Is this thing on? * Clears throat * Hello! This is Bloodbat, your guest challenge runner speaking!
The challenge maestros were kind enough to invite me to a secret conclave, in a snow covered, undisclosed location where the sun shone hot enough to boil water; at the meeting, it was discussed how when one hemisphere of our planet is chilling in the winter, the other one is basking in the summer, it was also agreed that I would be the guest challenge runner for this month (a bit late, because, honestly, we were knocking back alcohol-free piña coladas that can get one really drunk after a couple of sips and having a great time).
Let me put on my festive hat and entice you to this month’s challenge.
From a time beyond time the universe has been about balance and duality: light and dark, good and evil, Santa and Krampus, solstices and equinoxes, up and down, left and right, and so many, many more examples (that could be distilled to none? Wow! That got zen real fast).
Your task, should you decide to accept it, is to capture balanced opposites in a patch!
Opposite concepts should be part of the patch; working in concert, with neither contrary overtaking the other, because balance should be, in all things, preserved: there’s no hot without cold.
Perhaps you dream of a piece that goes from light to dark without either overwhelming the other? Perchance modulating scales to anti-scales (or the other way around)? Possibly playing with the red and blue ends of the sound spectrum? Maybe a heavenly choir that plays against a hellish one… yet both work in concert to create something magnificent?
Your patch can be as musical or noisy as you want (perhaps both: it’s all about balance!) Festive, somber, earthly, alien… your imagination is the limit!
The challenge opposes you (playfully), so rules must be had and respected to keep the balance:
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You are only allowed to play in a limited microcosm: your patch must fit within the boundaries of the provided template.
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There are no restrictions on module brands or kinds; but every module used must be free and available in the Rack Library.
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Samples, recordings, microphones, MIDI input or external sound sources are not allowed: your patch must be generative, though you may perform it using a mouse or computer keyboard; Why, you ask? Easy! We want to spread the joy of showing others techniques and tricks to create their own masterpieces and those elements would break that balance!
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All that is required for your entries are the patches, please upload them to patchstorage.com and post the links here (this is the preferred method); you can also upload your patches directly to this thread, or put them in some file hosting service and post the links.
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Videos are extremely encouraged, both as an educational aid and as an attractive experience: videos make it easier for your work to be enjoyed by a broader audience.
The VCV Recorder module is included in the template; the module makes it easy to record a video that you can upload to YouTube. Post a link to the video in your entry on a line by itself, as in the example below, and you’ll get a convenient embedded video player:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=<somecharacters> -
Video not your jam, perhaps your Rack takes hours to get camera ready? Audio only links are welcome! Post a link to SoundCloud, Google Drive, Reverbnation, etc.
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It benefits everyone if you include the “Balanced Opposites Challenge” legend, with a link to this forum thread, in the title or description of your videos, patches and recordings. This helps let other people who could be interested in participating know about this fun (and festive) activity, and, also, exposes the work of all participants to a wider audience.
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A maximum of 5 entries per user is allowed, so that everyone can get a chance to shine!
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Posted videos or audios must be at least 1 minute, so that everyone can appreciate it, and 5 minutes maximum, so that everyone can be heard.
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Festivities are a bit shorter for this challenge: from December 15th to January 1st UTC. We really enjoyed those mai thais!
Always keep in mind this is not a competition! Just a fun activity to challenge one’s self and share knowledge, sound, and joy with others!
With all that, I leave the floor to you! Can’t wait to see the opposites you concoct!
Happy holidays to everyone!
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The template: