Yep!

Seems to be about the only time I drop a fresh News Post, at least in recent years. There may not be a whole lot of new activity of late, but I'm here to deliver yet another tasty little Pixel Day snack. This could even be perceived as one part of a musical trilogy, if you will. The Hero and Wizard from previous installments are joined at last by another iconic gaming staple, known simply - and mysteriously - as the Rogue. May you enjoy this, my newest Pixel Day offering, with my compliments.

The Rogue might even steal your heart.

What a coincidence—so do I!

I've made a bunch of tracks for this fantastic Newgrounds holiday since the whole thing began back in 2016. Each year I spend (probably too much) time playing the retro-style games, scoping out all the pixel art and animation, and getting lost in the chiptastic tunes. Sadly, I wasn't able to submit anything last year, thus breaking my perfect streak of audio submissions since it all began, but hey...I'm back, baby! And I would be honored if you would give a listen to my newest Pixel Day installment:

HAPPY PIXEL DAY!

~ ChronoNomad

Pixels taste delicious!

Zero fat.  Zero calories.  Pure retro goodness in every bite.

Come and get your fill during the 4th annual installment of this one-of-a-kind Newgrounds event—PIXEL DAY!!!

And just in case you haven't already been indulging, allow me to get you started with...

The Wizard's Grimoire

Apparently my last news post was on Pixel Day, too!  So that's fun.

And hey, while you're at it, gobble up all the TRIPLE XP that @TomFulp has decided to bestow upon us today!

Have a safe and happy Pixel Day!*

*Don't do drugs, operate heavy machinery, or drink to excess.  It may inhibit your ability to enjoy Pixel Day.  Or not.

...Or is that Pixelween?  I can never remember.  Oh, well.

Either way, I've got a brand spanking new track in honor of this auspicious holiday (Oh, right...Pixel Day!) of boops, beeps, and pixelated goodness.  May you find much to be thankful for as you explore the retro randomness that this day never fails to bring.

One Hero's Journey

~ ChronoNomad

That's all there is, boys and girls!  Our Audio Deathmatch has finally come to a close, the winners have been announced, and their prizes have been doled out.  You can check out my previous news post for all the relevant info and pertinent links.  It's certainly been one hell of a ride, but I'm glad to see this five-month-long contest extravaganza finally wrapped up!  Being your Master of Ceremonies has been both thoroughly fulfilling and utterly exhausting.

Would I do it again?  Absolutely!  But the fact remains that I have a wife and family, as well as a host of other responsibilities on my plate, and the NGADM took up most of what little free time I managed to scrounge up.

So hey, if you love the Deathmatch and want the tradition continue, and you're genuinely interested in taking over the role of Emcee next year — send me a PM!  But first, be 100% certain that you're up to the challenge and won't take the responsibility lightly.  If you seem more or less prepared to take on such a daunting task, we can then discuss it in greater detail.

Oh, and I took some time earlier today to whip up an interesting little survey about Personality Traits.  It's purely for the sake of fun, though I'm sure the results will be interesting.  It's quick and painless, and you might even crack a smile.  Give it a whirl!

Why, hello there!  Consider this newspost to be the premiere spot for useful info on the 2017 reboot of the Newgrounds Audio Deathmatch (NGADM)!

The AUDITIONS are over.

The ROUND OF 64 has come to a close.

The ROUND OF 32 is also done.

The ROUND OF 16 has wrapped up.

The QUARTERFINALS have ended.

The SEMIFINALS are complete.

The GRAND FINALE is finished at last.

The FINAL RESULTS are in!

Tournament Bracket

Don't know what I'm talking about?  Need a refresher?  Read on!

RULES

The contest itself is split into two phases: the AUDITIONS phase and the TOURNAMENT phase. Each phase has its own separate rules, so make sure you read them all, because - plot twist - some things which are banned in one phase are totally okay in the other! Keep in mind that you're allowed to enter either solo or with a partner.

Rules for the AUDITIONS phase:

• You are allowed to post a track that you've made from scratch, or a track that you've made in the past.

• The audition track may be a cover/arrangement, but unless you're entering as a team, the track cannot be a collaborative effort.

• If you posted your audition track but change your mind and wish to change it, state CLEARLY in the thread.

• If you're entering as a team of two, your audition can be a collaborative effort between you and your collab partner, or a track made by either one of you individually.

• Auditions posted after the deadline will not be accepted unless it's for a ridiculously good reason.

Rules for the TOURNAMENT phase:

• Every track you make in the knockout tournament has to be made from scratch, by you, for the competition. No remixes, covers, arrangements, or revisiting old tracks. Having said that, you may ask someone to play an instrument and/or sing for you.*

• If you entered as a two-person team, then your round's submission can be a track by either one of you or a collaborative effort.

• Keep in mind that this is a MUSIC competition. We won't judge voice-acting, experimental noise, sound effects, or anything that doesn't count as music.

• If you finish a round's track early, you may start another one which you can use for the following round, assuming you make it through.

* A note on enlisting singers/instrument players: it's okay to do this, even if you didn't enter as a team! The ONLY rule is that ANY form of composition or production was made by you, and not the instrument player/singer you're working with. That means no asking for improvs and no giving creative freedom. If you have an instrumentalist or singer you plan on working with a lot for the competition, consider asking him or her to enter with you as a team.

GENERAL RULES:

• All tracks posted to the competition must be uploaded to Newgrounds. Audition tracks which aren't uploaded to Newgrounds are accepted ONLY on a case-by-case basis and require a valid reason.

• Keep any suggestions, complaints, and arguments strictly to PMs. DO NOT argue or complain about a judge's score, for example, in the contest thread. That includes anything from passive-aggressive remarks to butthurt rants. I cannot stress this enough.  Let's keep it professional, folks!

• Use the NGADM threads to post your submissions, but you may also post any kind of discussion. That said, try to keep it NGADM-related or music-related. As we say every year, you can talk about how your cat bit your arse, which suddenly gave you inspiration to make the most amazing song ever, but you can't just talk about your cat, and you certainly can't talk about your arse.

• All Audio Portal rules apply, and all BBS rules apply. This should go without saying!

• This contest is tough! You're expected to crank out a new track within two weeks. We love the huge turnout we get each year in terms of participants, but if you can't keep up with the pace, consider backing out of this one. Walkovers and last-minute dropouts tend to happen no matter what, but we'd like to keep them at a minimum.

• Lastly, this contest is and always was a means to have some competitive fun, the key word being FUN! Do not enter it with the sole intent of winning; we encourage friendly discussion, posting reviews on each other's tracks, and good sportsmanship. However, that doesn't mean you have to go easy on the competition. This is called a Deathmatch for a reason. Put your game face on and give it everything you've got!

FAQ

Am I getting any reviews on my audition track?

Not necessarily. There are nearly 200 audition tracks and it's pretty much impossible to review them all. Some judges do post occasional reviews and may take polite requests, but don't count on it.

Am I getting any reviews on my competition track?

Yes, you'll be getting reviews from the judges for each competition track you make barring the audition. For the first round or two, however, you won't necessarily be getting a review from each judge, as the reviewing workload will be split.

Where will results be posted?

They'll be posted in a new thread for every round. You'll have a notification PM'd to you upon the publishing of any results that concern you.

When will results be posted?

Check the schedule below. The results thread can be posted ANY TIME during results day.

Will I get more/less marks for being in a team?

No, every competitor, whether in a team or solo, will be judged equally.

Can I submit a cover/arrangement?

Unless it's for the auditions, no you cannot.

Can I collaborate with someone else on a contest submission?

If you haven't entered as a team, then everything you make has to be done solo. The only exception we make is having singers or instrument players in your track. As long as you do ALL of the composition and production yourself, you are allowed to, say, send MIDI files to other people and have them play an instrument/sing for you.

Can I work on music for the contest before the contest starts?

No, every track has to be made within the 2-week period of the round it is in. However, if you finish your round track early, we permit starting to work on your next round's track.

Is there a maximum/minimum length requirement for the contest track?

No, but use your common sense! Anything too long will be harder to keep interesting and coherent/structured, and anything too short might not have enough memorable content in it.

Where do I post my round submission?

In the results thread of the previous round.

Who will be judging my submissions?

@Bosa

@ChronoNomad

@ADR3-N (formerly EDM364)

@Samulis

@SkyeWint

@TaintedLogic

What is the judging criteria for the music?

This is asked very frequently and it's a very hard question to answer since every judge is given free reign on how to judge the music. However, for general guidelines:

• Don't focus on just one or a bunch of areas of your track and neglect the rest. Judges will take into consideration everything, from mixing to mastering to melodies to harmonies to structure to transitions to everything in-between.

• Originality IS a factor we consider, just like any other positive factor of a piece of music.

• Make sure your track is one cohesive experience, has a suitable amount of content, and adequately maintains interest from start to finish. This means that "background music" that's 8 minutes long and only changes slightly once every 16 bars, 1-minute loops with little musical content and tracks that sounds like three different tracks or movements glued together all will have marks deducted.

• DO NOT blame any shortcoming of your track on the genre it's in. Comments like "This is House, obviously it will sound repetitive" or "This is Orchestral, it doesn't need good mixing" will get you nowhere. This competition receives submissions consisting of many different genres, and we try to remain as unbiased as possible, so we won't be turning a blind eye to any kind of shortcomings simply based upon the genre of a track.

• Remember that, first and foremost, this is a music competition. The less your track sounds like a piece of music, the lower your chances of success. Experimental noise, atonal ambience, voice-acting, sound effect compilations, etc... don't expect these to make it very high on a judge's score sheet.

PRIZES

— FIRST PLACE —

Newgrounds Supporter Upgrade

1st Place NGADM 2017 Forum Signature

$120 in Prize Money

VSCO 2 Orchestral Sample Library

£25 gift certificate for Kontakt Hub online store

First Pick from Gaming Pool

Frontpage Showcase

— SECOND PLACE —

Newgrounds Supporter Upgrade

2nd Place NGADM 2017 Forum Signature

$54 in Prize Money

£10 gift certificate for Kontakt Hub online store

Second Pick from Gaming Pool

Frontpage Showcase

— THIRD PLACE —

Newgrounds Supporter Upgrade

3rd Place NGADM 2017 Forum Signature

$25 in Prize Money

Third Pick from Gaming Pool

Frontpage Showcase

— FOURTH & FIFTH PLACE —

Newgrounds Supporter Upgrade

SCHEDULE

From start to finish, the entire contest runs for a full five (5) months:

May 28 through October 28, 2017.

Three weeks for Auditions, two weeks for each Knockout Round.

Each round is followed by one week of Judging.

AUDITIONS

Begin May 28, 2017

End June 18, 2017

Judging

Begins June 18, 2017

Ends June 25, 2017

ROUND OF 64

Begins June 25, 2017

Ends July 9, 2017

Judging

Begins July 9, 2017

Ends July 16, 2017

ROUND OF 32

Begins July 16, 2017

Ends July 30, 2017

Judging

Begins July 30, 2017

Ends August 7, 2017

ROUND OF 16

Begins August 7, 2017

Ends August 21, 2017

Judging

Begins August 21, 2017

Ends August 27, 2017

QUARTERFINALS

Begin August 27, 2017

End September 10, 2017

Judging

Begins September 10, 2017

Ends September 17, 2017

SEMIFINALS

Begin September 17, 2017

End October 1, 2017

Judging

Begins October 1, 2017

Ends October 8, 2017

GRAND FINALE

Begins October 8, 2017

Ends October 22, 2017

Judging

Begins October 22, 2017

Ends October 28, 2017

Timezone used is Newgrounds time:  EDT (GMT -4)

All dates are inclusive.  For example, if a deadline is on a Tuesday, then the actual deadline is Tuesday at Midnight EDT, meaning you have all of Tuesday to finish your submission.

NG Deserted Island Contest

First off, my most popular song to date, Called to the Sea, has broken the 60,000 play mark! This is a pretty exciting milestone, and while 60k may not seem like much to some, it feels pretty epic to me. The track itself is just under two years old, and viewership is still going strong. May it continue to do so.

I also made two songs for the 2nd part of the Deserted Island competition, based off of MIDI tracks made by other artists.  The first, based on a @LucidShadowDreamer MIDI file, is titled Echoes of Fading Dreams.  The second, which is based on a MIDI by @Noisysundae is Sytrus Mayhem.

Art-Inspired Music Contest

Secondly, I just released my first ever submission for the Art-Inspired Music (AIM) contest. The image that inspired me to song is titled We Meet Again, by @ErrorCell and made for his ever expanding and  SideTrip series. If you've never encountered his art before, I highly recommend exploring his profile!

As for my own creation, the song inspired by ErrorCell's mindblowing imagery, it's titled Whispers of Remembrance. Regardless of how it performs in the contest, I am extremely happy with the results, and I hope that you will spend a few minutes getting lost within my artistic vision.

Newgrounds Audio Deathmatch 2017

Finally, I want to talk about one more contest. The Newgrounds Audio Deathmatch, or - as it is often called - NGADM. In previous years, this event was hosted by Step and Echo, working alongside many others to make it happen. Unfortunately, they have both been increasingly busy and it simply couldn't happen last year. This year I'll be running the show, and I am seriously looking forward to putting this no-holds barred, audio extravaganza back on the map!

Put simply, the NGADM is a tournament, much like those found in sporting events, only this one is geared toward musical artists rather than athletes.  Auditions will begin on May 28th. After that, the judges will sift through all the entries and the ball will really start rolling!  The Group Stages come after the Auditions, and that further whittles down the competition.  Round after round of punishing musical melee continues until only one is left standing at the pinnacle; the lone champion to have overcome insurmountable odds!

Could that be you?

...of 2016, that is.  Everyone else makes clickbait-y subjects, so I figured what the hell.  Haven't been posting very often or even submitting all that much in the way of music in the last six months or so, but hey--there's still some noteworthy stuff to go over!

First of all, and most recently, I finally hit 222 fans!  Sure, that may not seem like much by some user standards, and plenty of the earlier fans probably don't even frequent good ol' Newgrounds anymore, but since the number 2 in any form has always been lucky for me, it's still a pretty important personal milestone.  It's also what made me finally decide to write up another one of these lovely News Post things.  I just want to say thank you to each and every one of those two hundred and twenty-two fans; also to all the folks who have stopped by for a listen, voted, reviewed...you know, all that good stuff.  Also a special thank you to a select few of you who know me personally and put up with all my crazy-go-nuts antics!  You guys seriously rock.

It's been a truly eventful year, although that has mostly been outside of Newgrounds, hence the fact that I've been here less and less over the last couple years.  But hey, I still love this place!  It's always a hub of bustling activity, and I will never stop doing my part when it comes to watching, voting, playing, voting, listening, voting, and just generally being a part of the NG cummunity.  Did I mention voting...?  I don't think I'll ever stop coming here, unless of course it ceases to exist for some weird and inconceivable reason.

As for the music, this track has gotten over 29k plays since June of last year, so if you haven't heard Called to the Sea yet, check it out!  It won't take much to boost it up and over 30,000!  That would be so epic, and I think you'll like what you hear.

And finally, I hope that you will check out my newest submissions!  

Thanks for being awesome.

~ ChronoNomad

2015 has come to an end, and here we are, already on the second day of the new year and still hurtling forward in time.  I feel like 2016 is going to be an incredible year, not without the typical ups and downs, but my hope is that the rollercoaster of life eases up a bit over the next twelve months.

That said, this past year certainly wasn't all bad.  A lot of really great things have happened in my life, and hopefully that trend will continue.  My wish for you, as you take the time to read my thoughts, is that you may find much to smile about throughout year!

Think before you act.  Commit random acts of kindness.  Be less offensive and not so easily offended.

Just a few suggestions, and each one is something that I continue working on within myself.  Life is often like a weird little karma boomerang, so bad behaviour tends to come back to bite us.  Fortunately, the reverse can also be true.  Everyone talks about New Years Resolutions this time of year, but I think just wanting to be a better version of yourself is a pretty solid plan.

Oh yeah, and before I forget, here's a track I just released for Pixel Day!

And here's a full-sized version of the image I used for the CD art.  Just because.

Cheers~!

Yep, that happened.  I remain very pleasantly surprised, though maybe shocked is a better word.  Many thanks and felicitations to the judges and my fellow contest entrants!  It was an incredibly fun and rewarding experience even without the cash and prizes, so...bonus!

We were all provided 50 samples to work with, and the idea was that we were stranded on a deserted island with our laptop with its preinstalled audio creation tools and a half-corrupted flash drive with 10-25 samples on it.  Pick your samples, make a track, and hope that playing it on a loop will get your rescued!  Simple premise, right?  And totally fun.

In case you haven't heard it yet, here's my 2nd place track, Called to the Sea, for your listening enjoyment:  

The first place winner is Phonometrologist with his undeniably impressive track, Costa Concordia:  http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/630605

And, in a very interesting 2nd place tie score happenstance, here's Emid's incredible piece titled A Folklore:  http://www.newgrounds.com/audio/listen/631745

I could go on and on listing all the other entries and winners, but each and every track is deserving of your full attention, so here's a link to the official playlist:  http://www.newgrounds.com/playlists/view/249a7aa6bb6b08db9aa1e7bece818e1b