**Please Follow the rules or your track may not be qualified**
General:
Challenge to run from the 1st to the end of the last day, every month (Timezone: UTC-8 time )
Unless specifically announced before the competition, you must use only one virtual synthesizer for all sounds including percussion. Layering several instances of the synth is allowed.
Your entry must be composed specifically for this contest. Cover tracks are not permitted.
Collaborations are allowed. The collaborators do not need to be KVR members.
Max 1 submission per entrant (person or team)
No track length limit
Your entry may be edited / changed / updated as frequently as needed up to the deadline
Commercial synth patches/soundbanks are not permitted
OSC might request project files at any time. Failure to produce it upon request will lead to disqualification, and may lead to a lengthier ban from the competition, at the organiser's discretion. (Intellectual property will be respected, with file used for examination only, and destroyed immediately afterwards).
Samples:
No use of samples, sample libraries or live sounds (like voice, guitar etc allowed).
However, for convenience or CPU saving, synth bouncing are allowed but only where the EXACT same result could have been achieved using the original synth: - This means that for example pitching and reversing is not allowed; sampling a bass drum in order to get a consistent sound is not allowed either.
Samplers used must be host samplers or freeware and easily available.
More Clarification: Audio must not be touched at all once it leaves the DAW (i.e. after bouncing a track or a stem). For example: One cannot master the audio in another software or service. Also, If you need more performance / CPU a workaround is to freeze all the tracks.
Effects:
The goal of the One-Synth-Challenge is to highlight the synth of the month. Participants are encouraged to push the boundaries of the synth's sound capabilities, using it creatively for both sound design and composition, along with any effects the synth itself provides. Therefore any Internal FX native to the synth itself may be used without restrictions. This includes modulating those internal FX (or any other synth parameters) with MIDI or DAW automation, provided that modulation isn’t audio-rate (i.e. where the modulation itself produces sound).
DAW and Third Party Effects - what is allowed:
Using external FX to help create a finished-sounding track is allowed, subject to certain rules intended to encourage you to focus on the aforementioned goal:-
Effects must be free and easily available for the duration of the challenge - this does not include plug-in betas, demos, magware or freeware that have expired. It does however include the stock plugins in your DAW of choice.
Normal mixing / production / mastering fx such as equalisers, filters, compressors, limiters, light distortion etc. are all allowed as long as they are not pushed to extremes, altering the character of the synth output.
Reverbs (algorithmic and convolution) and delays are generally considered fair game. However, any modulations should be minimal and should not, for example, introduce pitching effects.
As an example we have provided a list of some valid, commonly used free plugins here.
Effects - what is NOT allowed:
No commercial (paid for) plugin effects may be used, unless a special exception is made that month.
Effects that pitch the sound (e.g. pitched / granular delays, tapestops etc.)
No sampling effects (e.g. glitch, tapestops, scratching etc.)
No modulation effects (e.g. chorus, phaser, flanger, rotary etc.).
External fx must not be used to essentially change the character of the synths sound. We understand that this leaves room for interpretation and "grey zones". Here are some suggestions to help you determine what does and does not follow the spirit of the challenge:
- Try turning the effect on/off and listen to the difference. When you turn it on, can you still clearly tell what sound the synth made without the effect? And is it easy to tell what sound comes from the synth and what is the effect? If the answer to both is “yes”, you’re probably fine.
- If after hearing your track, someone asks you “How do you get the synth to make that sound?”, if your answer involves any external effects, you’re on shaky ground.
MIDI Plugins:
Midi plugins are allowed, and sending midi from one DAW to another is allowed. However, audio-rate MIDI is not allowed (i.e. where the modulation itself produces sound) - all sounds must originate from the synth.
Output from any commercial midi plugins or another DAW should be rendered to midi in the timeline.
Submissions:
Submissions uploaded to SoundCloud only. File format is any supported by SoundCloud. Submissions must be downloadable.
Soundcloud file-name format: Artist - Track Title where artist name is the same as KVR nick.
For collaborations, just put both names as artist name, for example Artist1 + Artist2 - Track Title.
If the collaborator is not a KVR member, put the KVR member's name first, like this: KVR Name + Collaborator name - Track Title.
Soundcloud entry MUST have downloads enabled
Submissions must be announced in the submissions forum thread with a link to the song's soundcloud, and include a brief report how it was made:- The DAW/host, all FX used, and how many instances of the synth and FX was used.
Track licenses are whatever you set it to when they are on your own account at SoundCloud, but when in archive it's: Creative Commons license: Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0
Voting:
Voting to run from 1st to 15th the month following submission, UTC-8 time
We will announce when voting is ready on the KVR forum, and on the respective challenge page here. In the announcement will be a link to the voting page.
Voting is done by giving ALL submissions a score between 1-5 points (where 5 points is best). Max 1 point for your own entry. Once voting has ended, all votes will be published
Collaborators need only vote once. In other words, you vote as if you are one person.
You are free to vote if you participated in the competition. If you did NOT participate, you may vote, as long as you have more than 40 KVR forum posts prior to the competition start. The only exception is if you are the developer of the Synth (You get one vote max)
Voting is mandatory for participants (disqualification if not voted). ALL tracks must be scored, and if you don't, you'll be DISQUALIFIED.
In the case of equal scores after voting, submissions will be separated by how many 5pts they got, then 4pts and so on
Prizes:
Prizes are given to the top 5 placings, winner gets first choice of a (single) prize and so on down.
If the field is less than 20 entries, only 4 prizes will be available. If less than 15, 3 etc.
Clarification: Skipping a prize allows the person below get a better chance of receiving a preferred prize.
Prizes are only for those who placed.