Jan/Feb 2020 Set 3

[psychoangel691]

Judge: TC_Halogen

A Firebrand, An Agitator (M0nkeyz)
adolescent person (bmah)
Alive (psychoangel691)
blueish cider (bmah)
Brainpower (Ghost_Medley)
Crow's Ghost [Another] (EzExZeRo7497)
Frictional Nevada (Shxfted)
grind1 (ositzxz369)
Guitar 24 (Deamerai)
Headbanger's Ballroom (storn42)
Morning Run (Psychotik)
Red Vector Acid Minute (mi40)
Sleepy Maggie (devonin)
Starflight (klimtkiller)
The Basement Guitarist (Pizza69)

[Ghost_Medley]

Re: Jan/Feb 2020 Set 3

Waiting for all the people who see "Brainpower" but it's not the one they're thinking of.

[psychoangel691]

Re: Jan/Feb 2020 Set 3

Waiting for all the people who see "Brainpower" but it's not the one they're thinking of.

My mind admittedly went there when I saw it, lol

[mi40]

Re: Jan/Feb 2020 Set 3

quick question. i've checked out how the chart would convert in the FFR engine and saw that some parts did not convert the way i would've liked (some arrows could use some shifting 1 frame upwards, or downwards) - is this something that's considered post-judging, or pre-judging?

the file plays as intended on stepmania/etterna for example but not on the FFR engine - unless certain arrows are tinkered with (to be pushed up 1 frame or down 1 frame)

[psychoangel691]

Re: Jan/Feb 2020 Set 3

Aj's been super swamped with a lot of work stuff lately so I'm posting up these notes he has so far. Two files aren't judged yet, they're on the longer side but he'll get to them soon.

Accepted
grind1 (ositzxz369)
Crows Ghost Another (EzExZeRo7497)
Frictional Nevada V2 (Shxfted)
Adolescent person (bmah)
Blueish cider (bmah)

Conditional
The basement Guitarist (Pizza69)
A Firebrand An Agitator (M0nkeyz)
Starflight (klimtkiller)
Morning Run (Psychotik)
Red Vector Acid Minute (mi40)

Rejected
Brainpower (Ghost_Medley)
Sleepy Maggie (devonin)
Guitar 24 (Deamerai)


grind1 (ositzxz369) [7.5/10]

Judge Notes:
- offset looks good
- structure is solid and doesn’t have anything notably incorrect
- 3.112/etc: don’t like these jumps because it’s a sequence of percussion that’s more than this note - given the jumps for the heavy guitar accenting which is much more notable, these can likely be removed for brevity’s sake
- 5.460: noticeably incorrect pitch relevance interval compared to earlier in your structure; this is more egregious of an issue because these two jumps are repeatedly used to represent two lower pitches - change this back to [14][13] to keep that solid accuracy
- 8.069: technically for accuracy, this should be [14][13] again to close out the phrase
- 11.694: missing note, between the 16th and the 48th (7/192nd down from the 16th)
- Those split-handed jumps/OHT’s are really rough compared to the earlier parts of the chart, but they do technically fit in terms of intensity
- overall, solid approach; definitely acceptable as is


Crows Ghost Another (EzExZeRo7497) [8.5/10]

Judge Notes:
- offset is good
- exceptionally regimented chart; very explicit and to the point with what’s being followed
- appreciate the detail of attention to the crashes with 192nds; there’s clear understanding between cutoff, full, and high-frequency instances in your patterning
- 23.679: this 32nd is quite early compared to the sound in question; if you want that orange to be a color accent, this is going to be an instance where a manual BPM change will be required as the distance between a 32nd and the 8th (where it seems to belong) is over one frame (40ms)
- 1:19.140: pitch relevance could be applied to this break since it follows a lone melodic string
- 1:33.035: this is a great example of using strain for climax; previous instances had the triples bouncing around but the “chorus” plants them in place, forcing more one-handed demand which will inevitably be tougher for the targeted demographic, nice choice
- 1:53.245: and subsequently, loosened up and no longer planted because the structure is less full in the chorus
- 2:09.666 to 2:28.614: while this kind of thing works well for osu!mania due to the changed interface and the fact that you’re free to do whatever you want in the break, I’m not fond of super long breaks like this because FFR’s game state never changes once you’re in the song. Not going to CQ for this, but please consider following something in here to at least keep the chart moving for these 19 seconds.
- 2:43.140/2:44.252: cute, and a testament to your orientation in detail by scaling the BPM 2x upward to match the upward tonality change the first time but leaving a plain 192nd accent for the non-changed tonality the second time
- this is a very good chart; close in difficulty to the original but the overall approach is much more relevant and just feels more accurate to play, personally

The basement Guitarist (Pizza69) [8*/10]

Judge Notes:
- sync is solid, chart has solid PR, rhythms are mostly correct -- however…
- I strongly feel like there’s no real discernible/consistent reason behind why the chart goes in and out of 12ths and 8ths for the main BPM at points - use sectional endpoints to reset the time signature of your chart, rather than ambiguously changing the notation to 8ths at points
- this might be an effective appeal call; please leverage that if you disagree with the CQ.

Brainpower (Ghost_Medley) [5/10]

Judge Notes:
- offset is slightly off (-0.085 to -0.076)
- 22.663: technically incorrect jump given that none of your kicks are been jumps before this; however, I understand this being a special sectional accent
- 23.137: however, this jump is for a tom that’s immediately accented with a single note right after, so this should theoretically be removed
- 24.081 to 43.032: this section is messy and quite ambiguous…
---------- 24.716: single note when a kick, hi-hat, and lyric all land
---------- 25.821: missing vocal lyric
---------- 27.716: there’s no hi-hat here which seems to be the most defendable
---------- 28.348: lyric is accented here as the only sound aside from that lower bass, which makes 25.821 more confusing
---------- 28.979: this is a kick, but it’s represented as a single note around percussion that’s accented as double notes, and not represented as a repeated note so it’s not corresponding to a hi-hat according to your structure
---------- more instances of this continue throughout
- 52.663: earlier in the same phrase, this was ignored; the change in structure at 53.137 is fine because it’s a fill/transition into the next section, but having these added synth notes outside of that transition is strange because the fill hasn’t really made any sort of presence yet
- 1:10.663: accommodated as a lyric note but repeats on the down arrow to indicate some sort of repetition that doesn’t exist
- more of the same things I perceive as issues continue; honestly not going through every example
- really don’t like this at all as a chart; there’s a lot of ambiguity in how the chart is accenting the song, and it drags despite under two minutes


Sleepy Maggie (devonin) [5.5/10]

Judge Notes:
- offset is WAY off, offset changed from 1.133 to 1.084; please consider the fact that 49ms is 1.5 frames on FFR
- given that the premise of this chart is single-note pitch-relevant 8th streams, the pitch relevance in this chart could be noticeably improved
---------- 7.046: there’s a lot of “snaking” in this chart, or [1]-[2]-[3]-[4]-[3]-[2]-[1] variant patterning, which is a tell-tale sign that pitch relevance is being attempted but not doing enough to be deviated
---------- 8.207: placing this as a [2]-[3] creates a continuity issue with the two previous notes and should be detached if you want to give 8.594 precedence as the highest note (something like [1]-[2]-[4] would be better)
---------- 14.400: this is the correct implementation of what 8.207 should be, by the way
---------- 17.110: another issue with continuity; wrapping around with [4]-[1]-[2] allows you to keep [3] as the “root” note for pitch relevance while showcasing an upward ascension for those 16th notes
---------- 17.497 -> 17.884: two [3]’s with clearly different pitch
---------- the melody repeats and with it, the issues as well
- the second melody, which is exactly the same as the first one, is a very literal mirror of the first half, and with it comes a propagation of the same issues long with having reverse pitch relevance the entire time; typically reverse pitch relevance is alright, but it’s ill-advised to do it for entire phrases where melodic elements are the main premise
- despite being 1:20, this drags due to not having any structural modification when additional musical elements come in


A Firebrand An Agitator (M0nkeyz) [7/10]

Judge Notes:
- tricky song to sync up; it seems like the song runs constant at 110 BPM, but only about half of the beats land right on. It doesn’t drift, but might make a few more colors -- not a requirement, though.
- 5.802/(etc): you accent the short organ at 4.578, 4.988, etc -- switching the two jumps so that the 8th jump has an up arrow gives you the relevance for the organ which is a bit nicer
- 5.935/6.200/(etc): two [24] jumps, but two different instruments - break them apart. The most effective thing would be to use three different jumps -- the two opposing jumps for the 16th kicks, and then a third jump that differs from all of them
- 9.356: keep accenting that short organ by chaining to the previous jump! You break from that relevance here.
- 25.305: according to your layering structure a bit later on (33.760, 38.113), this should be a jump as a result of a sustained bass note; however, I think this is a bad approach because it convolutes the structure with something not quite as significant -- I’d remove the later notes rather than adding here
- 26.396: I’d remove this jump here to keep your structure concise by following only the heavier percussion and horn accents -- this doesn’t fit either of those bills
- 30.760: careful with your jump usage here; this accent should not be the same as the [34] at 31.305 (in fact: this and the 8th note after could be jumps to hit the horn)
- 32.654: there is actually another 16th note right after this not represented; should be a color note just like the others around
- 39.487 to 56.941: excellent approach and it gives the chart a very memorable identity
- some small instances of direct copy-paste after the first solo instance (including bits of the solo itself), don’t think I didn’t notice bub
- structure needs a touch of clean up, but nothing egregious about it; despite the notes provided, I really like the approach.

Frictional Nevada V2 (Shxfted) [8/10]

Judge Notes:
- good chart; acceptable as is -- however, take a look at the jump usage and ensure that everything is consistent as there are a number of generally trivial accents that are represented as jumps and singles in parts of the same section
- 52.780/etc: if you’re accenting this strange wobble sound, jumps should be placed on the note two 16ths away (in this case, 52.780 -> 52.913)

Starflight (klimtkiller) [8*/10]

Judge Notes:
- conditional queued for mini-jack usage; since this song runs at 255 BPM, the chance of 1-frame jacks exists. Any instances of mini-jacks that force a one-handed transition/pattern need to be resolved (i.e. a [2]-[2]-[1] should be [2]-[2]-[4]); this includes mini-jacks ending with jumps (i.e. [4]-[4]-[1]-[1]-[23] should be changed to something like [4]-[4]-[1]-[1]-[34])
- chart cannot be accepted in its current state as there are two minutes of uncharted song after your chart ends; the song needs to be trimmed as per the rules (an incomplete submission will be automatically rejected. This means that the file has large portions of empty space either at the beginning, ending, or in between the file. If there are noticeably long empty spots when the song is running with noticeable elements for no justifiable reason, it will be classified as an incomplete submission)

Adolescent person (bmah) [7.5/10]

Judge Notes:
- offset changed from -1.710 to -1.714
- structure makes sense to me overall, though I do feel like the contour could be restricted a bit further to accommodate for the fact that no instances of 4-note jacks exist; for example, rather than lightening up at 14.214 with a [2]-[1]-[2]-[1], you could add stress by doing a [2]-[2]-[1]-[1] -- it would maintain your structural rules and better suit the motif of your chart
- to improve relevance overall, ensure that your jacks and your layering don’t fight for placement. For example, you’ve got [24] jumps at 13.797 and 14.214, but they represent two different percussive elements -- this occurs as a result of trying to accommodate for the descending synth from [4] to [3]; a minor gripe, not major at all
- 43.172/44.839/etc: snare is a five note 32nd burst here
- 1:22.859/1:29.526: some missing piano notes, which are used to create anchors multiple times in the phrase later
- 1:37.026: remove; seems to be a bit too muddled to accommodate for
- 1:41.401: not sure this should be a jump
- 1:41.505: some 24ths missed for the bass here
- 1:43.484: no need for a polyrhythm here; the others later on are fine and more correct, though
- 2:01.714 to 2:11.714: personal gripe, but the layering just feels way overdone in this part overall
- structure is decent overall, acceptable as is


Blueish cider (bmah) [9/10]

Judge Notes:
- explicit structure, solid PR, layering makes sense, execution is rewarding
- difficulty is controlled well; this is very fun


Morning Run (Psychotik) [6.5/10]

Judge Notes:
- 0.868/2.217: not hearing these notes
- first 49 seconds: there are a lot of repeating notes in here that are arguable/ambiguous; a few of them are unarguably correct but a lot of them either accent notes that aren’t there or accent melodic elements that shouldn’t repeat
- 51.261/etc: these 64th notes are a bit too loose given the low BPM of the song; it might be more prudent for you to use 96ths to make them a bit tighter
- 53.958: likely should be jumps here, these are noticeable chords played in the piano
- 54.801: missing note
- 1:03.902: listen carefully to some of your harder chords, as they might have actual separation in them; you catch some, but miss others like this one right here
- 1:05.924: move to [3]
- 1:06.936: should not be [4]-[3]-[4] as we’ve got a descending bit here; additionally, the [3][3] minijack is technically incorrect in terms of pitch relevance
- 1:10.306: should be a grace note here
- 1:14.857: jack doesn’t belong here as none of the notes in the chord match the note coming out
- 1:23.790/1:24.464: missing note
- 1:50.587: whoaaaaaaa, did not see that stream coming at all. on top of it, there’s actually a jump at 1:51.261, in the middle of that stream -- if you’ve got the desire to include a jump inside of a stream like this, you could definitely afford to generally add a touch more layering throughout the song when multiple pianos are playing in less significant sections
- this chart has a respectable foundation, but I do think the structure is a little muddy at times with the repeated note usage and layering construction; there are circumstances where the deliberate omissions are understandable, particularly when the lead melody is taking precedence over the lower melody. However, there are other times where those collisions aren’t happening and the lack of layering at times is a bit strange.



Guitar 24 (Deamerai) [6/10]

Judge Notes:
- the deliberate omissions of guitar notes in outside of the midsection really throws me off in this chart, especially when the opening phrase adds the only instance of an 8th note between beats 1 and 2, yet the guitar that plays there is audible each and every subsequent time it plays
- 32.079 to 53.412: this entire section could use a bit of a lift up in terms of melodic representation; pitch relevance is not great at all and that poor PR carries into the ending as well
- I personally, cannot consciously accept this in its current state

Red Vector Acid Minute (mi40) [7/10]

Judge Notes:
- Red Vector Acid Minute? Is this 2005?
- 7.762: rhythm is slightly off
- 8.486: missing note
- 13.996: missing note
- 21.219: this is going to convert absolutely awfully, you may want to consider reducing the rate of this speed-up slightly
- 25.477: move these off of [34], since your previous [34] accented a different instrument
- 34.889: missing note
- 37.139: this last note is a bit early for the sound effect
- 37.477: change this pattern because this is exactly the same starting pattern as the opening phase
- 40.580: not quite the correct rhythm, but more importantly this creates a mini-jack on the down arrow that really doesn’t require it as the sound isn’t jarring or particularly important
- 54.697: with there not being a tonal or instrumental structure, you would be better off changing the 8ths to 12ths since it’s in a sequence of three (it’s a bit more accurate)
- 1:01.887: add one more note for that bzzzzt
- structure is alright, but it suffers from some occasionally unclear minijack usage; make sure the mini-jacks are used with a clear intent throughout the chart


Headbangers Ballroom (storn42) [/]

Judge Notes:

*Still being evaluated*

Alive (psychoangel691) [/]

Judge Notes:

*Still being evaluated*

[PrawnSkunk]

Re: Jan/Feb 2020 Set 3

frictional nevada v2 hype

[M0nkeyz]

Re: Jan/Feb 2020 Set 3

- tricky song to sync up; it seems like the song runs constant at 110 BPM, but only about half of the beats land right on. It doesn’t drift, but might make a few more colors -- not a requirement, though.

Yes sir, mainly in the beginning I found most of the biggest drifts. So I've put 64ths on them instead of 16ths which is more accurate

- 5.802/(etc): you accent the short organ at 4.578, 4.988, etc -- switching the two jumps so that the 8th jump has an up arrow gives you the relevance for the organ which is a bit nicer

you're right, fixed.

- 5.935/6.200/(etc): two [24] jumps, but two different instruments - break them apart. The most effective thing would be to use three different jumps -- the two opposing jumps for the 16th kicks, and then a third jump that differs from all of them

done

- 9.356: keep accenting that short organ by chaining to the previous jump! You break from that relevance here.

good call

- 25.305: according to your layering structure a bit later on (33.760, 38.113), this should be a jump as a result of a sustained bass note; however, I think this is a bad approach because it convolutes the structure with something not quite as significant -- I’d remove the later notes rather than adding here

Decided to remove them as per your suggestion.

- 26.396: I’d remove this jump here to keep your structure concise by following only the heavier percussion and horn accents -- this doesn’t fit either of those bills

Sorta ties in with the previous point, done

- 30.760: careful with your jump usage here; this accent should not be the same as the [34] at 31.305 (in fact: this and the 8th note after could be jumps to hit the horn)

I switched up the jumps, I'm not entirely sure about adding jumps to the 8ths there, they don't seem too significant. If you think otherwise we can discuss it ofcourse

- 32.654: there is actually another 16th note right after this not represented; should be a color note just like the others around

Do you mean 32.654 itself or the 16th after? It's hard to figure out since I don't hear the one at 32.804. I can faintly hear the one at 32.654. So I added another 192th there.

- 39.487 to 56.941: excellent approach and it gives the chart a very memorable identity

Thanks, I think so too

- some small instances of direct copy-paste after the first solo instance (including bits of the solo itself), don’t think I didn’t notice bub

Caught me.. Although I did put alot of work into trying to vary things up a bit. I felt for consistency sake I shouldn't stray to far away from the first half since they're pretty much identical. If you think for acceptance it needs to be changed around I'll do it.

- structure needs a touch of clean up, but nothing egregious about it; despite the notes provided, I really like the approach.

Thank you! From the first file I've submitted to FFR back in 2013 I have only learned from (sometimes) harsh criticism.


23.392, 25,578,27.753 etc etc. I've added in 8th's here, because it's a very audible sound and it creates an interesting dynamic. I can remove them if you disagree though

[Shxfted]

Re: Jan/Feb 2020 Set 3

Frictional Nevada V2 (Shxfted) [8/10]

Judge Notes:

- good chart; acceptable as is -- however, take a look at the jump usage and ensure that everything is consistent as there are a number of generally trivial accents that are represented as jumps and singles in parts of the same section

I'll take a look at this in a bit and edit my post if I notice any of these.

- 52.780/etc: if you’re accenting this strange wobble sound, jumps should be placed on the note two 16ths away (in this case, 52.780 -> 52.913)

The wobble sound itself isn't the reason for the [14] notes, the reason there's not a 2nd jump in the first two instances is because there's no percussion sounds on the 2nd ones. The 3rd and 4th instances do have these percussion notes, which is why they have both [14] notes.

[mi40]

Re: Jan/Feb 2020 Set 3

Judge Notes:
- 7.762: rhythm is slightly off
- 21.219: this is going to convert absolutely awfully, you may want to consider reducing the rate of this speed-up slightly
- 25.477: move these off of [34], since your previous [34] accented a different instrument
- 37.139: this last note is a bit early for the sound effect
- 37.477: change this pattern because this is exactly the same starting pattern as the opening phase
- 40.580: not quite the correct rhythm, but more importantly this creates a mini-jack on the down arrow that really doesn’t require it as the sound isn’t jarring or particularly important
- 54.697: with there not being a tonal or instrumental structure, you would be better off changing the 8ths to 12ths since it’s in a sequence of three (it’s a bit more accurate)
- 1:01.887: add one more note for that bzzzzt

changing the stuff right now and these notes are really helpful, thanks a bunch!

[ositzxz369]

Re: Jan/Feb 2020 Set 3

Updated my Grind1 file according to AJ's notes. However, on 11.694, I put the note on 8/192nd instead of the proposed "7/192nd" - because I usually do white notes if - I'm stepping vocals or a really special sound is involved. I turned the OHT's to two-handed trills. Also, I did more PR stuff on the jumps in the second half of the file.

[EzExZeRo7497]

Re: Jan/Feb 2020 Set 3

Will see what I can do for the break section in Crow's Ghost. I'm not particularly sure of what to layer there, but it shouldn't be too bad.

You're right that the 32nd was an accent; I'll use a 48th instead (hopefully that wouldn't be too egregious?). I can't use a 64th because a 64th was used not too long after. 96ths/192nds are obviously out. Will try to PR the string melody too; being tonedeaf is rough.

edit: Decided to layer the countermelody in the break in Crow's Ghost. Other notes were addressed. Thanks for the strong accept.

[klimtkiller]

Re: Jan/Feb 2020 Set 3

changes to starflight should be fixed now

[Psychotik]

Re: Jan/Feb 2020 Set 3

- 0.868/2.217: not hearing these notes
Agreed with the first one, the second one is faint, but it is there.

- first 49 seconds: there are a lot of repeating notes in here that are arguable/ambiguous; a few of them are unarguably correct but a lot of them either accent notes that aren’t there or accent melodic elements that shouldn’t repeat
Yeah I can see I over did it. Toned it down with repeating notes by quite a bit.

- 51.261/etc: these 64th notes are a bit too loose given the low BPM of the song; it might be more prudent for you to use 96ths to make them a bit tighter
- 53.958: likely should be jumps here, these are noticeable chords played in the piano
- 54.801: missing note
- 1:03.902: listen carefully to some of your harder chords, as they might have actual separation in them; you catch some, but miss others like this one right here
- 1:05.924: move to [3]
- 1:06.936: should not be [4]-[3]-[4] as we’ve got a descending bit here; additionally, the [3][3] minijack is technically incorrect in terms of pitch relevance
Fixed

- 1:10.306: should be a grace note here
Hmm I don't hear any grace note here, but I do at 69.801 if that's what you meant. Either way I added the grace note.

- 1:14.857: jack doesn’t belong here as none of the notes in the chord match the note coming out
- 1:23.790/1:24.464: missing note
Fixed

- 1:50.587: whoaaaaaaa, did not see that stream coming at all. on top of it, there’s actually a jump at 1:51.261, in the middle of that stream -- if you’ve got the desire to include a jump inside of a stream like this, you could definitely afford to generally add a touch more layering throughout the song when multiple pianos are playing in less significant sections
Looking back I definitely agree. I've added more layering in a few sections but I did keep a lot of the second half relatively bare with the lower melody since the main one is very striking and strong. I've also went back to the first 49 seconds and added some extra jumps I missed out on.

Amended chart has been uploaded.

[M0nkeyz]

Re: Jan/Feb 2020 Set 3

Sent fixes according to your notes.

Also added in 8ths to 23.392, 25,578,27.753 etc. for better emphasis on what the melody does there.

[mi40]

Re: Jan/Feb 2020 Set 3

@batch judge(s)

i spent like 20 minutes trying to fix framers and finally got it sorted out BUT honestly on ddream it looks so offsync now that i've fiddled some bursts up by 1 frame each on the offending parts, or moved some arrows down 1 frame each to make jumps disappear from the rolls.. i'm feeling the limitations of the FFR engine at this point but hey, if it plays and feels fine (not offsync) after the frame "fixes" maybe that's still fine.

would like to hear some opinions on the whole "framers being fixed" matter (aka please playtest it and give me some feedback if time allows)