Foreword Introduction Rules Schedule Entering Judging Prizes Updates Results FAQ Resources Statistics Contact Changes since MC5 About    Frequently Asked Questions General What is a registration verification? What is a backup email address? What is a handle? Can I enter and be a judge? When can I release my MC6 entry? What happened to the time limit rule? I have a problem with [whatever]. Could you make an exception for me? Will there be an MC7 next year? Entering IT2.14 files are compressed. Does this mean I need to save as IT2.XX? How do I save an Impulse Tracker file as IT2.XX? Why does my song title have to be 20 characters or less? Can I change my song title? What is a song ID? What should mine be? What division should I enter? Can I enter more than one division? Where do I upload my song? My song didn't finish uploading. What should I do? What if I have trouble uploading my entry? What if I want to change my song after I upload it? What if my entry doesn't play correctly in the assigned player? Am I limited to using 32 channels? Why aren't MODs or S3Ms allowed? Why are entries limited to 1,000,000 bytes? What music style can I enter in MC6? Can we enter a song with more than one author? What text should be in my song? Judging How can I be a good Music Contest judge? General Q: What is a registration verification? A: When you register to enter or to vote, you will receive an email response saying "You are registered." This email will also contain any special instructions you may need.   Q: What is a backup email address? A: We ask for a backup email address when you register. This is a safety measure. If your primary email address fails, we will attempt to contact you at the backup email address. Your backup email address should be at a completely different mail host than your normal address. It's very important that we have this alternative. During the contest, entrants will be receiving verification and upload information, and judges will be receiving song assignments. You need this information to take part in Music Contest.   Q: What is a handle? A: A handle is a nickname that you use in the Scene. Some examples: "Nekroz", "Murple Potion", "Shkavin". We ask for your handle during registration, in order to keep things consistent with the Author's page on the Archive. If you have released any songs on the Archive in the past, you should use the same handle when you register for MC6. If you haven't released a song on the Hornet Archive, and don't have an established handle, then you should choose a handle based on your name. For example, if your name is "Joe Average", you could use the handle "JAverage".   Q: Can I enter and be a judge? A: Yes. Anyone can enter and be a judge. You may not vote on your own entry.   Q: When can I release my MC6 entry? A: See rule 8.   Q: What happened to the time limit rule? A: In MC5, a 4-minute time limit was enforced for all entries. It was intended to make a voter's job easier. It received a lot of negative feedback. Based on comments we received, we changed the rule. Entries can be any time length, but judges are only required to listen to the first 4 minutes of every song.   Q: I have a problem with [whatever]. Could you make an exception for me? A: Good organizing depends on treating everyone equally. If one person is allowed to bend the rules, then all should be allowed to. We stick by the contest rules for all entrants.   Q: Will there be an MC7 next year? A: We briefly considered holding MC8 next year, but that seems illogical.   Entering Q: IT2.14 files are compressed. Does this mean I need to save as IT2.XX? A: Yes.   Q: How do I save an Impulse Tracker file as IT2.XX? A: In Impulse Tracker v2.14, you must save your song as a "2.XX" module. In the Save Dialog screen (F10), you need to select the "2.XX" option, on the right hand side of the screen. (Here's a picture of what it should look like just before you save.) When you load your module (F9), the file-type text (in the lower-right corner of the screen) should say "Impulse Tracker". If it says "Compressed Impulse Tracker" (like this), then try again. Please note that you need to select the "2.XX" option once per session--if you edit any other module (to review other entries, perhaps) and come back to your song later, it will save your module as a 2.14 file again, and be invalid, unless you select "2.XX" again. Compressed Impulse Tracker files will not be accepted. (Many thanks to Trixter for the images.)   Q: Why does my song title have to be 20 characters or less? A: Impulse Tracker allows 25 characters in the song title field, but Fast Tracker only allows 20 characters. We use a database to store information about entrants, including their song title, so the database format must be consistent for everyone. Song titles in entries are checked to be sure they match exactly with the registered song title.   Q: Can I change my song title? A: Once you register, your song title may not be changed. The song title on your entry form must match the song title in your entry.   Q: What is a song ID? What should mine be? A: A song ID is a 4-character shortened version of your title. It will be part of the filename of your entry. Your song ID must resemble your song title. For example, if your song is "Blue Monkeys", your song ID could be "BLUE", "BMOK", "MONK", or "BLUM".   Q: What division should I enter? Can I enter more than one division? A: You may only enter one division. The rookie division is intended for musicians with almost no tracking experience. Veteran division is for highly experienced musicians. A veteran entrant should know the contents of an XM or IT header, the exact hexadecimal value they like to use for certain effects, and the approximate pan positions of every instrument in a 32 channel song. Maybe this is slightly exaggerated, but veterans are experienced and know their tracker program well. Intermediate division falls between rookie and veteran. If you still can't decide, try downloading some of the verified entries from each division and see where you fit in.   Q: Where do I upload my song? A: Follow the instructions in your entry registration verification.   Q: My song didn't finish uploading. What should I do? A: You don't need to contact us. Your file will automatically be removed, and you will receive an email about it. You can then re-upload your song.   Q: What if I have trouble uploading my entry? A: First, try reading about FTP. If that fails, you can submit your entry via email, but this is not recommended and highly inconvenient. We discourage doing this unless it is absolutely necessary. Entries submitted via email will be delayed by at least one week. If you wish to enter via email, you must submit your entry one week early. For information on how to upload your entry via email, send a message to gd@hornet.org .   Q: What if I want to change my song after I upload it? A: You may not change your song after you upload it. Please be absolutely sure your song is in its final form before uploading it -- "fixes" are not allowed.   Q: What if my entry doesn't play correctly in the assigned player? A: All judges will use the assigned players to judge your song. You must be sure it sounds the way you want it in that player. You may not select an alternate player.   Q: Am I limited to using 32 channels? A: No. However, judges are only required to play your song with the first 32 channels active. You may wish to limit yourself to 32 channels, so that more judges will be able to correctly hear your song.   Q: Why aren't MODs or S3Ms allowed? A: In an effort to simplify the Music Contest, the MOD and S3M file types are no longer allowed. This makes all stages of Music Contest easier to maintain. It also allows us to write custom utilities. It lowers the chance of composers writing songs that will not play correctly in the judging software, too.   Q: Why are entries limited to 1,000,000 bytes? A: The 1,000,000 byte limit was chosen for several reasons. For example, GUS soundcards have a 1-Meg memory limitation. If there were no files size restrictions, judges would not be able to use a GUS. The size of one million bytes (1,000,000) instead of one megabyte (1,048,576) was used to make verification and entry easier. [Please do not ask us what the difference is between a million bytes and a megabyte.] Also, judges are required to download a large number of entries, and a limit on filesizes makes this easier for them. A 1,000,000 byte limit also makes it much easier to check for valid file sizes. Further, it adds a challenege to the composers, since they must use fewer extended samples.   Q: What music style can I enter in MC6? A: All music styles are allowed in MC6.   Q: Can we enter a song with more than one author? A: No. This was allowed in MC5, but due to the complexity of allowing co-ops, they were removed from this year's competition.   Q: What text should be in my song? A: Only your song title should be in your song. It must be in the song title field of the module. No other song text is allowed. Our "Checkit" utility will check your song for song messages, sample text, instrument text, and sample filenames. None of these are allowed in your entry.   Judging Q: How can I be a good Music Contest judge? A: Read the MC6 Judging Guidelines.