most, if not all, of the limitations of the hardware on yourself. If you can't/don't want to emulate things exactly, that's fine! Remember, the goal is to get more comfortable with laying down notes and get a feel for structuring a track, not to write a perfect chiptune. By purposely limiting your options for production and instrumentation, you'll have a much clearer focus on the composition and an easier time learning about harmonic relationships.

Similarly, I've hoped for decades that they'd do a Mega Man Generations game that told the story of the events between Mega Man and Mega Man X. We know some of the events immediately leading up to X, but as far as I know, nothing about what happened to the original line of robots or their inventors.