Beat Fighter
New member
What is Beat Fighter?
Inspired by Mass Appeal's Rhythm Roulette series on Youtube and the great beat makers on Reddit's r/makinghiphop, Beat Fighter brings four producers/beat makers together in a head-to-head battle to produce a beat from samples provided by the viewers streamed live and direct!
Beat Fighter Season One ran from October 2015 to March 2016 and was a huge success through this subreddit and Twitch, drawing in over 40 producers to compete for a spot in the final head to head match. Last season, Birocratic took home the title of Beat Fighter Season One Champion and a MidiFighter 3D. This season I hope to expand beyond Reddit and attract producers across the many hip hop producer communities on the internet. This Season I am proud to announce that Beatfighter.tv is live and operational. On the site you can watch the competition using an awesome video player custom made by Sandurz of Beat Breakdown that lets you easily switch between the main Beat Fighter stream and the competitors' streams, as well as jump between each channel's chat for the obligatory shit talking and hype. Additionally you can sign up through the site, check the schedule for upcoming events, and listen to each track and cast your vote on the winner. I'm also extremely pleased to announce that through a partnership with the amazing iOS and Android app OffTop, each track made during the competition will be featured on the app. This app allows rappers to spit 32 bars over your beat and then post the results to everyone on the app. It's really an awesome idea for an app and it's growing success speaks for itself. As a disclaimer, I'm not hyping this because I'm being paid or anything, those who have followed Beat Fighter know that my intent is for all views, clicks, links, votes, and listens are funneled to the producers, and that's how I've set up the competition. OffTop has been gracious enough to feature each events' beats on the app because it's just one more way for a producer to have his work heard by others in the community, and is a great way to connect artists and producers that otherwise might not have happened.
What's a "Season" of Beat Fighter?
What fun would a competition be if it didn't crown an undisputed winner? The Beat Fighter concept is two-fold: it offers a venue for watching a producer's process from start to finish, under pressure and within a limitation; and it pits a producer's skills and ingenuity against another. The Season format for Beat Fighter expands upon the latter through a tournament bracket structure, eventually leading to a finals match where one producer will be crowned the Beat Fighter Season Champion, earning a pretty cool and useful prize and bragging rights.
Cool, but how's it going to work?
* Before the start of each event, 3 viewers are randomly chosen to submit a sample for use during the round.
* Samples must be musical in nature, however all samples will be vetted by the Beat Fighter moderator for suitability.
* Samples must be from a streamed source. No, we will not open any files you send us.
* Competitors have 3 hours to produce 32 bars incorporating one or more of the user-submitted samples.
* Competitors MUST produce their submission live during the competition period through their twitch.tv stream.
* Beats must be uploaded to the competitor's Soundcloud BEFORE the time limit is up.
* Beats will be available for listening at the Beat Fighter Soundcloud and on Beatfighter.tv.
* Viewers will have 48 hours to submit their vote for a winner. Votes can be cast on Beatfighter.tv.
BEAT FIGHTER SEASON 2 SCHEDULE
As of right now, and for the next 3 weeks, sign ups for Beat Fighter Season Two are live through Beatfighter.tv. Producers that sign up will receive an email with detailed instructions on the next steps to compete. The schedule for Season Two will be posted on Beatfighter.tv following sign-ups. In the meantime, expect a Beat Fighter Season One All-Star Exhibition Match to be announced in the coming weeks so everyone who is interested can get an idea of what the competition format looks like.
FAQ
How many people will you be allowing to sign up?
Last season I was overwhelmed with the number of producers that signed up. Right now I don't have a set number of sign ups but once sign ups are complete I will devise the tournament structure based on numbers and announce it here.
Do I really have to be able to stream? Can I do this if I don't have a webcam/microphone/ability to stream?
Unfortunately, no. I recognize that this is a bottleneck and that there are some very talented people who want to participate but can't by virtue of being unable to stream. The very nature of this competition is that it shows the creative process live and under a time limit. That being said, the tools needed to stream are minimal and very inexpensive: a microphone (quality does not matter), a webcam, and broadcasting software (Open Broadcasting Software is FREE). Actually getting your stream up and running is very easy, and I am available to assist you at any time. In general, a 2 mbps upload speed is the minimum required to have a consistent non-buffering stream, but this can vary significantly depending on your ISP. If you are unsure about this, there are a ton of resources online detailing streaming settings for different connection speeds. If you have high speed internet, it is likely you are able to stream.
But I don't want to talk/show my face I just want to make beats!
Even though this is a competition and the beats are all that matters, part of it is allowing the viewers to observe your creative process and interact with you during the stream. Not only that, but as the host of the event we're gonna be talking on stream. You gotta give that post-win interview man! Think of it as a chance to practice your public persona, increase your confidence, and connect with listeners to expand your audience. You don't even have to show your face on stream! Point your camera at your instrument of choice and let people see your physical workflow. If you're worried about outside noise, use the push-to-talk setting on your mic and only talk when you want to talk. Again, I'll be available to help you get set up if you need help.
Do I have to make hip hop?
Short answer, no. Long answer? Well, this whole thing is in the spirit of digging through crates of vinyl, finding samples, and turning that into a hip hop beat. You don't have to make a hip hop beat, the rules state that you must produce at least 32 bars and use one of the three samples. You can make post-modern neo-soul dubtrance chillstep if you want. Just understand the audience that's already established for this event probably won't be feeling it, and those are your voters. We'd probably appreciate the effort and applaud your obvious production skills. But let's just unofficially consider this a hip hop beat contest.
Sundays are a bad time for me, and I think you must hate Europeans...
Yeah, I'm just a dude with a wife and a kid and a 9-5 (mostly) just like everyone else, and I live in the US. I'm not able to please everyone, and Sundays are just when I'm able to do the events. If this is a deal-breaker for you, I'm truly sorry
The good news though, is that the way the events are broken up, as a competitor should you advance through the rounds there is a solid three weeks or more between events you would be required to attend. If its every once in a while, hopefully you would be able to make arrangements to compete.
What happens if I can't compete in a particular round?
If you're participating in the quarter final or later rounds, I will handle this on a case-by-case basis. Depending on the other competitors, I may be able to adjust the time or date to suit you, within reason. I get that shit happens. Hell, the likelihood of at least one of these dates changing is pretty good. I just ask that if you sign up you do so in good faith. If you are unable to participate in a round and the date/time cannot be changed, your spot will be forfeit.
No fair! Group X got dope samples but my group got shit samples and that's why I lost!
First of all, throughout the tournament you're only competing against whomever else is in your group at any given stage, so those guys are dealing with the same shitty samples as you are. Second, that's just the name of the game. Maybe you'll get Barbie Girl, maybe you'll get Its So Cold In The D.
If I signed up for the Beat Fighter Season One, do I have to sign up again?
Yes! Please sign up via Beatfighter.tv.
I can't compete, but I definitely want to support this awesome endeavor!
Well, just by following, spreading the word, and watching you're already showing love! But, there are a few things I could always use some help in...If you're an artist and you have so much free time and enthusiasm that you want to help me with art assets, shoot me an email. I am not an artist, so I won't be turning down anyone volunteering. I've got some specific ideas in the works that I could definitely use an artist's touch on. If you want to get some music featured on Beat Fighter, create a Beat Fighter theme and I'll play it. If you want to donate real life actual money, you can find the donation link here, just click the "INSERT COIN" button. All proceeds go towards an awesome prize for the winner! You can also help me out by proactively spreading the word among other online communities and your friends. I'm trying, but I can't hit everywhere. Spread the word by tweet, facebook post, your own twitch stream, anything. If you are a wiz at web site stuff, www.beatfighter.tv is live but constantly being tweaked and updated. So...If you have any experience with web design I'd love to chat with you, just to tell you my vision for the site and you can have a good laugh and wish me luck.
This space saved for even more FAQs
SIGN UP FOR BEAT FIGHTER SEASON 2 HERE!
Follow Beat Fighter on Twitter
All the submissions past and present, plus Beat Fighter Themes can be found on the Beat Fighter Soundcloud
If you've got any questions/comments/complaints you can email me at twitchbeatfighter@gmail.com
Inspired by Mass Appeal's Rhythm Roulette series on Youtube and the great beat makers on Reddit's r/makinghiphop, Beat Fighter brings four producers/beat makers together in a head-to-head battle to produce a beat from samples provided by the viewers streamed live and direct!
Beat Fighter Season One ran from October 2015 to March 2016 and was a huge success through this subreddit and Twitch, drawing in over 40 producers to compete for a spot in the final head to head match. Last season, Birocratic took home the title of Beat Fighter Season One Champion and a MidiFighter 3D. This season I hope to expand beyond Reddit and attract producers across the many hip hop producer communities on the internet. This Season I am proud to announce that Beatfighter.tv is live and operational. On the site you can watch the competition using an awesome video player custom made by Sandurz of Beat Breakdown that lets you easily switch between the main Beat Fighter stream and the competitors' streams, as well as jump between each channel's chat for the obligatory shit talking and hype. Additionally you can sign up through the site, check the schedule for upcoming events, and listen to each track and cast your vote on the winner. I'm also extremely pleased to announce that through a partnership with the amazing iOS and Android app OffTop, each track made during the competition will be featured on the app. This app allows rappers to spit 32 bars over your beat and then post the results to everyone on the app. It's really an awesome idea for an app and it's growing success speaks for itself. As a disclaimer, I'm not hyping this because I'm being paid or anything, those who have followed Beat Fighter know that my intent is for all views, clicks, links, votes, and listens are funneled to the producers, and that's how I've set up the competition. OffTop has been gracious enough to feature each events' beats on the app because it's just one more way for a producer to have his work heard by others in the community, and is a great way to connect artists and producers that otherwise might not have happened.
What's a "Season" of Beat Fighter?
What fun would a competition be if it didn't crown an undisputed winner? The Beat Fighter concept is two-fold: it offers a venue for watching a producer's process from start to finish, under pressure and within a limitation; and it pits a producer's skills and ingenuity against another. The Season format for Beat Fighter expands upon the latter through a tournament bracket structure, eventually leading to a finals match where one producer will be crowned the Beat Fighter Season Champion, earning a pretty cool and useful prize and bragging rights.
Cool, but how's it going to work?
* Before the start of each event, 3 viewers are randomly chosen to submit a sample for use during the round.
* Samples must be musical in nature, however all samples will be vetted by the Beat Fighter moderator for suitability.
* Samples must be from a streamed source. No, we will not open any files you send us.
* Competitors have 3 hours to produce 32 bars incorporating one or more of the user-submitted samples.
* Competitors MUST produce their submission live during the competition period through their twitch.tv stream.
* Beats must be uploaded to the competitor's Soundcloud BEFORE the time limit is up.
* Beats will be available for listening at the Beat Fighter Soundcloud and on Beatfighter.tv.
* Viewers will have 48 hours to submit their vote for a winner. Votes can be cast on Beatfighter.tv.
BEAT FIGHTER SEASON 2 SCHEDULE
As of right now, and for the next 3 weeks, sign ups for Beat Fighter Season Two are live through Beatfighter.tv. Producers that sign up will receive an email with detailed instructions on the next steps to compete. The schedule for Season Two will be posted on Beatfighter.tv following sign-ups. In the meantime, expect a Beat Fighter Season One All-Star Exhibition Match to be announced in the coming weeks so everyone who is interested can get an idea of what the competition format looks like.
FAQ
How many people will you be allowing to sign up?
Last season I was overwhelmed with the number of producers that signed up. Right now I don't have a set number of sign ups but once sign ups are complete I will devise the tournament structure based on numbers and announce it here.
Do I really have to be able to stream? Can I do this if I don't have a webcam/microphone/ability to stream?
Unfortunately, no. I recognize that this is a bottleneck and that there are some very talented people who want to participate but can't by virtue of being unable to stream. The very nature of this competition is that it shows the creative process live and under a time limit. That being said, the tools needed to stream are minimal and very inexpensive: a microphone (quality does not matter), a webcam, and broadcasting software (Open Broadcasting Software is FREE). Actually getting your stream up and running is very easy, and I am available to assist you at any time. In general, a 2 mbps upload speed is the minimum required to have a consistent non-buffering stream, but this can vary significantly depending on your ISP. If you are unsure about this, there are a ton of resources online detailing streaming settings for different connection speeds. If you have high speed internet, it is likely you are able to stream.
But I don't want to talk/show my face I just want to make beats!
Even though this is a competition and the beats are all that matters, part of it is allowing the viewers to observe your creative process and interact with you during the stream. Not only that, but as the host of the event we're gonna be talking on stream. You gotta give that post-win interview man! Think of it as a chance to practice your public persona, increase your confidence, and connect with listeners to expand your audience. You don't even have to show your face on stream! Point your camera at your instrument of choice and let people see your physical workflow. If you're worried about outside noise, use the push-to-talk setting on your mic and only talk when you want to talk. Again, I'll be available to help you get set up if you need help.
Do I have to make hip hop?
Short answer, no. Long answer? Well, this whole thing is in the spirit of digging through crates of vinyl, finding samples, and turning that into a hip hop beat. You don't have to make a hip hop beat, the rules state that you must produce at least 32 bars and use one of the three samples. You can make post-modern neo-soul dubtrance chillstep if you want. Just understand the audience that's already established for this event probably won't be feeling it, and those are your voters. We'd probably appreciate the effort and applaud your obvious production skills. But let's just unofficially consider this a hip hop beat contest.
Sundays are a bad time for me, and I think you must hate Europeans...
Yeah, I'm just a dude with a wife and a kid and a 9-5 (mostly) just like everyone else, and I live in the US. I'm not able to please everyone, and Sundays are just when I'm able to do the events. If this is a deal-breaker for you, I'm truly sorry
The good news though, is that the way the events are broken up, as a competitor should you advance through the rounds there is a solid three weeks or more between events you would be required to attend. If its every once in a while, hopefully you would be able to make arrangements to compete.What happens if I can't compete in a particular round?
If you're participating in the quarter final or later rounds, I will handle this on a case-by-case basis. Depending on the other competitors, I may be able to adjust the time or date to suit you, within reason. I get that shit happens. Hell, the likelihood of at least one of these dates changing is pretty good. I just ask that if you sign up you do so in good faith. If you are unable to participate in a round and the date/time cannot be changed, your spot will be forfeit.
No fair! Group X got dope samples but my group got shit samples and that's why I lost!
First of all, throughout the tournament you're only competing against whomever else is in your group at any given stage, so those guys are dealing with the same shitty samples as you are. Second, that's just the name of the game. Maybe you'll get Barbie Girl, maybe you'll get Its So Cold In The D.
If I signed up for the Beat Fighter Season One, do I have to sign up again?
Yes! Please sign up via Beatfighter.tv.
I can't compete, but I definitely want to support this awesome endeavor!
Well, just by following, spreading the word, and watching you're already showing love! But, there are a few things I could always use some help in...If you're an artist and you have so much free time and enthusiasm that you want to help me with art assets, shoot me an email. I am not an artist, so I won't be turning down anyone volunteering. I've got some specific ideas in the works that I could definitely use an artist's touch on. If you want to get some music featured on Beat Fighter, create a Beat Fighter theme and I'll play it. If you want to donate real life actual money, you can find the donation link here, just click the "INSERT COIN" button. All proceeds go towards an awesome prize for the winner! You can also help me out by proactively spreading the word among other online communities and your friends. I'm trying, but I can't hit everywhere. Spread the word by tweet, facebook post, your own twitch stream, anything. If you are a wiz at web site stuff, www.beatfighter.tv is live but constantly being tweaked and updated. So...If you have any experience with web design I'd love to chat with you, just to tell you my vision for the site and you can have a good laugh and wish me luck.
This space saved for even more FAQs
SIGN UP FOR BEAT FIGHTER SEASON 2 HERE!
Follow Beat Fighter on Twitter
All the submissions past and present, plus Beat Fighter Themes can be found on the Beat Fighter Soundcloud
If you've got any questions/comments/complaints you can email me at twitchbeatfighter@gmail.com