Agua

July 5, 2007 3:10 AM

Music Challenge: what is the last day of the Water Theme?
posted by chuckdarwin to MetaFilter Music at 3:10 AM (25 comments total)

Also: how do you think the whole Challenge has been going, in general? Has there been an increase in traffic on the Music page at all? There certainly have been some good "water"-themed songs uploaded. Any favourites?
posted by chuckdarwin at 3:13 AM on July 5, 2007

I haven't participated in this one so far, but your thread title makes me want to do "Agua Y Sal".
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 4:36 AM on July 5, 2007

I'm currently working on my first song in about six years. It is a seven-part prog-rock epic tentatively titled "I Have to Pee".
posted by Plutor at 5:41 AM on July 5, 2007 [1 favorite]

I will personally hold you to your word.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 6:26 AM on July 5, 2007

Up at the top of the page on Music:

MeFi Music challenge 1
Final submission date: July 6th

So, Friday, July 6th. 11:59 pm in whichever timezone you need to claim to be posting from to still technically be hitting the sixth, natch.

From the copy for the explanation page:

Every theme will have an official deadline listed on the front page. If you'd like to post a theme entry after the deadline, that's always fine -- but if we do any official per-theme roundup or discussion, we might not catch it if it comes in later on.

So late entries aren't really a big deal. Since there's no ranking and prize structure, there's nothing truly on the line and I'd be surprised if we didn't see a couple things come in after tomorrow.

It is a seven-part prog-rock epic tentatively titled "I Have to Pee".

If you were kidding, you have to stop be kidding now. I'm with gnfti on this one.
posted by cortex (staff) at 6:32 AM on July 5, 2007 [1 favorite]

Thanks! I missed that date. I really liked your tune, cortex. My new one still isn't done, which is why I posted Atlantic. I may finish the new one soon and post it later...
posted by chuckdarwin at 6:52 AM on July 5, 2007

Hey man. I of course don't know any numbers in terms of traffic, but in terms of collaborations it's been amazing. Before this the Music site had been really slow and now there is a whole new batch of new songs, and a lot of people commenting actively. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm delighted.

Favorites? I think snsranch's, and ORthey's are particularly fine examples of their talents, but there's some other really cool ones and I haven't listened to the ones posted today, so perhaps I should hold my opinion.

Another thing that is worthy of mention, I think, is that old timers like saulgoodman posted again, after a year of not posting anything, and the debut of kimyo who seemed to have joined perfectly in time for the contest.

I'll say it again, chuckdarwin, you deserve at least one of those stars that go with the names, like the one Effigy used to have.
posted by micayetoca at 7:34 AM on July 5, 2007 [1 favorite]

micayetoca - thanks for pointing that out to me (I didn't read that thread for some reason), and for the compliment; it's very nice of you.
posted by chuckdarwin at 7:59 AM on July 5, 2007

I also made a water challenge playlist.
posted by chuckdarwin at 8:05 AM on July 5, 2007

It is a seven-part prog-rock epic tentatively titled "I Have to Pee".

You're in luck, because I heard the next theme is going to be "Pee."

But really, I do want to hear this song. "Gotta Pee" by Bunky has really given me a whole new respect for songs about pee.
posted by buriednexttoyou at 10:22 AM on July 5, 2007

I think the challenge has been extremely successful. At last count there are 18 submissions - 18! As we say here is Berkeley, that's hella submissions. I love how different the songs are, and I am wayyyyy more optimistic about the future of MeFi music than I was a month ago.
posted by ORthey at 11:17 AM on July 5, 2007

It was really good for me to have a challenge like this. I'm not a musical self-starter, mostly just a jack-off, but this gave me really good motivation to do something different. Thanks to cortex and everyone who participated. It was great, and I'm looking forward to the next one.

micayetoca, thanks for the nod, you're a "hella" cool dude.
posted by snsranch at 2:07 PM on July 5, 2007

Pony request: If Plutor posts his prog-rock "I Have to Pee", may we have a side bar on the blue so that everyone can review and enjoy it and perhaps adopt it as the MetaFilter anthem?
posted by Cranberry at 2:25 PM on July 5, 2007

The challenge is a really good thing, I think, and it indeed seems to have brought in more than the usual amount of uploads. I'm hoping it'll get more MeFi blue-and-greeners stopping in and checking out the offerings on hand, and I'm actually optimistic that it will. Drinks all around! (I'll have a double Macallan, straight up, with (of course) a water chaser.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:19 PM on July 5, 2007

Oh, and kudos to chuckdarwin, for starting this thing off.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:20 PM on July 5, 2007

I had actually been wondering the same thing.

I haven't had anythig to post to Music in a while and I missed out on this theme due to not seeing the announcement for it till earlier this week. I can't at the moment decide whether or not to do a late submission or just wait till the next theme is announced and make sure I get a full couple weeks on that one... Depends on what I feel like working on this weekend, and how much I can get done I guess.

Still, hooray for the music challenge. This is a great idea!
posted by sparkletone at 7:28 AM on July 6, 2007

Hey, I'm late to this party and a crasher at that, not being a musician in the least, but can anybody in here give me advice on how to get a good vocals-only recording for mefi music? I've got an idea, not really for competition, but for the collection it might be nice, and as it's a lullaby it could live without backup. I have a digital voice recorder.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 1:13 PM on July 6, 2007

Nothing like a real mic for good vocal recording, AV. If your DVR doesn't have a high fidelity mic on it, you could look into picking up a USB-driven model. Depending on how much you feel dropping, seems like there's some totally decent USB condensor mics in the $90-$100 range.

Barring that, you can do okay on a cheaper mic if you just keep down ambient noise (quiet room!), don't swallow the mic (a few inches between mouth and mic head is a good thing), don't blow your levels (test this by recording a track as loud as you'll get and adjust volume until you don't peak out), and try not to hiss or pop too much into the mic (projecting a couple inches to the side of the mic can help with that).
posted by cortex (staff) at 1:23 PM on July 6, 2007

and try not to hiss or pop too much into the mic

Using a pop screen is a good idea.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 3:43 PM on July 6, 2007

I made a pop screen from one of those knitting circle things (damned if I know what it's really called) I stole from my sister, and some cut up nylons that I stole from my mom. Works great.
posted by buriednexttoyou at 3:56 PM on July 6, 2007

You can even use an old wire coat hanger as a frame.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 5:04 PM on July 6, 2007

You can even get some local wino to hold an old scrap of pantyhose nylon in front of the mic while you do your vocal take, and all you gotta do is promise to buy him a bottle of Night Train next Tuesday.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:12 PM on July 6, 2007

Well, damn. All I've got is a couple dozen crochet hoops, the contents of a conventional closet, the hose on my gams and a kitchen full of cooperative winos.
:(
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 11:50 PM on July 6, 2007

Alright, we'll use the crochet hoops for percussion, the hose as tie wraps, you go in the closet, and then we'll have the winos sing.

Am I overproducing again?
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 6:14 AM on July 7, 2007

Naw, goodnews, that sounds about right.

But there ought to be clowns. Send in the clowns.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:11 PM on July 7, 2007