[RECRUITING / GAUGING INTEREST] -- An (Unofficial) Yearly OverClocked Remix **Halloween** Album!

[The Vodoú Queen]

Howdy! :) 🦇

Some of y'all know who I am, but in case ya don't: 'ello, 'ello--the name's VQ. Bit nervous writing this up, but here goes!

Many here (including myself) have participated in (or know of) @Dyne & @The Coop's lovingly done, yearly [Unofficial] OCR Christmas Album, and I'd like to try and implement / propose something similar for ALL HALLOWS' EVE! 🧡 Out of every holiday in a year, Halloween has always been my all-time favorite, and it's a shame to have noticed not many artists or communities hold much weight for that time of the year--outside of any compos that chime-in for it as one-offs--and I'd like to give the opportunity for music inspired by Halloween, or that present "spooky vibes" to be freely envisioned and showcased for that special date! :D

Here's the deets!

[The Vodoú Queen]

  1) What is the PROMPT / REQUIREMENTS to join?

• The PROMPT is pretty simple: make a song or remix for Halloween! It can be an original song (fully written from scratch by the artist and their collaborators) OR a remix of what they'd like! It can be anything from film, to Anime, to something from a video game, classical music, etc. My only stipulation is, if the source material isn't something from, for example, a Horror-based game or a Slasher film, I'd like you to turn what you make *into* something either scary, dark, or melancholy. And when I say "spooky" that doesn't mean it has to be absolutely terrifying! It can be funny or Pop-icon as well! (e.g. think "Monster Mash" or "Somebody's Watching Me"). As long as whatever you produce embodies the 'Spirit of Halloween', it's fair game! And yes! You can collaborate with others if you want! I highly encourage people to do so!
• The REQUIREMENTS are, simply, to just learn and have fun! It doesn't matter if you're just starting out arranging or mixing music or are a 10-Year Super Elite Pro Veteran--EVERYONE IS WELCOME! :3 All I ask for is your time and dedication and heartfelt effort. ♥ If, however, anyone (for any reason) needs to drop-out, or something comes up and it proves to be difficult to continue, please just let me know, and we can try and sort something out! There's no shame if life comes up and you need to dip. I'd be forever grateful just for the fact that you're here and showed interest in doing this.

2) What kinds of MUSIC are we looking for?

• ANY GENRE is acceptable! ANY MEDIUM is acceptable! You wanna make an ~8 minute Spaghetti Western radio show-esque feature about creepy Ghost Cow Herders from Mars solely using an otamatone for your melody and harmony? Don't do that GO FOR IT! ;) I want people to go buck wild with their imaginations on this--BUT, within certain limits (see below). I love me some C H A O S, but gotta keep it focused primarily on the musicality of the piece. However, I don't have many qualms about the freedom to express. You can be as experimental or conservative as you would like with what you decide to make. Just, be mindful, that if your ULTIMATE GOAL or SIDE-HUSTLE is to maybe get your submission also in to the OCR Judges, or some other streaming / showcase venues, platforms, albums, etc, be aware of THEIR requirements to be able to meet their bars, as they may or may not be more strict and succinct in what they want than I am being here. I also do not mind 'covers', as long as they're not a 1:1 MIDI-rip of the source with just an updated sound palette, but just giving the bare-bones will not have your track make it on the OCR FrontPage or some other moderated places. I do encourage people to give a source more exploration, personal input and a bit of themselves into it if it's a remix, but the overall GOAL for this, here, is just to be a space for people to express, and for it to be basically as casual and free-form as Dyne and Coop's Christmas Album efforts. No muss, no fuss, ya dig?

3) What are the START & END DATES for the project?

• I am aiming to have the START of this be either the 1st of May or the 1st of June--whichever is more convenient for people, given the wide variety of on-going and upcoming album projects and compos I'm currently aware of that's happening in the community, and I am also a part of. The END, or the date I'd at least like for any FINAL SUBMISSIONS or EDITS to be sent to me by is the 18th - 21st of October--basically, A WEEK BEFORE the 31st (Halloween). This should theoretically give me enough time to pool everything together, get a set-list going, finalize any front/back album inserts and art, etc. Because it's 'unofficial', as well, there's no OCR paperwork involved, so the only details I'll need will be stated below! These dates would, give or take, be the same every year, so long as this keeps running every year. . . We'll see! Ultimately though, I do not want this to interfere with the Christmas album, or people's ability to participate in it, hence the length of time (as Coop usually makes a call-out for theirs around July / August).

4) What are the LIMITATIONS & EXPECTATIONS for said music you're making?

• The ONLY 2 things I am overly concerned about with this project are: a) the total time/length of each submission, and b) some quality assurance / control. With A): I would like submissions to be somewhere between 2 minutes and 30 seconds (MINIMUM) and 8:30 (MAXIMUM). Yes, to be honest, going the full Monty with a 10+ minute spoopy Free Bird moment would be awesome, but gotta take into account if the album has 10-20 songs on there, amongst other things. WAVs that are 8+ minutes get weighty, so I don't want to overload hosting sites or downloads with hefty files! Also, if I am mastering each song, it'll probably destroy me. I have never, ever mastered an entire LP or EP before, so songs on the shorter end (for now) will greatly help in that process; which leads to point B): quality control. There will be a bit here, simply to ensure whatever is submitted isn't chock-full of artifacts or clipping, or sounds off or broken. ANALOG HORROR and ATONAL AMBIENT are totally viable things to achieve with any song or remix, just gotta make sure these things are done with intent. Otherwise? Fair game. ♥ Also, songs with sourced or original lyrics, vocal loops, or SFX are allowable, I just need to know BEFOREHAND if any of it is explicit so I can detail that in the track header and liner notes.

5) Are we going to get FEEDBACK and/or BE EVALUATED?

• YES!--but only as long as the artist(s) want that. There is no official standing of a Quality Control Team or Interim Judges' Panel, so unless people directly ask for critique, there is no official evaluation channels. I will, however, softly encourage people to seek out help and guidance if they need it, or ask me or anyone else for advice or feedback if they so wish it. :) This is a total chill learning environment, and opportunity for people to try out new techniques in their composing, or mixing, new genres to dabble in, trying out some skill or FX, or taking up an instrument, etc. As long as the end-product is something YOU feel you can confidently present to QCT or a Judge or would release for yourself, then cool. You are also allowed to Workshop your planned submission as well!--so feel free to present it here in the forums, or in the proper Discord channels, or at a Sages' Weekly Office Hours Review! I don't mind songs being fairly transparent or spoiled, but would ask that the final version be reserved for the album(s)!

6) Are there any CO-DIRECTORS / ALBUM ARTISTS involved?

• Not at the moment...it's just lil' ol' me. . . ^_^; That said, if anyone would LIKE to be involved, please hit me up! Would love to chat, even if it's just to give me some pointers or assistance! Many and much of this is a first for me, inclusive of the cover artwork and formatting, so any help would be lovely. I have done quite a bit of fine art back in the day, and in recent times, the artwork for my amateur theater group's show posters and programs, but I can imagine there's major and minor differences for album covers and juggling music projects. So please, if you've got the knowledge and know-how, tell me! I also plan to try and coordinate much of this on the 'Community Remix Album Collaborations (CRAC)' Discord server & by Discord itself, so if people want my Discord details to add me, or an invite to the server, let me know. I don't mind if people rather get notices through the forum as well, if they're more comfortable here, but having the bulk line of communication be through a singular venue will help.

7) Is your own MASTERING required? How do we SEND the FINAL WIP?

• At the moment, I am split on this, because I'm willing to do the mastering myself (or with help) so that every submission for the albums are sound balanced across the board, as that would make the overall listening experience better. But, as said above, never done it with a massive group of varying songs in different genres, just my own for individual submissions. If I can get help with it, even if it's just experience-wise or with some advice or a program I can download for Reaper (my DAW of choice), I don't think I'd mind giving it a whirl. But for the meantime, I would say people just have to send me the usual standards: WAV, 44.1kHz in Stereo, 16 or 24-bit, -6.0 dB, triangle dithered (if necessary) pre-master, WITH NO HEAVY COMPRESSION OR A LIMITER ON THE MASTER BUS, except for any very soft compression and EQ, for warmth and tone and gluing the full track together. You can send me the FINAL WIP either on here via Private Messaging, on Discord via Direct Messaging, and/or (if I get a thread made for this in the CRAC server) directly to that channel. It can be in the form of an attachment OR a link to your Dropbox, Google Drive, etc. Details to also provide when submitting are as follows:

1. Your Name & Collaborator Names / Pseudonyms,
2. What You've Named Your Track; (e.g. 'Munching the Moocher' by The Vodoú Queen),
3. The ORIGINAL Name of the Track & Source It's From (if it's a remix); (e.g. "Minnie the Moocher" by Cab Calloway),
4. Any liner notes you want to add; (e.g. your inspirations, your reference material, thoughts on the process, feelings, etc.), and
5. Contribution notes; (e.g. you did the mixing, So-and-So did 'x' and 'y', and Frankie Boi did 'z').

8) Where and who are HOSTING this / how will the songs become available to download?

• I know Dyne and Coop have a dedicated website for the Unofficial Christmas Albums to host them year after year. I am...unsure where to host mine, or who can help with that. I'll have to take some time to try and figure out how to make my own domain or get one up and running and maintained. Bar that, I will have the songs on my Google Drive or Dropbox, along with the front & back cover art and, (if people want), an insert page about the artists, set-list info and the tracks in a zip folder for anyone to download, for free! There is also the idea of maybe hosting it through my NewGrounds profile, with the same requisite stuff on there, to try and pull more traction and traffic for people to download the content and listen to everyone's work. I'll do my best to throw around the links to the full album to as many places as I can, including here, to get as many eyes on it as I possibly can. Others are free to do the same once the project is wrapped up for the year!

 

* ADDITIONAL NOTE / ADDENDUM: Please, feel free to utilize a track or two you have had "on the back-burner" for awhile now for this album! I highly encourage people to revisit old compo mixes that they want to upgrade or redo, or use never-before-released or publicized tracks that they've had kicking around on their hard drives for a bit, but never had the chance to or a good place to publish them! As long as they meet the above criteria, I do not mind! The more the merrier! :D This is a prime-time opportunity to present your kick-ass mixes for the world to see! 

If there are any doubts or concerns if your piece would be acceptable for this, just ask! We can work it out, I'm sure!

 

For now, this post is mostly to see who would like to jump in on the fun! I can also try and open it up under the Community Album Discord channel as well, if I can. I've never...helmed a project of this size or caliber before when it comes to any music or artsy stuff, so please, bear with me while I try to coordinate things, but my DMs here on the forums and myself on Discord are always readily available to chat away or answer questions about this! Or, just reply to this forum post, and I'll respond ASAP! 🎃

Hope to see some old and new faces around! Thanks for reading! 🥰

Edited 3 hours ago by The Vodoú Queen

[Troyificus]

This is an amazing idea! I've got an old MNP that I've been tinkering with for... the last decade? Crap. But it might fit this album, so consider me signed up!

[The Vodoú Queen]

19 minutes ago, Troyificus said:

This is an amazing idea! I've got an old MNP that I've been tinkering with for... the last decade? Crap. But it might fit this album, so consider me signed up!

Heya! And welcome aboard! :D

Yeah, this gives me an excuse to finally go back to some old spoopy compo tracks I've done years past and rework them as well. :P No better time than the present, for sure!

[pixelseph ⚖️]

Hellllllll yes! There’s a One-Ups album I keep coming back to (Songs for the Recently Deceased) that is super inspirational for this!

Not sure what piece I’d do yet but it would be in the same vein as that record for sure

[Audiomancer]

I would like to "throw my hat into the ring", so they say, on this idea:)

[Argle]

I have a spooky vibe remix that I was already going to do, I'll have to remember this.

[The Vodoú Queen]

5 hours ago, pixelseph said:

Hellllllll yes! There’s a One-Ups album I keep coming back to (Songs for the Recently Deceased) that is super inspirational for this!

Not sure what piece I’d do yet but it would be in the same vein as that record for sure

I'll NEED to listen to that album and check it out! 😗

Well, anything is viable and game, so go nuts! :D

I welcome you all here! Tell your music-making friends and family, and get them in on the fun, too!

5 hours ago, Audiomancer said:

I would like to "throw my hat into the ring", so they say, on this idea:)

Welcome, welcome! Would love to hear what you have in mind. ♥ Nice to finally meet you, and congrats on your recent first mixpost here! Been rooting for ya and Twisted Systerz for a long while!

Edited 3 hours ago by The Vodoú Queen

[Audiomancer]

3 hours ago, The Vodoú Queen said:

I'll NEED to listen to that album and check it out! 😗

Well, anything is viable and game, so go nuts! :D

I welcome you all here! Tell your music-making friends and family, and get them in on the fun, too!

Welcome, welcome! Would love to hear what you have in mind. ♥ Nice to finally meet you, and congrats on your recent first mixpost here! Been rooting for ya and Twisted Systerz for a long while!

Thanks, and nice to meet you too:)